Video & Transcript Research : 'legislative transparency'

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NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

House - Education Feb 9th, 2026 at 08:33 am

House Education

Transcript Highlights:
  • Chair and Representative Gonzalez, so prior to legislative session, ... Mr.
  • There is an appeal process built into this legislation.
  • We have not been involved in developing this legislation.
  • This legislation. Not one word has been spoken to board members about this.
  • And so, one point, I don't think we can legislate based on one bad situation.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

S/C on Property Tax Appraisals Apr 3rd, 2025

S/C on Property Tax Appraisals

Transcript Highlights:
  • This simple change will ensure a smoother, more consistent and transparent process.
  • It's clear they highly care about the process and transparency for property owners. Thank you, Mr.
  • However, we aim to provide the transparency that our taxpayers need to feel successful in this process
  • You and I have discussed this, and I've got some legislation, hopefully, that addresses it too.
  • To begin with, it's important to note that the fiscal note of this legislation is zero.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

06/10/2026 - Joint Appropriations

Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:
  • I am pleased to see our priorities reflected in the legislation that you're hearing today.
  • They are really who this legislation serves the most. Thirty seconds, Mr. Chairman.
  • So please know the spirit was in the direction of transparency and collaboration.
  • The bills establish the property proceeds fund, which is administered by ASDB subject to legislative
  • I am grateful to be at this point in the legislative session and once again to have had an opportunity
AL

Alabama 2026 1st Special Session

Alabama Senate State Governmental Affairs Committee Jan 21st, 2026

State Governmental Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • her for for sponsoring this legislation her for for sponsoring this legislation and<00:10:38.240
  • Uh so the legislation with that in mind.
  • And that's what this legislation is.
  • So, it's a common-sense piece of legislation. And, Mr.
  • Chairman, I I urge legislation. And Mr.
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

State Affairs Aug 15th, 2025

State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • Legislation should focus on real threats to women.
  • Legislation should focus on real threats to women.
  • Legislation to reasonable regulation.
  • Transparency is essential.
  • Thank you, Senator Parker, for championing this legislation.
Bills: SB6, SB7, SB8, SB11, SB12, SB13, SB15, SB17
Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 8, the Texas Women's Privacy Act, and heard extensive public testimony both for and against the measure. Supporters, including representatives of Texas Values and Texas Values Action, argued the bill was needed to protect women’s privacy and safety in restrooms, locker rooms, showers, prisons, domestic violence shelters, and other government-controlled spaces, and said it would provide clear, sex-based rules. Opponents, including many transgender Texans, civil rights advocates, clergy, business and public safety voices, and others, argued the bill would invite harassment, gender policing, lawsuits, and invasive inspections, while harming trans, intersex, and gender-nonconforming people as well as cisgender women who do not fit stereotypes. Several witnesses said the bill would conflict with federal law or prison standards, worsen safety in shelters and prisons, and hurt Texas’s reputation and economy. The chair repeatedly noted the compressed special-session schedule and said flood relief remained the session’s top priority. Public testimony on SB 8 was eventually closed, and the bill was left pending. The committee then moved to Senate Bill 6, dealing with consumable hemp product restrictions. Testimony on SB 6 focused on whether the bill went too far in restricting hemp-derived THC products. Opponents argued hemp and THC have medical and economic value, that the bill would criminalize conduct and burden courts, and that regulation—not prohibition—was the better approach. Some witnesses supported tighter rules such as testing, child-resistant packaging, and limits on marketing to children, but still opposed the bill’s broad THC ban, higher fees, and age restrictions. Several speakers emphasized benefits for veterans, chronic pain patients, and small businesses, and warned that prohibition would push consumers toward the illicit market. The committee heard the testimony and then continued with additional witnesses, with no final vote or disposition reported in the excerpt.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Public Education May 6th, 2025

Public Education

Transcript Highlights:
  • While legislation has been proposed to display the Ten Commandments in schools, teachers are allowed
  • You cannot legislate identity out of existence, but you can legislate abandonment, and you can legislate
  • If legislation like this were passed, I urge this committee to vote against this bill and to focus their
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Public Education May 6th, 2025

Public Education

Transcript Highlights:
  • That makes the Legislative Council draft.
  • And so there are panels; oftentimes you have other legislators on panels.
  • But it does not stop elected officials from talking to the legislators.
  • These principles are at the core... of this proposed legislation.
  • Thankfully, it also adds more transparency and access for parents.
OK
Transcript Highlights:
  • And whereas in 2025, he took on the role of Senate Sergeant, contributing to the legislative process
  • and supporting legislators.
  • Representative, how does this affect the behind-the-meter legislation we passed here recently?
  • Shouldn't there be legislation that would force them to pay to make to pay their way as well?
  • about city legislators, making fun of them, such as the great legislator from southwest Oklahoma or southwest
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Senate Legislative Session May 14th, 2026 at 08:00 am

Oklahoma Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Please pray with me as we gather today, nearing the Close of the 60th legislative session, we paused
  • I don't know what the legislator was thinking.
  • They passed 130 bills in one legislative day.
  • You've heard a lot about the various aspects of this particular legislation.
  • Are you referring to the rules for the legislative proposal that was passed by this body?
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

Natural Resources May 27th, 2026

Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • House Concurrent Resolution 87 by Representative LaCombe expresses legislative support for correspondence
  • urges and requests the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to submit annual reports to certain legislative
Summary: The Senate Natural Resources Committee met on March 27 with a quorum present, approved prior minutes, and then took up several resolutions and one bill related to wildlife, water resources, and conservation. H.C.R. 79, as amended, urged the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to work together to allow the use of dogs for hunting in Kisatchie National Forest; supporters described it as a traditional hunting practice that has been restricted for years and could benefit local hunters and businesses. H.C.R. 104, as amended, asked the Department of Conservation and Energy and the Louisiana Geological Survey to study and modernize the collection, retention, and access to subsurface data, with members emphasizing the need to avoid sharing company-specific information. H.C.R. 87 was reported favorably to support correspondence from U.S. Sen. Kennedy regarding duck flyway management, H.C.R. 54 was reported favorably to study the impact of flooded corn on migratory waterfowl and restore an enforcement mechanism related to hunting over intentionally flooded crops, and H.C.R. 94 was reported favorably to require annual boating safety reports to legislative committees. The committee then heard HB 1209, which would have paused new cooperative endeavor agreements for surface water withdrawals while allowing existing agreements to continue and be renewed through December 31, 2036. The author said the bill was intended to give the state time to develop a more comprehensive, data-driven surface water strategy and to address invasive species such as giant salvinia, which he said has severely affected waterways in his district. Members and witnesses acknowledged the seriousness of the issue, but there was concern that the bill was too complex to move quickly in the session. The committee discussed converting it into a study resolution instead, and the bill was deferred without objection. The meeting then adjourned.
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

Civil Law and Procedure May 11th, 2026

Civil Law and Procedure

Transcript Highlights:
  • 123 by Senator Morris, which is a constitutional amendment to require the governor to certify a legislative
  • here, but it creates a legal process for essentially impeachment of a judicial officer through legislative
  • House Bill 1098, members, the purpose of this legislation is a narrowly tailored limitation of liability
  • One of the main things in this piece of legislation is it applies only to entities that hold a valid
  • One of the main things in this piece of legislation is it applies only to entities that hold a valid
Summary: The House Civil Law Committee met on May 11, 2026, and reported several measures favorably. Senate Bill 466 by Sen. Seabaugh was approved without objection; it bars foreign adversaries from using expropriation authority in Louisiana and creates a narrow expropriation category for very large aerospace/LED-related projects on at least 20,000 contiguous acres with no residential structures. House Bill 986 by Rep. Kerner was also reported favorably; it requires child support payments in cases where a parent is convicted of vehicular homicide, with the stated purpose of helping children who lose a parent in such cases. The committee then considered two constitutional amendments by Sen. Morris. Senate Bill 123 would require the governor to certify a legislative removal of certain judges for cause; an amendment changed the ballot language to refer to removal for malfeasance, gross misconduct, or incompetence, and the committee adopted the 6.8A report and reported the measure favorably after a roll-call vote of 8-1. Senate Bill 97 would require prosecutorial consent for a defendant to waive a jury trial, except in capital cases; after adopting an amendment clarifying that capital cases are excluded, the committee heard opposition from the Louisiana Citizens Advocacy Group, which argued that jury-trial waiver should remain a defendant’s right. The bill was reported favorably on a 5-1 vote. The committee also reported favorably Senate Concurrent Resolution 35, which asks the Louisiana State Law Institute to study remote online notarization for authentic acts, with support testimony from the Louisiana Bankers Association emphasizing rural access and modernization of notary services. Finally, House Bill 1098 by Chairman McFarland, a narrowly tailored limitation of liability for FAA-licensed aerospace entities, was reported favorably without objection. House Bill 375 by Rep. Freeman was voluntarily deferred, and the meeting adjourned.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee 3/18/26 - Afternoon Meeting

Elections Finance and Government Operations

Transcript Highlights:
  • :23.920> dollars<00:02:24.319> to legislation will put public dollars to legislation will
  • <00:03:24.720> Under proposed legislative approach. Under proposed legislative approach.
  • c> Connecticut recently enacted legislation Connecticut recently enacted legislation requiring<00:04:
  • Fair and transparent ebook reach.
  • publishers, we oppose this legislation publishers, we oppose this legislation uh<00:16:08.240>
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Transportation Feb 18th, 2026 at 10:30 am

Transportation

Transcript Highlights:
  • So, Representative, right now, there's no timeline when we are legislating that they do something.
  • Representative, right now, there's no timeline when we are legislating that they do something.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

02/11/2026 - Senate Government

Government

Transcript Highlights:
  • Transparency and truth and honesty really seems to bother folks.
  • allowed to go up to 20 legislative days.
  • South Dakota, maximum of 40 legislative days per annual session.
  • they're allowed to go up to 20 legislative 40 legislative days, and then in even years, they're allowed
  • to go up to 20 legislative days.
Summary: The committee approved the February 4, 2026 minutes and held SB 1571 until the following week. It then heard and advanced several measures, beginning with SB 1745, which would cap transaction privilege/excise tax rates in the state’s largest cities at 2.5% per classification unless approved by voters, and would allow enforcement through the attorney general and state-shared revenue withholding. Supporters argued it would protect taxpayers and restrain municipal tax increases; the bill received a technical amendment and a due pass recommendation. The committee also advanced SB 1686, renaming Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza as the Wesley Bolin and Charlie Kirk Freedom Plaza and authorizing memorial placements for Don Bowles and Charlie Kirk, after brief supportive discussion and no substantive opposition testimony. The committee spent substantial time on SB 1567 and SB 1435, both aimed at restricting public entities, schools, and libraries from exposing minors to sexually explicit materials and from using public facilities for sexually explicit filming or access. Supporters framed the bills as child-protection measures and cited examples of explicit books and materials in libraries and schools; opponents, including the ACLU, warned the definitions were broad, could chill speech, and could criminalize librarians and educators for handling constitutionally protected literature or sex-education materials. Both bills were amended and passed on 4-3 votes, with supporters emphasizing existing obscenity standards and opponents stressing First Amendment concerns and implementation problems. The committee also advanced SB 1433 and SB 1434, which would redraw Maricopa County boundaries and, in the latter bill, create three new counties with a transition board and staggered elections. The sponsor argued Maricopa County had become too large and politically dominant, making government less representative and less responsive; opponents called the proposals expensive, disruptive, and politically motivated, citing concerns about debt division, duplicated county systems, and fiscal impacts. Both bills received due pass recommendations on 4-3 votes. Finally, the committee approved SCR 1024, requiring legislators to live in their district for one year before election, and SCR 1025, moving the legislative session start date from the second Monday to the fourth Monday in January; both resolutions passed unanimously or near-unanimously after sponsor testimony that they would modernize outdated rules and improve use of time.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

02/10/2026 - Senate Natural Resources

Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • So then through legislation, it just kind of forced their hand to do it.
  • We are opposed to this legislation.
  • This This legislation is just a date change.
  • This is legislation that was requested by the agency.
  • This is legislation that was requested by the agency.
Summary: The committee took up several appropriations and policy bills, beginning with SB 1488, which would provide $600,000 for a workforce development study on coal-impacted communities in northern Arizona, including areas affected by the closure of the Navajo Generating Station. The sponsor and supporters said the study is intended to help communities transition economically, diversify, and support new jobs; the bill received a do-pass recommendation on a 7-0 vote. SB 1523, appropriating $340,000 to the Navajo Nation for the Ganado waterline pipeline project, was also advanced after testimony that the project would bring clean drinking water to about 235 homes and that the remaining funding gap had been reduced to the requested amount; it passed 7-0 with one member not voting. The committee then approved SB 1041, which would appropriate $500,000 to the Arizona Trail Fund. Supporters described the Arizona Trail as a statewide recreational and cultural asset that needs maintenance and continued support, and the bill received a do-pass recommendation on a 7-0 vote. SB 1445, which would allow smaller cities and towns to use approved on-site bacteriological testing equipment and limit how often ADEQ may require sampling, drew concern from one member about whether the language could be read as restricting sampling during discharge events, but supporters said it would save small towns money; it passed 5-3. Members also advanced SB 1580, a $2.545 million appropriation for fire incident management software and hardware for fire and law enforcement agencies. Fire officials said the platform would improve accountability, information sharing, drone integration, and interoperability during incidents; the bill passed 5-3. SB 1363, which would create additional rural dispensary licensing opportunities for underserved areas, drew support from rural advocates and opposition from the dispensary industry over the number of licenses and transferability language; it passed 8-0. SB 1418, which would streamline siting for small modular nuclear reactors in certain counties, was supported by proponents who argued it would help Arizona meet future energy demand and opposed by counties and environmental groups concerned about local zoning, public review, and waste; it passed 5-3. Finally, SB 1419, a rooftop solar consumer-protection bill requiring added disclosures and inspections, was supported by county officials and some consumer advocates but opposed by solar industry representatives and environmental groups who said it could discourage rooftop solar and restrict speech; it passed 6-2. The committee then began hearing SB 1447, which would extend the groundwater withdrawal fee moratorium and related fund deadlines for Pinal County water projects, with supporters saying the extension is needed to continue well rehabilitation and infrastructure work after Colorado River and CAP-related cuts.