Transcript Highlights:

• public entity, the university physicians are public employees, and we're covered under state tort claims
• But I will acknowledge that the changing environment even in the for us, while under the state tort claims
• This year, we could see as much as a doubling of the number of claims.
• Chair, and this is something that was somewhat covered already was your state support claims liability
• Especially on your civil right Employee civil rights claims that you have, I'm trying to figure out on

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• out-of-jurisdiction agencies are currently marketing what they call Goldilocks HFC investments on Wall Street, claiming
• And in some offering documents, developers claim they can increase... ...in the property's rent.
• And in some offering documents, developers claim they can increase property rent and still obtain a property
• And some documents claim an increase in property tax rate.
• And then, in some of the offerings, the developers claim they can increase property tax rent.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, offered an invocation, approved the previous day’s journal, and received a House message announcing passage of HB 4 on public school accountability and assessment. The chamber also recognized the Doctor of the Day, adopted SR 520 honoring Rosser Coke-Newton Sr. for his biography of former Governor Richard Coke, and adopted SR 518 recognizing Texas Moral Injury Awareness Day, with remarks focused on the impact of moral injury on veterans and first responders. The Senate later adopted SR 395 honoring the ninth class of Governor William P. Clements, Jr. Scholars, and several other resolutions were adopted by voice vote, including college savings awareness recognition and other member-sponsored recognitions. The body then took up several bills and resolutions on the floor. HB 3307, allowing online continuing education for arbitrators in property tax appeals, passed unanimously after suspension of the rules and the three-day rule. HB 913, renaming and reorganizing certain state hospitals, and HB 2970, governing the Gulf Coast Protection District and coastal barrier design, also passed unanimously. HJR 1 and HB 9 advanced a proposed constitutional amendment and statutory change to raise the business personal property tax exemption from $2,500 to $125,000; both measures passed, with HJR 1 receiving one no vote and HB 9 passing unanimously after a clarifying amendment. The Senate also passed HB 1151, which limits child removals and termination of parental rights based solely on parental medical treatment decisions, and HB 116, which revises grounds for involuntary termination of the parent-child relationship by removing the “O grounds” and requiring support from financially able parents whose rights were terminated. HB 1899 lowered the age for pyrotechnic operator licenses and fireworks display permits from 21 to 18. SB 1285, as amended, passed to protect bats by prohibiting entombment while preserving removal options from unoccupied spaces, and SB 2847 passed to promote innovations in core curriculum for faster bachelor’s degrees. On criminal justice, SJR 87, a proposed constitutional amendment requiring denial of bail for certain repeat violent felony offenders, passed after two floor amendments clarifying due process and representation language; Senator Eckhardt spoke against it on final passage, arguing it lacked judicial discretion and a clear-and-convincing standard. SB 3073, requiring magistrates to make written findings in certain criminal proceedings, also passed. Later, SB 128, requiring hospitals to report suspected child abuse-related information to HHSC, advanced on a divided vote, and SB 2619 and SB 2972 passed on public school accountability and expressive activities at public colleges, respectively, with Senator Eckhardt opposing SB 2972 as too restrictive on campus protest rights. The chamber also heard extended debate on HB 21, targeting “traveling” housing finance corporations and their use of tax exemptions for apartment projects, with supporters arguing it curbs abuse of the tax code and critics warning about unintended effects on affordable housing; the discussion continued with questions but no final action shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Additionally, the school that the School of Hope would be going into would be able to claim each of those
• Additionally, the school that the school of hope would be going into would be able to claim each of those
• So imagine a school that is only at 50% capacity right now, they're only able to claim half of the school
• A school that is only at 50% capacity right now, they're only able to claim, you know, half of the school
• Now, if that School of Hope goes in there, they would be able to claim those additional students for

Summary: The House took up a series of Senate messages and concurred in several amendments before passing multiple bills. Early actions included unanimous passage of CS/CS/HB 1299 on Department of Health matters, CS/HB 1549 on financial institutions after removing a Senate-added trust-account provision, and CS/CS/SB 768 on foreign ties in business ownership after trimming registration requirements. The chamber also insisted on its housing amendment to CS/CS/CS/SB 184 after the Senate refused to concur. A major portion of the meeting focused on CS/CS/HB 875 on educator preparation. The House adopted an amendment restoring two teacher-prep courses, preserving the Florida Center for Teaching Excellence at Miami-Dade College in partnership with USF, and modifying the teacher candidate testing framework and mentor qualifications. Supporters said it reduced barriers while keeping standards; opponents raised concerns about the remaining “identity politics” language and other provisions. The bill then passed 91-22. The House also passed HB 1101 on out-of-network providers after adopting a House amendment that kept the original bill’s notice and referral provisions with a good-cause exemption, despite objections that it placed too much responsibility on doctors. Later, the chamber approved CS/CS/SB 180 on emergency preparedness and response, with members highlighting debris management, emergency planning, crane safety, and hurricane recovery provisions; it passed unanimously. The House then rejected concurrence in a Senate amendment to HB 1609 on waste incineration, and later spent substantial time debating CS/CS/HB 1115 on education, especially Schools of Hope, expanded co-location authority, funding, transportation, and school-district agreement terms. Critics argued the language was added late and could disadvantage traditional public schools, while supporters said it would expand options for students; the debate continued with the bill still under consideration at the end of the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• want to make sure, with the delay in this, there's no premiums that would be paid in 2026 and no claims
• I think around a half a billion dollars was set aside for the initial claims that were going to be coming
• c><00:35:18.359><c> the</c><00:35:18.640><c> uh</c><00:35:18.760><c> initial</c><00:35:19.119><c> claims
• </c> aside for the for the uh initial claims aside for the for the uh initial claims that<00:35:19.560

Bills: HF11

Committee: House Ways and Means

Keywords: Minnesota Paid Leave, paid family and medical leave, family leave, medical leave, implementation delay, premium collection, employer premiums, state payroll tax, workforce, labor, benefits administration, DEED, Department of Employment and Economic Development, employer notice, seasonal employees, private plans, actuarial study, outreach and education, employee rights, reinstatement

Transcript Highlights:

• They clean out their commodes. They do that kind of work, Mr. President. They serve. Thank you.
• of days or back when we come back here, whenever that might be, when they make our rooms up, they clean
• Similarly, with our folks who work in our classrooms every day, similar to the janitors who clean the

Keywords: Scheduler, 972, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So all this does is it cleans it up, and I would appreciate your support on it.
• So all this does is it cleans it up and I would appreciate your support. it in the code.
• So all this does is it cleans it up, and I would appreciate your support on it.

Committee: House Agricultural Affairs

Summary: The House Agricultural Committee approved the minutes from its March 10 meeting and then took up several bills. House Bill 826 would shift regulatory functions of the Honey Commission to the Idaho State Department of Agriculture while leaving marketing and publicity with the commission; the sponsor and Idaho Honey Industry Association said the change largely codifies an existing memorandum of understanding, and the committee advanced the bill on a do-pass recommendation after questions about the $10,000 penalty, consultation with producers, and whether a misdemeanor penalty remained in the code. The committee also heard and advanced Senate Bill 1242, a DOGE cleanup bill removing obsolete definitions and duplicative public records language, and Senate Bill 1243, which removes outdated Soil and Water Commission/Idaho One Plan language; both were described as code cleanup and passed without opposition. The committee then heard Senate Bill 1283 on direct-to-consumer sales for small producers. Representative Boyle said the bill is intended to help small Idaho producers sell directly to consumers, with labeling, recordkeeping, and food-safety requirements, while exempting them from rules aimed at large commercial operations. Testimony was largely supportive from producers, Fair Idaho, Farm Bureau, and livestock groups, who said the bill would expand local markets and help smaller operations, though Food Northwest opposed it over concerns about labeling, training, and foodborne-illness protections. Committee members raised questions about dairy, catfish, raw milk, animal shares, safety, and the bill’s revenue cap; supporters said the bill keeps existing protections for milk and dairy and includes recordkeeping and temperature standards. The committee then voted to send Senate Bill 1283 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation, with members noting potential conflicts and support from their districts.

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> Representative Klein, ... said, it's just it's clean up language. said, it's just it's clean up
• 55.200><c> year</c><00:18:55.679><c> so</c><00:18:55.840><c> that</c><00:18:56.000><c> it</c> Um, it cleans

Committee: House Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• First one is House Bill 1257, which is a clean building performance, and House Bill 1390, which is for
• And the goal of this plan is to simply reduce that and primarily go to electricity, clean, burning electric
• , clean use electricity on our campus.

Summary: The Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee first waived the five-day notice rule and held a public hearing on Substitute House Bill 2525, which would establish a Heritage Orchard Program at Washington State University. Staff explained the bill was narrowed from the original version and would require WSU to maintain a registry of heritage orchards and a list of rare and lost apple varieties, with a null and void clause and fiscal note available. Representative Gloria Mendoza testified in support, describing Washington’s apple history and the effort to identify and preserve old apple trees still found on farms and trails around the state. Members asked questions about how the program would locate trees and preserve historic varieties, but no vote was taken on the bill during the hearing. The committee then heard several gubernatorial appointments to higher education boards. Representative Deborah Inteman was nominated to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Bryce W. McKibben to the Pierce College Board of Trustees, former Senator David Frockt to the Western Washington University Board of Trustees, and former Senator Christine Rolfes to the Olympic College Board of Trustees. Each appointee described their background in higher education, public service, and community college or university advocacy, and members asked about attendance, board service, and how they would help bridge legislative and institutional priorities. The committee also held a work session on Central Washington University’s geothermal and decarbonization efforts, with staff explaining the university’s open-loop geothermal system, planned geo-eco plants, and climate action goals tied to state clean building and decarbonization mandates. CWU officials said the project is intended to reduce emissions, support campus heating and cooling, and serve as a living laboratory for students. In executive session, the committee moved to report a panel of gubernatorial appointments, including the higher education appointments heard that day, with a recommendation that they be confirmed. The motion passed by voice vote, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Conservancy to utilize a portion of the Safe Drinking Water, Wildlife Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean
• Jake Schultz, on behalf of the Committee for Clean Water, Natural Resources and Parks.
• Chair and members, Jake Schultz, on behalf of the Committee for Clean Water, Natural Resources and Parks

Committee: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Plus, it's very hard physically to move these dilution refrigerators or large-scale clean rooms anywhere
• reinforce the point that if we do set guardrails, if we do set protective benchmarks for New Mexico and clean
• It's either going to work or it doesn't, but if it does, that's renewable, clean energy on a scale that

Committee: Senate House Appropriations & Finance

Summary: The committee first discussed the state budget and employee compensation, focusing on the 1% pay increase proposal and the broader cost of state employee raises and benefits. Members noted that over the past several years the state has invested heavily in payroll, pension contributions, pay studies, and band realignments, and several senators argued that the 80/20 health insurance change and other benefit improvements amount to significant compensation increases even without an additional raise. Others cautioned that recurring revenue is limited, that recent revenue collections were weaker than expected, and that the state should be careful about committing to ongoing costs given possible economic slowdown, federal uncertainty, drought, wildfire risk, and the possibility of future budget pressure. The committee then heard extensive testimony on SB 177, a major economic development proposal centered on quantum computing, advanced energy, robotics, synthetic biology, and related technologies. Supporters described the bill as a large strategic investment intended to leverage New Mexico’s national laboratories, universities, and existing quantum workforce to attract companies, create high-wage jobs, and diversify the economy. Testimony emphasized that much of the quantum workforce would be skilled trades and technicians rather than Ph.D.-level researchers, and members asked detailed questions about whether the state would receive long-term returns, how intellectual property and clawbacks would be handled, and whether the package included recurring costs. Witnesses also explained the bill’s trade association and workforce-development components, and several senators raised concerns about energy use, water use, guardrails, and ensuring the state does not subsidize outside interests without benefits returning to New Mexico. After debate, the committee moved to table SB 177 indefinitely, with members noting that the funding and structure were already incorporated into House Bill 2. The motion passed on an 8-0 vote, with several members excused. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• They would completely outpace what we can clean up for infrastructure.
• Dam, where it is cheaper for them to replace the cooling pipes that go into the plant than it is to clean
• how... and it's not, I don't know. ...replace the cooling pipes that go into the plant than it is to clean

Summary: The committee heard budget presentations first for the Idaho State Department of Agriculture and then for the State Liquor Division. For Agriculture, analyst Morgan Poloni outlined the agency’s structure, staffing, dedicated funds, and major FY 2025-2027 budget items, including ongoing pay enhancements for investigators and fruit and vegetable inspectors, replacement items, IT hardware, reappropriation of the Resilient Food Systems Grant, and two FY 2026 requests: a deficiency warrant for exotic pest response and a supplemental appropriation for quagga mussel treatment. Director Chanel Tewalt emphasized the history and statutory basis of Idaho’s invasive species program, described the quagga mussel response and its impacts, and said the agency is trying to manage risk while maintaining inspection coverage. Members asked about grant delays, vehicle replacement, signage costs, chemical treatment costs, possible research or biological solutions, and whether cuts would reduce station hours or openings; Tewalt said some stations would be delayed or reduced under cuts and that the department would continue to seek creative enforcement and funding options. The committee then reviewed the Liquor Division budget. Poloni described the division as a dedicated-fund operation with retail, accounting, and distribution functions, and summarized FY 2025-2027 enhancements for personnel, store maintenance, ADA website compliance, replacement items, and IT/security equipment. Director Andrew Arulenandum said he had prioritized spending based on safety, legal exposure, and operational needs, citing a store shelving collapse and warehouse safety concerns as reasons for some requests. Members asked about a pending policy issue involving bulk lottery ticket purchases by out-of-state syndicates, and Arulenandum said the proposal would not have a fiscal impact but would protect the integrity of the lottery. He also addressed questions about liquor pricing and distributor concerns, explaining that Idaho uses a standard tiered markup and that smaller manufacturers can be disadvantaged by higher production costs, though the division sells premium bottles close to cost. The meeting ended with no votes or formal actions taken, and the committee announced it would meet the next morning to take action on FY 2027 maintenance budgets before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Whether it was the creation of the clean room or the invention of the satellites Internet.
• I'm Sayuri Yamada, here representing the Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global, nontraditional, data-driven
• We already allow transferability for the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Equipment Tax Credit and the Clean

Committee: House House Taxation & Revenue

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• they're running funds directly through them to the landowners or to the contractors to get these things cleaned
• going to be the one we see... ...and to the landowners or to the contractors to get these things cleaned
• But basically now we're just trying to clean this up so we're not violating the state constitution.

Committee: House House Agriculture, Acequias And Water Resources

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a clean-up bill from 2022. This bill passed off the floor unanimously.
• This is a clean-up bill from 2022. This updates the law and legislation passed in 2018.
• There have been questions whether teachers need training annually; this will clean that up, expands the

Transcript Highlights:

• And we do have a federal Clean Air Act in this country. I don't love it.
• I don't think any farmer will tell you that he loves the Federal Clean Air Act, but that we have to protect
• Unfortunately, it's due to the Clean Air Act and the emission standards that's been required.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• one</c><00:11:14.720><c> goal</c><00:11:15.000><c> in</c><00:11:15.160><c> mind</c><00:11:16.040><c> clean
• </c><00:11:16.320><c> up</c> resident had one goal in mind clean up resident had one goal in mind clean

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We struck 'tip,' and we're trying to clean up the language here, but 'tip' and 'gratuity' basically mean
• So that's just cleaning.
• This is, she wants to clean up language as she should when she gets a chance, and as we get the chance

Committee: House House Commerce & Economic Development Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• they're talking about conditions and thank goodness they are because I don't think this state will clean
• you for the service that you're doing to your constituents or on behalf of your constituents to help clean
• He co-authored a book with former Congress member and now state senator Jerry McNerney. titled Clean

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I would say, you know, one, we wanted to get clean-up in front of all of you, right?
• The authors agreed and said they would clean up the factually accurate language this year, and still
• this language that I'm referencing remains in what's supposed to be a clean-up bill.
• bill then went to Senate Judiciary Committee, where again the authors made a public commitment to clean
• language, and this language does not clean up that factually accurate language.

Committee: House Education

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If I take a bag full of money down there, I can get a certificate that my cattle are clean or this is
• clean or whatever.
• If I take a bag full of money down there, I can get a certificate that my cattle are clean or this is
• clean or whatever.
• Anything you want to elaborate or clean up on that, Admiral? Just a couple of things.

Summary: The joint hearing focused on preparedness for the New World screwworm threat and brought together the House Committees on Culture, Recreation, and Tourism and Agriculture and Livestock. USDA officials, Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, and Texas Animal Health Commission leadership described the pest as a serious risk to livestock, wildlife, rural economies, and beef prices, and emphasized coordination among federal, state, industry, and Mexican partners. Witnesses repeatedly stressed that Texas is currently seeing no confirmed U.S. detections, but that recent confirmed cases in northern Mexico, including Nuevo León, remain a concern because of their proximity to the border. USDA testimony outlined current surveillance and response efforts, including more than 120 screw worm-specific traps along the Texas border and neighboring states, thousands of additional dual-purpose traps, wildlife inspections, weekly coordination with Mexico’s Senasica, and a new USDA New World Screwworm Directorate. Officials said the existing Panama sterile fly facility is maxed out at about 100 million flies per week, while a dispersal facility in Tampico is helping move flies farther north in Mexico. They also described plans for a retrofitted sterile fly facility in Metapa, Mexico, expected to come online in 2026, and a new domestic production facility at Moore Air Base, with phase one targeted for late 2026 or early 2027 and phase two adding substantially more capacity later. Members pressed USDA on timelines, production capacity, the reliability of Mexican reporting, the risk from wildlife, and whether modular or mobile facilities could be deployed faster. USDA said it is also exploring innovative technologies, including a genetically engineered sterile male fly, but that such tools still require EPA review and field validation. Commissioner Miller highlighted Texas biosecurity efforts, five permanent inspection stations, cooperation with FDA and EPA on treatments such as Exzolt, and other pest issues affecting Texas agriculture. He also noted research into fly bait and private-sector efforts to speed sterile fly production. Texas Animal Health Commission officials described extensive state preparedness work, including weekly coordination calls, field response trainings, outreach to producers and veterinarians, and a Texas Screwworm Response Team. They said Texas has trained more than 100 inspectors and other personnel, with additional trainings planned, and that the state is expanding its cattle fever tick rider program. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the hearing; the main action was the exchange of testimony and questions about readiness, surveillance, and facility timelines.