Transcript Highlights:

• , as opposed to the current commercial code building.
• That experience ...and code enforcement experience in Los Angeles County.
• , or CRC, rather than the more onerous California Building Code.
• and into the residential code.
• code.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development heard a long agenda focused mainly on housing production, higher education facilities, homelessness, and permitting reform. Early items included AB 6, which would direct HCD to convene a working group on allowing three- to ten-unit “missing middle” housing to be built under the Residential Code rather than the Building Code; AB 48, a higher education bond proposal that would fund campus repairs, modernization, disaster recovery, and student/employee housing; and AB 76, which would clarify a Chula Vista university innovation district exemption so the project can include academic buildings and housing without conflicting with surplus land rules. Supporters emphasized affordability, cost savings, student housing needs, and access to education, while members raised questions about implementation, affordability requirements, and project scope. The committee later took votes on these items, with AB 6, AB 48, and AB 76 all moving forward on unanimous or near-unanimous votes to Appropriations. Members also heard AB 595, which would create a state homeownership tax credit pilot to support affordable for-sale housing. The author and supporters argued that California’s homeownership rate is at historic lows and that the bill would help close racial wealth gaps by financing homes working families can buy. The committee approved AB 595 and sent it to Appropriations. The consent calendar, including several other housing-related bills, was also approved unanimously. A major portion of the hearing was devoted to AB 1165, the California Housing Justice Act of 2025, which would require ongoing state investment and a financing plan to address homelessness and housing affordability. The author and witnesses described the scale of homelessness, the limits of one-time funding, and the need for sustained, accountable funding streams. After testimony from housing advocates and people with lived experience, the committee passed AB 1165 on a 10-0 vote to Appropriations. Finally, the committee heard AB 609, a CEQA reform bill that would create a simplified exemption for qualifying infill housing projects in already developed areas. Supporters framed it as a targeted way to reduce delays and costs for housing near jobs and transit, while opponents from environmental justice, labor, and tribal groups warned it could reduce public participation, weaken protections for disadvantaged communities, and create consultation concerns for tribal cultural resources. The author said the bill would not change zoning or affordability tools and would continue to work with opponents on amendments. The bill was moved forward after extensive discussion, with members noting ongoing negotiations on tribal consultation and labor concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2097 provides deputy sheriffs and jurisdictions under Chapter 158 of the Local Government Code
• Under Section 552.1175 of the Government Code, peace officers, county jailers, and current or former
• House Bill 5403 repeals Section 351.051.055 of the Local Government Code, which creates a population
• Administrative and criminal codes as they exist today.
• It's a startling oversight that puts countless kids at unnecessary risk because of their zip code.

Bills: HB240, HB2097, HB2731, HB3087, HB3234, HB3319, HB3394, HB3687, HB4105, HB4205, HB4350, HB4462, HB4642, HB4801, HB5403

Keywords: quorum, tax levy, county governance, local government, population regulations, quorum requirement, Texas counties, population threshold, deputy sheriff, civil service, law enforcement, appeals process, sheriff's department, HB 2731, roadside vendors, solicitors, county regulation, border counties, Mexico border, Transportation Code

Summary: The subcommittee on county and regional government heard a long agenda of county-related bills, with most measures left pending after testimony. HB 2097, by Rep. Martinez, would let counties that opt in use an independent hearing examiner instead of a civil service commission for certain deputy sheriff discipline appeals; the bill drew support from CLEET’s Robert Leonard, who said it would be fairer and faster, and it was left pending. HB 4642, by Rep. Gonzalez, would require counties that contract with out-of-state jail facilities to include Texas jail-standard protections and oversight; Gonzalez, detainee Jess Hampton, his wife, Texas Jail Project’s Krish Kundu, and TCJS director Brandon Wood all discussed deaths and poor conditions in Louisiana facilities, staffing shortages, and the need for guardrails and data collection. The bill was left pending. The committee also heard HB 4350, by Rep. Capriglione, allowing peace officers to request redaction of personal information from online real property records. Supporters said officers face targeted threats and should have protections similar to judges; a title industry witness warned about preserving the integrity of land records. The bill was left pending. HB 3687, by Rep. Harless, would require county fire marshals in counties over 100,000 to meet training and certification standards within set timeframes; Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen supported professionalization, and the bill was left pending. HB 4105 would let very large counties give a local-bid preference for construction and infrastructure contracts, and HB 4205 would require pay parity for similar law enforcement ranks within large counties; both were supported by Harris County officials and constables and left pending. Later, the committee heard HB 5403, which would repeal a special rule limiting Dallas and Tarrant county sheriffs’ control over commissary funds; the author said it would remove an outdated population bracket, and the bill was left pending. HB 4462 would require large counties to allow elected officials named in civil suits to seek outside counsel and have a role in settlement decisions; supporters argued county attorneys and commissioners court can have conflicts of interest, while questions focused on who qualifies and whether the bill could complicate settlements. The bill was left pending. Finally, HB 240, by Rep. Swanson, would restore a five-member quorum requirement for Harris County tax levies, effectively preventing tax action without all commissioners present and defaulting to the no-new-revenue rate if quorum is not met; urban counties opposed it as a potential budget obstruction, while supporters said it protects taxpayers and representation. That bill was also left pending. The transcript ends as the committee begins HB 3319, which would create a civil service system for constable department employees in large counties, but the discussion is cut off before testimony or action.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I do understand that, you know, the code is the code, but if we don't have a different code for doctoral-level
• that you know the code is the code<00:28:41.360> is<00:28:41.519> the<00:28:41.679>
• <00:28:43.039> have<00:28:43.159> a code is the code but if we don't have a code is
• the code but if we don't have a different<00:28:43.600> code<00:28:43.840> for<00:28:44.080
• > doctoral<00:28:44.519> level different code for doctoral level different code for doctoral

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: House File 105 was presented by Representatives Beerman and Baker and then laid over for possible inclusion in a future omnibus bill. The bill would implement the remaining mental health and physician service recommendations from DHS’s rate study, including raising certain Medicaid reimbursement rates to at least 100% of Medicare where a Medicare equivalent exists, increasing community-based children’s and adult mental health rates and behavioral health home rates, and phasing in additional increases over three years. The authors said the proposal also addresses master’s-level clinician reimbursement and fee-for-service hospital inpatient mental health services, and they emphasized that the changes are intended to improve access, transparency, and provider stability. Both authors argued that low MA reimbursement rates are driving access problems across Minnesota, especially for children, families, and rural communities. They said providers are struggling to hire and retain staff, clinics are closing or shrinking, and patients are facing long waits, boarding in hospitals, or delayed care. Representative Baker said the issue is personal and described the bill as a phased, long-term approach because of state budget limits and the size of the cost, which he said is in the hundreds of millions but still awaiting a fiscal note. Public testimony was strongly supportive overall. A family physician said higher rates would improve access, keep clinics open, and help patients avoid emergency care, while a Children’s Minnesota mental health leader described more than 1,200 pediatric boarding episodes in 2024 and said outpatient investment is needed to reduce pressure on emergency and inpatient services. A rural provider said her organization had to close an in-home children’s mental health program because of insufficient reimbursement, harming access in underserved counties. A psychologist testifying for the Minnesota Psychological Association supported the bill’s general direction but objected to repealing the pay differential for doctoral-level psychologists, arguing that doctoral training is more extensive and that eliminating the differential could worsen workforce shortages. After testimony and member questions about the bill’s scope and cost, public testimony was closed and the bill was laid over.

Transcript Highlights:

• and building codes.
• Committee Chair: And their engineer approved and allowed them to start, and it was against city code.
• I've never seen a development bulldozed if they don't follow building codes or anything like that.
• However, it was brought to my attention last session that the section of code that regulates who can
• The current code requires that a candidate for MUD director only be 18 years old and either own land

Transcript Highlights:

• , there were so many different things around the state, and so we wanted to have a unified code.
• That includes fire officer, fire inspector, fire instructor, code administrative, fire investigator.
• This is hard-coded. We need actual engineers to change code. Hard-coded.
• We need actual engineers to change code for certain functions to operate.
• Trying to break the code or trying to break in or what? You're recognized.

Summary: The subcommittee heard presentations from the Department of Financial Services and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, then returned to its ongoing budget workshop with the Department of Management Services. DFS’s Division of Risk Management described its role as the state self-insurance fund, covering about 200,000 employees and 27,000 vehicles, paying roughly $150 million in claims last year, and managing a pilot ETS treatment program for veterans and first responders that had 49 patients and 804 treatments as of the latest report. The Division of State Fire Marshal outlined its fire prevention, training, emergency response, and grant programs, including hurricane deployments, the Florida State Fire College, and several capital and grant requests for roof, courtyard, memorial, and equipment needs. The Division of Rehabilitation and Liquidation explained how it handles insolvent insurers under Chapter 631, currently administering 14 estates with $1.2 billion in assets and $3.7 billion in liabilities, and said no new receiverships had been opened since February 2023. Members asked about grant backlogs, fire truck procurement delays, memorial repairs, and whether affiliate transfers were occurring in insurer liquidations. Secretary Griffin then updated the committee on DBPR’s implementation of House Bill 1021 on community associations. He said the department had used the new authority to expand education, complaint handling, and ombudsman services, including 10 free standardized courses, a new condo website, and a four-hour board certification course that had already drawn more than 12,000 attendees. He reported that outreach to condominium communities had increased by more than 60%, that complaint filings were up 39% while jurisdictional dismissals dropped to 11%, and that about 81% to 82% of the 65 new positions had been filled. Members pressed him on whether the department had enough authority and funding, how condominium counts are determined, how self-reported structural integrity reserve study data is verified, and whether more public-facing complaint tracking and better reporting from local governments or developers would improve the system. The committee then resumed questioning Secretary Allende of DMS about outstanding budget and operations issues. Members focused on the delayed People First contract extension required by statute, with the secretary saying the delay involved technical and contractual complexity in moving a legacy hard-coded system to the cloud. They also revisited the state data team and data catalog project, asking why a statutory 2022 deadline had not been met, how the four-person team and broader data staff were organized, how many applicants were considered for key positions, and what each role was doing. The secretary said the catalog work was being simplified into six metadata fields and supported by a broader community of practice, but no firm completion date was given during the exchange.

Transcript Highlights:

• had to borrow, to complete the work using a licensed contractor in full compliance with California code
• recently amended the bill further to address the following: It strikes language requiring building code
• Construction costs have surged, building codes have evolved, and the gap between policy limits and actual
• Building code upgrade coverage. When building homeowners... Themselves.
• Building code upgrade coverage.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So the current Century Code requires that all schools must be at the 60 mills.
• So the way Century Code reads right now...
• It is impossible to get to most of those unless we open up new codes for those mill levies, which we
• You'd want voter-approved mill levies in there, especially if we could do it by a code.
• You could put those codes in there because everybody in the state of North Dakota would vote yes on a

Bills: SB2397

Keywords: oil and gas, tax exemption, development incentive wells, gross production tax, flaring, 908, all

Summary: The Senate Finance and Tax Committee met and first took up House Bill 1382, the gas tax bill. Members explained an amendment to ensure that the proposed three-cent gas tax distribution would include all counties and townships in oil-producing counties, rather than excluding non-oil-producing counties as in the original draft. The committee adopted the amendment unanimously, but then held the bill for the time being because of related work on the Department of Transportation budget in the House. The committee then turned to House Bill 1168, a large hoghouse amendment that combined the bill with the contents of House Bill 1176 and added technical corrections. The proposal would raise the primary residence property tax credit maximum from $1,250 to $1,650, keep the 75% cap with a $500 floor, and extend the credit to voter-approved levies while excluding special assessments. Other changes discussed included aligning the disabled veterans property tax credit with the $200,000 exemption level, adjusting budget and distribution dates so taxing districts are made whole sooner, exempting townships from a general-election vote requirement for levy increases, and modifying school funding formulas so schools are not shortchanged if mill levies are reduced under the cap. Testimony from the Association of Counties and the State Supervisor of Assessments was generally supportive of the technical cleanup and implementation changes, but they raised concerns about the June 1 distribution date, application timing, and the practicality of some programming and administrative changes. Committee members also discussed the policy and messaging implications of the 75%/floor structure and the difficulty of applying the credit to certain voter-approved levies. No final action was taken on House Bill 1168; the committee agreed to continue working on amendments and recessed until later in the day.

Transcript Highlights:

• offering from the Senator from Marion, and on a vote in the committee, it took it back to existing code
• If we reject the gentleman's amendment, we stick with existing code, which says you have to register
• The new crime fills a hole in our criminal code that currently exists.
• It also includes a section of code dealing with microgrids and high-impact data centers.
• Technical changes and removes outdated language from the code regarding the West Virginia State Bar.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The Senate took up a long second- and third-reading calendar of House bills and one joint resolution, with most measures advanced after committee strike-and-insert amendments or technical changes. Major topics included economic development and infrastructure, education and school choice, public safety and criminal justice, election law, tax and revenue matters, health and human services, and several supplemental appropriations. Several bills were advanced to third reading without amendment, including measures on Ireland education, youth/handicapped hunting, child care, tax efficiency, school transfer eligibility repeal, religious organizations, teacher and state police pay raises, Medicare supplement guaranteed issue rights, and various supplemental appropriations. Among the more substantive amendments, the Senate approved changes to industrial access road funding, airport hangar financing, driver’s license reciprocity with Ireland and Japan, foster youth virtual instruction, medical cannabis fund allocations, EMS funding, virtual currency kiosk regulation, workers’ compensation updates, and protection of personal residential information for certain public officials. The chamber also adopted amendments on election-related bills, including changing party-switching deadlines for candidates, and on a bill creating a new offense and bail rules for terroristic threats to schools or children. The Senate also advanced bills on missing persons/cold case record preservation, campus safety mapping, pre-adjudicatory alternative disposition in abuse and neglect cases, hotel occupancy tax recordkeeping, and domestic violence penalties. Several measures received floor debate. The party-switching bill drew the most discussion, with supporters arguing it would prevent election gamesmanship and opponents saying it would protect incumbents and limit access for new candidates; a division vote adopted an amendment, and the bill was then advanced. The work-zone fines bill was amended on third reading to apply higher penalties only when workers are present, then passed 34-0. The Foster Youth Post Secondary Transition Awareness Act also passed after an amendment adding agricultural vocational program provisions. The Senate adopted a title amendment on the passed bills and then recessed for 15 minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• That changed with the enactment of Revenue and Taxation Code Section 17082 in 2023.
• That changed with the enactment of Revenue and Taxation Code 17082 and 2023.
• bipartisan measure designed to ensure that the penalties under the California Revenue and Taxation Code
• This is an egregious example of how the existing penalties under the Revenue and Taxation Code and its
• You know, with this bill, we're recognizing that our tax code should not discourage these investments

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation heard a series of tax-related bills, with several measures referred to suspense and a few advancing. SB 284 would clarify Proposition 19 rules for inherited family homes in probate, including when the one-year residency clock starts and whether title consolidation among siblings triggers reassessment; supporters included the California Association of Realtors, while county assessors opposed the sibling-transfer language as creating ambiguity. The bill was sent to suspense. SB 863 was taken up on the consent calendar and passed 6-0 to the Assembly floor. SB 333 would let San Luis Obispo County voters consider raising a local tax rate limit to fund transportation projects; supporters said it would help the county become self-help for major road needs, while opponents argued it would make it easier to raise regressive sales taxes. The committee approved the bill 5-2, as amended with a five-year sunset. SB 376, which clarifies that charitable remainder trusts are not treated as incomplete gift non-grantor trusts for California income tax purposes, drew support from the California Lawyers Association and no opposition, and passed 5-2 to Appropriations as amended. The committee also heard SB 591, which would replace steep penalties for failing to use electronic funds transfer with fixed penalties of $100 for a first violation and $500 thereafter; supporters said current penalties can be excessive and out of proportion, and the bill was sent to suspense. SB 419 would partially exempt hydrogen fuel from the state sales and use tax while leaving the existing road fee in place; supporters said it would help hydrogen adoption and parity with other clean fuels, while one environmental group opposed unless amended, and the bill went to suspense. SB 587 proposed a state tax credit for local sales tax paid on manufacturing equipment to encourage investment and jobs; it had broad business support and no opposition, but was also sent to suspense. SB 710 would extend and update the property tax exclusion for solar installations, with broad support from clean energy and local government groups and some opposition from large energy consumers; it too was referred to suspense. Finally, SB 663 would extend deadlines and exemptions for wildfire victims and certain nonprofit and disabled veteran properties; it received support from assessors and committee members but was also sent to suspense for further work.

Transcript Highlights:

• exempt from the competitive procurement requirements under Section 252.022(a) of the Local Government Code
• This bill harmonizes disparate sections of the state election code.
• And this is what this code is intended to do. Thanks for your testimony. I'm here for questions.
• And the code says that you are to ensure the accuracy. That means comparing to something.
• So what the bill does is it clarifies the existing interpretation of the Election Code, which allows

Bills: HB223

Keywords: municipal budget, county budget, local government finance, spending cap, expenditure limit, inflation plus population growth, taxpayer impact statement, budget transparency, property tax, fees, Legislative Budget Board, voter approval, disaster spending, fiscal restraint, Texas Local Government Code, city budget, county expenditures

Summary: The Committee on State Affairs heard several House bills, with most measures left pending after testimony and later taken up in a batch of votes. Early in the meeting, HB 5624 on liability protections for motocross/off-road vehicle tracks, HB 223 on requiring competitive procurement for municipal lobbying contracts, HB 3709 on post-election audit procedures, and HB 5081 on protecting personal information of judicial officers and court staff were all discussed and left pending after testimony. Witnesses on HB 223 supported greater transparency in municipal lobbying contracts. HB 3709 drew sharp opposition from an election integrity advocate who argued the bill would reduce precinct-level granularity and make it harder to detect ballot errors, while a Secretary of State resource witness said the bill would simplify and standardize the audit process by location. HB 5081 received strong support from court administration and a district judge who described prior threats and an attack tied to publicly available personal information. The committee also heard HB 3546 on allowing school districts to move elections to November, HB 493 on barring certain felony offenders from serving as poll watchers, HB 5115 on increasing penalties for election fraud and related conduct, HB 4081 on trade secret filing procedures, HB 3909 on limiting restrictions on wireless devices at polling places, HB 2702 on limiting gubernatorial closure authority for certain veterans organizations during pandemics, HB 119 on foreign adversary lobbying, and HB 5138 on the Attorney General’s authority to prosecute election crimes. Several of these bills were explained with committee substitutes and then left pending before final action. Testimony on HB 493 and HB 5115 came from an election integrity advocate who supported both bills, saying the poll watcher restriction was appropriately narrowed and that the election fraud bill would help address invalid votes and refusal to count valid votes. Later, the committee took up pending business and voted out a large number of bills, generally along party lines or with broad support. HB 186 on minors’ social media use, HB 229, HB 2885, HB 3909 as substituted, HB 4285, HB 1661, HB 2820, HB 3181, HB 4157, HB 223, HB 521, HB 640, HB 1234, HB 2253, HB 2294, HB 3053, HB 3697 as substituted, HB 4281, HB 4463, HB 4995, HB 5081 as substituted, HB 5624 as substituted, HB 119 as substituted, HB 3225, HB 5138 as substituted, HB 5115, HB 481 as substituted, HB 3546, HB 493, and HB 4145 were reported favorably to the full Senate, with several also placed on the local and uncontested calendar. The committee also adopted committee substitutes for multiple bills, including HB 3909, HB 5081, HB 5624, HB 119, HB 5138, and HB 481. At the end, the chair noted another committee meeting would likely be needed before deadlines, possibly on a weekend, and recessed the committee subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• Include the person's city, state, and ZIP code, just as is currently done for donors.
• The mechanism is interference with child custody under Texas Penal Code 25.03.
• No, because there's actually a statute in the Family Code.
• No, because there's actually a statute in the family code.
• The mechanism is Chapter 152 of the Texas Family Code.

Bills: HB46, HB272

Keywords: local government spending cap, expenditure limit, political subdivision, property tax, ad valorem tax, budget cap, taxpayer protection, spending restraint, inflation adjustment, population growth, voter approval, supermajority vote, county budget, municipal budget, school district finance, junior college district, hospital district, special district, attorney general enforcement, local fiscal limits

Summary: The Senate Committee on State Affairs heard several House bills and took no final votes, leaving each bill pending after testimony. HB 272 would align venue and evidentiary rules for fraudulent use or possession of credit/debit card information with existing credit card abuse law; the sponsor said it would improve prosecutions, and the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center supported it. HB 1661 would increase penalties for certain election-related offenses, including failure to distribute election supplies and early release of election results; no substantive opposition was heard. HB 551 would protect the residential addresses of people who receive campaign expenditures on public Texas Ethics Commission reports, similar to donor privacy protections, and a witness from Texas Eagle Forum later indicated support for the privacy change. The committee also heard HB 2820, which would raise the amount charitable bingo organizations may keep in operating capital from $50,000 to $100,000. The sponsor and a Texans for Charitable Bingo representative said inflation and operating costs have made the current cap too low and that the bill would help charities maintain stable operations without expanding gaming. HB 3181 would impose stronger consequences for repeated denial of court-ordered child possession and access, including limiting probation and requiring attorney’s fees after multiple contempt findings; a family court judge and a parent testified in support, while another witness argued the bill should be paired with stronger criminal enforcement and that parents already face high costs. HB 4157 would update Texas law for commercial spaceflight by recognizing liability waivers and preserving workers’ compensation rights; no one testified against it. The committee also heard HB 4145, which would let health care providers satisfy a timely billing requirement by sending bills to a patient’s legal representative in a personal injury case, closing what supporters described as a loophole in letter-of-protection situations. Finally, HB 46, relating to the Texas Compassionate Use Program, drew the most extensive discussion: supporters said it should expand access for legitimate medical cannabis patients and add more delivery methods and conditions, while opponents warned against broader marijuana expansion and questioned adding chronic pain and other conditions. The sponsor said he still supports the program and wants a balanced, regulated expansion, but noted the bill is still being worked on. All bills were left pending at the close of the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's due to 352.012, which pertains to the fire marshal's local government code.
• This code has not been updated since 1987, and so 419 was updated in 2009.
• to Representative Wayne Pivoto, and this was the session when we not only enacted the Property Tax Code
• Rick, you're probably more familiar with this, Chapter 1202, 1205 of the Government Code.
• If you look at existing Tax Code Chapter 2605E, there is already injunctive relief. ...available to the

Bills: SB3038, SB3045, SB3065, SB3069, SB3071, HB2025, HB2149, HB3370, HB4205, HB4506, HB5424, HB5652, HB24, HB3687, HB24

Keywords: Fort Bend County, Municipal Utility District, MUD, special district, Rosenberg, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, TCEQ, ad valorem tax, bond issuance, assessments, fees, taxes, eminent domain, road district, storm drainage, infrastructure financing, development agreement, municipal consent, temporary directors, public utility district

Transcript Highlights:

• Over the past 4 months, I've learned more about the Texas Education Code than I have in the past 3 decades
• We respectfully ask you to amend the Texas Education Code.
• even the operational, uh, realities of splitting a district, just an ambiguously written education code
• Without clear, concise education codes and necessary safeguards, any board could be hijacked by a small
• The code requires that this process to be started either by a petition by y'all or by a resolution of

Bills: HB4, HB54, SB 10, SB 24

Keywords: district composition, congressional election, Texas, legislature, voting districts, citizenship, U.S. citizen, non-citizen, public office, advisory board, task force, state government, local government, political subdivision, commission board, appointment eligibility, officeholder qualifications, public service, naturalization, Texas Government Code

Transcript Highlights:

• HB2226 addresses an important issue within Chapter 162 of the Texas Property Code, namely the ability
• Our suggested revision cross-references the statutory definition of property ownership in Property Code
• Amending the Penal Code isn't something this committee normally does, but as you can see, this would
• House Bill 2760 makes a simple change to the labor code.
• The labor code requires the plaintiff to bring the suit in a court of competent jurisdiction.

Bills: HB2226, HB2269, HB2343, HB2760, HB3621, HB4079, HB4204, HB4518, HB4531, HB4555, HB4850, HB4876, HB4903, HB4996, HB5122

Keywords: construction trust funds, Property Code, Chapter 162, construction payments, mechanics lien, contractors, subcontractors, laborers, material suppliers, materialmen, real property improvement, assignment of payment rights, unpaid trust funds, trust fund beneficiaries, construction industry, payment protection, Texas construction law, property owners association, landscaping, grass maintenance

Transcript Highlights:

• Building codes update every three years. Staying current is critical for safety and compliance.
• It will lower costs and ensure code enforcement in underserved regions.
• It limits residential inspectors to one- and two-family homes per the Florida Building Code.
• It will enhance safety by matching licensees with specific skills and code requirements.
• Code 4-50. Oh, Senator Bernard. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Summary: The Committee on Regulated Industries met with a quorum and heard several bills, with SB 1742 on condos temporarily postponed. SB 1298 on building construction was reported favorably after sponsor testimony about continuing education for building professionals, rural sharing of building officials, residential inspector limits, a planning examiner internship, permitting modernization, and contractor transition liability. SB 638 on home inspectors was also reported favorably after discussion of increasing required education from 120 to 200 hours, adding subject-specific exam and course requirements, and requiring $300,000 in errors and omissions insurance. SB 960 on elevator accessibility requirements was reported favorably, allowing additional shorter support rails in elevators while keeping the existing 42-inch rail requirement. The committee also unanimously recommended confirmation of a block of board and commission appointees. The committee adopted amendments and reported favorably CS/SB 940 on third-party restaurant reservation platforms, aimed at stopping bots and unauthorized resale of restaurant reservations; the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association and Booking Holdings supported the bill, and members discussed how the measure would preserve direct restaurant-platform relationships like OpenTable and Resy while targeting third-party marketplaces that resell reservations. CS/SB 196 on foods containing vaccines or vaccine materials was reported favorably after amendments that defined mRNA vaccine use and added a cosmetics-related amendment addressing harmful chemicals such as PFAS, phthalates, formaldehyde-releasing agents, and mercury compounds; the Florida Retail Federation raised concerns but said it was working with the sponsor. CS/SB 1418 on heated tobacco products was reported favorably after an amendment clarifying the definition of heated tobacco products and excluding hookah, with support from the Florida Retail Federation and comments that the bill would distinguish these products from cigarettes for tax purposes. The committee also adopted a strike-all amendment and reported favorably CS/SB 1262 on construction contracting, which adds consumer protection and financial literacy topics to contractor continuing education, increases penalties for unlicensed contracting, creates a standardized disciplinary reporting system, and requires timely refunds and project completion standards; the Florida Home Builders Association supported the measure. Finally, CS/SB 1304 on solar facilities was reported favorably after extensive testimony from county commissioners and local officials supporting greater local oversight and decommissioning requirements for utility-scale solar on agricultural land; the bill would remove the current statewide by-right treatment for solar on agricultural land and authorize counties to adopt decommissioning ordinances. The meeting ended with members recording additional affirmative votes on selected bills and adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• We took every ZIP code in Zillow and coded it by income, and we looked at the rent changes in those ZIP
• codes in the lowest-income quarter of ZIP codes in the U.S.
• We took every ZIP code in Zillow and coded it by income, and we looked at the rent changes in those ZIP
• codes in the lowest-income quarter of ZIP codes in the U.S.
• codes in the lowest-income quarter of ZIP codes in the U.S.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee on Housing and Homelessness Prevention heard informational presentations from Housing First Minnesota and the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities on the state of housing in Minnesota. Mark Foster of Housing First Minnesota said the state has a severe housing shortage, with demand outpacing supply since the 2007-09 housing crash, and argued that Minnesota is nearly 100,000 units short of a healthy market. He said new homes are increasingly unaffordable, citing a median new single-family price above $530,000 and declining affordability in the Twin Cities metro, and he urged lawmakers to remove exclusionary zoning and other regulatory barriers that he said make starter homes and smaller-lot housing difficult or illegal to build in many growing cities. He also highlighted the group’s Housing for Heroes projects, including transitional housing for veterans and other crisis housing projects around the state. Members asked Foster about starter-home examples and his view that the committee’s top priority should be reforming residential development approvals. He said most new housing is negotiated through planned unit developments rather than built under base zoning, which he argued adds cost and reduces supply. The committee then heard from Elizabeth Wael of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, who said housing challenges outside the metro are different but equally serious. She said many Greater Minnesota cities face a lack of developers, inadequate infrastructure such as roads and utilities, and gaps in the housing continuum, especially starter workforce housing and senior housing. She thanked the committee for 2023 housing funding and said cities are contributing their own resources, updating zoning, reducing parking requirements, allowing ADUs, and partnering with developers and nonprofits. Wael also urged faster rollout of the Greater Minnesota infrastructure grant program and said the state should consider changes to the housing tax credit and housing TIF rules to make them easier to use. In response, senators said they shared frustration with the slow implementation of the infrastructure program and emphasized the need for state investment and locally tailored zoning reforms. No bills were heard and no votes were taken; the meeting was informational and focused on stakeholder testimony and committee discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, accordingly, ask Colorado tax code. Uh, accordingly, ask for a yes vote.
• code more neutral between taxpayers.
• It is in the Internal Revenue Code.
• What it means is that we should treat people comparably in the tax code.
• The committee will come to order, and the code rule is not relaxed.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This code is like any other code, principle, Bible, or standards we live by.
• This code is like any other code, principle, Bible, or standards we live by.
• This code is like any other code, principle, Bible, or standards we live by.
• Our criminal code requires that level of proof in a court of law.
• to pay for construction of a new building for code enforcement.

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several guest introductions before moving into a long special-order calendar. The chamber first considered two claims bills: SB 6/HB 6507 for relief of L.E. through the Department of Children and Families, described as compensation for severe injuries after DCF returned the child to unsafe parents, and SB 26/HB 6509 for the estate of Mark Legata, involving catastrophic injuries tied to FDOT negligence. Both bills were substituted with their House companions and passed overwhelmingly. Members then approved several policy bills focused on child welfare, education, and professional regulation. CS/CS/SB 42/HB 47 required child protective investigators to consider certain medical diagnoses before proceeding in abuse cases; CS/SB 206/HB 851 expanded autism-related training and incentives for teacher preparation programs; SB 556/HB 453 allowed Special Olympics participation to satisfy PE requirements for students with disabilities and clarified marching band credit; SB 688 reestablished licensure and regulation for naturopathic doctors; SB 878/HB 1347 addressed clinical laboratory personnel shortages by aligning more closely with federal CLIA standards; and SB 914/HB 867 clarified that licensed occupational therapists may perform dry needling. Each of these measures passed, most by unanimous or near-unanimous votes. The chamber also approved bills on court administration, public records, financial disclosure, and child welfare. SB 326/HB 131 modernized rules for curators of estates; SB 758/HB 625 updated the composition of the Justice Administrative Commission, with an amendment broadening the judicial member to a judge or senior judge; SB 830 created a public records exemption for certain local government executives and their families; SB 964/HB 6011 revised how gifts and honoraria are reported and, via amendment, restored a percentage-based reporting option for financial disclosures; and SB 1002 clarified that acute or chronic parental drug abuse can constitute harm or neglect and allow courts to order assessment and services. These bills all passed, with SB 830 drawing the most opposition among them. The most contentious debate centered on CS/CS/CS/SB 354, the Blue Ribbon Projects bill, which would create a framework for very large planned communities with substantial conservation set-asides. Supporters argued it would provide a new growth-management tool and economic opportunity, while opponents warned it was too broad, lacked specificity, weakened local control, and could be exploited by large developers. After extensive debate and an amendment limiting data centers in commercial areas, the bill was temporarily postponed rather than brought to a final vote. The Senate also passed SB 530 on lottery operations, SB 1632/HB 1471 on foreign law and domestic terrorist designations after a lengthy and divisive amendment debate over references to Sharia law, and SB 21/HB 218 on land-use regulations tied to hurricane recovery, which preserves SB 180 restrictions in storm-affected counties while lifting them later for unaffected counties.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we went within the code, the children's code, and it used that definition.
• So we went within the code, the children's code, and it used that definition.
• And the deputy, you spoke about the sexual abuse, the crimes, and the Children's Code.
• But we listed the crimes out in the code, as these are the types of allegations. Children's Code?
• And the Children's Code. Okay.

Bills: SB25, SB132, SB155, SB157, SB202, SB237, SB250, SB433

Keywords: registrar of voters, parish registrar, chief deputy registrar, confidential assistant, election administration, elections, salary schedule, compensation, merit evaluation, population-based pay, census-based pay, Department of State, Secretary of State, State Board of Election Supervisors, redistricting, senate districts, Senate District 33, Senate District 34, Senate District 35, precincts

Transcript Highlights:

• relative to the City of Alexandria, to provide relative to administrative adjudication of certain code
• , and the Code of Criminal Procedure, all relative to compensation for victims of criminal offenses,
• , and the Code of Criminal Procedure, all relative to compensation for victims of criminal offenses,
• That QR code you can follow on Facebook, and it's—we hope you always hashtag #PlayLikeCaleb.
• That QR code you can follow on Facebook, and it's—we hope you always hashtag #PlayLikeCaleb.

Bills: SR126, SR129, SCR71, SCR72, SCR73, SCR12, HB221, HCR54, HCR79, HCR87, HCR94, HCR95, HCR97, HCR102, HCR104, HCR58, SB480, SB514, HB12, HB66, HB145, HB167, HB175, HB196, HB213, HB218, HB222, HB256, HB291, HB325, HB326, HB352, HB401, HB430, HB433, HB434, HB448, HB456, HB476, HB481, HB487, HB492, HB549, HB579, HB608, HB621, HB624, HB626, HB632, HB637, HB656, HB722, HB745, HB749, HB804, HB818, HB821, HB833, HB864, HB867, HB874, HB893, HB909, HB951, HB968, HB969, HB978, HB979, HB985, HB988, HB989, HB1001, HB1005, HB1007, HB1024, HB1032, HB1038, HB1050, HB1051, HB1056, HB1059, HB1077, HB1080, HB1081, HB1086, HB1108, HB1112, HB1153, HB1172, HB1173, HB1175, HB1192, HB1193, HB1204, HB1218, HB1242, HB1244, HB1249, HB1252, HB1254, HB538, SCR3, SCR23, SCR38, SCR24, SB102, SB133, SB151, SB165, SB169, SB170, SB200, SB217, SB280, SB291, SB300, SB303, SB330, SB449, SB489, SB521, SB45, SB156, SB181, SB203, SB274, SB304, SB379, SB396, SB410, SB425, SB427, SB436, SB54, SB72, SB129, SB164, SB232, SB287, SB322, SB374, SB375, SB386, SB409, SB447, SB458, SB222, SB399, SR119, SCR58, SCR65, SCR9, SB35, SB65, SB215, SB246, SB249, SB269, SB282, SB296, SB323, SB363, SB369, SB474, SB490, SB492, SB500, HCR41, HCR47, HCR63, HCR69, HCR31, HB87, HB115, HB162, HB195, HB214, HB217, HB233, HB283, HB290, HB319, HB324, HB345, HB362, HB363, HB368, HB377, HB380, HB382, HB386, HB392, HB406, HB431, HB441, HB466, HB503, HB533, HB559, HB575, HB590, HB593, HB618, HB655, HB664, HB685, HB692, HB707, HB715, HB732, HB738, HB741, HB748, HB776, HB807, HB822, HB856, HB860, HB868, HB887, HB888, HB905, HB908, HB961, HB980, HB990, HB992, HB999, HB1000, HB1010, HB1146, HB1157, HB1233, HB1236, HB1243, HB54, HB137, HB180, HB192, HB310, HB321, HB396, HB512, HB552, HB578, HB638, HB663, HB708, HB717, HB718, HB1009, HB1082, HB1104, HB1107, HB1198, HB1246, HB27, HB143, HB205, HB259, HB267, HB288, HB308, HB403, HB405, HB414, HB417, HB478, HB546, HB548, HB555, HB557, HB609, HB670, HB672, HB740, HB779, HB786, HB796, HB812, HB848, HB915, HB917, HB921, HB930, HB933, HB1095, HB1096, HB1103, HB1129, HB1154, HB1166, HB1187, HB1195, HB1230, HB17, HB36, HB41, HB47, HB73, HB119, HB126, HB129, HB133, HB140, HB159, HB166, HB211, HB226, HB245, HB271, HB280, HB337, HB351, HB354, HB399, HB571, HB677, HB712, HB723, HB726, HB728, HB750, HB759, HB789, HB844, HB850, HB870, HB966, HB1006, HB1018, HB1036, HB1241, SB29, SB42, SB43, SB382, SB441, HB134, HB258, HB359, HB782

Keywords: SR126, Senate Resolution 126, World Preeclampsia Awareness Day, preeclampsia, maternal mortality, maternal health, pregnancy complications, hypertension, high blood pressure, pregnancy-related disorder, obstetrics, prenatal care, prenatal health, infant mortality, preterm birth, premature birth, Woman's Hospital, Louisiana Senate, women's health, public health awareness