Transcript Highlights:

• It's about bringing the law up to being consistent. ...with the science on this issue, and it's about
• I think, I think as the science. Is changing, our toxicologists are adapting.
• And what you're asking is, so because there's a change in the science, and because the science that you
• And second of all, I think that the law can, can and should... move with the trends in science.
• There's always going to be that period. ...of time and so we have science and we've always had science

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:

• online and all that, but if you don't have a facility that's able to contain and offer the proper sciences
• 00:51:46.640> offer<00:51:47.119> the<00:51:47.440> proper<00:51:47.839> sciences
• and offer the proper sciences and offer the proper sciences uh<00:51:49.760> chem<00:51:50.160
• <01:04:26.559> So, uh truths that science has revealed.
• So, uh truths that science has revealed.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Education Funding Committee met to consider eight bills, beginning with HB 443 on the terms of appointment for members of the Higher Education Commission. Department of Education Director Steve Applebee explained that the commission supported a language change to address a holdover issue, but members raised concerns that the bill did not solve the problem of inactive members and might not address the broader question of whether the commission should continue to exist. The committee agreed to retain HB 443 for further work and voted 18-0 to do so. The committee then voted on HB 137, which would allocate excess statewide education property tax funds for local school and municipal purposes. Supporters of ITL argued that using the statewide property tax to reduce the state’s school funding obligation could create a slippery slope and shift more burden to property taxpayers. The committee voted 15-3 to ITL the bill, with a minority report to be written. HB 237, which would prohibit the use of special education and differentiated aid funds on students not receiving special education services, was also ITL’d after members said federal law already governs how IDEA-related funds may be used and that the bill was unnecessary. That motion passed 16-0, with some members not voting because they were out for medical reasons. The committee next advanced HB 354, creating alternative certification pathways for career and technical education instructors. Members said the bill could help recruit qualified tradespeople and retirees to teach in CTE programs, and it was approved 18-0 and placed on the consent calendar. HB 491, establishing a committee to study alternative public education funding methods and reduce reliance on local property taxes, was retained for further study after members said the committee or a subcommittee could continue the work over the year; it passed 18-0. HB 656, concerning local school districts’ authority to accept federal grants, was also retained after discussion focused on transparency, grant conditions, and the need to avoid delays in services; it passed 18-0. The committee then moved on to HB 729, an appropriation for an attorney to recodify education laws, but the transcript cuts off before that bill was acted on.

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, good morning, everyone, and welcome to Science, Technology, and Energy for Wednesday the 14th,
• <00:26:16.880> Uh<00:26:17.360> investors compliant science entities.
• Uh investors compliant science entities.
• ] science.
• [laughter] science.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Moving on to item six, the Texas Forensic Science Commission account.
• The fifth legislative session, GRD account 5173, or the Texas Forensic Science Commission account, was
• The Texas Forensic Science Commission, they're using a new license renewal fee collection model.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We recently had UMass come in, Gina Vincent and her group, and give us an opportunity of the science
• Given the amount of contact, our parolee rates, I think the science is working with supervision efforts
• We’re applying the science and we’re applying best practices to what we do in terms of maintaining public
• There's a science to some of this, and it matters in terms of how we make our decisions.
• So when you start looking at those combinations in science, it's very likely to be successful on their

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Special Commission on Criminal Justice Reform 3.0 heard a presentation from the Massachusetts Parole Board focused on consolidation, cooperation, and evidence-based supervision across the correctional system. Parole Board Chair Angela Gomez-June described the board’s mission, its coordination with the Department of Correction, houses of correction, courts, probation, law enforcement, victim services, and UMass partners, and outlined 2024 activity including 2,810 institutional release hearings, 18,238 victim notifications, 53 pardon petitions, 70 commutation petitions, 41 early termination applications, and supervision of 2,993 parolees. She emphasized the board’s shift toward individualized, data-driven decision-making, including revised GPS use, graduated sanctions, and more service-oriented community supervision. Members and sheriffs pressed for clearer breakdowns of the board’s data, including the difference between releases, hearings, and active supervision; average length of supervision; the share of lifers in the caseload; and how many people are placed in housing, employment, and treatment. The board said its active supervised population fluctuates around 1,600 to 1,800, with more than 400 lifers, and that about 30 to 36 percent of its population is housed through programs such as MASH, community justice resource centers, and sheriff-run residential programs like Rocky Hill and HOPE. Members also discussed parole refusals, noting that some individuals decline parole to avoid supervision or to serve time inside instead, and asked for a more detailed breakdown of those cases. The board and commission also discussed collaboration with DOC and UMass on risk assessment, reentry planning, and community pathways, including a tablet video explaining the parole process and pharmacist support for medication-related drug test issues. The board reported that after the SJC’s Matus decision, 210 individuals were identified as affected, 144 were immediately eligible for hearings, 100 hearings had been completed, and 10 more were scheduled; it also said clemency and commutation work had been slowed by staffing and Matus-related demands. The meeting ended with a request for follow-up data on outcomes, supervision lengths, housing and employment placements, and other consolidated statistics, and the commission announced its next public hearing for March 9 at 10 a.m. before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• have to come back so that we remind people why we are doing what we're doing and how we're using science
• And I also want to say that the science has changed, and that's why we have to go back and look...
• The science has changed, and that's why we have to go back and look at what the outcomes were when we
• to make sure that each one of the things that we're going through are embedded, again, in fact and science
• I want to... ...not just data and science, but also lived experience.

Keywords: 962, all

Summary: The Juvenile Justice Policy and Oversight Committee (JJPOC) met for administrative updates, approved the April meeting minutes, and discussed a proposed shift from monthly full committee meetings to a quarterly schedule beginning later this year. Members generally supported the change, saying it would reduce strain on agency and committee resources and allow more time for work groups to complete implementation tasks. Several members also asked for more flexible agendas and a clearer way to add issues between meetings, with staff suggesting a standardized form for submitting topics in advance. Work group updates covered cross-agency data sharing, diversion, education, incarceration, and community expertise. The data-sharing group reported continued work on the Equity Dashboard 2.0, a statewide expulsions analysis, municipal-level data collaboration with UConn’s IMRP, and a cross-system analysis of crossover youth. The diversion group described work on POST curriculum revisions for juvenile law, a youth-focused law enforcement interaction training, a community-police relationship toolkit, expansion of youth diversion teams, and pre-arrest diversion policy. The education group is reviewing implementation of the law creating educational oversight in juvenile facilities, along with a free public transportation pilot for high school students and truancy cleanup legislation. The incarceration group is tracking conditions of confinement, DOC restraint and chemical agent reports, the DOJ settlement monitoring process, the reentry success plan, and gender-responsive programming. The community expertise group emphasized elevating lived experience, youth voice, prevention, and conditions of confinement, with members urging the committee to focus on stability, infrastructure, and meaningful use of lived-experience perspectives. A major presentation from OPM outlined Connecticut’s effort to re-enter the federal Title II juvenile justice formula grant program. OPM explained the program’s core compliance requirements, including deinstitutionalization of status offenders, adult jail and lockup removal, sight-and-sound separation, and addressing racial and ethnic disparities. Staff said Connecticut is currently not fully compliant because of issues including youth being held in adult facilities and the state’s six-hour detention rule, and that Title II funding is on hold while OPM works toward compliance. OPM is developing a monitoring manual, identifying facilities to be monitored, and forming a state advisory group (SAG) to support the application and compliance process. Members questioned why a separate SAG is needed, whether JJPOC or the community expertise group could serve that role, and how lived-experience members would be selected; OPM said federal rules require the SAG to include youth or parents with lived experience and that the group cannot be composed of state or government employees in the key leadership roles. The committee agreed to circulate the federal parameters and ask members to suggest candidates for the SAG and to help move compliance work forward over the summer.

Transcript Highlights:

• School of Science and Mathematics. Representative Caldwell, recognized to explain the JCR. Mr.
• Speaker, members, House Bill 4065 appropriates $93,000 for security at the Oklahoma School for the Science
• million program is for the existing 542 districts, the additional, this, the Oklahoma School for Science
• The additional, this, the Oklahoma School for Science and Math, as well as, again, not to look too far
• from the Legacy Capital Fund for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to expand the Forensic Science

Bills: SB1290, SB1530, SB1847, HR1050, SB169, SB1377, SB1990, SB1991, SB1778, SB1579, SB1992, SB3, SB2028, SB1928, SB2127, SB2117, SB1439, SB1930, SB330, SB1191, SB2110, SB2134, SB2069, SB2095, SB1613, SB1246, SB1976, SB1346, SB1509, SB2071, SB259, SB1314

Keywords: 2-1-1 services, revolving fund, Department of Human Services, crisis pregnancy, abortion, legal funding, research funding, development rebate, Oklahoma Department of Commerce, tax incentives, higher education partnerships, Medicaid, ADvantage Waiver, home-based services, eligibility criteria, healthcare, senior services, Taiwan, Oklahoma, sister-state relationship

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a parent from Llano. with a library science degree. Our public libraries are sacrosanct.
• His science, by the way, has been proven by the American Legislative Exchange Council to be criminal
• From this, I say, science, he declared that children are sexually sexual from birth, they are not harmed
• Science of the brain that we now have shows that sexually explicit materials cause trauma. to children
• Specifically in library and information science.

Bills: HB256, HCR19, SB2101, SB2334, SB2633, SB2637, SB2713, SB2781, SB2782, SB3059, HB1130

Keywords: severe weather, adaptation plan, vulnerability assessment, environmental protection, state agencies, federal agents, transparency, law enforcement, identification, public trust, immigration enforcement, HCR 19, Texas concurrent resolution, federal immigration enforcement, masked agents, facial coverings, visible identification, uniforms, badges, name tags

Transcript Highlights:

• For those who don't know, Star Wars is an epic space adventure that mixes science fiction with mythology
• Things change all the time in the world of science.
• We talk... ...encyclopedia Britannica, things change all the time in the world of science.
• When I got my degree in biological sciences, there were only five kingdoms—everything that's alive, or
• And then in our... ...that we named things in science, had two kingdoms.

Summary: The committee heard and approved several measures. HB 735 expanded Florida’s boating improvement program to fund parking for boat trailers at public ramps and offered a 10% sovereign submerged land lease discount for manufacturers using environmental best management practices; it passed unanimously. HB 4021 expanded the North River Ranch Improvement Stewardship District in Manatee County by 640 acres and was reported favorably. CS for HB 371, which promotes nature-based methods and green/gray infrastructure for coastal resilience, also passed unanimously after supportive testimony from resilience and environmental groups and committee members. The committee then took up HJR 1325, a proposed constitutional amendment to create an elected Commissioner of Government Efficiency (COGE) with authority to audit, investigate, and report on waste, fraud, and abuse in state and local government. The proposal would eliminate the lieutenant governor position, the Government Efficiency Task Force, and the legislature’s current auditor appointment, with many implementation details deferred to a future bill. Members debated the scope of the new office, its relationship to the Auditor General and inspectors general, whether it should cover the legislative and judicial branches, staffing, and the comparison to federal DOGE efforts. An amendment making a minor wording change was adopted, and the resolution passed 23-? with a favorable report after a split vote. The committee also approved two Gulf of America bills. HB 575 redesignated the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, and CS for HB 549 required Florida’s academic standards and newly adopted instructional materials to reflect the federal designation for materials acquired on or after July 1, 2025. Both measures drew criticism from members who argued the renaming was politically motivated, historically insensitive, and potentially confusing for students, while supporters said Florida should align with federal action. HB 575 passed and CS for HB 549 passed 18-7. Finally, HB 4071, a local bill adjusting the boundary between Coral Springs and Parkland in Broward County by about 8.7 acres, was amended and reported favorably with support from both cities and the Broward delegation.

Transcript Highlights:

• I also earned a master's degree in political science from the University of Alabama and my law degree
• the state of Florida, I think it's important that we continue that trend in nursing and in health sciences
• So that is my number one goal is to continue to work with the college health science program and nursing
• So life sciences and allied health and it's very important to me.
• being able to do things like that that kind of rely on my doctoral expertise and the behavioral sciences

Summary: The committee first heard CS/SB 270, which would extend Bright Futures eligibility by 12 months for certain students whose parent was serving overseas in public service and then retired, giving military and diplomatic families more time to return to Florida without losing scholarship eligibility. Senator Burgess also explained a late-filed amendment to set the bill’s effective implementation for the 2025-26 school year, and the committee adopted the amendment without objection. The bill received supportive testimony, including from Senator Smith, and was reported favorably by a roll call vote. The remainder of the meeting focused on confirmation hearings for appointees to state college boards of trustees, with the chair emphasizing a new process of hearing from each nominee individually rather than taking a blanket vote. Nominees from Tallahassee State College, St. Johns River State College, South Florida State College, Broward College, State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota, Palm Beach State College, Pasco-Hernando State College, and Valencia College described their backgrounds and priorities, which largely centered on workforce development, nursing and health sciences, dual enrollment, fiscal responsibility, student retention, and partnerships with local employers and communities. Several nominees highlighted their own educational or professional ties to the colleges, and some noted the importance of serving rural or military-connected communities. One nominee, John Aloko for Pasco-Hernando State College, was not present because he was attending a conference in Hawaii and was deferred to a later hearing. After hearing all other nominees, the committee voted to recommend confirmation of the remaining appointees in a block vote, covering Tabs 2 through 22 except Tab 8, and the motion passed. Two members later asked to be recorded as voting in the affirmative on earlier items.

Transcript Highlights:

• I’m professor of computer science and director of the Minnesota Robotics Institute.”
• and Engineering for $ 10 of Science and Engineering for $ 10 million<01:01:50.559> who<01:01:
• the integrated science engineering model we<01:09:04.279> practice<01:09:04.679> that<
• And then the College of Biological Sciences, which is CBS.
• of biological sciences again one of<01:29:14.400> the<01:29:14.520> core<01:29:14.800>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The medical science, the technology and the availability of new treatments has changed significantly.
• And so medical science evolves rapidly. Many health care mandates don't.
• We worked with Exact Sciences, who produces the Cologuard test, and we drove measurable increases in
• The 2018 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso School of Dental Medicine report on the
• , and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee met to review the history and current treatment of North Dakota health insurance mandates, with presentations from Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, Sanford Health Plan, the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), and the Insurance Department. The discussion focused on how mandates apply differently to fully insured, self-funded, ACA, Medicaid, and PERS plans; how the state’s benchmark plan and federal essential health benefits affect coverage; and how the existing process requires cost-benefit analysis and, for certain measures, a PERS pilot period before broader application. Presenters also reviewed the long list of existing state mandates, including provider, beneficiary, and coverage requirements, and noted that many were enacted decades ago and have not been revisited despite changes in medical evidence and treatment options. Witnesses from the carriers argued that mandates should be reviewed periodically because some are outdated, can create unintended costs, and may not align with current medical guidance. Examples cited included PSA screening, off-label drug coverage, prior authorization rules, step therapy, and cost-sharing provisions for mental health and substance use treatment. They emphasized that carriers often cover services without a mandate when supported by clinical evidence, and that mandates can shift costs to employers and employees, especially in the fully insured small-group market. They also suggested possible policy improvements such as clearer mandate definitions, better transparency around cost-benefit analyses, a regular 10-year review of mandates, and more timely submission of proposals through the interim process. PERS and the Insurance Department highlighted a recurring tension over what counts as a mandate and when a measure triggers the state’s defrayal obligation under federal law. PERS described its interim committee process, the April 1 deadline for fiscal-impact proposals, and the limited pilot program used for certain measures, noting that only a few bills have gone through the full pilot process. The Insurance Department explained that it views new benefit mandates through the lens of the ACA benchmark plan and essential health benefits, distinguishing true new benefits, such as infertility coverage, from changes to existing benefits, such as telehealth or insulin cost-sharing caps. No votes were taken on policy changes; the meeting was informational, with members asking questions about costs, applicability, transparency, and whether a periodic mandate review should be established.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our science and tech roadmap lines out where we have the unique opportunities to win in science and technology
• As a centralized open user facility for applied quantum information science, Q&MI is uniquely positioned
• I mean— Humanities and general ed into health, education, science, technology.
• I mean, I'm a total geek when it comes to science and the arts. And I love.
• I mean, I'm a total geek when it comes to science and the arts. And I love school from day one.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• number of provisions in Article 11 in the READ Act modifying definitions, particularly adding the science
• Um adding the science of definitions.
• c><00:08:57.440> the instruction in accordance with the instruction in accordance with the science
• of reading um uh terminating the science of reading um uh terminating the partnership<00:09:01.680><
• science of reading. science of reading.

Bills: HF1049

Keywords: school library aid, education finance, school districts, charter schools, funding eligibility, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• flaws instead of addressing those flaws, and we would argue that it's much better to use current science
• flaws instead of addressing those flaws, and we would argue that it's much better to use current science
• Science and the statutory definitions of what we've had in law for many decades to actually identify
• We need science. Science is going to take money to do that.
• going to take money to do that science going to take money to do that so<00:52:19.400> we<00:

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Notice the departments: Physical Sciences, Biology, Agriculture, Food Science, and Kinesiology.
• And now he's gone on to work in the physical science field.
• But again, in terms of science, that kind of negative part is positive because we said, you know, Edison

Transcript Highlights:

• . 4.3 million to the Sciences. 4.3 million to the Sciences. 4.3 million to the Firefighters Personnel
• Consortium. 2 million to the Science Consortium. 2 million to the Science Consortium. 2 million to the
• Exhibit Commission, Space Science Exhibit Commission, Space Science Exhibit Commission, 850,000 Alabama
• Yeah, to the schools and do science. Yeah, to the schools and do science.
• Science is my not opposed to it. Science is my not opposed to it. Science is my background.

Bills: HB 29, HB 125, HB 145, HB 171, HB 255, HB 50, HB 796, HB 363, HB 116, HB 491, HB 589, HB 1495, HB 368, HB 1285, HB 1905, HB 1360, HB 2002, HB 917, HB 2723, HB 2067, HB 1238, HB 2337, HB 745, HB 1188, HB 1606, HB 2003, HB 2147, HB 2391, HB 2355, HB 2546, HB 2495, HB 2818, HB 2249, HB 1749, HB 3109, HB 3228, HB 3240, HB 1507, HB 658, HB 1748, HB 1851, HB 1922, HB 2001, HB 2798, HB 107, HCR 29, SB 5, SB 262, HB 11, HJR 72, HB 106, HB 18, HB 48, HB 27, HB 37, HB 1481, HB 581, HB 1696, HB 2216, HB 1035, HB 1633, HB 742, HB 754, HB 1689, HB 1690, HB 2669, HB 391, HB 517, HB 1024, HB 1607, HB 252, HB 1716, HB 1562, HB 4116, HB 1866, HB 1741, HB 2103, HB 2637, HB 2884, HB 503, HB 1089, HB 2986, HB 972, HB 502, HB 29, HB 125, HB 145, HB 171, HB 255, HB 50, HB 796, HB 363, HB 116, HB 491, HB 589, HB 1495, HB 368, HB 1285, HB 1905, HB 1360, HB 2002, HB 917, HB 2723, HB 2067, HB 1238, HB 2337, HB 745, HB 1188, HB 1606, HB 2003, HB 2147, HB 2391, HB 2355, HB 2546, HB 2495, HB 2818, HB 2249, HB 1749, HB 3109, HB 3228, HB 3240, HB 1507, HB 658, HB 1748, HB 1851, HB 1922, HB 2001, HB 2798, HB 107, HCR 29

Keywords: water audit, water loss, water loss mitigation plan, municipally owned utility, municipal utility, water conservation, Texas Water Development Board, TCEQ, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, water leakage, leak detection, billing data accuracy, utility validation, water audit validation, water scarcity, water management, infrastructure, public utility, conservation plan, administrative penalty

Transcript Highlights:

• I think as the science is changing, our toxicologists are adapting.
• I think as the science is changing, our toxicologists are adapting. Our science is getting better.
• And because of the new science, toxicologists are now more hesitant to give the exact...
• And what you're asking, so because there's a change in the science, because the science that you have
• And so we have science, and we've always had science, and it may be getting better.

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 2777 by Representative Rose, which would bar the death penalty for defendants who can prove by clear and convincing evidence that they had schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and active psychotic symptoms at the time of the offense. Rose said the bill would still hold defendants accountable through life without parole, would save money by avoiding lengthy capital litigation, and would address cases where severe mental illness was not adequately considered. Supporters from NAMI Texas, the Catholic bishops, and a forensic psychologist said the bill is narrowly tailored, consistent with neuroscience and moral principles, and would prevent executions of people whose psychosis substantially impaired reality testing. Committee members questioned how the bill interacts with existing competency and insanity law, whether the diagnosis is sufficiently defined, and whether the statute requires active psychosis at the time of the offense. An opponent argued the death penalty should remain available for juries to decide in all cases. The bill was left pending. The committee then heard House Bill 1221 by Representative Lozano, which would raise the cap on pretrial intervention program fees from $500 to $1,200. Lozano and a district attorney witness said the increase is needed because program costs have risen and the fees help make diversion programs self-sustaining, allowing first-time or low-level offenders to complete rehabilitation and potentially obtain expunction. Opponents from the Texas Fair Defense Project argued the higher fee could make diversion unaffordable for indigent defendants and undermine an important alternative to incarceration, especially where related supervision and monitoring costs already add up. Members discussed whether the fee applies only to PTI participants, how payment plans and waivers work, and whether ability to pay should be addressed more explicitly. The bill was left pending. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 1738 by Representative Jones, which would repeal Penal Code Section 21.06 and related Health and Safety Code references concerning homosexual conduct. Jones said the law is unconstitutional under Lawrence v. Texas, remains harmful on the books, and has led to confusion and unnecessary costs even though it is unenforceable. Supporters said the bill simply removes outdated language and protects civil liberties, while opponents from Texas Values argued the statute still serves as a statement that homosexual conduct is unacceptable and should remain as a warning, even if unenforceable. Members debated whether the law’s remaining language is merely symbolic or still harmful, and whether other criminal statutes already cover conduct such as prostitution, incest, and offenses involving minors. The bill was left pending after testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, I can't talk science. I don't do it.
• Uh, I can't talk science. I don't do it.
• Uh, I can't talk science. I don't do it.
• My laboratory is unique at the University of Minnesota because we don't just do science; we do science
• My laboratory is unique at the University of Minnesota because we don't just do science; we do science

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The first one being, um, intro computer science.
• We have large research grants from the National Science Foundation.
• We have an NSF large grant around $20 million, which is actually insertion of AI in data science, in
• <00:54:32.559> in insertion of AI in data science in insertion of AI in data science in climate
• , to life science, in order to do that.

Keywords: 910, house, all