Transcript Highlights:

• We're the state of Texas. We're the most energy-rich state in the lower 48.
• The state.
• And this impact reaches one of the state's great public universities, Tarleton State University.
• Will you state your name again? We state your name again.
• Please state your name again. Good evening. Welcome. Please state your name again.

Summary: The Senate Business and Commerce Committee held its third interim hearing on Texas electric grid reliability and 765 kV transmission lines/private property rights. Chair Schwertner opened by noting record ERCOT summer demand of 91,089 MW and emphasized the committee’s focus on managing rapid load growth, ensuring adequate generation, and protecting homeowners, businesses, landowners, and ratepayers. The committee also adopted strict two-minute limits for public testimony and planned to hear invited witnesses first, then public testimony. PUC Chairman Thomas Gleeson, ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas, and OPUC Chief Counsel Benjamin Barclay testified on Senate Bill 6 implementation, large-load interconnection, transmission cost allocation, and market design. Gleeson said the PUC has adopted or is finalizing rules on net metering/co-location, large load interconnection standards, and a transmission cost recovery rule that would move from 4CP to 12CP, lengthen the interval to 30 minutes, and add a minimum demand charge to better allocate costs to large loads. Vegas explained ERCOT’s new batch process for large loads, saying it provides year-by-year capacity allocations, clearer financial obligations, and a transmission plan; he reported 205 GW eligible for Batch Zero, with 65 GW classified as baseload, 25 GW in an intermediate category, and 114 GW as allocated load. Barclay supported the changes as better protection for residential and small commercial customers, while warning that the minimum demand charge may need an exit-fee concept to address stranded costs if large loads leave. Members pressed witnesses on whether additional market changes are needed to attract dispatchable thermal generation and whether DRS/DRRS Plus could become a capacity-market substitute. Gleeson and Vegas said the current market still favors solar, batteries, and other low-variable-cost resources, and that more incentives may be needed for gas and other thermal generation; Gleeson said the commission’s reliability standard assessment will begin this year and conclude next year with a 2029 outlook. They described DRS as an ancillary service for intraday reliability and DRS Plus as a proposed real-time revenue mechanism for thermal resources during scarcity, not a forward capacity market. Senators also questioned whether 12CP could still be gamed, whether curtailment authority under SB 6 should be expanded from EEA 2 to earlier stages, and whether the batch process should be bifurcated so traditional industrial loads are handled differently from data centers. Witnesses said the batch process is intended to prevent speculative projects from driving transmission costs, that most large-load projects are data centers, and that future rules may need to better distinguish among types of large loads.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Hawkins, welcome to House State Affairs.
• That we have in state code.
• We have states all around us that do not have this kind of language in their constitutions, states that
• , Washington, etc.
• Okay, come up, state your name, who you represent.

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This can't be done just by the state alone.
• Last... ...has defined our state. Rail, however, is not just a relic of California's past.
• across the state.
• President George Washington celebrated his inauguration with a prayer service.
• Thank you, and may God bless you all, and may God bless the United States of America.

Summary: The Senate opened with a quorum call, prayer, and the Pledge of Allegiance, then took up several floor items. AB 108, a budget bill, was presented as a one-time $25 million grant program through HCAI to help severely distressed nonprofit and public hospitals with less than 10 days cash on hand and limited other options, along with a technical fix for the property tax postponement program. Senators Laird and Jones spoke in support, and the bill passed 36-0 with immediate transmittal granted. The chamber then adopted a series of resolutions recognizing CASA Appreciation Day (SCR 162), California Wildfire Preparedness Week (SCR 165), California Rail Month (SCR 84), the National Day of Prayer (SCR 153), and Mother’s Day (SCR 167). Floor remarks highlighted the role of CASA volunteers, year-round wildfire risk and local preparedness efforts, rail’s importance to mobility and climate goals, faith and prayer as sources of guidance, and the contributions of mothers and mother figures. All of these resolutions passed, with SCR 153 receiving one no vote and the others passing unanimously or near-unanimously. The Senate also passed SB 1175, which moves lobbyist registration and related filings directly to the Secretary of State to improve timeliness and transparency; SB 949, designating the Santa Cruz Mountains as a landscape of statewide significance; SB 1038, strengthening CalPERS audit notice requirements for unions; and SB 965, making it easier for 16- and 17-year-olds to obtain library cards without a parent physically present. Each measure received supportive remarks and passed on strong roll calls. Later, the Senate adopted SR 106 marking Black April Memorial Month and honoring Vietnamese refugees and the Vietnamese American community, with members speaking about the fall of Saigon, refugee sacrifice, and the community’s contributions. The session concluded with committee announcements and an adjournment in memory of Dan Hughes, a former reserve officer, firefighter paramedic, and longtime parks district board member. The Senate announced it would reconvene on Monday, May 11, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• This can't be done just by the state alone.
• Has defined our state. Rail, however, is not just a relic of California's past.
• across the state.
• President George Washington celebrated his inauguration with a prayer service.
• Thank you, and may God bless you all, and may God bless the United States of America.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Is it state, federal, city? That's a great question.
• But...” “...the state.
• I've been to other state-run facilities for detox.
• And there is a lot of everybody that’s in there at that state.
• From there, he was remanded to Bridgewater State Prison and then on to state prison and then on to Worcester

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held its fourth public hearing of the 2025-2026 session on bills dealing with involuntary commitment and access to addiction treatment, especially proposals to move Section 35 civil commitments away from jails and prisons and into facilities licensed or approved by DPH or DMH. Chairs Velis and Domb framed the hearing as a discussion of how to support people in crisis with compassion, while also warning against using involuntary commitment as a way to remove unhoused people from public view. The hearing also touched on related concerns about discharge practices, treatment capacity, and the need for a broader continuum of care. Testimony split largely along two themes. Addiction researcher Keith Humphreys argued that many people enter treatment under pressure, that involuntary treatment can be ethically justified in the face of overdose risk, but that it should not be mandated unless high-quality services exist first; he emphasized the need for inpatient care when someone is a grave danger, followed by case management and outpatient support. MAMH’s Kate Alicante supported the bill, saying Massachusetts is the only state that commits people with substance use conditions to jails or prisons and that carceral settings add trauma and stigma; she pointed to prior legislative steps, including the Section 35 commission and the planned closure of DOC’s MESAC facility, as evidence that the Commonwealth is moving toward health-based settings. A major portion of the hearing focused on Stony Brook, a sheriff-run stabilization and treatment center in Hampden County. Boston City Councilor John Fitzgerald, several committee members, and multiple people in recovery described the facility as humane, well-run, and effective, with longer stays, medical monitoring, medication-assisted treatment, counseling, and warm handoffs to aftercare. Several witnesses said Stony Brook saved their lives or helped family members recover, and they argued that the sheriff’s office model should be expanded rather than eliminated. Others, including family members and advocates, countered that even a well-run correctional setting remains stigmatizing and that people should not be treated in facilities run by sheriffs or corrections when they have committed no crime. No vote was taken. The hearing concluded with continued testimony, including Senator Friedman’s support for Section 35 as a civil commitment tool but not in a criminal justice setting, and her separate support for a bill to speed inpatient mental health treatment.

Transcript Highlights:

• The issue was brought before me from multiple teachers throughout the state, including some in my own
• Lindsay Turner, who’s at Boise State.
• I just think using recess as a punishment is not the best policy for the state.
• It brings Idaho in line with states like Arkansas, Illinois, and Washington that have already adopted
• Again, Debbie Critchfield, State Superintendent.

Committee: House Education

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from February 27 and March 3. It then took up House Bill 785, which would expand the definition of inappropriate online behavior involving public school employees and other persons, and add disciplinary options for school boards to address vulgar, false, or defamatory online conduct directed at teachers and others. Representative Redmond said the bill was prompted by complaints from teachers, and State Superintendent Debbie Critchfield testified in support. After a brief question about public records and executive session handling, the committee voted to send HB 785 to the floor with a due pass recommendation. The committee next introduced RS-33-6-23, a proposal from Representative Harris to remove statutory hour requirements for career and technical education instructors so the Department of CTE would have more flexibility in recruiting trade professionals into classrooms. The motion to introduce the RS passed. The bulk of the meeting focused on House Bill 784 and its RS, which would require daily recess for elementary students and unstructured activity time for middle school students, while barring recess from being withheld for discipline except when the misconduct occurred during recess. Representative Redmond and Superintendent Critchfield argued recess improves focus, behavior, and health, and that schools need flexibility and guidance rather than using recess as punishment. Several members raised concerns that the language was too rigid and could limit classroom management or disciplinary discretion, especially for behavior occurring outside recess. After extended debate and testimony from John Mason of FGA Action in support, the committee voted to hold HB 784 in committee and then approved the RS for second reading, with some members recording opposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• Maki then decided to take his chair to Washington and got elected to the House down there.
• They recently passed a law in Washington about housing, and they're going to limit the big development

Bills: H5314

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Housing

Keywords: condominium conversion, co-owned property, tenants in common, two-unit building, duplex, partition action, Land Court, chapter 183A, chapter 241, master deed, shared ownership, housing, property law, real estate, easements, common areas, common expenses, condominium ownership, small multifamily housing, 1212

Transcript Highlights:

• Class action waivers were recently prohibited in Washington state, and similar statutes exist in California
• Class action waivers were recently prohibited in Washington state, and similar statutes exist in California
• ,</c> which is our center, Anoka, Washington, which is our center, Anoka, Washington, and and and Washington
• </c> responders across the state. responders across the state.
• </c> support that around the state. support that around the state.

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We also have a small office in Washington, D.C., and their work focuses on ensuring state legislators
• </c> state up to a maximum $10,000 state state up to a maximum $10,000 state contribution. contribution
• At least 30 states and Washington, D.C., including Minnesota, have created residual market plans that
• insurance fraud as a specific crime, and at least 40 states and Washington, D.C., have an insurance
• have</c><00:36:58.240><c> an</c> 40 states in Washington DC have an 40 states in Washington DC have

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Multiple school districts have approached universities across the state seeking to expand concurrent
• </c><01:45:18.239><c> across</c><01:45:18.639><c> the</c><01:45:18.960><c> state</c> approached universities
• across the state approached universities across the state seeking<01:45:20.159><c> to</c><01:45:20.400
• </c> the state deciding things that the state the state deciding things that the state should<01:55:46.960
• </c> state of Colorado. state of Colorado.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the State Employee Insurance.
• But we are not compensated by the state. But we are not compensated by the state.
• I did do a survey around the state, and your elected prosecuting attorneys across the state do provide
• And I hope that in time we can become the state that other states come to ask questions.
• Clients throughout the state.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and our seniors here in the state.
• And I find that when the states—not an administrator, but when the states, such as you representatives
• And I find that when the states, not an administrator, but when the states, such as you representatives
• DPPC is an independent state agency, charged DPPC is an independent state agency charged with investigating
• There were 33 FRCs across the state.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing was an informational and oversight session of the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities, with chairs and members hearing agency updates from several commissioners. The Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition described its maternal and child health work, including home visiting, early intervention, WIC, newborn hearing screening, and cross-agency efforts on prenatal substance exposure, respite care, children’s vision, and maternal health initiatives. DPH emphasized that federal grant cuts, layoffs, and the loss of data systems such as PRAMS would weaken services and planning, and members asked about Title V funding and the impact of federal uncertainty. The Massachusetts Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing highlighted communication access services, interpreter and CART referrals, emergency after-hours support, family navigation, and independent living services. Commissioners and members discussed the shortage of ASL interpreters and the need to expand training pipelines, including partnerships with colleges and possible ASL programming for younger students. The Department of Developmental Services reported serving nearly 50,000 people and focused on youth and adult services, transition-age supports, autism services, self-direction, respite, and new high-acuity residential models. Members asked about respite availability, self-direction outcomes, and workforce shortages; DDS said it was expanding clinical capacity and provider rates while monitoring possible federal Medicaid, SNAP, and immigration-related impacts. The Commission for the Blind described services for about 28,000 legally blind residents, most of whom are older adults, including social rehabilitation, orientation and mobility training, children’s services, assistive technology, vocational rehabilitation, and Turning 22 supports. The commissioner discussed a UMass-based effort to build the workforce pipeline for blindness services and said the agency was watching federal restructuring but had not yet seen direct cuts. MassAbility’s leadership then warned about major federal changes affecting Social Security disability determinations, including staff restructuring, office closures, and a new overpayment repayment policy, and said the agency was preparing for possible increases in claims and uncertainty around reallotment dollars that help fund services. The Disabled Persons Protection Commission closed the hearing with an update on its abuse investigations and protective services for adults with disabilities. DPPC reported rising hotline calls and investigations, a growing caseload, its sexual assault response team, the abuser registry, and a new interagency protective services integration system funded by ARPA dollars through 2027. The agency also flagged new federal rules that could affect funding eligibility and said it may need statutory changes to comply. Members asked about funding, reporting pathways, and how complaints reach DPPC, and the commissioner said the agency uses both mandated reporting and proactive outreach to identify and respond to abuse.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> expungement be uh state initiated. expungement be uh state initiated.
• </c> Robert Harris, State Ethics Commission. Robert Harris, State Ethics Commission.
• Uh but we do have some state.
• </c> experts nationally and within the state. experts nationally and within the state.
• state states our fund or state &gt;&gt; can<03:42:12.720><c> I</c><03:42:12.800><c> ask</c><03:42:12.960

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs recessed briefly for a joint hearing, then reconvened and took up House Bill 2494, which would limit warrantless arrests for petty misdemeanors and violations, require officers to document arrest justification, expand citation-in-lieu-of-arrest use, and direct the Judiciary to create a standardized citation form. The chair also outlined hearing procedures and testimony time limits. Committee members later received an overview from the Policing Project about national trends in expanding citation use. Testimony was divided. Supporters, including the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission, the Office of the Public Defender, the ACLU of Hawaii, the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, and the Policing Project, argued the bill would reduce unnecessary arrests and pretrial detention, lessen jail overcrowding, save law enforcement time, and reduce harms such as job loss, housing instability, family disruption, and recidivism. They also said the bill preserves officer discretion through public-safety and flight-risk exceptions, and several supporters urged the committee to adopt a standardized citation form despite the Judiciary’s request for a delayed implementation date. Opposition came from the Department of the Attorney General, the Judiciary, county prosecutors, Honolulu Police Department, and other individuals. They argued the bill would unduly restrict law enforcement discretion, create administrative and data-processing problems, and make it harder to identify repeat or habitual offenders because of changes to citation information and fingerprinting. The Judiciary requested implementation no earlier than January 1, 2028 and said the citation form would need major changes. Opponents also warned the bill could increase litigation, suppress evidence, and not meaningfully reduce overcrowding because most jail populations are held on felony matters. The chair reported 14 testimonies in support, 21 in opposition, and one with comments; no vote or final action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• clear out trash on state property.
• If we were a state park, we would be the oldest state park in the state.
• It’s a 160-acre state property.
• into the state property.
• State of California.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The reason that states are moving towards regulation is because it allows the states to manage the risks
• It is backed by out-of-state interests targeting our state.
• It is backed by out-of-state interests targeting our state.
• We have 63 stores in four states.
• It's matching what other states have done, and some 20 other states.

Summary: The committee first recognized a departing page, Jonathan, thanked him for his service, and approved the March 2, 2026 minutes. Members then reviewed committee procedure and took up Senate Bill 1419, the Idaho Child Care Program. Representative Jordan Redman presented the bill as a policy measure to tighten eligibility, require work or training, lower the asset cap, add anti-fraud measures, require provider registration, and sunset the program in 2028. Department of Health and Welfare Director Juliet Sharon said the department already had authority to audit and take administrative action, but the bill would add stronger tools, including clearer provider requirements and concurrent jurisdiction for the Attorney General to pursue criminal fraud cases. She also clarified the program’s federal funding structure and said the department could potentially address the foster-care eligibility concern through temporary rules. Testimony was split: Idaho Voices for Children, foster-care advocates, and several providers argued the bill was not a clean transfer from rule to statute, could create gaps in eligibility and new audit costs, and might reduce access for foster families and low-income parents; supporters, including the Foundation for Government Accountability and some legislators, emphasized program integrity, fraud prevention, and legislative oversight. After debate over whether the bill should be held or advanced, the committee voted 6-4 to send SB 1419 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation. The committee then began Senate Bill 1418, a kratom regulation bill, and the sponsor, Senator Tammy Nichols, said she would request it be sent to the 14th order for amendments, including clarifications for Idaho State Police and additional labeling changes requested by the Idaho Association of Physicians. Nichols described the bill as a regulatory framework that distinguishes natural kratom leaf from adulterated or synthetic products, sets age limits, testing and labeling requirements, and enforcement tools aimed at high-potency 7-hydroxymitragynine products. Testimony was sharply divided. Supporters, including a toxicologist, a consumer, and an addiction medicine specialist, argued that kratom should be regulated rather than banned, that the bill targets dangerous adulterated products, and that a full ban could drive use underground or toward more dangerous opioids. Opponents, including an ER physician, a bereaved parent, and the Idaho Chiefs of Police, argued kratom is addictive and harmful, that the bill does not go far enough to protect the public, and that enforcement would impose significant costs on Idaho State Police without meaningful authority. Committee members raised concerns about fiscal impacts, local control, and whether the bill effectively bans or regulates the product, and the sponsor and witnesses continued responding as testimony proceeded.

Transcript Highlights:

• And the state, well, the states in total, get over a trillion dollars from the federal government.
• The reason that states are moving towards regulation is because it allows the states to manage the risks
• It is backed by out-of-state interests targeting our state.
• We have 63 stores in four states.
• It’s matching what other states have done, and some 20 other states.

Committee: Senate Health and Welfare

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The State State Conservation Committee.
• United States Constitution. And that United States Constitution.
• or in the other states of the United States.
• </c> in its own state or in the other states in its own state or in the other states of<01:13:40.000>
• state militias, the state the that the state militias, the state national<01:20:08.640><c> guards</c>

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:35.480><c> in</c> of this bill because as I've stated in of this bill because as I've stated
• Um should the state request need.
• And also just to add, there are other states like Oregon, California, Illinois, Washington, New Jersey
• happening in other states.
• And so it's always been the case that, under state law, state law enforcement can only enforce state

Committee: Senate Public Safety and Military Affairs

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint hearing covered HB 1976, relating to dementia training for law enforcement, and HB 2443, relating to disaster services for people with disabilities and access or functional needs. For HB 1976, the Hawaii Law Enforcement Standards Board opposed the bill’s process and cost, arguing there was no documented training gap because existing CALEA accreditation already includes mental illness response training that covers dementia. Supporters, including the Alzheimer’s Association, AARP, disability advocates, caregivers, and several individuals, said dementia-specific training would help first responders better handle real-world encounters and avoid harmful misunderstandings. The committee later recommended passage with amendments, including changing mandatory language to permissive language in several places and removing a deadline for the first annual training cycle; the recommendation was adopted unanimously. For HB 2443, testimony was strongly supportive. The Disability Communication Access Board, the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Office of Wellness and Resilience, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, and individual testifiers said the bill would strengthen emergency planning and response by adding a Disability Integration Specialist and better integrating people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs into disaster preparedness, sheltering, and FEMA coordination. Several speakers emphasized recent storms and rescues as evidence of the need. The committee recommended passage with amendments, including changes based on Attorney General comments and adding specialized communications and comprehensive communications planning provisions previously contained in another bill; that recommendation was also adopted unanimously. The transcript then moved to a separate mini hearing on HB 1768, relating to immigration enforcement. Supporters, including the ACLU of Hawaii, the Legal Clinic, the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, argued the bill would prevent local law enforcement from entering 287(g)-type agreements or otherwise participating in federal immigration enforcement, citing civil rights concerns, community trust, and the need for police to focus on local public safety. One testifier raised concerns that local cooperation could help avoid mistakes in enforcement, while supporters responded that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and that local agencies should not be deputized for civil immigration arrests. The excerpt ends amid extended member questions and discussion, without showing a final vote on HB 1768.

Transcript Highlights:

• or official state sport, official state sport.
• This bill takes components of successful programs from urban states, rural states, and cities that have
• This bill takes components of successful programs from urban states, rural states, and cities that have
• Absolutely something we need to be doing in this state.
• So it's for the entire state. It's not just St.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For the technicians who are leaving the state of Missouri to the state of Illinois and other states who
• Is this really a state issue?
• So we're behind those states. Some states have gone too far.
• I'm a professor with tenure at The Ohio State University.
• States.

Committee: House Emerging Issues

Keywords: 959, house, all