Transcript Highlights:

• This bill modifies requirements for student assessment.
• It focuses on consumer protection, safety and compliance through that robot tests, robust testing that
• requirements as as the medical marijuana dies because of to enhance public safety.
• for being on top of the requirements.
• We feel like the testing requirements for the product.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the grand state test is the primary test the grand state test is the primary test with<00:34:37.159
• State test.
• <00:38:08.680> and need a new test who creates the test and need a new test who creates the
• /c><00:39:22.760> it<00:39:23.040> considers test is an adequate test it considers test
• granite state test was an adequate test granite state test was an adequate test so<00:41:22.599>

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• regarding THC testing.
• So how much class time is required? There's no class time required.
• If you graduate, you have to take the state polygraph examiner's test, which is a five-part test.
• Half of those have to be specific tests.
• It requires a lot of coordination, but it is a complex issue that requires that level of coordination

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• would still be required. would still be required.
• . test. test.
• We believe that, with the implied consent in having to be required to take a test and having the incentive
• test um and having be required to take a test um and having the<05:13:24.878> incentive<05:13
• The lack of that test often and test.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They review the test items.
• And then they have a vendor that writes the test.
• The testing window is actually going on right now.
• And so when you look at the testing data for our school in Harvey, our requirement says you have to at
• Are required for each type of service.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the March 4, 2026 minutes, and received a lengthy Department of Public Instruction presentation from Stanley Schauer Jr. on North Dakota student performance data in math and ELA, with comparisons between students with disabilities and students without disabilities. Schauer explained the assessment systems used, the 1% alternate assessment cap for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, the absence of 2019-20 data due to the pandemic, and how state standards are set by North Dakota educators. Members asked about cohort trends, the role of alternate assessments, grade-level patterns, and whether the state should focus more on reducing the novice category than on moving students from approaching to proficient. Schauer also discussed the new NDA Plus assessment, the state’s planned growth model, and the possibility of future breakdowns by disability category or by schools using science-of-math approaches. Special education educators testified that students with disabilities continued to receive services during COVID because of FAPE obligations, which likely helped limit learning loss, and emphasized that IEP teams focus on individual growth rather than only proficiency buckets. Committee members then shifted to special education funding and possible funding models. Brandon Bombach of Grand Forks Public Schools presented on the state aid formula, focusing on the special education weighting factor and arguing that the current formula does not adequately respond to growing student needs because it counts enrollment but does not adjust when the number of students with IEPs rises. He used examples to show that a district can have the same enrollment and receive the same weighting even if the number of students needing services increases. Members discussed whether the formula should be tied more closely to actual need and accountability, and the chair indicated that the committee would continue gathering data and ideas for a later meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• payments as part of the existing statutorily required quarterly reports on rate reform, which are required
• in how it tests assets. ...how it tests assets and so any level of asset test would still have some
• He requires 24-hour monitoring.
• He requires 24-hour monitoring.
• He requires 24-hour monitoring.

Summary: The hearing began with opening remarks on the Governor’s May Revision for child care and human services, with committee members and advocates stressing that the budget should not be balanced on the backs of low-income families, children, and providers. Legislative members and public witnesses strongly opposed the proposed suspension of the child care COLA, reductions to the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program, and the lack of codified rate reform tied to the alternative methodology. Several speakers also urged more support for providers affected by the Eaton fire and other disasters, and called for child care to be funded at the true cost of care and for additional slots to be restored. Administration, LAO, and Department of Education staff described the child care proposal as maintaining existing funding levels while adding administrative resources to prepare for federally required prospective payment changes and single-rate reform. The administration said the May Revision would suspend the 2025–26 COLA and reduce Bridge Program funding to align with utilization, while the LAO raised questions about the size and purpose of the proposed rate-reform and prospective-payment funding and recommended rejecting a Department of Technology exemption. CDE supported continued early education investments but said it would need additional resources if prospective pay were extended to state preschool, and it objected to a proposed reallocation of preschool funds for inclusive education grants. The committee then moved to the IHSS portion of the May Revision. DSS outlined five major proposals: capping provider work hours at 50 per week, eliminating IHSS for undocumented adults age 19 and older, shifting certain Community First Choice reassessment penalties to counties, reinstating the Medi-Cal asset test as a conforming IHSS reduction, and automating the termination of IHSS when Medi-Cal eligibility ends. DSS also discussed funding to implement a federal HCBS access rule and a separate reassessment of IHSS administrative methodology that found counties would need additional administrative funding. Finance said the proposals were intended to slow program growth and improve sustainability, while the LAO said it was still analyzing the package and raised concerns about implementation, county workload, and the potential loss of services. Committee members and public commenters criticized the IHSS cuts, especially the overtime cap and the elimination of services for undocumented adults and people affected by the asset test. Advocates argued that IHSS workers and recipients depend on these services, that county administration is already underfunded, and that the proposals could destabilize vulnerable consumers. The chair closed by saying the committee would continue to fight for child care and would not pause on child care, and the meeting recessed before moving on to the remaining May Revision items.

Transcript Highlights:

• , blood testing paid for.
• because it's not a labeling requirement because it's not a labeling requirement anywhere.<00:26:
• wastewater systems are also requiring wastewater systems are also requiring pre-treatment<00:33:
• , looking up the know, like blood tests, looking up the blood<00:34:45.359> test<00:34:45.679>
• you don't need repeated blood testing. you don't need repeated blood testing.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The meeting was a PFAS-focused hearing of the Capital Investment Committee, with members informally discussing the scale of PFAS cleanup costs, possible Minnesota-made removal technology, and even committee birthday treats before the testimony began. No formal votes or motions were taken in the portion provided. The chair also noted the committee was waiting on a computer/cable issue before starting the presentation. The main testimony came from Sandy Wyn, co-chair of the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network, who described how PFAS contamination affected her Michigan community. She recounted that her private well tested at extremely high PFAS levels after a state visit, linked the contamination to Wolverine Worldwide’s historic dumping practices, and said the pollution spread through groundwater and municipal systems. She emphasized that PFAS are widespread in consumer products, firefighting foam, wastewater biosolids, and agriculture, and argued that the chemicals’ persistence makes them difficult to manage once released. Wyn said PFAS exposure is associated with health problems including cholesterol issues, liver and thyroid damage, kidney cancer, low birth weight, and reduced vaccine response in children. She told members she had her own blood tested, later developed thyroid cancer, and said a local child had very high PFAS levels and vaccine complications. Members asked for supporting studies, and she referenced the C8 study and other research. She urged stronger product restrictions, labeling, blood and water testing support, caution around biosolids, and continued efforts to reduce PFAS use, while acknowledging some limited uses may still be necessary in critical applications like military firefighting foam or medical devices.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then there are also operational Requirements such as testing and monitoring requirements to ensure
• The feds aren't requiring us to do the amount of consultation or testing that we do that we're going
• The feds aren't requiring us to do the amount of consultation or testing that we do that we're going
• And we also want to, in the longer term, strengthen the law to add a testing requirement.
• You know, require the increased testing. And tracking public disclosure.

Transcript Highlights:

• "Gilbert failed his test. "Gilbert failed his test.
• The Mantoux testing test is about 10 bucks, and the QRC, the QRx test, is over 80 bucks.
• So, it's either Mantoux testing or, and it just adds Quantiferon Gold Plus testing as an option.
• TB testing at intake for the most part. TB testing is a little bit different.
• The QRx test does it's a better test, it's more effective, and it should be used.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up House File 3939, a bill to support a Helping Paws service-dog litter named in honor of Gilbert and the Hortman family. Testimony from Helping Paws and service-dog graduate Angie Foley described the organization’s work, the significance of the “Guided by Gilbert” litter, and how the funding would help train dogs that provide independence and support to people with disabilities, veterans, and others. Members from both parties spoke warmly about Speaker Hortman’s connection to the organization and Gilbert, and the bill was laid over for possible inclusion. The committee then considered House File 3769, the Department of Corrections’ technical omnibus bill, with an A1 amendment adopted to clarify tuberculosis testing language. The bill updates TB screening procedures in correctional facilities, including how refusals are handled, and adds Quantiferon Gold Plus testing as an option alongside existing methods. Members discussed whether the bill would create costs for counties and jails, with some noting added testing and segregation costs and others arguing the changes would improve accuracy and reduce time in restrictive housing. The bill, as amended, was recommended to the general register. House File 3978 was next, a technical cleanup bill for a provider wellness program created last year. The bill expands eligibility and confidentiality protections from physicians to all health care providers, while supporters said the program is meant to address burnout and mental health strain in the workforce and does not require new money. Some members questioned whether the change was redundant or would broaden the program without additional funding, but the Minnesota Medical Association testified that the program is separate from insurance and was intended to serve all providers. The bill was recommended to the general register. Finally, the committee began House File 3476, which Rep. Liebling described as a cleanup bill related to Minnesota’s Medicaid managed care system and public program oversight. She argued that the state spends billions through managed care organizations and that the system has never been proven better than direct payment, setting up a broader discussion of the bill’s purpose and the state’s oversight of public health care spending.

Transcript Highlights:

• I use vendors that send test results of heavy metals and... test results of heavy metals and share with
• You go above and beyond what the law requires at your store. We... the law requires at your store.
• Um, we third party lab test, our COAs are... we third party lab test. Our COAs are done thoroughly.
• You're welcome to test our products any day of the week... to test our products any day of the week and
• finished goods products in testing.

Keywords: 923, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Psychological testing is sometimes necessary.
• And these are long and lengthy tests, like interviews and tests and other things.
• I don't know what they tested, I just...
• This bill is going to require the medical examiner and require funeral homes to make sure that all...
• Required to be present at the time of the plea.

Bills: HB 1194, HB 1221, HB1738, HB1913, HB2177, HB2178, HB2180, HB2229, HB2282, HB2448, HB2492, HB2777, HB2984, HB3357, HB3553, HB3602

Keywords: emergency protection order, protective order, magistrate, criminal procedure, victim safety, family violence, domestic violence, stalking, assault, magistrate's order, temporary protection, court order duration, defendant restrictions, Article 17.292, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, emergency restraining order, victim protection, firearm restriction, pretrial intervention, reimbursement fee

Transcript Highlights:

• This required us to designate qualifying hospitals as rural emergency hospitals and required us to license
• four legislatively required reports.
• background screening requirements.
• The Board of Pharmacy is required to collect...
• The department is required.

Summary: The Senate Health Policy Committee received updates from the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Health on implementation of 2024 health care laws. AHCA reviewed progress on workforce and reimbursement measures in Senate Bill 7016 and related bills, including FRAME and TEACH funding, graduate medical education reporting, behavioral health teaching hospitals, acute hospital care at home, advanced birth centers, non-emergent care access plans, and rural emergency hospitals. Agency officials said several programs are already operational or have begun payments, while others are still in rulemaking, federal approval, or report-preparation stages. Senators asked about timing, funding reversion concerns, and whether appropriated dollars would be spent on schedule, especially for behavioral health teaching hospitals and the new birth center category. The Department of Health then reported on practitioner licensure and public health programs. MQA described implementation of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, the Mobile Act licensure pathway, massage therapy enforcement changes, background screening expansion, liposuction safety requirements, pharmacist HIV post-exposure prophylaxis authority, and chiropractic dry needling. Public health staff updated the committee on FRAME and dental loan repayment, the Sinati screening grant program, the cancer research and innovation changes, the health care innovation council and loan program, the pediatric rare disease grant program, telehealth maternity care expansion, newborn screening for congenital CMV, the sickle cell registry and grants, and the swimming lesson voucher program. Members focused questions on how practitioners were being recruited to underserved areas, the pace of licensure approvals, and whether new programs were on track to use appropriated funds. The committee also heard a lengthy update from the Office of Medical Marijuana Use. The director reported more than 900,000 qualified patients, real-time seed-to-sale tracking now integrated across most dispensaries and labs, and ongoing compliance work on product testing, advertising, diversion, and patient safety. Senators questioned the decline in qualified physicians, how THC potency is labeled and verified, and what the agency can do about diversion to non-patients. The director said the office relies on complaints, inspections, lab audits, and coordination with law enforcement, and that patients can be suspended if violations are confirmed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Under current law, investor-owned utilities are required to use a historic test year approach, which
• year or hybrid test model.
• year, removing the requirement that the facilities be used and useful during the historic test year.
• Since that test year closed, we've already spent $80 million in infrastructure.
• only had the historic test year option.

Bills: HB16, HB16, HB1618, HB2692, HB2712, HB2970, HB3609, HB3628

Keywords: judicial administration, court reform, juvenile diversion, court security, mental health services, drug offenses, constitutional amendments, water infrastructure, Texas Water Development Board, financial assistance, water supply projects, rural municipalities, water access assessment, aquifer storage, Edwards Aquifer, water injection, environmental regulations, groundwater management, San Antonio River, pollution control

Transcript Highlights:

• It just doesn't require any input from management.
• It allows producers with a history of clean tests and clean batches to skip critical safety tests, effectively
• It's not perfect, and there is not a perfect test.
• to test again for up to a year.
• He had passed the written test but had to stop using THC to pass the drug test.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy held its fourth hearing, with opening remarks from Senate Chair Adam Gómez and House Chair Dan Donahue emphasizing the committee’s broad agenda, including retail modernization, labor protections, advertising rules, sustainability, and financial resources. Testimony began with public health advocates supporting H.157/S.9 to ban cannabis billboard advertising, arguing that billboards normalize use for youth and are linked to cannabis-related harms such as psychosis, addiction, and cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. Witnesses cited research, family stories, and court decisions in Mississippi and Virginia upholding similar restrictions, while committee members questioned the scope of the state’s authority to regulate billboards on private property and the relevance of federal highway funding and federal cannabis law. The committee also heard testimony on H.175, a proposal to allow cannabis drive-through sales. A dispensary operator argued drive-throughs would improve access, especially for disabled customers and veterans, and said security and ID checks could be handled with cameras and staff screening. Committee members pressed him on how employees would assess impairment, whether drive-throughs could increase access for minors, and whether the industry should be treated like alcohol, with the witness responding that staff already refuse service to intoxicated customers and that education, not prohibition, is the better approach. Another bill, H.3982, would apply the bottle deposit law to carbonated hemp- or THC-infused beverages; the sponsor said the measure would standardize recycling requirements for products already sold in dispensaries and other markets, and members asked about container types and recycling compatibility. A major portion of the hearing focused on labor peace agreements, with UFCW representatives, cannabis workers, and Sen. Lydia Edwards supporting S.77/H.161. They said the bill would require cannabis businesses to remain neutral when workers seek to organize, arguing that unions improve safety, wages, benefits, and job stability in an industry they described as underregulated and prone to retaliation. Witnesses cited workplace hazards, wage theft, and the death of a worker at a Holyoke facility as examples of why stronger worker protections are needed. Committee members asked how the proposal differs from existing labor law, whether tying LPAs to licensing and renewal could create legal or administrative problems, and how other states handle similar requirements. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• I specifically asked the diagnostician who would test her about IQ tests in our initial call.
• One of the main problems is that the IQ test requires verbal answers, and Annie does have a speech delay
• , but this test would be hard for any three-year-old to perform.
• We asked the diagnostician if we could do a different type of cognitive test—a play-based test appropriate
• School volunteers are required to adhere to the CPR instruction requirements outlined in the bill.

Bills: SB205, SB582, SB625, SB1884, SB1903, SB2600, SB2617, SB2751, SB111, SB3061, SB1908

Keywords: fetal development, health curriculum, public schools, middle school health education, grade 7, grade 8, State Board of Education, school health advisory council, Texas Education Code, pregnancy, reproductive health, infertility, birth defects, prenatal development, unborn child, trimester, medically accurate instruction, age-appropriate instruction, drug and alcohol effects, lead exposure

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, Representative Blackman, state law does not require any standardized testing for ESA students.
• into that particular college and they need that test, I think the parents would go take the test, the
• kids would go take that test.
• to get into that particular college and they need that test I think the parents would go take the test
• Ward, so we discussed standardized testing.

Bills: HB2352, HB2388, HB2418, HB2499, HB2500, HB2579, HB2584, HB2804

Keywords: funding, auditor general, county treasurer, procedural reviews, state appropriations, HB2388, Arizona Commerce Authority, ACA, small modular reactor, SMR, nuclear energy, advanced nuclear, data center, data centers, economic development, study, appropriation, general fund, jobs, wages

Summary: The committee first heard HB 2584, which would prohibit public funds from being used for genetic sequencing equipment made by companies owned or controlled by entities domiciled in a foreign adversary. The sponsor said the bill is intended to prevent sensitive genetic data from being sold or used against the United States. There was little public testimony, and the committee approved the bill on a 13-5 vote for a do pass recommendation. Members then considered HB 2804, a rural development and housing tax credit bill that would let the Department of Housing allocate up to $2 million per year in credits for qualifying rural affordable housing projects, with the program set to expire in 2037. Supporters, including the sponsor, the mayor of Flagstaff, and housing investors and developers, said the credit would leverage federal LIHTC dollars, attract private capital, and help finance affordable housing for seniors, veterans, and low-income residents in rural Arizona. Opponents from the Arizona Free Enterprise Club argued state LIHTC programs are inefficient, costly, and hard to oversee. The committee passed the bill 13-4. The committee also heard HB 2388, as amended, which appropriates $100,000 to the Arizona Commerce Authority to study the economic benefits of small modular reactors and data centers, with a report due by June 30, 2027. Supporters said the study could help Arizona plan for future energy and data-center growth, while opponents argued the agency already has other funding sources and should not receive additional money for the study. The amended bill passed 10-7. After a presentation from Auditor General Lindsay Perry on county treasurer procedural reviews and the Santa Cruz County embezzlement case, the committee approved HB 2352, which provides $2,385,900 in FY 2029 for the Auditor General to continue county treasurer reviews, on an 11-7 vote. The committee then unanimously approved HB 2418, as amended, which directs $600,000 to be evenly distributed among five major incident task force counties and codifies the longstanding distribution practice. Finally, the committee took up HB 2499, the first of two ESA administration bills, which would appropriate $2.6 million and 12 FTEs to the Department of Education for ESA administration and oversight beginning in FY 2027; the bill drew extended debate about ESA growth, accountability, testing, and spending oversight, but the transcript cuts off before the final vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• ONE THAT TESTS THE ENTIRETY OF THE SET OF SECOND GRADE STANDARDS THAT PAUL JUNIOR HAS TO KNOW.
• IS THE FAST TEST AND PROGRESS MONITORING THE SAME THING AND HOW MUCH TIME DOES IT TAKE TO TEST A KINDERGARTNER
• AND FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS OF STUDENTS TESTED ONCE AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL AND HIGH
• SUCH AS SAT, ACT AND NOW THE CLC AS WELL, THE CLASSIC LEARNING TEST.
• AGAIN WHAT THE TEST ITSELF IS MEASURING IS HOW THEY MASTERED STANDARDS AS A WHOLE?

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, requirements for federal funding.
• 00:13:16.720> the amendment was required because the amendment was required because the contract
• 55.440> kits<00:16:55.839> for provides at-ome testing kits for provides at-ome testing
• of the different diseases that they test of the different diseases that they test for<00:17:01.199
• the department gets the test results. the department gets the test results.

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• are spread be tested and also to make testing available for farmers who want to test.
• be tested and also to make testing be tested and also to make testing available<01:10:04.159>
• The new effective date, which is going to add a whole bunch of the requirements for PFAS testing, is
• Third, the soil testing requirements will add cost and complexity that can be managed but only with clear
• c> requirements Third, the soil testing requirements Third, the soil testing requirements will<01

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill updates the licensing requirements for small residential group homes by not requiring them
• It requires online instruction from DCF for childcare workers.
• It requires the ability to take the test examination online as well providing again, just more access
• to necessary training and also to testing. >> Okay.
• It tested never received those results. Despite numerous requests.

Keywords: 999, senate, all