Video & Transcript Research : 'liability'

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TX

Texas 89th Regular

Senate Session (Part III) Sep 2nd, 2025

Texas Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • This is civil liability.
  • I know you didn't mean to blur this, but as you know, there is no liability, no litigation; nothing can
  • And what this paragraph talks about is the liability of a pharmaceutical manufacturer if they fail...
  • Okay, as you know, under products liability, when you inject your product into the stream of commerce
  • Against this bill, but why doesn't the pregnant woman face any liability under HB 7?
TX

Texas 89th Regular

89th Legislative Session May 31st, 2025

Texas House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • The Senate added an amendment when the bill came back to us, adding a liability protection for utilities
  • It does not exempt a lot; there is not an exemption for utilities from liability when they start a wildfire
  • It requires compliance with mitigation plans for utilities to allow for liability protection.
  • But still, the bill is good and it has some criminal and civil liabilities.
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

House Legislative Administration (05/08/2025)

Transcript Highlights:
  • get out of any liability of any kind.
  • :31:53.760> part concerned about that liability part concerned about that liability part because
  • Um, UNH, for liability of any kind.
  • for either civil or criminal liability for either civil or criminal liability as<00:33:56.720>
  • I don't know. liability. This is dealing with the um liability.
Keywords: 928, house, all
Summary: The Legislative Administration Committee met to consider SB 197, which concerns medical supervision for the licensed registered nurse employed by the Legislative Facilities Committee. The main discussion focused on an amendment, 2025188H, that adds language about the chief medical officer’s authority to issue standing orders and includes immunity language for civil or criminal liability when acting in good faith and with reasonable care. John Williams of Health and Human Services explained that the language was modeled on similar provisions used for standing orders such as Narcan and epinephrine, and that it was vetted with the Attorney General’s office. Members raised questions about whether the immunity could shield mistakes or apply beyond the State House nurse; the chair clarified that the provision applies to the chief medical officer’s issuance of standing orders under this section, while the nurse’s practice remains governed by RSA 326. Representative Wade moved the amendment, which was seconded and adopted on a roll call vote of 10-0. The committee then voted on SB 197 as amended and recommended it ought to pass as amended, again by a 10-0 roll call vote. The bill was placed on consent, and the chair noted that a written committee report would be prepared. After the vote, the chair briefly updated members on other upcoming matters, including a Senate message on the Gold Star flag bill, the status of an enroll bills issue, and a Senate amendment to HB 248 on ethics. The committee also discussed scheduling for a joint historic committee meeting and a proposed Wentworth Cheswell portrait item, and members offered closing thanks to the chair, clerk, and staff for their work.
KY
Transcript Highlights:
  • Additional payments toward TRS liabilities began in 2016 with an extra $500 million per year contributed
  • toward TRS liabilities began in 2016<00:05:04.320> with<00:05:04.560> an<00:05:04.800>
  • are expected to unfunded liability are expected to surpass<00:05:18.039> two<00:05:18.919>
  • and that that un that those liability and that that un that those payments<00:05:31.080> are<
  • beyond the expected two billion in annual payments for unfunded liability.
Keywords: 958, all
Summary: The Senate State and Local Government Committee met and first took up Senate Bill 193, described as a simple measure to restore a wallet card for jailers to carry when outside the jail. The chair noted the fiscal impact was essentially zero, there were no questions, and the committee voted to pass the bill 9-0. The committee then heard Senate Bill 9, a proposal focused on the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS). The sponsor argued TRS remains underfunded despite large state contributions, cited rising unfunded liability and negative cash flow, and said the bill is intended to standardize and limit what sick leave, personal leave, and annual leave can count toward retirement calculations. The bill would generally cap TRS retirement credit at 10 sick days and 2 personal days per year, prevent annual leave from being rolled into sick leave, require more uniform reporting and oversight from participating districts and agencies, and shift costs to districts that offer benefits beyond TRS limits. The sponsor also said the bill would add 30 maternity leave days, allow voluntary supplemental contributions for Tier Four teachers, and include a floor amendment directing the state auditor to audit TRS and report on agency leave policies. During the presentation, the sponsor emphasized fairness, transparency, and accountability, and used a hypothetical high-salary administrator to illustrate how leave payouts can increase retirement benefits and create additional unfunded liability. Senator Mills thanked the sponsor and said members had been working to understand the issue, but no committee action on Senate Bill 9 was completed in the portion provided.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

89th Legislative Session May 10th, 2025

Texas House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • HB 644 by Bella Montgomery, relating to the civil liability of certain businesses in connection with
  • Texas businesses from undue liability. I move passage. The question occurs on final passage.
  • I didn't know college or medical school transcripts would be in a professional liability case.
  • Raising enforcement and exposing Texas insurers to uncertain liabilities.
  • The impact to the unfunded liability to the TRS program will be with the passage of this.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

89th Legislative Session Apr 28th, 2025

Texas House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • officers, juvenile probation officers, and certain retired law enforcement officers, and to criminal liability
  • This amendment also ups the liability for those who are bad actors and are violating the rules, so that
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • heard about upstream liability through joint and several liability.
  • Successor liability and individual liability have been game changers for me and for the workers I represent
  • Amend Labor Code 238.5's upstream liability provision to include more industry, upstream liability provision
  • We were told it was impossible that we couldn't do individual liability, successor liability, everything
  • We were told that it was impossible, that we couldn't do individual liability, successor liability, everything
Summary: The Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment held a review hearing on SB 588, focused on wage theft enforcement and whether the law’s tools are working as intended. Committee members emphasized that wage theft is a major and under-enforced form of theft in California, citing large backlogs in wage claims and long delays that can leave workers waiting years for payment. The hearing was framed as oversight of the Labor Commissioner’s enforcement authority and a discussion of whether additional tools or funding are needed to improve collections and deter bad actors. Witnesses from UCLA, worker advocacy organizations, and legal aid described SB 588’s main enforcement mechanisms, including liens, levies, stop-work orders, successor and individual liability, and the ability to pursue upstream entities in fissured industries. They argued these tools have improved settlement leverage and recovery rates, especially in janitorial and property services cases, and gave examples involving Tesla, Cheesecake Factory, Optum, and grocery and care-home employers. At the same time, they said the law is less effective in industries like residential care, where employers often transfer assets or change ownership before judgments are collected, and they urged changes such as broader prejudgment lien authority, more license-revocation power, and additional staffing for the Judgment Enforcement Unit. Worker testimony highlighted the human impact of delayed or unpaid wages. A care worker described being underpaid, denied pay for breaks and off-the-clock work, and facing intimidation when filing claims. Marta Lepe Martinez said she was owed more than $300,000, waited more than three years for a hearing, and still had not recovered any money despite a judgment and a lien on property. Another worker advocate explained that SB 588 helped identify responsible individuals and businesses earlier, increasing the chance of recovery, but said more resources and faster enforcement are still needed. Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower said SB 588 has significantly improved collections, reporting that the Judgment Enforcement Unit has recovered $125 million since enactment and that first-year recovery rates have risen from 17% to 46%. She said the agency is using liens, levies, stop orders, and individual liability more aggressively, but acknowledged that the tools are limited when employers are undercapitalized, hide assets, or transfer property before judgment. She supported the need for more staff and continued legislative investment. Public comment from SEIU California also backed SB 588’s framework and encouraged focusing enforcement on bad actors and expanding the law’s reach.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Labor and Employment Committee Apr 29th, 2026

Labor and Employment

Transcript Highlights:
  • heard about upstream liability through joint and several liability.
  • Successor liability and individual liability have been game changers for me and for the workers I represent
  • They include liens, levies, and two theories of liability.
  • We were told it was impossible, that we couldn't do individual liability, successor liability, everything
  • We were told it was impossible, that we couldn't do individual liability, successor liability, everything
Keywords: 988, house, all
Summary: The Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment held a review hearing on SB 588, the 2015 wage theft enforcement law, focusing on whether its tools are working and what additional authority or resources may be needed. Committee members emphasized that wage theft is a major and under-enforced form of theft in California, citing large backlogs in wage claims and long delays that often leave workers unpaid even after winning judgments. Panelists from UCLA, worker advocacy organizations, and legal aid described SB 588’s enforcement tools, including liens, levies, stop orders, successor and individual liability, and priority in bankruptcy. They said the law has improved collections and settlement leverage, especially in industries like janitorial services and property services, where client companies and contractors can be held jointly responsible. Several examples were discussed, including cases involving Tesla, Cheesecake Factory, Optum, and Winko Foods, where the law helped secure payments or settlements for workers. At the same time, advocates argued that the prejudgment lien provisions are too limited, that care home cases remain especially difficult, and that more staffing and broader authority would improve recovery. Workers testified about unpaid wages, long delays, retaliation fears, and the difficulty of collecting even after obtaining judgments. A home care worker described waiting years for a hearing and still not recovering money because assets had been moved or hidden. A residential care worker said caregivers are often underpaid, denied breaks, and left with little practical recourse. The Labor Commissioner reported that the agency has recovered more wages since SB 588, including through mail levies, liens, and stop orders, but said many cases involve judgment-proof employers and require intensive investigation. Public comment from a SEIU representative supported SB 588 and urged continued focus on bad actors and targeted enforcement. No vote or formal action was taken at the hearing.
HI
Transcript Highlights:
  • <00:36:17.200> when limitation on aggregate liability when limitation on aggregate liability
  • that is deemed as aggregate liability that is deemed as aggregate liability<00:37:48.200> which
  • <00:46:41.800> but because it lessens their liability but because it lessens their liability
  • section 269 DJ on several liability uh section 269 DJ on several liability uh adopting<01:15:40.239><
  • I was kind of concerned about vicarious liability.
Keywords: 910, house, all
Summary: The committee heard testimony on several measures, beginning with SB 48 SD2 HD1 relating to combat sports. The Attorney General offered a technical comment on the bill’s effective date, and several testifiers from the combat sports community strongly supported the measure with amendments. They argued that boxing and MMA should be treated separately, that the current regulatory structure has made events too costly and reduced opportunities, and that more local oversight would help revive the sport and give youth a constructive outlet. Committee members questioned whether the bill’s medical staffing requirements would apply to boxing, MMA, or both, and whether the added requirements would increase costs and reduce access. The witness from the combat sports community said amateur boxing is already regulated through USA Boxing, that the DCCA should focus on professional boxing, and that for safety he would support two physicians and one ambulance for boxing and MMA events. The committee then took up SB 117 SD2 HD1 relating to transportation. The Department of Transportation and the Ulon Initiative testified in support, and the bicycling community was listed as supporting as well. Members focused on the bill’s rebate program for electric transportation devices, asking how successful it had been and whether removing the rebate would affect use. DOT said the program began in February 2023 and had issued about 500 rebates totaling roughly $166,000, aimed at helping people without vehicles access transportation options. The department explained that the bill would broaden access and increase the rebate amount, including additional assistance for low-income applicants. Finally, the committee heard SB 897 SD3 HD1 relating to energy and wildfire liability. The Division of Consumer Advocacy, the Public Utilities Commission, the Attorney General, Clearway Energy Group, Ulon Initiative, Kawai K, IBEW Local 1260, and Hawaiian Electric all testified in support, while the Hawaii Association for Justice was listed as opposed but not present. Supporters said the bill would help finance wildfire mitigation and infrastructure improvements through securitization, reduce wildfire risk, and address utility cost and credit concerns. Hawaiian Electric emphasized that the bill is forward-looking, would help protect customers from future wildfire-related cost increases, and requested amendments including a study on a future wildfire recovery fund. In questioning, members pressed Hawaiian Electric on the liability cap, asking whether it would have applied to the Maui wildfires and whether it would cover personal injury or wrongful death; the witness and company counsel clarified that the aggregate cap applies only to qualifying property damage, not personal injury or wrongful death, and said they would follow up on how the cap would calculate in a Maui-type event. Hawaiian Electric also said it would seek financing under the bill if enacted and updated members on settlement funding efforts, including raising the first $550 million in equity and divesting assets to help meet its obligations.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • How could you see that playing out from a liability standpoint?
  • , three years on liability.
  • Years on liability.
  • And we will take the liability for this in exchange.
  • due to California's strict liability and inverse condemnation framework.
Summary: The Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy held a hearing on the California Earthquake Authority’s SB 254 report and broader options for reforming California’s utility wildfire recovery system. The chair framed the discussion around the Palisades and Eaton fires, the scale of wildfire-related costs on utility bills, and the need to weigh trade-offs among survivors, ratepayers, utilities, insurers, and taxpayers. The first panel featured wildfire survivors William Abrams and Joy Chen, who described long delays in compensation, housing insecurity, and what they viewed as a system that protects utility shareholders more than victims. They urged greater transparency, clearer accountability for utility spending and safety performance, faster and fuller compensation for survivors, and reforms such as independent audits and better alignment of utility incentives with wildfire prevention and restitution. The second panel began with Tom Welsh of the California Earthquake Authority, who explained that the SB 254 report was intended as a broad inventory of policy pathways rather than recommendations. He described the report’s process, including stakeholder submissions, workstreams, and a convergence process, and outlined the current wildfire fund structure: utilities remain liable, the fund reimburses eligible claims after a covered wildfire, and the CPUC later determines prudency and possible reimbursement back to the fund. RAND’s Lloyd Dixon summarized compensation data, saying utilities paid about $38 billion between 2017 and 2024, with major shares going to injured parties, insurers, and public entities, while litigation costs and survivors’ own losses remain substantial. He noted that legal fees and delays reduce the amount survivors ultimately receive. Utility and public-interest witnesses offered differing views on the report’s pathways. PG&E’s Tyson Smith said the report shows inaction is the worst outcome and argued for community wildfire risk reduction, equitable allocation of catastrophe costs, and state-led resilience tools. LADWP’s Fernando Valero emphasized the vulnerability of municipal utilities and cities, and supported inverse condemnation reform, a state-sponsored liability insurance framework, damages and subrogation limits, and stronger insurance access. Consumer Attorneys of California’s John Fisk argued that IOU-caused fires are not natural disasters but the result of negligence and sometimes criminal conduct, and opposed reducing utility liability while supporting stronger oversight and audits. The Public Advocates Office’s Nathaniel Skinner focused on affordability, saying ratepayers already bear large and growing wildfire costs and warning against shifting more costs onto bills without measurable risk reduction and tighter accountability. Committee members then began questioning witnesses about what counts as measurable mitigation, how to define full and fair compensation, and how any fast-pay process should work.
NM

New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

IC - Investments and Pensions Oversight Oct 8th, 2025

Investments & Pensions Oversight Committee

Transcript Highlights:
  • So, the unfunded liability as of June 30. 2024 was $8.7 billion.
  • What that unfunded liability represents is essentially our accrued liability minus our assets.
  • So, we look at your unfunded liability. It's an additional $1.4 billion on your unfunded liability.
  • On the unfunded liability, the amortization period is at 80 years.
  • It doesn't have an immediate impact on your unfunded liability because your unfunded liability doesn't
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on Capital Investment - 03/04/25

Capital Investment

Transcript Highlights:
  • direct debt plus pension liabilities direct debt plus pension liabilities compared<00:18:51.559>
  • , pension liabilities, and OPEB liabilities—the annual cost associated...
  • So the annual costs associated with those long-term liabilities again—debt service, pensions, liabilities
  • The blue portion is the direct debt portion of the liability, and the red portion is the pension liability
  • /c> the pension liability portion okay of the pension liability portion okay of the<00:33:36.840>
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

March 4, 2025 - 04:00 PM

Transcript Highlights:
  • The tax credit is either state corporate income tax or franchise tax liability.
  • The tax credit is either state, corporate income tax, or franchise tax liability.
  • If there is insufficient tax liability, the credit can carry over and be used in any of liability, the
  • Defense created by this bill is centered on transparency and, liability lawsuits.
  • to strict liability?
Summary: The Natural Resources and Disaster Subcommittee met for its first meeting of session and heard four bills. HB 209, the State Parks Preservation Act, would limit development in state parks and require stronger public notice and participation for land management plan changes. Members discussed protections for cabins and existing lodging, and an amendment aligned the bill with the Senate and clarified conservation-based recreational uses. Support came from Audubon Florida, Nature Conservancy, and others, and the bill was reported favorably with committee substitute after a unanimous roll call. HB 143 would create a Florida Resilient Buildings Tax Credit for new construction and retrofits that meet LEED-based resiliency standards, with a new advisory committee under DBPR to help administer the program. An amendment moved the process under DBPR, added UCF and FIU to the advisory council, and made technical conforming changes. The bill drew supportive testimony from a Boca Raton city council member and was reported favorably with committee substitute, with one no vote. HB 295 would direct DEP to develop a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling plan based on its 2020 recycling report, including education, market development, and recommendations for statutory changes. Testimony emphasized that the plan would be voluntary and would not impose costs or mandates on homeowners or businesses. The bill passed without amendments and was reported favorably. HB 585 would let owners of former phosphate mining lands record notice and obtain a Department of Health radiation survey to support a narrow defense against strict liability claims; an amendment clarified the notice content and limited the definition to mined lands, not gyp stacks. The bill drew extensive questions about notice, radiation thresholds, disclosure to buyers, and liability scope, but supporters from Mosaic, the Florida Chamber, and a health physicist argued it would improve transparency and help redevelop lands. It was reported favorably with committee substitute, with one soft yes and one no vote.