Transcript Highlights:

• And with that, my commitment, ...system, so that everybody is protected.
• This deals with violent offenses against justice system personnel.
• This deals with violent offenses against justice system personnel.
• A web-based 911 alert system, which would allow victims to alert public safety agencies via a unique
• The system promises quicker response times and real-time data sharing between public safety answering

Committee: Senate Criminal Justice

Summary: The committee heard and voted on a long series of criminal justice, public safety, victim protection, and regulatory bills. Several measures were reported favorably, including SB 1374 on school district reporting requirements, SB 1378 on restitution for leaving the scene of a crash, SB 1072 creating an expedited DNA testing grant program, SB 1140 establishing a Hillsborough County criminal offender substance abuse pilot program, SB 1266 revising public records protections for crime victims and certain law enforcement identities, SB 1546 delaying and refining background screening requirements for athletic coaches, SB 1430 on post-judgment execution proceedings related to terrorism victims, SB 1444 making a broad set of criminal justice changes, SB 240 on domestic and dating violence protections, SB 606 clarifying public lodging and food service removal procedures for nonpaying guests, SB 1450 giving law enforcement discretion in arrests involving people with significant medical conditions, SB 44 increasing penalties for impersonating law enforcement with unauthorized red or blue lights, SB 1000 expanding court-ordered sealing options, SB 1400 requiring platforms to remove altered sexual depictions, and SB 1696 addressing rideshare impersonation and transit service rules. Many of these bills were amended before final passage, often with strike-all amendments or technical changes, and several had support from law enforcement, advocacy groups, or industry representatives. Testimony was generally supportive on the public safety and victim-protection bills, with speakers emphasizing faster DNA testing, better protections for domestic violence survivors, clearer rules for hotel and motel operators, and stronger tools against fraud, impersonation, and trafficking. Some bills drew notable concerns or opposition. SB 1266 prompted questions about whether a 72-hour cooling-off period for officer identities could be extended too broadly, while SB 606 drew concerns that the bill could affect families living in hotels or extended stays during the housing affordability crisis. SB 1444 generated discussion about false reporting language, off-duty carry for prosecutors and judges, and the scope of automatic sealing changes. SB 1000’s expanded sealing relief received broad support but was narrowed by amendments excluding certain offenses such as DUI and indecent exposure. The most contentious measure was SB 1804, which would create a capital offense for trafficking a child under 12 or a mentally incapacitated person for sexual exploitation. The sponsor argued it targets the most severe trafficking cases and includes safeguards such as excluding minors from capital punishment and preserving life imprisonment if the capital procedure is invalidated. Opponents, including the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops and Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, argued the death penalty is unconstitutional for non-homicide crimes, costly, and ineffective, and committee members raised concerns about whether the bill would incentivize traffickers to kill victims to avoid identification. Debate also touched on broader concerns about the death penalty’s constitutionality and whether life imprisonment is a more severe punishment. The transcript ends during that debate, without a final vote on SB 1804 included in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, this bill was brought to me because we've got a computer glitch in the system.
• In 2011, the retail inventory tracking system... was revised by the legislature to require wholesalers
• In 2023, the comptroller's office upgraded the system to validate data before submission, and this led
• When completing the Retail Inventory Tracking System, or RITS report, it is a monthly report intended
• HB 3093 ensures a fairer system for both taxpayers and local governments.

Bills: HB511 , HB972 , HB 1035 , HB2481 , HB2723 , HB2742 , HB2894 , HB2962 , HB3077 , HB3093 , HB3307 , HB3684 , HJR67 , HJR72

Committee: House Ways & Means

Keywords: ad valorem taxation, caregiver exemption, Medicaid, long-term services, tax relief, assisted living, housing support, property tax exemption, caregiver support, residence homestead, tax exemption, unpaid caregiver, state tax code, property tax, caregiver, waiting list, intellectual disability, developmental disability, ad valorem tax, family support

Transcript Highlights:

• For every child in the foster care system, 18 more are in kinship placements.
• , or is it, not trying to say this in a funny way, or are we just jumping into a bad system and about
• and other other systems.
• So those, most of those costs are one-time costs for system changes at our um contractors.
• So it's not completely evenly split, but it is for those system changes. Thank you.

Bills: HB 26 , HB 140 , HB 141 , HB 142 , HB 215

Committee: House Human Services

Keywords: Medicaid, nutrition support, maternal health, chronic conditions, pilot program, DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, child protective services, child abuse investigations, child neglect, child exploitation, advisory committee, Family and Protective Services Council, council abolition, foster care, due process, investigative procedures, child welfare, parental rights, family preservation services

Transcript Highlights:

• I worked on with the OLA for four years that would deal with an enterprise-wide grants management system
• I worked on with the OLA for four years that would deal with an enterprise-wide grants management system
• I worked on with the OLA for four years that would deal with an enterprise-wide grants management system
• I worked on with the OLA for four years that would deal with an enterprise-wide grants management system
• I worked on with the OLA for four years that would deal with an enterprise-wide grants management system

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The NICS system, which stands for National Instant Criminal Background Check System, is a program that
• </c><04:46:42.400><c> if</c> some things and improve their system if some things and improve their system
• </c> system was put into place in the 80s. system was put into place in the 80s.
• The NICS background system has processed more than 300 million checks since the FBI launched the system
• The systemic dismantling of our eyes.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• community college system as well.
• Younger adolescents are uniquely susceptible to manipulative engagement systems.
• Under this bill, businesses may continue using AI and automated systems.
• Our clients are often told that they have a choice under the existing opt-out system.
• Immigrants have become reluctant to engage in systems for essential care.

Summary: The committee first heard AB 1159, which would update California student data privacy law for educational technology and college-level platforms. The author and supporters argued that students’ personal information is being collected and used far beyond educational purposes, including sensitive health and demographic data, and said the bill would limit misuse and add stronger privacy protections. Support came from privacy, labor, education, and civil rights groups, while opposition from college store and industry representatives focused on narrowing the definition of “operator,” preserving institution-related communications, and concerns about the bill’s private right of action. Members raised questions about how the bill would affect scholarships, financial aid, adult students, consent, and litigation; the author said the bill includes a right to cure and notice to the Attorney General. The committee voted 4-0 to pass the bill to Appropriations, with the measure placed on call. The committee then took up AB 1709, which would set a minimum age of 16 for social media accounts on platforms with specified addictive design features and create a youth safety commission. The author, pediatric and safety advocates, and several public supporters argued that social media companies intentionally design compulsive features that harm youth mental health, sleep, and development, and that the bill is a necessary product-safety response. Opponents argued the bill is overbroad, may be ineffective, raises First Amendment concerns, and could cut off vulnerable youth from important online support networks. Members focused heavily on possible amendments, especially a non-addictive feed option for younger users and strengthening the commission; the author said he was open to those changes and to further work with the committees. The bill was moved to Judiciary on a 5-0 vote and placed on call. At the end of the excerpt, the author began presenting a third measure, AB 2076, which would strengthen California’s Parents’ Accountability and Child Protection Act by adding nitrous oxide to the list of age-verified dangerous products, banning purchase with gift cards or store credit, and increasing penalties for large sellers. The author described nitrous oxide as increasingly accessible to minors online and cited enforcement gaps in the current law, but the transcript cuts off before testimony or action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• community college system as well.
• Younger adolescents are uniquely susceptible to manipulative engagement systems.
• Under this bill, businesses may continue using AI and automated systems.
• Our clients are often told that they have a choice under the existing opt-out system.
• Immigrants have become reluctant to engage in systems for essential care.

Committee: Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> justice system. justice system.
• And this justice system works well.
• I And this justice system works well.
• </c><00:21:54.400><c> I</c> our justice system for this issue. I our justice system for this issue.
• </c> system. Senator Funke Frommeyer. system. Senator Funke Frommeyer.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• system would require us to aggregate this information.
• That's an ideal system.
• That would be great, but we just don't have a system like that.
• You've got people who get older and their immune system starts to wane.
• Their immune system is not confident and capable.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 2433, which would require insurers offering Medicare supplement policies to people 65 and older to also offer them to Medicare beneficiaries under 65 with ALS or end-stage renal disease, with enrollment periods and premium protections tied to 65-year-old rates. Supporters, including dialysis and ALS advocates, said the bill would help a small population facing high out-of-pocket costs and could improve access to transplants and care; opponents argued it would shift costs onto older seniors and raise Medigap premiums. The committee recommended the bill do pass on a 12-0 vote. The committee also heard House Bill 2593, appropriating $1.5 million to the University of Arizona for the Arizona Perinatal Psychiatry Access Line. The sponsor and physicians testified that the line helps obstetric and pediatric providers quickly consult on perinatal depression, postpartum psychosis, suicidality, and other mental health crises, improving outcomes for mothers, children, and families and reducing costly emergency and crisis care. The bill received a do pass recommendation on a 10-1 vote. House Concurrent Resolution 2013, proclaiming June 2026 as Celebrate Life Month, drew emotional testimony from a young woman with spina bifida and another speaker supporting the sanctity of life. Some members objected that the state should focus on practical supports such as paid leave, child care, and health care access, while others supported the resolution as a statement of human dignity. The resolution passed the committee 7-5. The committee then approved House Bill 4010, creating a Board of Genetic Counselors and licensure standards, after testimony from genetic counselors and a patient advocate about the need for qualified counseling and better access; it passed 11-1. Later, the committee approved House Bill 2196, which would require pharmacy benefit managers to reimburse non-affiliated pharmacies at least their acquisition cost and pay a dispensing fee, and establish an appeals process. Independent pharmacists and their coalition said PBM practices are driving closures and unfairly favor affiliated pharmacies, while PBM and employer representatives warned of major cost increases and said the bill would interfere with private contracts; the bill passed 11-1. The committee also adopted a strike-everything amendment to House Bill 2182 requiring insurers and health plans to report claims denial and prior authorization data to DIFI, and then gave the amended bill a 12-0 do pass recommendation. Finally, the committee approved House Bill 2189, directing the Board of Nursing to update rules for licensed health aides and collect annual data, with the sponsor and board staff saying it would help implement routine ventilator care in the home; it passed 12-0. The committee then began hearing House Bill 2404, a strike-everything amendment on inter-facility transports for behavioral health patients, but the transcript cuts off before action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill is looking to bring back hard labor into our criminal justice system.
• At the end of the day, the prison system as a whole is meant to be a deterrent.
• At the end of the day, the<00:07:24.240><c> prison</c><00:07:24.639><c> system</c><00:07:24.960><c> as
• > whole</c><00:07:25.759><c> is</c><00:07:26.000><c> meant</c><00:07:26.240><c> to</c> the prison system
• as a whole is meant to the prison system as a whole is meant to be<00:07:26.479><c> a</c><00:07:26.639

Committee: House Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When I first started in the federal system, we were all about enforcement of compliance, which means
• When I first started in the federal system, we were all about enforcement of compliance, which means
• When I first started in the federal system, we were all about enforcement of compliance, which means
• I also came out of retirement to be able to collaborate in moving this system forward.
• I also came out of retirement to be able to collaborate in moving this system forward. Thank you.

Committee: Senate Public Safety and Military Affairs

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committees met on February 19, 2025, to hear advice-and-consent nominations, beginning with GM 645/GM 650 for Mike Lambert as Director of the Department of Law Enforcement. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support from state officials, community leaders, nonprofit representatives, and others, who praised Lambert’s collaboration with communities, communication skills, and practical approach to public safety. Several speakers highlighted his work on homelessness, game rooms, community policing, and his ability to work across public health and law enforcement lines. Lambert told the committee he has 22 years of law enforcement experience, including patrol, community policing, training, narcotics/vice, and work on fentanyl, internet crimes against children, and ghost guns, and said his priorities would include building community trust, improving training and discipline, and addressing fireworks and firearms enforcement. Senators asked about fireworks, federal collaboration, ports and airport screening, recruitment, pay parity, and whether the department should expand into a more formal state police force; Lambert said he would need time to learn the new port/shipping environment and would support a state police class and expanded enforcement capacity. The committee did not take a final vote in the portion of the transcript provided. The committee then heard GM 567 for Jean Dello Jr. as chairperson of the Hawaii Paroling Authority. Supporters, including Hawaii Friends of Restorative Justice and Hawaii Paroling Authority staff, described him as honest, ethical, fair, and experienced in balancing public safety with rehabilitation and re-entry. Dello said he came out of retirement in 2021 to serve on the board, and that his background in federal probation and state corrections led him to favor evidence-based practices over simple compliance monitoring. He emphasized the need to weigh public safety with giving inmates a real opportunity to transition successfully back into the community. No final action or vote was announced in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• what we have seen is that there's been just growing positive impact from that policy in our school systems
• have decided to allow usage during Systems have decided to allow usage during parts of their day, and
• , but I think if we pass laws in this legislature, I think we have an expectation that our school systems
• , but I think if we pass laws in this legislature, I think we have an expectation that our school systems
• If we pass laws in this legislature, I think we have an expectation that our school systems will follow

Committee: House Education

Keywords: House Committee Room A, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We will also have other park amenities that will include a walking trail as well as playground systems
• The amenities would include a walking trail as well as playground systems for the benefit of quality
• We typically use these scenarios to build correctional facilities, hospitals, pumping systems that were
• So we have very, very complicated mechanical systems, very complicated protection systems.
• That is a complete filter system. There's some aeration concerns? Is there? Yes, yes, sir.

Summary: The joint Senate and House Transportation, Highways, and Public Works committees met on March 3, 2026, and first considered several requests for approval to use the construction manager at risk (CMAR) method for local projects. The first item, Caddo Parish’s proposed $9.6 million pickleball park, drew extended questioning about whether the project was truly complex, whether CMAR would save money versus public bid, the project’s location and accessibility, and whether it fit the statute’s timing and risk criteria. The House initially voted to deny the request, while the Senate had moved to approve; after discussion about the statute and CMAR policy, the House motion was reconsidered and the Caddo project was ultimately approved. The committee then approved CMAR requests for an Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office indoor shooting range, a Calcasieu drainage district pump station rehabilitation/replacement project, St. Tammany Parish Hospital District No. 2’s Slidell Memorial emergency department expansion, St. Charles Parish Hospital’s entry registration/PACU renovation, and the Port of Vinton dock project in Calcasieu Parish. Testimony on the approved projects emphasized complexity, operational continuity, and schedule concerns. The Ascension Parish shooting range was described as involving bullet protection, ventilation and lead-control systems, and multiple training configurations; the drainage district project was presented as critical infrastructure serving much of Lake Charles and requiring staged construction to maintain flood protection; the hospital projects were justified by work inside operating facilities and the need to avoid disrupting patient care; and the Port of Vinton project was tied to an LED-related deadline and the need to keep port operations running during construction. Members generally supported these projects, with motions to approve made on both sides and no objections recorded. The meeting also featured a broader policy discussion about CMAR use. Several members, especially Representative Fontenot, questioned whether the committee had been too permissive in approving CMARs for projects that did not appear especially complex, and raised concerns about public bidding, taxpayer savings, and impacts on minority contractors. Senator Price said future legislation may tighten CMAR requirements, while Senator McMath and Senator Carter noted that the statute’s listed factors are not exhaustive and cautioned against abruptly changing practice for pending projects. The committee recessed after completing the CMAR agenda and planned to hear a DOTD presentation afterward.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's very possible as we move forward here that some of our other pension systems will get overfunded
• number of participants drops, and I'm just curious about how we manage overfunding in our pension systems
• needs. ...than any pension system needs, and I would like to know from Ice Miller what are the options
• in an overfunded system, if it seems like the only options they've given us are merger or closure.
• maybe we can get some more information on other states, if they've ever had an overfunded pension system

Committee: Joint Select Committee on Pension Policy

Summary: The Select Committee on Pension Policy Executive Committee approved the June minutes and received a brief update from Assistant Attorney General Jesse Yoder, who had no litigation updates but offered to answer questions. Actuary Michael Harbour then previewed the September full committee meeting, which will include a report on the financial condition of the DRS-administered pension plans and the state actuary’s recommended economic assumptions. He also cautioned that any actuarial pricing done over the summer could change if assumptions are updated, and suggested taking votes on potential legislation later in the interim, possibly in November or December. A discussion followed about the Left 1 benefit improvement and where the funding came from. Harbour said the benefit tied to SSB 5791 (2022) was paid from the Left 1 trust fund, while a separate Left 2 benefit improvement was in SHB 1701, and he agreed to double-check the issue with DRS after members raised conflicting information. Members then discussed the broader Left 1 study, including whether IRS approval is a key barrier and whether options are limited to merger or closure. Several members asked to hear from Ice Miller, which has been advising on the tax issues, and staff said the committee should receive a written response in the next couple of weeks and could have Ice Miller appear in October. The committee reviewed and adjusted its interim work plan. September will include the actuarial presentations, a more detailed Left 1 study update, and a presentation on PERS and TERS Plan 1 COLAs, including a recap of the bill recommended this year and initial considerations for an ad hoc COLA. October is expected to include DRS administrative and performance updates, with November reserved for the State Investment Board update and a final Left 1 study update, and December may include an educational presentation on excess compensation. Members also requested a future briefing on the month-of-death benefit discussion. The September agenda was adopted, correspondence materials were noted, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• But they both advocate for deploying these lock box systems. It's a best practice.
• advocate for deploying these<00:03:18.280><c> lock</c><00:03:18.480><c> box</c><00:03:18.680><c> systems
• </c><00:03:19.160><c> It's</c><00:03:19.320><c> a</c><00:03:19.360><c> best</c> these lock box systems
• It's a best these lock box systems. It's a best practice. practice. practice.
• the whole system within a district<00:06:55.480><c> and</c><00:06:55.680><c> so</c><00:06:56.560><c>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 2543 provides the flexibility to expand the cemetery system, allowing more families to honor
• I actually do, and it's with regard to the banking system. So I don't know if we've addressed that.
• And it's with regard to the banking system. So I don't know if we've, if we have addressed that.
• So the emergency response aspect comes into play in the T-LETS system.
• So the emergency response aspect comes into play in the T-LETS system.

Bills: SB2007 , SB2104 , SB2543 , SB2545 , SB2926 , SB2938

Committee: Senate Veteran Affairs

Keywords: military status, vehicle registration, veterans, Texas transportation, state records, discrimination, employment rights, spouses of service members, labor code, SB 2543, Texas veterans cemeteries, state veterans cemetery, Texas Veterans Commission, Veterans Land Board, Natural Resources Code, veterans land fund, veterans housing assistance fund, veterans burial, burial eligibility, cemetery location

Summary: The Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs heard several bills focused on veterans’ mental health, criminal justice coordination, cemetery expansion, housing, vehicle registration, and anti-discrimination protections. SB 2926 would transfer administration of veterans’ mental health initiatives from HHSC to the Texas Veterans Commission, create a community-based mental health grant program, require a statewide veteran suicide prevention action plan, and add annual reporting requirements. SB 2938 would require county jails to verify and report veteran status at intake, help veteran inmates apply for federal benefits, and provide access to county veteran services and free visitation with service coordinators. Both bills were described as joint or practical efforts to improve coordination and service delivery for veterans, and both were left pending after no public testimony was offered. The committee also heard SB 2543, which would give more flexibility to expand the Texas veterans cemetery system, and SB 2545, which would explore using manufactured homes as another affordable housing option for veterans through the Veterans Land Board. SB 2545 drew questions about how manufactured-home loans would work; a Texas Veterans Land Board witness said implementation would likely require closing at a title company rather than through a retail bill of sale, and the Texas Manufactured Housing Association testified in support. Both cemetery and housing bills were left pending. Members then heard SB 2007, which would let vehicle registration applicants voluntarily designate military status so the DMV could record it and help with benefits and towing/impound issues involving deployed service members. Witnesses from the towing industry and DMV supported the bill, saying the current system lacks enough identifying information to run military-status checks and that the indicator could help prevent vehicles from being sold while owners are deployed. SB 2104 would add military status as a protected class under state anti-discrimination laws for employment, housing, and utilities; the author said it would address ongoing discrimination against service members, veterans, and military families. The Texas VFW supported the bill, citing the Leroy Torres case as an example of why additional state protections are needed. After discussion about overlap with federal law and existing state protections, SB 2104 was also left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• Education, medication, incarceration, our public education, Medicaid program, and the criminal justice system
• My teachers wanted to help me, they cared deeply and worked hard, but the system didn't have the tools
• We talked about the um prison system. Over 50% of the inmates have dyslexia.
• We can level set the system right now, and it matters because then going forward, there's no longer this
• just need to, we need to really ask for it now because now is the time when they're resetting the system

Transcript Highlights:

• I think the system works as long as we have accountability and people that care about what they're doing
• What where is the system breaking down where people running into roadblocks?
• The treatment outcome system capacity performance and more.
• Take up Tab. 3 SB 886, uncoordinated systems of care by Senator leak Senator leak.
• Well, some of the third-party systems, a searchable catalog organized by agency listing job classes,

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Valley's restrictive reservation system. Valley's restrictive reservation system.
• </c><00:17:25.280><c> that</c> disastrous reservation system that disastrous reservation system that
• </c> disaster relief system in this country. disaster relief system in this country.
• </c> separate from the payment system. separate from the payment system.
• </c> indicators from the do not pay system indicators from the do not pay system and<02:53:57.520><c>

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:30:17.560><c> to</c> including modernized software systems to including modernized software systems
• The strike all electronic court system.
• </c> that system limping along. that system limping along.
• And to change that this system.
• </c> what the to the new computer system. what the to the new computer system.

Keywords: MS Senate Floor - 5 March, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all