Transcript Highlights:

• Yes, it did, mine did too, right? have it for a couple of months now and it doesn't mold.
• on Environmental Quality to issue permits for the land application of water produced from certain mining
• on environmental quality to issue permits for the land application of water produced from certain mining
• Troubling to see instances where judges appear to stray from upholding the law, as it's written under. mining

Bills: SJR18, SCR9, SCR13, SB10, SB11, SB19, SB20, SB25, SB62, SB260, SB263, SB293, SB314, SB384, SB412, SB441, SB442, SB494, SB523, SB569, SB616, SB688, SB707, SB766, SB842, SB869, SB890, SB914, SB929, SB971, SB992, SB1066, SB1145, SB1621, SJR36, SJR18, SCR9, SCR13, SB616, SB565, SB384, SB372, SB495, SB842, SB971, SB1066, SB929, SB765, SB523, SB62, SB19, SB18, SB666, SB688, SB707, SB888, SB687, SB706, SB847, SB869, SB890, SB992, SB1145, SB494, SB290, SB766, SB11, SB10, SB13, SB263, SB412, SB20, SB441, SB442, SB1621, SB569, SB314, SB25, SB293, SB914, SB260, SB1248, SB740, SB14, SB1006, SB20, SB25, SB260, SB293, SB314, SB384, SB442, SB494, SB616, SB869, SB890, SB929, SB992, SB1145, SB1621, SR232, SR237, SR242, SB16, SB22

Keywords: capital gains, taxation, constitutional amendment, state revenue, individual investment, Supreme Court, judicial independence, Keep Nine, checks and balances, water rights, treaty compliance, Rio Grande, agriculture, drought, international water, Texas water supply, education, Ten Commandments, public schools, religious display

Transcript Highlights:

• Mine is more of a comment than a question. 4-H has been an integral part of my entire life.
• thank<00:17:18.360> you<00:17:18.480> Mr<00:17:18.760> chair<00:17:19.120> mine
• <00:17:19.319> is<00:17:19.480> more<00:17:19.679> of King thank you Mr chair mine
• is more of King thank you Mr chair mine is more of a<00:17:20.039> comment<00:17:20.559> than

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Agriculture Committee met with a large group of 4-H and FFA students and guests in attendance, and members repeatedly highlighted the importance of those youth programs to agriculture and future leadership. The committee first took up House Bill 356, as amended by a committee substitute, which would create the Kentucky Urban Youth Agriculture Initiative. The sponsor explained that the substitute broadened the bill beyond hands-on farming to include agricultural education, agribusiness, advocacy, internships, apprenticeships, and other experiential learning, while also lowering the starting age from 6 to 5, removing the requirement that participants have access to farmland, and changing the program into a pilot focused on urban youth. Testimony from a 4-H student and Kentucky 4-H leadership emphasized that the goal is to remove barriers and provide access to agriculture education for all youth, including those in urban areas. Several members spoke in support, noting the value of urban agriculture and youth exposure to the field, and one member asked whether urban community gardens would fit within the concept; the sponsor said the substitute was designed to allow that kind of access. The committee then voted unanimously to pass HB 356 as amended, and also approved a title amendment. After HB 356, the committee moved to House Bill 315, a foreign adversary land bill intended to limit certain foreign entities’ ability to purchase land in Kentucky. The sponsor said the bill was carried over from a prior version drafted by a former representative. The chair then recognized Tim Shank, general counsel for the Kentucky Bankers Association, who testified in opposition to the mechanics of Section 8 dealing with foreclosure. He said banks are already heavily regulated and must screen borrowers through federal systems such as FinCEN, and warned that the bill’s provisions could create problems for community banks that make agricultural loans and potentially limit access to credit if the issue became widespread. The transcript ends during discussion of HB 315, before any final committee action on that bill is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a special item in our budget proposal for mining engineering it is a ten billion dollar industry
• in texas and there is no texas university that teaches mining engineering The United States is heavily
• With the support of the UT Regents and industry, we are working on a play to restart modernization. mining
• the University of Texas at El Paso and when fully up and running will result in a 30% increase in mining

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Mine is not a question for either of you, but thank you so much for coming.
• Mine is for my colleague, Senator Burke.
• Senator Rashardy and then Senator Senator Senator >> Mu.<00:51:35.839> Mine<00:51:36.079
• Mine is not a question for either of >> Mu.
• Mine is for my colleague, Senator Burke. Mine is for my colleague, Senator Burke.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Plastics have been sort of a nemesis of mine for a really long time.
• Plastics have been sort of a nemesis of mine for a really long time.
• Plastics have been sort of a nemesis of mine for a really long time.
• Plastics have been sort of a nemesis of mine for a really long time.
• Plastics have been sort of a nemesis of mine for a really long time.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He's a constituent of mine, and I was approached by him last year with a situation, and I have testimony
• I have spoken with a former coworker of mine in an identical role who was able to purchase four years

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Public Service Committee heard testimony on a series of retirement, public safety, and personnel bills. House Bill 5054 would allow a public safety employee in Peabody to use an affidavit when pre-employment medical records are missing, so a firefighter’s disability/retirement application can proceed. Representative Tom Walsh, Mayor Ted Bettencourt, Fire Chief Thomas Griffin, Fire Chief Jay Dowling, and Senator Joan Lovely all supported the bill, describing it as a fix for an administrative gap that has delayed a 27-year firefighter’s retirement. No committee questions were raised. The committee also heard testimony on House Bill 4698, which would authorize retirement benefits for Dale Kylie after a divorce altered the original beneficiary arrangement tied to his retirement option. Representative Donald Potham said the retirement board could not make the change without legislation. House Bill 3900 would raise the maximum age for Kingston special police officers to 70, with Representative Kathy LaNatra citing staffing shortages and unmanned details. House Bill 5159 would grant credible service to educator Sarah Shebelli for two years she worked as a paraprofessional at a charter school; she said the additional service would help her retire despite a degenerative eye disease. The committee then listed several other bills with no additional testimony, including measures involving continued employment or retirement issues for police officers in Pelham, New Bedford, Petersham, and Dayton, a retirement benefit transfer for a Massachusetts Maritime Academy professor, and a sick leave bank for a Department of Corrections employee. After confirming there was no further testimony, the committee voted to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• It requires any remaining severance tax funds collected from sand and stone mining, after constitutional
• It requires any remaining severance tax funds collected from sand and stone mining, after constitutional

Bills: SB143, SB367, SB388, SB398

Keywords: bulletproof vests, body armor, peace officers, law enforcement funding, police equipment, officer safety, local police, sheriff's office, municipal police, parish law enforcement, grant fund, special fund, Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, criminal justice, protective gear, NIJ standards, USMCA, small agencies, public safety, Act 739

Summary: The House Committee on Appropriations met on May 18, 2026, and considered four Senate bills. SB 143 would create a special protective equipment fund for bulletproof vests for peace officers, with the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement to regulate distribution; an amendment was adopted to standardize fund language, and the bill was reported favorably as amended. SB 367 would create the Watershed Restoration and Conservation Fund and direct remaining severance tax revenue from sand and stone mining into it; an amendment was adopted to align it with HB 802, and the bill was reported favorably as amended. Members discussed the bill as a way to support watershed and flood-related restoration efforts, including the Amite River Basin. SB 388 would authorize review of state contracts involving foreign adversary nations or terrorist organizations and remove a trigger clause from a prior law; members noted it carried no fiscal note and that the Division of Administration said the review could be done at no cost. The bill was reported favorably. SB 398 would reorganize manufactured housing regulation by moving oversight from the fire marshal’s office to the Contractors Board, consolidating residential housing oversight, moving licensees to Title 37, and increasing inspection rates statewide; an amendment was adopted to conform fund language, and the bill was reported favorably as amended. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It requires any remaining severance tax funds collected from sand and stone mining after constitutional
• It requires any remaining severance tax funds collected from sand and stone mining after constitutional

Summary: The House Committee on Appropriations met on May 18, 2026, and considered four Senate bills. Senate Bill 143 would create a Special Protective Equipment Fund to finance bulletproof vests for peace officers, with the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement to regulate distribution; an amendment standardizing fund language was adopted, and the bill was reported favorably as amended. Testimony and cards in support came from law enforcement groups and the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement. Senate Bill 367 would create the Watershed Restoration and Conservation Fund, depositing remaining severance tax revenues from sand and stone mining after constitutional allocations; an amendment was adopted to align it with House Bill 802 by adding reporting and appropriation language, and the bill was reported favorably as amended. Support was noted from the Louisiana Concrete Association and Chiefs of Police, and members discussed flood-related concerns and broader watershed restoration goals. Senate Bill 388 would authorize review of state contracts involving foreign adversary nations or terrorist organizations and remove a trigger clause from a prior 2023 law. The sponsor said the review could be done at no cost, and the bill was reported favorably. Senate Bill 398 would reorganize manufactured housing regulation by moving oversight from the fire marshal’s office to the Board of Contractors, consolidating residential housing oversight, moving licensees to Title 37, and changing inspection procedures; an amendment to conform fund language was adopted, and the bill was reported favorably as amended. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The mining required...
• The mining required for lithium, cobalt, nickel, and other rare materials is incredibly destructive.
• Before an electric vehicle ever reaches the road, in many cases these materials are mined under weak
• So if you look at the two, if you have an electric vehicle, you have in the mining and all the things
• and... ...have to deal with for the mining and extraction and everything up front.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• >> Mining Range, Mr. Chair. >> This is not starting out well for you. >> [laughter] >> Okay.
• So, Crosby was established in 1910 as a mining community.
• c><00:10:42.800> a Crosby was established in 1910 as a Crosby was established in 1910 as a mining
• And over the course of mining community.
• In 1984, when mining ended in this region, Crosby experienced economic devastation.

Bills: HF4094, HF3390, HF3813, HF3583, HF3751, HF4324, HF4789, HF3596, HF4033, HF4424, HF4053

Keywords: Crosby, local sales tax, bonding authority, community projects, voter approval, Owatonna, use tax, special law, community center, municipal finance, capital project, sales and use tax, local option tax, city tax, public facility, general election, bond referendum, debt limit, levy limit, Minnesota local government

Transcript Highlights:

• Don't do any more mining. Well, mill. Don't do any more mining.
• I'd like to get more mining going up there, more industry. I've supported that for years.
• Uh, and I'm with the senator on we need to get some mining going.
• to get more mining going up there,<01:24:44.000> more<01:24:44.159> industry.
• We need to get a get some mining going.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• our real estate transactions, the regulatory work, and expertise we have on mineral exploitation, mining
• our real estate transactions, the regulatory work, and expertise we have on mineral exploitation, mining
• we have on Mineral exploitation Mining we have on Mineral exploitation Mining and<00:10:31.880><
• in the Mississippi River—digging a hole in the Mississippi River for 25 years to mine aggregate.
• of some massive aggregate mining of some massive aggregate mining proposals<00:29:07.600> uh<

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And for mine, it's 7.9. Quite a difference.
• <01:18:40.639> it's 20.6 and and for mine it's 20.6 and and for mine it's 7.9<01:18:42.520
• c> rural very plain Jane rural District rural very plain Jane rural District like<01:20:42.520> mine
• 20:43.199> nothing<01:20:43.600> special<01:20:43.960> about<01:20:44.199> mine
• like mine nothing special about mine like mine nothing special about mine great<01:20:44.840>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee on Housing and Homelessness Prevention heard presentations focused on public housing and related funding needs, with testimony from Minnesota NAHRO and several local housing authorities. Melissa Taphorn described the role of housing authorities statewide, including public housing, vouchers, CDBG/HOME funds, Bridges, and HEAT, and emphasized that public housing serves over 36,000 low-income Minnesotans, many of whom are seniors, people with disabilities, or children. She said federal operating and capital funds are insufficient, creating deferred maintenance backlogs, and noted that Minnesota’s public housing capital needs over a five-year period were about $500 million, with nearly $200 million unmet. She also discussed federal uncertainty, including a recent HUD funding freeze notice, possible changes to fair housing requirements, RAD repositioning options, and Build America, Buy America costs. Committee members asked about tenant rent calculations and the populations served. Testimony clarified that public housing residents generally pay 30% of monthly income, with utility allowances factored in, and that the average tenant rent in Minnesota is about $399. Members also heard that about 65% of public housing households are seniors or people with disabilities, while about 35% are families. The committee then heard examples of how state POP grants have been used to preserve public housing stock. Kurt Kina of the Red Wing HRA described multiple POP-funded projects that replaced windows, upgraded heating and cooling, and modernized electrical systems in a 100-resident high-rise, saying the work was essential to keep the building viable. Louise Siba of the St. Paul PHA testified that St. Paul’s authority serves nearly 22,000 people through more than 4,200 public housing units and over 5,200 vouchers, with most townhomes and high-rises serving elderly or disabled residents. She said St. Paul PHA has received nearly $16 million in POP funding since 2012, including about $8.5 million last year, and that those funds enabled major life-safety and modernization projects such as the Denan Terrace renovation and boiler, plumbing, and interior upgrades in high-rises. Jill Keers of the Duluth HRA described a broader set of housing programs, including vouchers, rehab loans, emergency repair funds, construction training, and development. She said Duluth HRA is adding 128 housing units between 2023 and 2025, including mixed-income rentals, senior housing, and family townhomes, and stressed that state investment through POP and other programs is necessary to keep housing affordable and safe.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to introduce a good friend of mine. Uh, Bob Mitchell is up here with me today.
• >> a different degree than mine. >> a different degree than mine.
• >> Mine<00:48:15.280> too.
• <00:48:15.680> Thank<00:48:15.920> you, >> Mine too.
• Mine is really more of a comment than anything.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• On the flip side, many local constituents of mine and many others feel like those NDAs get in the way
• /c><00:29:13.320> and<00:29:13.480> many<00:29:13.720> others constituents of mine
• and many others constituents of mine and many others feel<00:29:14.720> like<00:29:15.000>
• the hypocrisy that some members have brought to this floor when there have been jurisdictions like mine
• and it is the most is a bill of mine and it is the most recent<01:40:54.080> engrossment,<01:

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• One final thing, I quit mine asking for homework assignment.
• It's about families like mine who are left to pick up the pieces.
• It's about families like mine who are left to pick up the pieces. Senator, when it's not.
• It's about families like mine who are left to pick up the pieces.
• Please no way until more families have to go through what mine did. Thank you for listening.

Bills: SB 5, SB 11, SB 12

Keywords: disaster relief, flood preparedness, emergency funding, local government support, meteorological forecasting, human trafficking, trafficking victim, compelling prostitution, affirmative defense, criminal defense, coercion, force fraud or coercion, sexual exploitation, victim protection, Penal Code, Texas criminal law, prosecution, party liability, affirmative defense statute, survivor rights

Summary: The Senate Committee on State Affairs took up Senate Bill 5, which Senator Perry described as a ban on intoxicating THC consumer products while preserving legal CBD, CBG, hemp seed, hemp seed protein powder, and hemp seed oil products. Perry argued that most retail THC products are already illegal under federal law, that the industry has used loopholes and misleading labeling to sell high-potency products, and that regulation would be ineffective because chemists can quickly alter formulations. He also said the bill would steer people with medical needs toward the Texas Compassionate Use Program (T-Cup), which he and other supporters described as the proper physician-guided alternative. Committee members and witnesses repeatedly discussed the distinction between legal hemp-derived products and intoxicating THC products, and Perry said the bill would not touch non-consumable hemp uses such as fiber and clothing. Invited testimony came from law enforcement and medical witnesses who supported the bill. Texas Police Chiefs Association representative Steve Dye, Kaufman County District Attorney Early Wiley, and Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne all said regulation would be too costly, too complex, and ultimately unenforceable, while a ban would be clearer and easier to enforce. They cited overloaded DPS labs, the need for expensive private testing, limited police and prosecutor resources, and the difficulty of keeping up with constantly changing cannabinoids and out-of-state products. Hawthorne and Wiley described raids and investigations involving warehouses, retail stores, cash seizures, and products they said were marketed to young people and often mislabeled or imported from other states. They also said the bill would help law enforcement by creating a clearer legal line and protecting legitimate CBD/CBG businesses. Dr. Lindy McGee, speaking for the Texas Medical Association and Texas Pediatric Society, testified that retail THC products pose serious risks to children and adolescents, including addiction, impaired brain development, psychosis, suicide attempts, self-harm, accidental toddler ingestions, and possible long-term cognitive effects. She said there is no effective medication treatment for THC addiction comparable to nicotine cessation tools, and she supported restrictions such as child-resistant packaging, no marketing to minors, and age limits, while opposing criminal penalties for possession by minors. Senators asked follow-up questions about brain development, memory, dementia risk, pregnancy, and cardiovascular effects. No vote was taken during the portion provided, and the committee continued with invited testimony and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• One quick story of mine involved the check engine light in my 2006 Scion XP.
• <00:34:03.760> involved<00:34:04.480> the One quick story of mine involved the One
• A client of mine, he took his car in for his inspection. It was a little bit older car.
• Aubrey Freriedman continued: "A client of mine took his car in for his inspection.
• One final story: a friend of mine had a Volkswagen TDI, nothing wrong with the car.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:02:01.360> in property like districts Like Mine in property like districts Like Mine in
• Representative Clardy, just be clear, the A1 is mine.
• Representative Clardy, just be clear, the A1 is mine.
• Representative Clardy, just be clear, the A1 is mine.
• Representative Clardy, just be clear, the A1 is mine.

Bills: HF51, HF1161, HF2201, HF2786, HF1053

Keywords: HF51, Sibley County, State-Aid Highway 21, capital investment, bonding bill, general obligation bonds, transportation infrastructure, road improvements, sanitary sewer, water main, storm sewer, local infrastructure, county grant, Minnesota Department of Transportation, bond proceeds fund, public works, utility infrastructure, education finance, school district funding, tax base adjustment

Transcript Highlights:

• The gap doesn't disappear, though; it gets passed down to towns like mine.
• Education in Massachusetts in 2025 should not include schools like mine just barely getting by.
• A colleague of mine said, when schools are strapped in all directions, our administrators are forced
• It is really sad to think about rural schools like mine, Mohawk Trail.
• From my district and others like mine, there is no more critical legislation before you today than S.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused primarily on H. 517/S. 314, a bill to provide a sustainable future for rural schools, and H. 697, a bill to require full funding of regional school transportation. Witnesses from rural districts, school committees, superintendents, students, and local officials described chronic underfunding, declining enrollment, high fixed costs, special education and transportation burdens, and the loss of programs, staff, and extracurriculars. Several speakers argued that rural aid should be funded at $60 million annually and made non-discretionary, while others emphasized that transportation reimbursement for regional districts has repeatedly fallen short of the state’s promise and is driving budget crises and overrides. A number of students testified in support of rural aid, describing cuts to classes, counselors, and activities, and the impact on their schools and communities. Committee members also discussed whether transportation policy should be revisited to address underlying cost drivers, including bus bidding practices and whether regional districts should have more flexibility in transportation requirements. The committee also heard H. 515, concerning Hancock Elementary School and a school choice-related exemption from a state requirement that has created a large financial burden for the district. Hancock’s superintendent and Rep. John Barrett explained that a decades-old regulation, recently enforced by DESE, would require Hancock to pay tuition for choice-in students through high school graduation even though the district only serves pre-K through grade 6 and sends its own students elsewhere for middle and high school. They said the rule creates a significant per-student shortfall and has forced Hancock to opt out of school choice. Committee members asked for clarification about how the arrangement works and how the costs fall on Hancock. Additional testimony supported related transportation bills for non-regional districts, especially Plymouth/Carver and North Middlesex, describing high and rising bus costs, special education and McKinney-Vento transportation expenses, and the strain on local budgets. Speakers repeatedly said that state reimbursement has not matched actual costs and that communities are being forced to choose between transportation and classroom services. No votes or final actions were taken in the hearing; the committee simply received testimony and closed the hearing on the bills discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Black-led organizations continue to receive less than 1% of philanthropic funding, many organizations like mine
• It supports jobs, small organizations like mine, cultural workers, public access to the arts, and pathways
• I'm here to share that behind that number, as you know, are organizations like mine, community-rooted
• I'm here to share that behind that number, as you know, are organizations like mine.
• I'm here to share that behind that number, as you know, are organizations like mine, community-rooted

Summary: The Joint Committee on the Arts held an informational hearing on California’s first sector-specific creative economy strategic plan, “California’s Future Is Creative,” developed under AB 127 and related legislation. Chair Allen framed the plan as a response to California’s large but vulnerable creative economy, citing workforce losses, federal funding headwinds, and the need to support artists, cultural organizations, public media, museums, cultural districts, and film/TV production. He also highlighted budget asks including support for California Humanities, museums, public media, cultural districts, a post-production incentive proposal (AB 2319), and funding to implement the strategic plan. California Arts Council Director Danielle Brazel, Institute for the Future’s Rachel Hatch, CDE’s Allison Frenzel, and CWDB’s Michael Weoff described the planning process, which included a 30-plus-member work group, interagency coordination, and a phased approach from framework development to implementation and evaluation. They identified major forces shaping the sector over the next decade, including AI, climate disruption, affordability, access to capital, and social cohesion, and outlined six action areas: workforce preparation, business stabilization, cultural identity/tourism, cross-sector incentives, ROI/data tracking, and state capacity/infrastructure. Members and panelists repeatedly emphasized that the plan must be resourced and integrated across agencies rather than left siloed. A second panel of practitioners and advocates focused on workforce pathways and local implementation. Ricarlo Handy described the Handy Foundation’s registered apprenticeship pipeline into film and TV jobs and argued that current data systems undercount gig, 1099, and LLC-based creative work. Joanna Reynolds discussed Arts for LA’s Creative Jobs Collective, which aims to create 10,000 living-wage creative jobs in Los Angeles County by 2030, while Alejandro Gutierrez Chavez urged embedding artists in health, aging, and behavioral health systems as community problem-solvers. Roxanne Messina Kaptur spoke about the need to normalize arts careers and expand residency and school-based models. Senator Rubio, who joined later, shared her own arts and teaching background, supported arts access in schools and small theaters, and raised concerns about AI, asking how schools and educators can adapt. In the final panel, Rebecca Ratzkin reported on 26 statewide town halls with more than 1,100 attendees, which confirmed support for the plan but also highlighted needs for better information access, new financial models, stronger definitions and data, and more partnerships. Julie Baker of California for the Arts and California Arts Advocates urged sustained public funding, saying the plan is actionable only if the Legislature and administration provide resources, including increased California Arts Council funding and support for implementation. No formal votes were taken; the hearing was informational and concluded with calls for continued legislative and cross-agency collaboration.