Transcript Highlights:

• It says that it provides you with energy. It can be taken for relaxation.
• Part of it is ease of getting to it.
• Part of it is ease of getting to it.
• If it comes out of here and it goes to the floor, it automatically...
• It changes when it can happen.

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It took me No time at all to renew it because I did it online, but it took me 3 months to get that piece
• It doesn't say mail, so it is very broad.
• So it actually flips on the on its head and forces you to do it in a partisan way rather than to do it
• No, it wasn't him last night, but it was him. It was, it was, but it was him.
• I think it is, it is a very strong bill the way it's written. Can it be made better? Yes, it can.

Bills: HB304

Committee: House Elections

Keywords: franchise tax credit, food desert, grocery store, healthy corner store, nutrition assistance, economic development, public health

Transcript Highlights:

• It changes the date that it started.
• And what it does is, the next paragraph says it shall not apply if it imposes an it shall not apply if
• It can't be circumstantial. It cannot be only when it benefits me.
• I believe it. I preach it all the time. Yes, sir. You believe in it?
• Who's got it? They got it. Okay. Clerk, see it? You curious to explain what it is? Yes.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• have much teeth in it, as he put it.
• It does. It deals with services as well.
• So for them, if you set it at a, if we put a hard cap on it and said this is what it is, it would potentially
• So it... ...it listed, it does not, in that section, section C, I don't see where it says you have to
• It doesn't force them to do it. If they choose to do it, great.

Bills: HB82 , HB143 , HB145 , HB160 , HB222 , HB430 , HB445 , HB490 , HB603 , HB619 , HB670 , HB672 , HB763 , HB773 , HB781 , HB810 , HB874 , HB981

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: DWI, driving under the influence, vehicular homicide, penalties, criminal justice, inmates, department of public safety, per diem, local correctional facilities, jail funding, firefighters, law enforcement, medical expenses, dental expenses, disability benefits, domestic violence, domestic abuse, battery of a dating partner, domestic abuse battery, strangulation

Transcript Highlights:

• It says that it provides you with energy.
• Part of it is ease of getting to it.
• Part of it is ease of getting to it.
• It is a it is a 4-3 vote on everything.
• It changes when it can happen.

Summary: The House Health and Welfare Committee continued testimony on House Bill 864, which would schedule kratom as a Schedule I substance. Testimony was sharply divided. Family members of people who died after using kratom urged a full ban, arguing that kratom leaf and extracts can be lethal, that labeling is misleading, and that regulation would leave loopholes. Retail and industry witnesses, along with the American Kratom Association, argued that the problem is synthetic 7-OH and other adulterated products rather than natural kratom leaf, and said the bill would criminalize users and push products into the black market. A physician who worked in corrections testified that kratom is an addictive opioid-like substance and supported the bill, while other witnesses said kratom helped them manage pain or avoid stronger opioids. After debate, the committee adopted a motion to hold HB 864 to a time certain of March 25 by a roll call vote of 11-5. The committee then took up House Bill 903, a SNAP-related bill clarifying which foods can be purchased with benefits. The sponsor said the bill was intended to clean up the earlier SNAP restrictions and keep more nutritious items eligible, but he also announced planned amendments to remove cookies, cakes, brownies, sprinkles, chips, and snack bars from the allowable list. Retailers and related industry groups supported the bill as a clarification measure, but several members objected to advancing it before the proposed amendments were formally available and before stakeholders could weigh in. A substitute motion to hold the bill failed, and the committee then voted to send HB 903 to the floor with a due pass recommendation. Finally, the committee began hearing House Bill 757, which would define medical neglect in state law and create protections for parents and guardians from bad-faith or false reports. The sponsor said the bill narrows medical neglect to life-threatening conditions, adds a reasonable-person standard, and provides safe harbors for parents seeking care or dealing with complex medical situations, including alternative treatments. Members began asking questions about what qualifies as life-threatening as the hearing moved into testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• do it differently than other people are doing it.
• They need to justify it. They need to justify it. They need to justify it.
• It would be a constitutional measure to change it. Yeah, I think I got it.
• Leave it in and fight it out over conference? Let's do that. We'll leave it in.
• You understand it? You got it? Yeah, you want to explain it? Sure.

Bills: SB2003

Committee: House Appropriations - Education and Environment Division

Keywords: higher education, student loans, scholarships, capital projects, workforce development, funding, North Dakota university system, 908, all

Summary: The committee met to work through the higher education budget, beginning with a conflict-of-interest request from Representative Martinson, who was excused from voting because of a partnership that leases office space to Bismarck State College. Members then reviewed the higher education institution budget sheets, covering ongoing and one-time funding items for campuses and system projects such as BSC housing, Lake Region roof repairs, UND’s STEM and National Security Crossroads projects, the UND allied health facility, NDSU projects including New Horizons, DSU deferred maintenance and campus security, Mayville’s Old Main, Minot projects, and the regional health institutes. Members also discussed student financial assistance, the professional student exchange program, IT security funding, and workforce/education innovation grants. Several amendments and policy questions were debated. The committee adopted an amendment to make workforce education innovation grants competitive rather than automatically distributed, and then voted to remove language prohibiting those funds from being used to duplicate academic programs. Members also removed similar anti-duplication language from the New Horizons section. They agreed to extend the UND hyperbaric chamber transfer authority to 2027 and clarified language around UND land-sale proceeds. A proposed amendment to add $5.6 million for the Wahpeton State School of Science building purchase failed for lack of a second, and a proposal to restore fetal alcohol spectrum disorder funding to UND was left for conference. The committee also discussed, but did not add, a tuition cap change, a study on the Praxis exam, and several governance-related provisions. The committee spent significant time on broader higher education policy items, including a $3 million enterprise resource planning request for the university system, a $2 million grant program for students who are pregnant, recently gave birth, or are caring for young children, and a $1.1 million request for library age-verification software tied to the Odin system. Members also discussed dual-credit authority for UND and NDSU, a goal for the UND medical school to increase North Dakota resident enrollment, and intent language regarding the commissioner/chancellor model and presidential search authority. At the end of the meeting, the committee approved the amendments and then gave the higher education budget a do-pass recommendation as amended, with Representative Sanford designated as the carrier. The Forest Service budget was also approved, including two additional FTEs, and the committee adjourned after noting it would continue with other budgets the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• And is it, I'm assuming, it adjusts? Yes.
• And is it, I'm assuming, it adjusts with inflation and it regularly updates?
• To me, it seems like it might be making it more complicated to achieve accuracy.
• To me, it seems like it might be making it more complicated to achieve accuracy.
• into effect, and it feels like doing it in that order is probably the best way to do it, but also it

Committee: House Special Committee on Property Tax Reform

Summary: The committee met in executive session and first took up House Bill 2709, including a substitute that combined language from HB 2709 and HB 2671. Members debated an amendment that would have separated the Hancock-by-subclass portion from a personal property tax provision; supporters said it would make the bill cleaner and preserve a separate property tax issue already addressed elsewhere, while opponents argued it would create inconsistency. The amendment failed, the substitute was adopted, and the House Committee Substitute for HB 2709 and HB 2671 was voted do pass by a roll call of 14 yes and 5 no. The committee then passed HB 1759 do pass by a vote of 12 yes and 7 no, with one member noting that additional tweaks were expected on the floor. Next, the committee considered HB 2925, where Representative Fowler offered Amendment 04H to remove the requirement that property tax elections be held in November and replace it with an affirmative-consent standard requiring both a majority of votes cast and at least 25% of registered voters voting yes. Supporters said the change would avoid forcing local tax elections into a narrow election window and would require broader voter buy-in for long-term tax obligations; opponents argued it would be a major change that should receive more public review and could distort local election participation. The amendment failed 5 yes to 14 no, and HB 2925 was then voted do pass 11 yes to 8 no. In public testimony, Representative Van Schoiack presented HB 2415, which would require assessors to use a cost approach rather than a market approach for valuing buildings, while still valuing land through the market approach. He said the bill was intended to address over-assessment in larger counties and under-assessment in rural counties, and to make valuations more objective. Testimony was mixed: a public advocate supported the idea as a way to address rising taxes and tax sales, while county assessors and other witnesses said assessors already use multiple approaches, that cost approach works best for new or rural properties but can be subjective for older buildings, and that forcing one method statewide could create inaccuracies and large valuation swings. No action was taken on HB 2415 during the hearing. The committee also heard HJR 148 and HJR 111, presented by Representatives Coleman and Taylor, to bring Kansas City Public Schools under Hancock limits like other districts. Sponsors said KCPS is the only district still operating under a special court-imposed arrangement from desegregation-era orders and that the proposal would keep the district at its current levy while requiring voter approval for future increases. KCPS Superintendent Jennifer Collier opposed the measure as written, saying the district does want to come under Hancock but needs to do so on its own timeline and with a planned April 2027 levy proposal that would maintain the current rate; she said the district is now fiscally stronger and has community support, including passage of an 85% bond issue. Committee members questioned the legal basis, the effect on KCPS and charter schools, and whether the proposal would interfere with the district’s planned ballot strategy.

Transcript Highlights:

• it up.
• But it is, it is. That's why I call it altruistic surrogacy versus commercial.
• So it makes it distinct that it's not criminal. It makes it distinct that it's not criminal.
• I think it limits it, is what I'm saying.
• , it will not make it by Friday.

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Summary: The committee first heard SB 145, which would require adult residential care providers, especially assisted living centers, to have generators or other backup power arrangements and to submit preparedness plans to LDH. After technical amendments and testimony from the sponsor, LDH, and the assisted living industry clarifying the bill’s scope and cost concerns, the committee adopted the amendments and reported the bill favorably. It then took up SB 433, which would require Medicaid coverage of medically necessary FDA-approved weight loss drugs, including GLP-1 medications, subject to appropriations and fiscally sustainable coverage criteria; the bill was reported favorably after discussion of current Medicaid coverage and costs. The committee also approved SB 52, which requires better coordination between DCFS and LDH so SNAP and Medicaid benefits can follow children more quickly when they are removed from or returned to a home. Technical amendments changed reporting deadlines and required written notice, and the bill was reported favorably. SB 4 on public water fluoridation was amended to allow local governments or voters to opt out through a petition and election process, with support from the Louisiana Dental Association and others after compromise language was adopted; it was reported favorably with amendments. SB 152, which would prohibit the sale of cultured or lab-grown food products for human consumption, was also reported favorably with amendments after brief testimony in support and opposition. The committee next approved SCR 37, which asks the Surgeon General to review Louisiana’s informed consent laws and report back on any gaps, after discussion that the existing medical disclosure panel had not met since 2018. It then considered SB 194, a public assistance bill aligning Louisiana Medicaid and SNAP rules with recent federal changes on non-citizen eligibility and tightening Medicaid’s reasonable opportunity period for citizenship verification. After extensive debate over immigration, emergency care, and whether the bill could harm eligible applicants or rural hospitals, the committee adopted an amendment allowing LDH discretion for emergency health care services and reported the bill favorably by an 8-3 vote. Finally, HCR 113 created a task force to study gestational carrier agreements and assisted reproductive regulation; after debate over surrogacy, ethics, and referral to Civil Law, the committee rejected the referral motion and then reported the resolution favorably, and the meeting moved on to SB 333 on child-in-need-of-care proceedings and legal representation funding.

Transcript Highlights:

• get it.
• that grow it, they grow it in-house.
• It is dangerous. It is addicting. It is often labeled as kratom, though it is different.
• It is, as my patients would call it, being dope sick. It is an all-out flu.
• Just leave it as it is until next session.

Summary: The Kratom Working Group met to hear public testimony and expert presentations on whether North Dakota should prohibit or regulate kratom and 7-OH products. Early testimony split sharply between speakers who described natural kratom as a helpful, lower-risk alternative for chronic pain, opioid withdrawal, PTSD, and recovery, and speakers who urged prohibition because of dependence, overdose risk, and the growth of concentrated or synthetic 7-OH products sold in gas stations, smoke shops, and online. Several witnesses, including consumers and shop owners, argued that banning kratom would push people to more dangerous drugs or unregulated internet sources, while public health and medical witnesses said the marketplace is confusing and inadequately controlled. A number of witnesses, including representatives of the North Dakota Public Health Association, the state crime lab, and addiction-treatment and pediatric clinicians, emphasized risks from adulterated or concentrated products, lack of labeling and age restrictions, contamination concerns, and harms to adolescents, pregnant patients, and newborns. The crime lab described recent cases involving mitragynine, 7-OH, and pseudoindoxyl, and said products purchased in a smoke shop were inaccurately labeled. A Sanford pediatric hospitalist testified that kratom exposure in pregnancy can cause severe neonatal withdrawal and that adolescents are using the product. By contrast, American Kratom Association representatives and other advocates argued that natural leaf kratom should be distinguished from synthetic 7-OH, that deaths usually involve other substances, and that a regulatory framework with testing, labeling, age limits, and product registration would better protect consumers than a blanket ban. No formal bill was debated or voted on in this transcript. The working group heard testimony, asked questions, and took no final action before breaking for lunch and later resuming with additional presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sign it and hand it to our Sergeant-at-Arms.
• And it was changed because it was a problem.
• I can’t hold it. I can’t transfer it to you.
• Does it somehow magically transform what it is when it goes into the computer?
• Does it somehow magically transform what it is when it goes into the computer?

Committee: Senate Judiciary A

Summary: The Senate Judiciary A Committee met on May 5, 2026, with five members present and adopted the April 28 minutes. The committee then heard and favorably reported several measures, including HCR 31, which asks the Louisiana Law Institute to study replacing or clarifying the term “foreign” in state law; HB 263, allowing the 14th JDC magistrate judge to handle certain specialty court felony matters; HB 299, clarifying paper filing rules for jury bonds and related payment issues; HB 535, simplifying hospital-based acknowledgments of paternity by removing the two-witness requirement while keeping notarization; HB 571, codifying the 19th JDC’s complex litigation section program; and HB 538, increasing the East Baton Rouge Parish Juvenile Court fee cap from $15 to $75 to help offset court costs. The committee also reported HB 215, raising the small succession affidavit threshold from $125,000 to $200,000, and HB 226, adding a 10.1 conference requirement before requests for admissions are deemed admitted, with discussion about discovery fairness and default judgment exceptions. The committee also took up HB 324, which makes judicial stipend increases permanent and adds a 2.7% salary increase for judges effective July 1, 2027; an amendment restoring the second year of the COLA was adopted, and the bill was reported with amendments. HB 1043, raising the jurisdictional amount in Jefferson Parish first and second parish courts, was amended to increase the amount from $35,000 to $50,000 and then reported with amendments. HCR 6, directing the Law Institute to study forced heirship and disinherison issues, was amended to add reporting language and related Civil Code references and then reported with amendments. HB 1006, changing summary judgment deadlines to give opponents more time to respond, was amended and reported by a 3-2 vote after roll call. Two more substantive bills drew extended debate. HB 1239 would strengthen the presumption that parents share physical custody equally unless a court finds that arrangement infeasible or not in the child’s best interest; supporters framed it as a parental-rights measure, while an attorney in opposition warned it would increase litigation, reduce stability for children, and be used as leverage in child support disputes. Despite the opposition, the committee reported the bill favorably. HB 190, as amended, would create a duty of reasonable care for certain software/app providers toward minors and require expert testimony, while excluding manufacturers; supporters said it was aimed at protecting children from harmful platform design, but opponents argued the proposal was unnecessary because existing tort law already covers negligence and warned it could create new causes of action and uncertainty over whether software is a “product.” The committee heard testimony from the Louisiana State Law Institute, the sponsor, and outside witnesses, but the transcript ends before final action on HB 190 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• It burdens, it adds to ...expand government, it adds another FTE, it burdens, it adds to the 17th ranking
• It burns houses up. It burns cars up. It is proven it does cause fire. It burns houses up.
• It burns cars up. It is proven it does cause fires.
• We all know it. it eventually it goes into the, it comes in through your It eventually goes into the
• We need to pass this as it is because it runs it in conjunction.

Bills: HB3005 , HB3007 , HB3403 , HB1907 , HB3175 , HB3986 , HB3466 , HB3411 , HB4246

Committee: Senate Energy

Keywords: climatology, emergency declaration, Oklahoma Climatological Survey, environment, weather data, public policy, state governance, natural resources, advisory councils, sunset law, water quality, hazardous waste, solid waste, radiation management, public health, biosolids, land application, environmental quality, agriculture, wastewater treatment

Summary: The committee took up several measures dealing with environmental regulation, waste management, and energy. Early on, it passed sunset-extension bills for the Oklahoma Climatological Survey and several environmental advisory councils. It then heard extensive debate on HB 1907, the Battery Stewardship Act, which would create a battery recycling system for small and medium batteries through DEQ. Supporters argued it would reduce landfill and garbage-truck fires, protect the environment, and create recycling value, while opponents raised concerns about added regulation, costs shifted to producers and retailers, and the creation of a new state FTE. Despite those objections, the bill passed 8-3. The committee also considered HB 3403, a pilot study on biosolids and sewage sludge applied to farmland. Members debated a committee substitute that shortened the study timeline from five years to three years and added a phased rollback of land application. Supporters said the study was needed because of unresolved questions about PFOS, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, and other contaminants, while critics argued the timelines conflicted and the bill could be hard to implement. The committee substitute was adopted, an amendment to delete key rollback provisions failed, and the bill ultimately passed 8-2 after testimony from Oklahoma City utilities officials and multiple rounds of questions about testing, health risks, and disposal practices. The committee then passed HB 3175 to establish the Oklahoma Advanced Nuclear Energy Office, with members noting it would have minimal fiscal impact and could help Oklahoma build nuclear expertise and jobs. It also passed HB 3986, expanding a gross production tax exemption for wells completed with recycled water, and HB 3466, which removes the statutory requirement that the Corporation Commission maintain a petty cash fund. Finally, HB 3411, another biosolids-related bill to buy testing equipment and provide information to landowners, and HB 4246, a rural water transparency/lowest-bid bill, both passed unanimously or near-unanimously. The meeting ended with the chair thanking members and adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is.
• Do you need me to repeat it? You got it? Okay.
• It does as it relates to independents, the date that it backs it up to.
• It does.
• I never intended on it. I kept it concise.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 4198, which would require employers to use E-Verify to confirm new hires’ work authorization and impose escalating penalties for violations, including warnings, debarment from state contracts, loss of business licenses, and other sanctions. Counsel and senators raised extensive drafting concerns, including circular language, conflicts with existing record-retention provisions, unclear references to “seeks to employ,” possible application to babysitters, lawn care, and other casual or household arrangements, and uncertainty about how the bill would work for employers who never actually complete a hire. The bill sponsor defended the measure as a way to strengthen compliance with existing law, protect employers who use E-Verify in good faith, and deter illegal hiring. After debate, a motion to table the bill failed on a roll call vote, 6 in favor and 10 opposed, and the chair then announced the bill would be sent to a subcommittee to be cleaned up, with instructions to resolve the drafting conflicts and other ambiguities. The committee then turned to House Bill 4710, with an amendment, which would require a person to be registered with a political party or as an independent 210 days before filing a certificate of candidacy. Counsel explained that the change would lengthen the current 60-day requirement and would affect both party-switching and independent candidacies, making it harder for candidates to change affiliation shortly before an election. Senators asked about how the 210-day period would work relative to the primary and general election filing deadlines, and counsel clarified that it would be measured backward from the relevant filing dates. The discussion focused on the practical effect of the bill as a “sore loser” measure and on the timing rules for candidacy filings.

Transcript Highlights:

• It was the first of its kind Hospital. It was the first of its kind Hospital.
• It is. It was consequences the way much. It is. It was consequences the way much. It is.
• Well, it it could be problematic u Well, it it could be problematic u Well, it it could be problematic
• It replaces that. It runs leave. It replaces that. It runs leave. It replaces that.
• So if they use it, it gets to be contributed to use it, it gets to be contributed to use it, it gets

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You've talked about it. As far as it be... ...parental alienation. You've talked about it.
• I see it. I can read it, okay? The Constitution guarantees it.
• it.
• it.
• it.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Child Custody Review Task Force met with a quorum, approved the prior meeting minutes, and reviewed a memorandum compiling member suggestions for possible legislation. The memo grouped ideas into topics including creation of a family court, expanded education for parents, attorneys, and judges, expedited hearings for parenting-time violations, limiting law enforcement involvement in custody disputes, creating parenting time expediters, and adopting more uniform court procedures. Members also discussed whether to form subcommittees, but the task force decided to continue working as a full committee rather than create subcommittees at this time. The committee then heard testimony from Dr. John Perez, a mental health professional, who described his personal custody experience and his professional work with families he believes have been affected by parental alienation. He argued for stronger education, faster court response times, and better tools to address intentional interference with parenting time. Members questioned him about his case history, the concept of parental alienation, and whether specialized family courts or judges with family-law training could help. Dr. Perez said a dedicated family court and faster hearings would likely have helped his situation. The task force spent substantial time discussing the possible creation of a family court. Judge Hovey supported the idea of a specialized family court or at least a study of one, saying family cases are distinct from ordinary adversarial litigation and that judges with family-law experience could better handle them. Several members agreed that a family court could improve consistency, expertise, and speed, but others cautioned that the task force’s current directive is focused on enforcement of existing orders rather than broader custody policy, and noted that voters had previously rejected equal shared parenting proposals. The group also discussed expedited procedures for parenting-time disputes, with Judge Hovey suggesting a 30-day hearing timeline may be workable. On education, members generally supported requiring parents to complete a parenting education course and adding educational materials explaining court process, child support, and what judges can and cannot do. Mr. McLean suggested a short instructional video for litigants and more family-law education for judges and attorneys, while Ms. Moldenhauer said education could be incorporated into scheduling orders or mediation orders. Members also discussed the Parents Forever course, including whether it should be mandatory in all counties and whether cost is a barrier; no vote was taken on any of these proposals.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sign it and hand it to our Sergeant-at-Arms.
• If it is required, it wouldn't change it. All right.
• And it was changed because it was a problem.
• I can't hold it. I can't transfer it to you.
• Does it somehow magically transform what it is when it goes into the computer?

Committee: Senate Judiciary A

Keywords: 974, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I do it because we do it.
• And it, and it...
• It does. It does. It really does.
• We talked about it kind of in concept, and I think by adding this language to it, it cleans it up a little
• it or open it, because we have to make it consistent.

Bills: HB398 , HB906 , HB1201 , SB41 , SB47 , SB106 , SB210 , SB218 , SB220 , SB248 , SB289 , SB397

Committee: House House and Governmental Affairs

Keywords: travel expenses, reimbursement, state officials, US General Services Administration, disaster management, nominating petitions, unaffiliated voters, party primaries, political participation, elections, public meeting minutes, transparency, government accountability, publication deadlines, open meetings, boards and commissions, public records, contact information, email addresses, phone numbers

Transcript Highlights:

• It is a multiple-page set of amendments, but it does one thing, and it does it repeatedly.
• Okay, you got it online. Okay, it is online. Okay. Got it online. Okay. It is online. Thank you.
• , to refining it, to shaping it, and then selling it to people.
• It's a card that is packaged with it, and pretty much it tells you where it came from, who made it, how
• It's a card that is packaged with it, and pretty much it tells you where it came from, who made it, how

Bills: HB12 , HB42 , HB205 , HB222 , HB324 , HB325 , HB350 , HB416 , HB482 , HB610 , HB749 , HB797 , HB807 , HB821 , HB979 , HB992 , HB1193

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: survivor benefits, law enforcement, reserve officer, auxiliary officer, public safety, phased retirement, Teachers Retirement System, faculty retention, administrative fees, public postsecondary education, Medicaid, dental coverage, healthcare access, medical necessity, Louisiana Department of Health, judicial salaries, judges, judiciary compensation, cost of living adjustment, COLA

Transcript Highlights:

• They might like it. They might not like it.
• Chairman, no, I can read it. I know what it says. I'm just asking. I know what it says.
• Would it be a letter form? Would it be... Would this take? Would it be a letter form?
• Can we leverage it? Can we tap into it? Can we license it?
• finances into it, it doesn't succeed.

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 2265, which would provide the Fargo National Cemetery with up to a $3 million line of credit to help fund improvements such as indoor bathrooms, parking, a family gathering area, an office, a hearse garage, and a veterans gallery. Supporters said the cemetery has expanded rapidly since 2019, has already conducted about 1,000 burials, and needs better facilities for families and the Honor Guard; they also said the project would be subject to federal VA approval and, once completed, would be taken over by the VA. Members raised questions about the project’s cost, timing, funding sources, whether the bill should be a grant instead of a line of credit, and whether a chapel should be specifically included. No vote was taken on SB 2265 during the excerpt. The committee then took up Senate Bill 2230, which would have the Secretary of State mail active voters a guide on ballot measures at least 45 days before an election, with objective summaries, fiscal impacts, and arguments for and against each measure. Secretary of State Michael Howe said the office already receives many questions about ballot measures and would post the same information online and at polling places, while emphasizing the need to keep the material objective and consistent with election-law restrictions. Members generally supported the idea as a voter-education tool, and the committee adopted a due pass motion on SB 2230 by a 19-0 vote. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 2256, which would provide one-time state support for the NDSU Research and Technology Park in Fargo to expand its role in commercialization, robotics, precision agriculture, and defense-related technology. Park CEO Brenda Weiland explained that the park is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit spun out of NDSU, governed by a board with both university and industry representation, and that the new model is intended to bridge the gap between research and market-ready products without competing directly with private industry. Members asked about ownership, intellectual property, the planned partnership with Carnegie Mellon’s robotics center, and how the park would use the funding; the discussion focused on contracts, licensing, and the park’s intent to build technical capacity and attract companies. The excerpt ends before any vote on SB 2256.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is hot in the summer, yes ma'am. It is.
• Is it two days? Is it one day?
• It applies to medication, it applies to devices, it applies to procedures.
• But it was a thing, believe it or not.
• Even if it has not been approved for it, you'll just try it to see if it works.

Bills: HB 265 , HB25

Committee: House Public Health

Keywords: youth camp, safety regulations, advisory committee, child welfare, health standards, summer camp, camp safety, child abuse reporting, child neglect, mandatory reporting, background check, criminal history check, sex offender registry, CPR training, first aid, public health, child protection, camp operator, camp counselor, Health and Safety Code

Transcript Highlights:

• It is not. It is Washington's Day.
• That would be keeping it the way it is now, because the way it is... ...statement.
• That would be keeping it the way it is now, because the way it is now, it is testifying when they're
• But model duck, it has its own pattern. Yes, it does. Yes, it does.
• But model duck, it has its own pattern. Yes, it does. Yes, it does.

Committee: House Judiciary

Summary: The House Committee on Judiciary met on March 19, 2006, and considered a series of mostly local and judicial bills. Early action included HB 436, which authorizes appointment of honorably discharged veterans as park wardens; supporters said it would give veterans meaningful service roles and improve park safety. The committee adopted an amendment requiring honorable discharge, employment qualification compliance if hired by a public entity, and firearms training where applicable, then reported the bill favorably. The committee also advanced HB 16, extending the jurisdiction of the City Court of Franklin, and HB 44, which shifts certain blight-related hearings in St. Bernard Parish from the Bureau of Administrative Adjudication to justices of the peace and constables; members asked about appeals, fines, jurisdictional limits, and whether the change would affect HOAs, and the bill was reported favorably. Members then approved HB 61 creating Battle of New Orleans Day, with an amendment clarifying holiday language and adding a detailed historical commemoration of the battle and its diverse forces. HB 233, which raises juror mileage reimbursement from 16 cents per mile to the state travel rate, drew support but also concern about the cost to local governments; the sponsor and members discussed the fiscal impact, and the bill was reported favorably. HB 164, expanding commissioner powers in the 15th Judicial District Court, was also reported favorably after testimony that it would help manage caseloads and mirror procedures used in other districts. HB 455, defining public works employees as first responders for coordination and recognition purposes, generated extensive questions about emergency authority, FEMA reimbursement, workers’ compensation, liability, and unintended consequences; the committee deferred the bill to a later meeting for further review. The committee also approved HB 242, authorizing deputy constables in St. Tammany Parish at no state cost, and HB 10, making the Friday of the International Rice Festival a legal holiday in Acadia Parish. HB 9, designating Shreveport as the stuffed shrimp capital of Louisiana, was reported favorably after light discussion. HB 571, which would make permanent the complex litigation section program in the 19th Judicial District Court, was supported by judges and court staff who said it improves efficiency in large cases such as asbestos and hurricane litigation; it was reported favorably. Finally, HB 16 and several other local measures moved forward without objection, while the committee also heard a deeply personal presentation on HB 61 designating February 24 as SCN2A Awareness Day, later amended to honor Emily Catherine Diedon by name; members expressed sympathy, discussed genetic testing and access to care, and reported the bill favorably as amended.