Video & Transcript Research : 'consumer technology'

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ND

North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Appropriations - Education and Environment Division Apr 8th, 2025 at 02:00 pm

Appropriations - Education and Environment Division

Bills: SB2018
Summary: The committee took up Senate Bill 2018, the Department of Commerce budget, and walked through the long sheet and a series of proposed changes. Members discussed restoring a vacant workforce FTE that Commerce said it could fill soon, monitoring federal funding delays but reporting no known cuts, and adjusting several one-time items including Operation Intern, the North Dakota Development Fund, the Global Talent Office, and tourism-related funding. The chair also proposed separating tourism marketing and Good Life funding again, rather than combining them, and members raised concerns about ensuring tourism dollars are used only for tourism purposes. A number of program amounts were reviewed or adjusted in discussion, including UAS grants, Vantus/Beyond Visual Line of Sight funding, Grand Sky, Grand Farm autonomous agriculture grants, base enhancement grants, Native American small business grants, regional workforce impact grants, technical skills training grants, and tribal college workforce grants. Commerce officials explained that some grant language would be changed to require competitive RFP processes, and they clarified that the housing opportunity and community property improvement items were handled in other bills or programs. The committee also discussed apprenticeship efforts across state agencies and Commerce’s role in workforce development. The committee reviewed carryover and exemption language for prior appropriations, including federal weatherization and energy funds, and Commerce said three one-time FTE tied to those federal programs should become ongoing because the federal dollars continue over several years. A motion to add $1.5 million for the North Dakota Safety Council failed for lack of a second. The committee then planned to return the next day to continue work on Commerce and take up the CTE budget, including a pending amendment related to CTE’s possible move from the 15th floor of the Capitol.
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

ECD Public Hearing - Wed Feb 18, 2026 @ 9:30 AM HST

Economic Development & Technology

Transcript Highlights:
  • We're relating to the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation.
  • <00:11:22.320> Our Technology Development Corporation.
  • Our Technology Development Corporation.
  • Trung Lamb with the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation, and I stand on my written testimony.
  • ,<00:52:24.079> the impact the renter or the consumer, the impact the renter or the consumer
Summary: The committee heard testimony on several measures, beginning with HB 2410 relating to the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation. Testifiers from HTDC and the Hawaii Food Industry Association stood on written testimony, and members discussed the funding request, which was described as $1 million each for three programs, for a total of $3 million. The measure appeared to have broad support, with no opposition noted. The committee then took up HB 2235 HD1 on the military and community relations office, where Lori Moore of MACC asked for additional funding to support local businesses and education-to-career initiatives statewide. Members asked about the amount, and the request was identified as $1.3 million total. HB 904 on space operations followed, with three supporters and one opponent, though no substantive testimony was captured beyond the vote counts. HB 2201 on state enterprise zones drew testimony from Georgia Skinner of DBEDT’s Creative Industries division, who said the measure would build on a well-run enterprise zone program and help make Hawaii’s film industry more competitive. Tom Yamashita of the Tax Foundation also provided comments. The committee then considered HB 2349 relating to DCCA and DBEDT coordination; DCCA explained it already provides links and information to DBEDT programs, while DBEDT argued that direct data sharing would allow more proactive outreach. Members raised privacy and cost concerns, and DBEDT said it would consider opt-in collection and acknowledged system changes and possible funding needs. The committee also heard two tax credit bills. HB 1972 HD1, on a caregiver tax credit, received strong support from AARP, the Hawaii Public Health Institute, the Hawaii Children’s Action Network, and others, who described caregivers as an “invisible workforce” and argued the credit would help families keep loved ones at home and reduce financial strain. The Tax Foundation suggested a grant or subsidy program might be more efficient than a tax credit and raised concerns about debarment provisions. HB 20007 HD1, on the household and dependent care services tax credit, also drew strong support from public health and family advocacy groups, who said Hawaii families face some of the nation’s highest child care costs and that the bill would better reflect current expenses; the Tax Foundation again raised technical concerns about complexity and debarment. Members asked about fiscal impacts, and testimony indicated the current credit costs about $6 million, with the bill expected to increase that amount. The committee then moved on to HB 2385 HD1 on housing, where the Deputy Attorney General began presenting written comments on whether the bill limits county authority.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Insurance May 20th, 2025

Insurance

Transcript Highlights:
  • I know we share a commitment to balancing consumer protection while maintaining a stable competitive
  • Unfortunately, this is not a free market in the sense that consumers are forced to buy these products
  • Yes, it ended in a $352 million settlement of payback of premiums to consumers. but it took 20 years
  • If companies overprice, consumers can go elsewhere. Don't change that in the market.
  • of consumer satisfaction with the TDI.
Bills: SB1642, SB1643, SB2530
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Trade, Workforce & Economic Development Mar 19th, 2025

Trade, Workforce & Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:
  • And we have always aimed to reach people where they want to consume us, a lot of which is on our phones
  • And we've always embraced new technology. We've had our way. We have a website since 1997.
  • The tax bill does not require anyone to buy a CDW, it simply ensures consumers... have a choice.
  • These programs provide seed fundings for new technologies and innovation across all industry sectors,
  • F68 creates the Texas Technology Innovation Program, TTIP. housed within the Office of the Governor's
KY
Transcript Highlights:
  • information officer for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and we're situated in the Commonwealth Office of Technology
  • The technology got better, the sensors got better, and they were able to fly higher and still get the
Summary: The committee first approved minutes from prior meetings after a motion and second, then heard a presentation from Kent Annis and Boyd Sheerer of the Kentucky Division of Geographic Information on the state’s “KY from Above” aerial imagery and elevation program. The presenters described the program’s goals of creating openly accessible statewide imagery and elevation basemaps, reducing duplicative local and state spending, and supporting uses such as transportation, emergency response, utilities, broadband planning, property taxation, economic development, and education. They said the data is owned by the Commonwealth, distributed in the public domain, and has strong return on investment, with statewide ortho imagery coverage completed in 2022 and elevation phases completed or underway in multiple stages. The witnesses emphasized that the program relies on cost-sharing among state, local, and federal partners and that a small state “seed” appropriation is needed to leverage larger federal contributions. They said about $300,000 a year in seed money could help secure additional federal funds, while a three-year imagery refresh cycle would cost about $5.7 million annually and storage/processing about $150,000 a year. They also noted that no subscription fee is charged for access, opposed charging for use of the data even by for-profit users, and said the program is intended as an economic development tool that avoids multiple entities paying for the same geography. Members asked about the funding request, the potential federal match, and whether the state should charge private companies for access. The witnesses explained that the requested amount was for aerial photography and LAR seed money, that federal funds would not cover aerial photography directly, and that the program already uses a cost-share model with 28 partners rather than subscriptions. They also clarified that imagery is refreshed every three years and elevation data on a longer cycle, with elevation prioritized because it supports accuracy for roads, water lines, and broadband planning. The presentation concluded with no formal vote on the program itself; after questions ended, the chair thanked the witnesses and adjourned the meeting.
US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

Hearings to examine reforming SBIR-STTR for the 21st century. Mar 5th, 2025 at 01:30 pm

Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee

Transcript Highlights:
  • It is Massachusetts' technology ecosystem that provides a fertile ground for innovation in the technology
  • , a location sensor technology.
  • So that's what technology is, and it has to be the best technology.
  • It's their technology.
  • . technologies.
Summary: The meeting focused on the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs (SBIR-STTR), emphasizing the critical reforms necessary to enhance their effectiveness. Chair Ernst introduced the Innovate Act to streamline processes, ensuring funding is awarded based on merit and addressing existing abuses within the system. The discussion was robust, with numerous members expressing concerns about phase transitions and the need for targeted funding to support impactful technological innovations. The conversation also highlighted the program's importance in fostering economic growth, particularly for small businesses in rural areas, and the urgency for legislative changes as the program's authorization approaches expiration.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee 3/4/26

Agriculture Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • 28.240> kind<00:40:28.320> of think consumer choices are kind of think consumer choices
  • > what<00:40:56.160> they've The consumer really wants what they've The consumer really
  • <00:41:21.760> Consumers<00:41:22.160> don't care for the consumer.
  • Consumers don't care for the consumer.
  • And so, for consumer choice, the consumer thinks they have a choice.
Bills: HF3718
Summary: The Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee met with quorum present, approved the March 2 minutes, and then heard a presentation on economic consolidation in agriculture from Austin Ferk, who said he was not taking additional public testimony. Ferk argued that consolidation in meat, dairy, and grain markets has squeezed farmers on both input and output prices, raised consumer prices, and reduced product quality. He used charts and examples to claim that concentrated markets lead to price gouging, that farmers now receive a historically low share of each food dollar, and that industrial production has contributed to environmental problems, especially in Iowa. Ferk focused on several large agribusiness firms, especially JBS and Cargill. He described JBS as a dominant meatpacker with a history of bribery allegations and market power across beef, pork, poultry, and leather, and said its ownership of brands can obscure who is actually selling the product. He also criticized Cargill as an opaque, privately held company with enormous influence over grain and food markets, and said the farm bill and crop insurance system have been shaped to favor overproduction of corn and soy rather than diversified farming. He argued that these policies, along with ethanol demand and export-oriented livestock production, have harmed rural communities, increased manure and nitrate pollution, and contributed to health problems. In the latter part of the presentation, Ferk discussed antitrust and policy responses, including concentration studies, a proposed packer ban that would prevent meatpackers from owning the animals they slaughter, and restrictions on slotting fees and other pay-to-play practices in grocery retail. He also referenced the failed Kroger-Albertsons merger as an example of consolidation harming local communities. No committee vote or formal action was taken on the presentation beyond approving the minutes.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

Senate - Finance Feb 6th, 2026 at 05:01 pm

Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • I am here with Department of Information Technology Cabinet Secretary Mani, but at us, and we are here
  • We are seeking simply to add the word software to the information, excuse me, the information technology
  • It also allows for better planning by departments, by the Department of Information Technology.
Bills: SB193, SB132, SB35, SB145
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

Senate - Finance Feb 6th, 2026 at 09:18 am

Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • And then technology and innovation: investing in digital health tools, telehealth, data sharing, and
  • Implementing provider training and remote care technologies to expand access, improve local capacity,
  • How could we use technology to really be innovative? And that's really... ...a clunky system?
  • How could we use technology to really be innovative? And that's really what that is about.
  • In addition, for tax and tax and rev, there's $1 million for information technology...
Bills: SB193, SB132, SB35, SB145
US
Transcript Highlights:
  • simply go along with the Trump administration's deregulatory agenda. instead of fighting to protect consumers
Summary: The meeting centered around the confirmation of four significant individuals nominated for leadership positions within various financial institutions. Members engaged in heated discussions regarding the nominees' qualifications and past track records. Concerns were raised over the potential implications of these appointments on economic stability and consumer protections. Each nominee was scrutinized, with particular emphasis on their political alignments and prior influence in their respective agencies. Despite the contentious atmosphere, there was a clear focus on the need for strong leadership to guide economic policies during challenging times.
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

Senate and Governmental Affairs May 6th, 2026

Senate & Governmental Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • There are technology changes, closed party primaries, and we have new audit systems in place.
  • There are technology changes, closed party primaries, and we have new audit systems in place, and we're
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government Feb 18th, 2026

Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government

Transcript Highlights:
  • Under the bill, Florida Digital Service is authorized to contract for information technology commodities
  • the governor-elect and designated members of the transition team access to the state information technology
  • integrate state oversight with federal standards, specifically the Federal Genius Act, to ensure consumer
  • Florida has long been a national leader in financial innovation and technology.
  • protections or taxpayers. ...to ensure progress never comes at the expense of consumer protections or
Summary: The committee heard and advanced several bills related to engineering regulation, cybersecurity, financial services, and state administration. CS/SB 800 would increase penalties for repeated unlicensed engineering practice and create an engineering student loan assistance program funded by licensure fees and fines; it was reported favorably after questions about whether it would reimburse victims of unlicensed practitioners, with the sponsor noting it would not and that affected individuals would need to pursue complaints and private legal action. CS/SB 576 created a local government cybersecurity protection program administered by Florida Digital Service, with state purchasing of cybersecurity services and priority for fiscally constrained counties; it received support from local government and industry groups and was reported favorably. CS/SB 1078 set transition requirements for gubernatorial administrations, including liaisons, briefing books, office space, IT access, and controlled access to agency records under a memorandum of understanding, and it also passed favorably. The committee also approved CS/SB 314, which creates a regulatory framework for payment stablecoin issuers in Florida, and CS/SB 530, which updates lottery operations, security, retailer rules, and bonding requirements. CS/SB 1614, after adoption of a technical substitute amendment, would limit local governments’ eligibility for certain state funding if they have excess funds, have recently been audited by the legislative audit committee, or fail to affirm expenditure of prior funds; the sponsor said it would give the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee more enforcement leverage, and the bill was reported favorably. CS/SB 990 authorizes protective cell captive insurance companies to expand insurance market capacity and potentially lower premiums, while CS/SB 1588 is a step toward implementing last session’s gold and silver legal tender law; both were reported favorably. Additional bills passed included CS/SB 1440, which adds cybersecurity-related exemptions and reporting provisions for financial institutions, loan originators, and money service businesses, and CS/SB 1568, which creates a Florida Stable Coin Pilot Program allowing DFS fees to be paid with approved stablecoins. The stablecoin bill was amended to add guardrails, including fee limits, website notice requirements, and restrictions if no approved issuers are available. The committee also received a brief budget overview highlighting major funding items such as Florida Forever, Everglades restoration, water quality, Farmers Feeding Florida, citrus recovery, school lunches, state parks, and law enforcement and staffing items, and members later recorded additional votes before the committee adjourned.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

01/28/2026 - Senate Public Safety

Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:
  • fraud laws in the marketing, distribution, or sale of technology produced by a foreign adversary.
  • Those include harms to consumers.
  • Many times these threats cross the line from consumer laws to national security.
  • This office would pursue legal claims against entities that violate consumer fraud laws to sell technology
  • There are dozens of technological components that present, I don't know.
Summary: The Public Safety Committee met and approved several bills, beginning with SB 1107, which creates an alternative Arizona peace officer certification pathway for honorably discharged veterans who served as military police. The sponsor and a former military police officer testified that the bill would recognize existing training while still requiring Arizona-specific training, certification testing, background checks, and fitness standards. The committee adopted a clarifying amendment limiting the pathway to military police veterans and then passed the bill 7-0. The committee then passed SB 1308, which creates a Foreign Adversary Fraud Office in the Attorney General’s Office and related funds to pursue consumer fraud claims involving technology from foreign adversaries and to help replace such technology in critical infrastructure. Supporters argued the bill would address both consumer fraud and national security risks tied to foreign-made technology in utilities, communications, and other infrastructure. The bill was approved 7-0. The committee also passed SB 1020, creating an Arizona Space Commission specialty license plate to support the commission’s work; supporters said it would raise voluntary revenue and promote Arizona’s growing space industry. That bill also passed 7-0. SB 1160 was approved after amendment. The bill restricts drones near ticketed entertainment events, and the amendment expanded the restricted area from 400 feet to 5,280 feet. The sponsor, along with representatives from NASCAR and Live Nation, said the measure would close a public safety gap and protect large crowds from unauthorized drones. The committee passed the bill as amended 7-0. SB 1117 was also approved 7-0; it appropriates funds to DPS crime lab services for processing evidence from counties with populations under one million, with the sponsor saying it would help rural counties handle DNA and other evidence backlogs. Finally, the committee passed SB 1216, which removes the sunset on traumatic event counseling for public safety employees and expands eligibility to include crime scene and digital forensic technicians. Testimony from the Arizona Police Association supported making the counseling program permanent and extending it to additional employees exposed to traumatic material. The bill passed 7-0, and the committee adjourned after completing its agenda.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • within the DIR process. and accountable technology across Texas government.
  • DIR was chartered in 1989 to procure technology. at scale.
  • Technology alone will not protect us, but coordination will.
  • The bill aims to increase efficiency, enhance consumer protection, and ensure that consumers throughout
  • Consumer protections like the three-day right to cancel are crucial for consumers, including older adults
US
Transcript Highlights:
  • We are fighting a global technology race against communist China.
  • put superior technologies into the hands of our warfighters and into the hands of consumers. and improve
  • Technology innovation reconfigurable technology will revolutionize spectrum use.
  • And we cannot expect rigid wireless technologies to coexist adaptively.
  • And we just won't have the technology to prevail in that case.
Summary: The meeting centered on the critical examination of spectrum policy and its implications for innovation and national security. The committee discussed the lapse of the FCC's spectrum auction authority, which has been in effect since March 2023, emphasizing the urgency of restoring this authority to maintain U.S. technological leadership against competitors like China. Witnesses provided testimony regarding the need for adaptive and reconfigurable spectrum technologies to enhance communication capabilities for both civilian and military applications. Senator Klobuchar highlighted the importance of modernizing 9-1-1 systems and ensuring robust emergency communication frameworks leveraging new spectrum innovations.
US
Transcript Highlights:
  • We've known for years that we need more air traffic controllers and more safety technology.
  • used to operate the air system, and billions more invested in technologies and facilities across the
  • We also directed the FAA to develop a plan for accelerating airline equipment with next-gen technologies
  • Navy improperly testing counter-drone technology at DCA.
  • And one of the ways we believe we can do that is using satellite-based. technology.
Summary: The meeting focused on the discussions surrounding the tragic midair collision involving American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, which resulted in the loss of 67 lives. Testimonies were provided by key figures including NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy and FAA Acting Administrator Chris Richelieu. The committee expressed grave concerns regarding the existing safety protocols, questioning why the FAA failed to act on numerous warnings and data indicating potential collision risks. Members emphasized the need for urgent reforms in aviation safety to prevent such tragedies in the future. Specific highlights included the recognition of the importance of ADS-B out technology and concerns about the operational practices of military helicopters in controlled airspaces.