Transcript Highlights:

• For more information, visit www.FEMA.gov AB 1069, motion is due pass and re-referred to the Committee

Committee: House Aging and Long-Term Care

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I had an amendment for that and then visited with them, and there were some problems with that.

Bills: SB2225 , HB1619

Committee: Senate Appropriations

Keywords: housing, affordable housing, community development, infrastructure improvement, funding grants, long-term care, infrastructure loan, nursing facilities, financial assistance, North Dakota Century Code, 908, all

Summary: The Appropriations Committee met to clear several remaining bills and discussed scheduling around upcoming conference committees. The chair noted that full committee meetings would likely be held after floor session, while Thursday and Friday mornings were being reserved for conference committees. Members also discussed how conference committees would be scheduled and where they would appear on their dashboards. The committee first took up House Bill 1577, relating to wastewater facility grants. Amendments were adopted to create a loan/line-of-credit mechanism through the Bank of North Dakota and the Department of Environmental Quality to keep two canceled federal BRIC-funded projects moving: a lagoon project in Fezenden and a wastewater treatment project in Lincoln. Members emphasized the language was intended to apply only to those projects and to preserve the possibility of federal reimbursement later. The amendment passed 16-0, and the bill as amended received a 15-1 do pass recommendation. The committee then reconsidered House Bill 1009 and adopted an additional amendment transferring the remaining balance in the bioscience innovation grant fund to the general fund, rather than issuing another round of grants. That amendment passed 16-0, and the bill as amended also received a 16-0 do pass recommendation. Finally, the committee considered House Bill 1619, creating a long-term care facility loan fund and adjusting an existing medical facility loan program. After discussion, members amended the bill to reduce the long-term care fund cap to $10 million per project, set the interest rate at 2%, extend repayment to 30 years, and align the medical facility loan program to 2% with a 30-year term. The amendment passed 14-2, and the bill as amended received a 16-0 do pass recommendation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Nobody wants to just hang around and visit or should be? Okay. We are adjourned. Thank you again.

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee reconvened in the afternoon and took up only Senate Bill 2015, the Department of Corrections budget. Representative Steeman explained that the budget reflected major changes from the Senate version because bed contracts with Grand Forks and Burleigh-Morton were still unresolved when the Senate acted. He described rising inmate populations, added county/regional jail payments, deferred maintenance and repair funding, planning money for a new Missouri River Correctional Center, software and equipment upgrades, victims of crime grants, and a one-time diversion/deflection center grant for Fargo funded through the Community Health Trust Fund. He also outlined funding for body cameras, tasers, and protective vests, and a Native American reentry program/report provision, along with a legislative management study on sentencing, corrections, and parole oversight. Members asked about the possibility of private or design-build alternatives for the new Missouri River Correctional Center. After discussion, the committee adopted language directing the steering committee to oversee design and construction and to explore other options. There was also discussion of the importance of maintaining North Dakota’s correctional rehabilitation culture, the cost and availability of out-of-state placements, and the current number of inmates housed in regional, county, and interstate facilities. The committee adopted the amendment to engrossed Senate Bill 2015 and then approved the bill as amended on a 21-0 vote, with two members absent and not voting. Representative Steeman was designated as the carrier. The chair then thanked members for their work and announced the committee would reconvene the next morning to continue with remaining bills and budget work before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• I believe you said that the contractor has a responsibility for the safety of the folks that visit the

Bills: SB1065 , SB2117 , SB2217 , SB2363 , SB2533 , SB2742 , SB2743 , SB2881 , SB2964 , SB3013 , SB3014

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Keywords: SB 1065, handgun carry, license holder, concealed carry, open carry, government contracts, governmental entity, property lease, state agencies, local government, higher education, university, Texas Government Code, Penal Code 30.06, Penal Code 30.07, Penal Code 46.03, Second Amendment, gun rights, firearms, civil penalty

Summary: The Senate State Affairs Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 1065, which would require government property contracts to prohibit contractors from barring licensed handgun holders from carrying firearms on leased or owned public property, with civil penalties and attorney general enforcement for violations. Senator Hall and invited witnesses from the Texas State Rifle Association, NRA, and Texas Gun Rights argued the bill would close a loophole exposed by the State Fair of Texas gun ban and protect law-abiding Texans’ self-defense rights. Opponents, including Moms Demand Action/Everytown, said the bill would undermine event organizers’ ability to set site-specific safety rules and could increase liability and insurance costs. Public testimony was then closed and the bill was left pending. The committee next took up Senate Bill 2742, which would create civil penalties for independent school districts and officials who use public resources for electioneering, waive immunity defenses, and expand attorney general enforcement. Senator Hagan-Bood said current law bans the conduct but lacks meaningful penalties, making injunctions the only remedy. No public testimony was heard, and the bill was left pending. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 2743, also by Senator Hagan-Bood, which would allow a court to disqualify local prosecutors who refuse to prosecute election offenses and appoint the attorney general to handle the case, with a committee substitute adjusting the removal process through an adjacent-county judge. Opponents from the Texas Civil Rights Project argued the bill would undermine prosecutorial discretion and was vague and open to abuse, while a Harris County election official described past instances where alleged voter fraud cases were not pursued. After testimony, public comment was closed and SB 2743 was left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• We haven't visited yet, but we will today.

Bills: SB2012

Committee: Senate Appropriations - Government Operations Division

Keywords: transportation, funding, infrastructure, grants, municipal, 908, all

Summary: The Government Operations Division met to continue work on budget and bill amendments. The committee first took up the Attorney General’s budget and reviewed a detailed amendment package that adjusted FTE levels, salary equity funding, funding sources, and several one-time appropriations. Changes included removing some House-added items, adding contingent funding tied to other bills, restoring certain funding sources, increasing the electronic smoking device manufacturer fee, and adding a provision on 24/7 sobriety program fees. Senator Dwyer then offered a further amendment to make the electronic smoking device fee a $2,000 application fee with a $500 annual renewal fee, which passed. The committee then voted 4-1 to adopt the budget as amended and give it a do pass recommendation as amended. The committee next considered House Bill 1143, relating to Great Plains Food Bank funding. After testimony from Amy Cleary on behalf of Great Plains Food Bank, members discussed the organization’s statewide role and the project’s financing, including a planned $30 million facility and existing fundraising. Senator Burkhard moved to restore the appropriation from $5 million to $10 million, and the motion passed 4-1. The committee then voted 4-1 to give the bill a do pass recommendation as amended, with Senator Burkhard designated as carrier. Finally, the committee discussed House Bill 1524, which would fund regional planning councils and authorize 16 FTEs. Members expressed sympathy for the councils’ work but concerns about approving new state-funded positions. No action was taken, and the chair asked to hold the bill over for further review. The committee then recessed, noting remaining budget work and upcoming hearings.

Transcript Highlights:

• AS WELL AS VISITS TO THE UNIVERSITIES AND REALLY GETTING A GOOD GRASP OVER A CONSIDERABLE PERIOD TIME

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He's making his annual, he's making a session, uh, ER visit.

Transcript Highlights:

• Luckily, his cancer was covered under the presumptive visit.

Bills: HB467 , HB318 , HB503 , HB198 , HB318 , HB198

Committee: House S/C on County & Regional Government

Keywords: hospital district, Cedar Creek, scholarship, dissolution, county judges, healthcare funding, grant program, rural counties, law enforcement, sheriff's departments, funding, public safety, deputy shortages, sheriff, prosecutor, salary assistance, HB 198, Wade Cannon Act, firefighter cancer screening, occupational cancer screening

Transcript Highlights:

• They will occasionally visit with us and give us updates on their business and infrastructure, but no

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Visited today at the Majority Leader's desk by Assemblymember Bonta. Clerk will read.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There's no doubt that if you visit our Japantown as our colleague showed that prop, you will see those

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It makes elders question whether the temple they visit for peace is really safe.
• </c><00:37:57.599><c> for</c><00:37:57.839><c> peace</c> whether the temple they visit for peace whether
• the temple they visit for peace is<00:37:58.240><c> really</c><00:37:58.560><c> safe.
• independent stores to regional and national retailers, compete every day to earn the next customer visit
• At the core of next customer visit.

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Sometimes they're visiting nurses.
• Sometimes they're visiting professors who are teaching at Franklin Pierce.
• Sometimes they're visiting<01:09:58.960><c> nurses.
• </c><01:09:59.600><c> Sometimes</c><01:10:00.000><c> they're</c> visiting nurses.
• Sometimes they're visiting nurses.

Committee: Senate Ways and Means

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They come visit family members here. They’re not residents of Texas. And so it exists.
• An overdose response team that conducts follow-up visits when clients are struggling with substance abuse
• The ERs are getting every day visits by people suffering from this. Thank you.
• We went through several ER visits, four psychiatric hospitalizations, five treatment centers, each giving
• I love coming to visit y'all, but I don't want to come visit you that often.

Committee: House Public Health

Summary: The House Committee on Public Health heard House Bill 5, a proposal to ban THC products outside the Texas Compassionate Use Program while allowing non-intoxicating CBD and CBG products under tighter regulation. Chair Van Deaver gave a lengthy background on the 2018 federal Farm Bill and Texas’s 2019 hemp law, arguing that the lack of guardrails allowed a large, unregulated THC market to develop. HB 5 would impose licensing fees, product registration, testing and inspection requirements, and restrictions intended to keep products away from children. Invited witnesses from law enforcement strongly supported the bill. Steve Dye of the Texas Police Chiefs Association and Brian Hawthorne of the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas argued that THC consumables are widely mislabeled, often far more potent than advertised, and linked to youth access, impaired driving, and organized crime. Both said regulation would be ineffective and would amount to legalization, while a ban would be easier for officers to enforce. They also emphasized support for the Texas Compassionate Use Program and said medical THC should remain available. Dr. Peter Stout of the Texas Association of Crime Lab Directors and Alice Amelot of Texas DPS testified as resource witnesses about forensic testing. They said current lab resources are already stretched thin, that quantitative testing for THC and related cannabinoids is expensive and time-consuming, and that a ban would simplify enforcement because labs could focus on presence/absence testing rather than concentration. Amelot said DPS labs are neutral on the bill but explained that mislabeled products and inaccurate certificates of analysis are common. Committee members asked about traffic safety, impairment, youth use, and the costs of enforcement and lab testing; witnesses repeatedly said the bill would reduce complexity for law enforcement but that any approach would still require more resources for labs.

Transcript Highlights:

• fiscal responsibility, cuts to Medicaid will mean less preventative care, more costly emergency room visits
• , and more higher costs room visits, and more higher costs treating<00:09:13.839><c> preventable</c><
• Approximately 1,500 people visit the JCC every day, and a significant number are not Jewish.
• Approximately,<00:19:10.559><c> 1500</c><00:19:11.039><c> people</c><00:19:11.280><c> visit</c><00:19
• :11.520><c> the</c><00:19:11.679><c> JCC</c> Approximately, 1500 people visit the JCC Approximately,

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I visit my family in Hawaii. Finally, I'm like everyone else. I know where I come from.
• I visit my family in Hawaii. Finally, I'm like everyone else. I know where I come from.
• I visit my family in Hawaii. Finally, I'm like everyone else. I know where I come from.
• I visit my family in Hawaii. Finally, I'm like everyone else. I know where I come from.
• I visit my family in Hawaii. Finally, I'm like everyone else. I know where I come from.

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee met on March 13, 2025, and took up several firearms and fireworks measures. On SB 227, which would create an illegal fireworks enforcement division in the Department of Law Enforcement and appropriate funds, DLE supported the bill, saying fireworks enforcement has become a full-time job requiring dedicated staff rather than a collateral-duty task force. Members discussed whether the bill and the related task force bill were both needed; DLE said yes, explaining that the new division would provide full-time state employees while the task force funding covers interagency costs such as transportation, storage, overtime, and personnel. Testimony on SB 227 was reported as 12 in support and 6 in opposition. On SB 222, which would fund the illegal fireworks task force and extend its sunset to June 30, 2030, DLE and the Honolulu Police Department supported the measure, emphasizing continued enforcement pressure and interagency coordination. An opponent from the Libertarian Party of Hawaii argued the bill was a waste of time, criticized fireworks prohibition as cultural overreach, and performed a song in opposition. Representative Shimizu asked about results from the extra enforcement effort, and DLE said enforcement has driven up street prices and made investors think twice, which they described as a goal of pricing people out of the market. The chair reported 13 testimonies in support and 6 in opposition. The committee then heard SB 1324, a more comprehensive fireworks bill that would revise definitions and penalties, create first- and second-degree fireworks offenses, add infractions, and increase penalties for serious injury or death. DLE and the Attorney General strongly supported it, saying the bill would improve enforcement, address black-market activity, and help prosecutors when fireworks have already exploded and evidence is destroyed. The Public Defender opposed the bill, arguing existing laws already punish these offenses and that the real issue is enforcement; the office also raised constitutional concerns about the bill’s concurrent civil infraction and criminal trial process. Honolulu Police supported the bill, while the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office said the alternative definitions would help in cases involving exploded versus seized fireworks. The chair noted 17 testimonies in support, 7 in opposition, and 3 comments, and members discussed whether the bill could be amended to address the public defender’s concerns. The committee also began hearing SB 308, which would expand the state’s magazine-capacity restrictions to firearms with detachable magazines over 30 rounds, with a grandfathering provision for certain magazines obtained before January 1, 2026. DLE supported the bill as a fair balance that would grandfather existing magazines while preventing new high-capacity acquisitions. Opposition testimony from Jerry Yuan of the Pool, Oil, Rifle, and Pistol Club argued the proposal was another shifting restriction and opposed magazine bans generally. The hearing continued with additional testimony not fully captured in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Physical therapy is $100 versus $500 a visit.
• </c><02:43:53.240><c> versus</c><02:43:53.520><c> $500</c><02:43:54.200><c> a</c><02:43:54.399><c> visit
• </c><02:43:55.240><c> okay</c><02:43:55.520><c> if</c> Therapy $100 versus $500 a visit okay if Therapy
• $100 versus $500 a visit okay if you<02:43:55.720><c> have</c><02:43:55.840><c> a</c><02:43:55.920><
• only make things emergency room visits only make things worse<03:14:59.439><c> she</c><03:14:59.600>

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• were meetings between the department and Governor Sununu, and the commissioner came and actually visited
• and um the commissioner came and sununu and um the commissioner came and actually<02:34:35.840><c> visited
• <c> the</c><02:34:37.000><c> the</c><02:34:37.160><c> center</c><02:34:38.160><c> uh</c> actually visited
• the the the center uh actually visited the the the center uh with<02:34:38.760><c> Deputy</c><02:34:
• </c> you uh the mayor has actually visited you uh the mayor has actually visited the<02:37:38.000><c>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Finance Committee held a hearing on several bills and announced at the outset that no votes would be taken because the measures would go to divisions later. The first major bill, HB 197, would require the state to pay 7.5% of political subdivision employer pension contributions for teachers, police officers, and firefighters. Representative Mike Edgar, the prime sponsor, argued the state had repeatedly reduced and then eliminated its promised share of retirement costs, shifting the burden to municipalities and property taxpayers. He said the bill would partially restore that commitment and provide relief to local governments, businesses, and taxpayers. Several witnesses testified in support of HB 197, including Representative John Cluder, Bradford selectman Marlene Fryer, the New Hampshire Municipal Association’s Margaret Burns, and Epping representative Mark Fone. Supporters said the bill would help with property tax pressure, school budgets, and municipal hiring, and they emphasized that much of the retirement cost reflects unfunded liability decisions made at the state level rather than by local governments. Committee members questioned whether the bill would change local incentives to control costs and how it would affect hiring and compensation. Burns said the state contribution would function as property tax relief because it offsets existing municipal expenses, and she noted the state is already on a long-term schedule to pay down the retirement system’s unfunded liability. After closing the hearing on HB 197, the committee opened a hearing on HB 97, introduced by Representative Tom Buco. He said the bill would continue funding for delayed and deferred wastewater projects and help municipalities finance expensive wastewater infrastructure, which he tied to housing development and local debt planning. No action or votes were taken on either bill during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,<00:31:18.880><c> but</c><00:31:19.360><c> thanks</c><00:31:19.600><c> for</c><00:31:19.679><c> visiting
• </c><00:31:20.159><c> I</c> you, but thanks for visiting me. I you, but thanks for visiting me.
• Again, these things were said in every single district that we visited across the state. asked if kids
• </c><01:26:52.719><c> So,</c><01:26:52.960><c> in</c> visited across the state.
• So, in visited across the state.

Committee: Senate Education Policy

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There is one in downtown Nashua on Main Street that I had the opportunity to visit, and these people
• and these people finally have a to visit and these people finally have a place<01:13:51.679><c> to</
• So people are talking about projects that they visited that were funded by this program.
• So people are talking about projects that they visited that were funded by this program.
• My description of the projects that I visited were an example of creative solutions to expand housing

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Finance Committee met on October 30 to act on a series of House bills that had been moved during the budget process and, in many cases, were already addressed in the state budget. The chair explained that bills covered by the budget would generally be reported inexpedient to legislate, while some others would be placed on the consent calendar or handled separately. Early votes were largely unanimous, including House Bill 54, which would allow alternate treatment centers to operate for profit; the committee voted 25-0 ought to pass and sent it to the consent calendar. The committee then recommended inexpedient to legislate on House Bill 97, a wastewater and infrastructure appropriation bill, because the funding had been replaced in House Bill 2 with $2.5 million in each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027. Representative Rum opposed the ITL motion, arguing the projects would otherwise burden local property taxpayers and that the funding was important for housing and municipal infrastructure, but the motion passed 14-11. House Bill 111, dealing with the right-to-know ombudsman, was also reported ITL 14-11 on the grounds that the budget already made significant reforms and separate action could create conflicting statutory language. House Bill 164, creating funding for a local government records manager position in the Secretary of State’s office, received a unanimous amendment appropriating $150,000 for fiscal year 2027 and then passed 25-0 ought to pass as amended, moving to the regular calendar. House Bill 197, the Property Tax Relief Act, drew extended debate over whether restoring a state contribution to retirement system costs would reduce local property taxes; supporters framed it as tax relief for municipalities and school districts, while opponents said the effect would be minimal or offset by other retirement-system changes. The committee ultimately voted 14-11 ITL, with a minority report requested. House Bill 215, requiring landfill permit applicants to submit a report on potential harms and benefits, was amended and then passed 25-0 ought to pass as amended. House Bill 216, which would remove a workers’ compensation-related service-credit limit for certain disability retirement cases, was voted ITL 25-0 after the sponsor said the fiscal impact was too uncertain. Finally, House Bill 219, which would redirect renewable portfolio standard funds and was amended to delay its effective date to July 1, 2027, advanced after debate over electricity costs and renewable energy policy; the committee adopted the amendment unanimously and then voted on the bill as amended.