Transcript Highlights:

• Perhaps a pilot program would ensure that eligible voters would not suffer from this new law as it is
• And then it's really a very small window where somebody might be able to come in.
• At Common Cause, we help run the Texas Election Protection Program.
• Uh, the program provides nonpartisan information and support to Texas voters.
• I live in Sun City. We have 15,000 voters. I have seen voters.

Committee: House Elections

Transcript Highlights:

• CCHP is a program underneath the Public Health Institute that was established in 2009. There we go.
• So, as you can see on the slide, next to live video, which is covered by all state Medicaid programs,
• Medicaid programs are generally required under federal requirements to reimburse telehealth services
• Meanwhile, enrollment processes are being updated in other state Medicaid programs more generally to
• And so I think state Medicaid programs are playing catch-up, and they're getting there.

Summary: The committee held an outcomes review hearing on AB 744 and AB 32, two telehealth bills authored by Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry. Members and witnesses discussed how AB 744 established payment parity for telehealth in the commercial market and how AB 32 expanded Medi-Cal access to audio-only telehealth in appropriate circumstances, especially for patients facing broadband, transportation, language, and other access barriers. The hearing framed telehealth as a permanent part of California’s health care system rather than a temporary pandemic measure, while noting that disparities and implementation gaps remain. First-panel testimony from the California Health Care Foundation and the Center for Connected Health Policy reviewed telehealth trends, evidence of patient satisfaction, and the effectiveness of telehealth for behavioral health, chronic care, and e-consults. Witnesses said audio-only care remains important for patients without reliable internet, but Medi-Cal still has gaps in asynchronous care, FQHC/RHC billing, and remote-only provider participation. Committee members asked about reimbursement, data collection, clinical safeguards, broadband access, language access, and whether telehealth is being used to speed up appointments or reduce disparities. A second panel of providers and advocates described how telehealth has changed practice. A family physician said parity allowed his health system to invest in staffing and scheduling, and that virtual visits help seniors, working patients, and those with mobility or transportation barriers, while still allowing escalation to in-person care or emergency services when needed. Planned Parenthood said telehealth is essential for sensitive sexual and reproductive health services and urged broader Medi-Cal coverage for asynchronous care. A behavioral health clinician from Shasta County said telehealth has been critical for rural patients, though broadband and affordability remain barriers. Public comment from hospital, telemedicine, and consumer groups generally supported telehealth expansion while urging fixes to remaining Medi-Cal gaps and continued access to in-person care.

Transcript Highlights:

• Ross Buckley, on behalf of the City of Sacramento, in support. Good afternoon.
• Sharon Fendarvis, I'm an advocate for patients of the MMIC program, compassion program.
• I represent the equity trade network, which is around 47 small Board. Thank you.
• In the day and age of fentanyl, these programs save lives.
• AB 1265 gives the state program a real chance to work.

Summary: The Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee met with a delayed start while waiting for quorum, then heard several bills before moving to the suspense file. AB 564 by Assemblymember Haney would freeze the planned cannabis excise tax increase at 15% rather than allow it to rise to 25%; supporters argued the legal cannabis industry is struggling against the illicit market and high taxes, while opponents said the measure would reduce funding for children, youth programs, environmental restoration, and enforcement promised under Prop. 64. The bill was sent to suspense during regular order and later approved out of suspense on a 6-0 vote with amendments, including a five-year sunset and a reduced rate. AB 1265, also by Haney, would extend and expand the state historic tax credit to encourage rehabilitation of vacant historic buildings for housing and mixed-use projects; preservation and housing advocates supported it, and it was also sent to suspense rather than voted on immediately. The committee then heard AB 1377 by Assemblymember McKenna, which would require studios seeking optional diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility film tax credits to complete the plans they submit to the California Film Commission. Labor supporters said studios should do more than make good-faith efforts, and the bill passed 5-1 to Appropriations. AB 1416 by Vice Chair Ta would clarify disaster-related property tax deferrals for homeowners who have requested installment plans, and it passed 7-0 to the Assembly Floor. Afterward, the chair gave a general warning that the bills on suspense represented large revenue losses and emphasized the committee’s need to weigh tax expenditures against other state priorities. On the suspense file, the committee approved AB 27, AB 53, AB 97, AB 231, AB 232, AB 429, AB 613, AB 984, and AB 1485, mostly on unanimous or near-unanimous votes, while AB 547 passed 5-1. Several other bills, including AB 386, AB 389, AB 490, AB 6991, AB 814, AB 1057, AB 1219, AB 1282, AB 1354, AB 1431, AB 1435, and AB 1481, were held in committee. The meeting concluded with the committee adjourning after completing the suspense-file actions.

Transcript Highlights:

• This provision would provide an additional tool for cities and towns that they could leverage to ensure
• office or the elections division comes in to do an audit of a state election in a particular town or a city
• error that actually altered a few village election outcomes. ...audit discovered a programming error
• But by and large, audits come back with small, interpretable discrepancies, no evidence of mayhem.
• know, my understanding is the town clerks, and I only represent towns, but the town clerks or even city

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Election Laws

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Committee on Election Laws held a hearing on election security bills, focusing first on S. 517 and H. 876, which would strengthen Massachusetts’ post-election audit process. Testimony from the Brennan Center, Common Cause Massachusetts, Verified Voting, and the League of Women Voters supported expanding audits to include all ballot types, increasing audit frequency from every four years to every two years, requiring statewide audit reports to be posted within 30 days and kept online for six years, and allowing municipalities to conduct audits under state standards. Witnesses also praised the bill’s creation of a work group to study risk-limiting audits and other improvements, emphasizing public confidence, transparency, and the ability of audits to detect errors or deter fraud. Committee members asked detailed questions about how Massachusetts compares with other states, how risk-limiting audits differ from current tabulation audits, how audits are selected and expanded if discrepancies appear, and what the costs and mechanics of different audit methods would be. Witnesses explained that current audits are typically random, hand-count-based checks of selected contests and batches of ballots, that risk-limiting audits use statistical sampling and can escalate to a full recount if needed, and that Massachusetts’ local-control structure makes a collaborative work group useful. They also noted that audits generally confirm results but can uncover errors that do not change outcomes, and occasionally more serious problems. The committee then heard testimony on H. 832, which would authorize the Secretary of the Commonwealth to take emergency actions affecting elections during declared emergencies. Supporters said the bill would create a clear statutory process for rescheduling or adjusting elections during severe weather or other crises, including allowing emergency absentee ballot accommodations for civilian responders, and would reduce the need for court intervention. No votes were taken on the bills during the hearing, and the meeting ended with adjournment after no additional testimony was offered.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have had over 1000 businesses testify against the bathroom bill from Fortune 500 companies to small
• Let's say City Hall. They would report it to the mayor, the city manager.
• The chief executive of the city receives the written complaint, and then what would happen?
• It's billed directly to cities, counties, and schools and other political subdivisions.
• A small church dealing with a similar scandal or even a rumor would not weather this storm.

Bills: HB7 , SB 8

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: abortion, healthcare, jurisdiction, civil action, qui tam, prohibition, state law, sex designation, restroom access, civil penalties, private civil right of action, women's privacy

Transcript Highlights:

• That would have been the first program created in the state of Massachusetts.
• That would have been the first program created in the state of Massachusetts.
• When the program first started, it was a Chapter 70 program, which explains the problem for me purchasing
• but all other programs are allowed to buy that creditable service back.
• I think it needs to be addressed because many of the programs, if there's going to be any new programs

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Service

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Service held a hearing on a wide range of credible service and retirement-related bills, with testimony largely focused on allowing public employees to buy back prior service time or receive more appropriate retirement classifications. Bills discussed included retirement buyback for Joint Base Cape Cod firefighters (H. 4317), clarification of call firefighter buyback rights (H. 2883/S. 1915), veterans’ buyback (H. 2957), a Bridgewater State University police death-benefit/heart-law issue (filed by Rep. Gallagher), unpaid parental leave buyback for municipal employees (H. 2946), school nurse creditable service (H. 2887/S. 1787), former private/parochial school teacher buyback (S. 1900/H. 2873), Massport police retirement classification (S. 1888), contract employee buyback (H. 2795), Retirement Plus late entry (H. 2792), CVTE/teacher-related buyback issues (H. 2762), Peace Corps/AmeriCorps creditable service (H. 2927), and institutional school teacher retirement fairness (H. 2757). Several speakers also referenced related bills for teachers and nurses that had been heard previously or were filed in parallel in the other branch. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support of the bills. Speakers argued that the measures would correct inequities, recognize prior public service, and help recruit and retain workers in hard-to-fill public jobs. Firefighters described the unique federal-to-state transition at Joint Base Cape Cod and said some members were left out of earlier buyback opportunities. Veterans, teachers, school nurses, correctional educators, and Massport police all described service requirements, administrative gaps, or outdated statutory language that they said unfairly limited retirement credit or placed them in the wrong retirement group. Several witnesses emphasized that the proposals were fiscally responsible because employees would pay the cost of the buybacks, and some noted that similar bills had been filed repeatedly in prior sessions. Committee members asked a few clarifying questions, mostly about why certain employees had been excluded under current law or how the retirement provisions would work. No opposition testimony was presented. The hearing concluded after all scheduled witnesses testified, with the chairs thanking participants for their service and the committee voting to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• like our Landowner Incentive Program.
• And more recently, our Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program.
• The Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Program, our conservation easement program, has a primary focus of ensuring
• Now, some of those might be run out of a church, you know, a small couple-week long thing.
• How could the local governments, the city, and the counties act for future preparedness?

Committee: House Culture, Recreation & Tourism

Keywords: 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A grant program will continue to exist with the Criminal Justice Division of the Governor's Office in
• You know, so, for example, in this grant program, this particular... training, it involves having EMTs
• I've got a lot of experience with the Valley situation, the alert program.
• This is a serious major crime that needs to be investigated, but in big cities like Harris.
• So, sir, are you insinuating that people in big cities are not wanting to enforce crime?

Bills: HB33 , HB45 , HB48 , HB1261 , HB1465 , HB1778 , HB2596 , HB5238 , SB2969 , HB45 , HB48

Committee: Senate Criminal Justice

Keywords: HB 48, oilfield theft, organized theft, petroleum products, oil and gas equipment, DPS, Department of Public Safety, Texas, Railroad Commission, criminal justice, energy resources, theft prevention, organized crime, border region, El Paso, law enforcement task force, asset recovery, pipeline theft, drilling equipment, equipment theft

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the inception of the program. the inception of the program.
• </c><01:53:33.719><c> modifications</c> agreement with some small modifications agreement with some small
• In the trades, a small amendment.
• It could go towards program.
• And senators like program like that.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Is it somebody here on the DACA program?
• So, Christina mentioned the SAVE program, and we do rely on the state for the SAVE program.
• So there's absolutely nothing wrong in saying we have a relatively small number, maybe an even very small
• Has come in to swing voters in school board races or in city council races.
• They created a pilot program, and that pilot program grew to ERAF and it expanded to Galveston.

Committee: House Elections

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So can you explain this program to us? So there is a... So can you explain this program to us?
• not right — oh, it is Amy Small.
• And Amy Small.
• And Amy Small.
• We are a very small agency.

Bills: SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And many of our cities are sanctuary cities.
• In City of Chicago v.
• Of a diversion program.
• While these programs are used, Conviction through misdemeanor diversion programs.
• Pretrial diversion programs allow people charged with crimes to complete a rehabilitation program in

Committee: House Public Safety

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of the campuses may have a particular program or set of programs with lower enrollment, but yet
• Programs on the ground.
• competitive with similar programs in the state.
• So, all four programs make the same amount.
• We were forced to make cuts to partnership programs that are part of larger entities or programs that

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Based group benefits program.
• Establishes the Rural Infrastructure Disaster Recovery Program to be administered by small rural counties
• So this is a great program for the families who benefit.
• The SWIFT program, which is used to implement the state water plan alone, is one of seven programs held
• The program is what it is. But there are significant...

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• a mechanism to detain and... ...rehabilitation, the OMHD program was created to provide a mechanism
• I'm the program director for a rural family medicine residency training program based out of a tribally
• We took out a second mortgage and paid $48,000 for a 28-day program.
• Trent Murphy with the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives.
• And we have a strong record of promoting other types of programs.

Committee: House Health

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a small...
• improvement of the programs, and publishes educator preparation program review results and other data
• about program quality.
• data for each approved program.
• Additional review includes indicator-based program review, as staff briefed, in which programs annually

Summary: The House Education Committee heard several bills related to special education records, artificial intelligence in schools, financial aid access, educator preparation, school health, and student mobile device use. Substitute Senate Bill 6268 would require OSPI to keep an online public record of final special education community complaint decisions for 20 years; the sponsor and several parents, attorneys, and open-government advocates said the records help families, schools, and researchers understand past decisions and remedies, while no one testified in opposition. Substitute Senate Bill 5956 would limit school use of automated decision systems, school surveillance technology, biometric data, and facial recognition in student discipline and safety contexts; the sponsor and supporters said it would prevent harmful false positives and discriminatory impacts, while an industry witness warned the bill could unintentionally reduce school safety by limiting emergency facial-recognition uses. Committee discussion focused on the bill’s scope, especially whether it affects classroom grading or only discipline-related decisions, and staff noted the bill does not require teacher training. The committee also heard Substitute Senate Bill 5841, which would add financial-aid application data to the High School and Beyond Plan platform and require students to receive information about the Washington Opportunity Scholarship Program. The sponsor said the bill would make aid status more transparent and easier to track, especially for families facing language or access barriers, and a student advocate testified in support; a committee member raised concerns about privacy for immigrant and DACA students, and the sponsor said the portal would be opt-in and guided by privacy protections. Senate Bill 6278 would codify and update Professional Educator Standards Board review of teacher and principal preparation programs, including program standards, educator role standards, evidence, and input from P-12 partners, while allowing field placement plans to be submitted on a less frequent schedule; PESB staff said the bill largely reflects current practice and adds flexibility. Substitute Senate Bill 5240 would expand who may administer epinephrine in schools and allow use of any available epinephrine when a student with a prescription on file has anaphylaxis; school nurses supported broader access to stock epinephrine but warned against using one student’s medication for another and raised legal and ethical concerns, while the sponsor emphasized faster response in emergencies. Finally, Substitute Senate Bill 5346 would direct OSPI to study and report on school mobile-device restrictions and update digital citizenship resources to include research and best practices on student phone use. Staff said OSPI already has some guidance, but the bill would create formal legislative reports and expand the state’s digital citizenship materials. The committee began taking testimony on that bill as the hearing time ran short, and the chair noted there were ten people signed in to testify.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a very small district, and they'll have to close the school. school if they fall out of compliance
• and they will risk having to file for bankruptcy and it's it's a great school district it's a very small
• and small towns across our state. preserve history and allow stories and memories to live on through
• I found this to be a problem since all school boards city councils, commissioners courts, and all of
• Many of my clients are small businesses. They are small business owners.

Bills: HB1952 , HB3258 , HB3524 , HB3851 , HB4478 , HB4613 , HB4703 , HB4742 , HB4744 , HB4809 , HB4864

Committee: House S/C on Property Tax Appraisals

Keywords: county appraisal district, board of directors, governance, taxing units, public representation, penalty, property report, taxation, timely filing, chief appraiser, appraisal district, ad valorem tax, property appraisal, tax protests, unequal appraisal, property rights, property tax, public employees, protest leave, appraisal review board

Transcript Highlights:

• extracurricular programs.
• extracurricular programs.
• </c> our energy assistance programs. our energy assistance programs.
• small the small business And I know the small the small business have<02:48:55.360><c> been</c><02:48
• ,</c> new programs on top of old programs, new programs on top of old programs, and<03:32:24.200><c>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you. ...assistance program, and that is the bill, Mr. Chairman.
• The bill makes this program permanent with a statewide program expansion.
• This bill does not create new funding programs.
• This bill does not create new funding programs.
• Marlene Shaw, speaking for Suncoast Legal City.

Summary: The committee first took up SB 694, which would compensate the descendants of the Groveland Four—Charles Greenlee, Walter Irvin, Samuel Shepard, and Ernest Thomas—for the wrongful convictions, incarceration, and death tied to the 1949 case. Senator Bracey Davis described the bill as a final step after prior state apologies, pardons, and exonerations. The committee adopted a $4 million amendment that divided compensation equally among the four families and updated the recipient for Ernest Thomas’s share. Multiple family members and advocates testified in support, emphasizing the decades of trauma and the need for full justice. Senators in debate largely supported the bill, and it was reported favorably. The committee then approved SB 330, which clarifies disability provisions for firefighters, law enforcement officers, and correctional officers by refining the definition of heart disease and allowing certain officers who transfer agencies to rely on a prior physical under specified conditions. SB 474 also passed, expanding military leave protections to include public officials and employees who serve in the Coast Guard or Florida State Guard, adjusting pay eligibility for federal service, and updating related retirement and assistance provisions. SB 96, the Veterans Dental Care Grant Program bill, was amended to expand eligibility to veterans with incomes up to 400% of the federal poverty level and to move funding into the General Appropriations Act; members debated whether the broader eligibility could increase demand, but the bill was reported favorably. The committee also advanced SB 7018 on child welfare, making the Step Into Success pilot program permanent statewide, adjusting visitor/background-check rules for out-of-home placements, and creating a best-practices program through the Florida Institute for Child Welfare. CS/SB 480 on state IT governance was reported favorably after amendments that strengthened vendor performance metrics and restored state data center security provisions; it creates a new central IT governance structure under the Governor’s office and aims to improve oversight of procurement, spending, and technical debt. SB 1066, addressing partial restoration of the Ocklawaha River and Kirkpatrick Dam, passed after a late-file amendment and extensive testimony from environmental, recreation, and local economic interests. SB 1216, which gives school districts more flexibility in educator compensation, and SB 1120, which increases oversight and reporting for water management district spending, were also reported favorably. Finally, the committee considered SB 1366 on claims against the government, which raises sovereign immunity caps, ties future adjustments to CPI, shortens claim deadlines, and changes attorney-fee provisions. The bill drew support from local government and public-hospital groups as a compromise, but also significant concern from some senators about the impact on self-insured agencies and whether the fee changes would discourage attorneys from taking cases. The discussion remained ongoing, and the bill was still moving forward as the meeting continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are concerns regarding the secrecy of our ballot due to countywide polling programs, chain of custody
• Pronouns are small words with big implications, and for many Christians, they carry the message of...
• We have so much going on in this country, so many problems that we have to fix, that this is such small
• I just wanted to call to your attention on March 6th, 2025, the city of Austin, Austin City Council.
• And the city of Austin, unfortunately, our Austin City Council has disregarded that.

Bills: SB38 , SB287 , SB291 , SB292 , SB508 , SB618 , SB901 , SB1436 , SB1494 , SB1626 , SB1719 , SB1999 , SB1333 , SB 38

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Keywords: evictions, property law, tenant rights, landlord responsibilities, justice court, court rules, SB 287, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code, sexually oriented business, adult entertainment, strip club, nude entertainment, live nude performance, alcohol prohibition, alcohol consumption, possession of alcohol, criminal offense, Class A misdemeanor, state jail felony, third degree felony