Transcript Highlights:

• She's my family. She was my family doctor when I was growing up.
• But one of them is that supporting role, which we were talking about, that shared services model, which
• Plus, institutions also have disability support services units on their campus who also can assist students
• Plus, institutions also have disability support services units on their campus who also can assist students
• the students with the support services, even in the K-12 setting, if they need library access, other

Summary: The Higher Education Institutions Committee met on the Minot State University campus for presentations on campus operations, enrollment, and new academic initiatives. President Shirley reviewed recent audits, noting mostly clean results with only minor technical findings, and highlighted MSU’s broad academic offerings, specialized accreditations, athletics, and partnerships with Minot Air Force Base and the MSU Development Foundation. Members asked about declining interest in teacher education, tuition waivers for athletes, dual credit incentives, and how MSU decides when to launch new programs and avoid duplication within the university system. Shirley also discussed several workforce-focused initiatives supported by the Legislature’s Workforce Education Innovation Funds, including the purchase of the Trinity Health Center West building for a downtown health sciences hub, a new daycare/preschool partnership near campus, the Aspire program to recruit rural students into teaching, and a paraprofessional-to-special-education degree pathway. Enrollment data showed overall headcount was flat at just under 2,750, but full-time equivalent enrollment rose slightly and new student numbers increased, including the largest freshman class in 15 years. The committee also discussed Minot State’s in-state tuition rate for all students, its dual credit “Emerging Scholars” scholarship, and concerns about the share of high school graduates who do not immediately pursue postsecondary education. Faculty then presented two new programs funded in part by WEAF: an Innovation Engineering degree and a master’s program in counseling with an integrated addiction studies focus. The engineering program was described as industry-driven, designed with broad early coursework, hands-on learning, and local employer input to prepare students for western North Dakota workforce needs; officials said it had already drawn more applicants than expected and would use renovated library space and donated or grant-funded equipment. The counseling program will be mostly face-to-face with hybrid options, aims to address shortages in mental health and substance use providers, and is structured to help students meet licensure requirements. Committee members asked about startup costs, licensure supervision hours, and whether the programs would be on campus rather than online, and presenters said both programs had recently received required approvals and were moving forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• Services.
• Respond to emergencies, and keep services moving. Universal Child Care, Mr.
• House Health and Human Services Committee substitute for House Bill 295.
• House Health and Human Services Committee substitute for House Bill 295.
• House Health and Human Services Committee substitute for House Bill 295.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum on Valentine’s Day and spent much of the opening portion on ceremonial remarks, guest introductions, and announcements tied to Early Childhood Day, the New Mexico State Bar’s anniversary, and other Valentine’s-themed recognitions. Senators also approved several unanimous-consent requests excusing members from the chamber. The body then received House messages announcing passage of House Joint Resolution 6, House Bill 166, House Bill 295 as amended, House Joint Memorials 2 and 3, and House Joint Resolution 5 as amended. Committee reports were adopted on several measures, including Senate Memorial 27, Senate Memorial 21, House bills 10, 12, 34, and 63, Senate Rules Committee substitute for Senate Bill 261, Senate Finance Committee substitute for Senate Bill 151, and Senate Memorials 3 and 16, which were reported as duly enrolled and signed in open session. The Senate also introduced and referred House Bill 166 to Judiciary, House Bill 295 to Finance, House Joint Resolution 6 and House Joint Memorials 2 and 3 to Rules. The main floor action was final passage of Senate Bill 306, which updates New Mexico’s private post-secondary authorization framework to align with federal accreditation terminology and standards; it passed 42-0 after brief questions about tribal colleges and online institutions. The Senate then debated Senate Conservation Committee substitute for Senate Bill 235, the Microgrid Oversight Act, which would require large microgrids over 20 megawatts to meet renewable-energy standards, file annual energy and water reports with the PRC, and address utility cost-shifting concerns. Supporters said it would add oversight and protect air, water, and consumers, while opponents argued it would create uncertainty, discourage major economic development, and undercut a recent policy change allowing microgrids. The debate was ongoing in the excerpt, with no final vote shown for SB 235.

Transcript Highlights:

• We provide employment, housing, treatment, and rehabilitation services in support of individuals under
• They provide victims and family members with guidance and support and information for each step of the
• Field services, we deliver our reentry services to parolees to support...
• Field services, we deliver our reentry services to parolees to support their successful reintegration
• Community justice support centers are big for us. They have a lot of the services in place.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Special Commission on Criminal Justice Reform 3.0 heard a presentation from the Massachusetts Parole Board focused on consolidation, cooperation, and evidence-based supervision across the correctional system. Parole Board Chair Angela Gomez-June described the board’s mission, its coordination with the Department of Correction, houses of correction, courts, probation, law enforcement, victim services, and UMass partners, and outlined 2024 activity including 2,810 institutional release hearings, 18,238 victim notifications, 53 pardon petitions, 70 commutation petitions, 41 early termination applications, and supervision of 2,993 parolees. She emphasized the board’s shift toward individualized, data-driven decision-making, including revised GPS use, graduated sanctions, and more service-oriented community supervision. Members and sheriffs pressed for clearer breakdowns of the board’s data, including the difference between releases, hearings, and active supervision; average length of supervision; the share of lifers in the caseload; and how many people are placed in housing, employment, and treatment. The board said its active supervised population fluctuates around 1,600 to 1,800, with more than 400 lifers, and that about 30 to 36 percent of its population is housed through programs such as MASH, community justice resource centers, and sheriff-run residential programs like Rocky Hill and HOPE. Members also discussed parole refusals, noting that some individuals decline parole to avoid supervision or to serve time inside instead, and asked for a more detailed breakdown of those cases. The board and commission also discussed collaboration with DOC and UMass on risk assessment, reentry planning, and community pathways, including a tablet video explaining the parole process and pharmacist support for medication-related drug test issues. The board reported that after the SJC’s Matus decision, 210 individuals were identified as affected, 144 were immediately eligible for hearings, 100 hearings had been completed, and 10 more were scheduled; it also said clemency and commutation work had been slowed by staffing and Matus-related demands. The meeting ended with a request for follow-up data on outcomes, supervision lengths, housing and employment placements, and other consolidated statistics, and the commission announced its next public hearing for March 9 at 10 a.m. before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so it's good for the individual, for the family that's raising children. It's very important.
• </c><00:03:56.319><c> that's</c><00:03:56.720><c> that's</c><00:03:56.920><c> raising</c> the family
• that really supports that as well<00:05:01.160><c> Senator</c><00:05:01.800><c> the</c><00:05:01.919
• We are taking what's working and building on that in another area, which is the EMS services.
• You're not on the Health and Human Services Committee, but you are all over this topic.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That's why I support a ban.
• Despite bipartisan support, Governor Abbott devastated our families when he vetoed SB 3 and instead called
• The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services' 2023 reports confirm that marijuana was the most
• Texas Eagle Forum supports HB 5. Banning THC is first best for Texas families.
• health in our family.

Committee: House Public Health

Summary: The House Committee on Public Health heard House Bill 5, a proposal to ban THC products outside the Texas Compassionate Use Program while allowing non-intoxicating CBD and CBG products under tighter regulation. Chair Van Deaver gave a lengthy background on the 2018 federal Farm Bill and Texas’s 2019 hemp law, arguing that the lack of guardrails allowed a large, unregulated THC market to develop. HB 5 would impose licensing fees, product registration, testing and inspection requirements, and restrictions intended to keep products away from children. Invited witnesses from law enforcement strongly supported the bill. Steve Dye of the Texas Police Chiefs Association and Brian Hawthorne of the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas argued that THC consumables are widely mislabeled, often far more potent than advertised, and linked to youth access, impaired driving, and organized crime. Both said regulation would be ineffective and would amount to legalization, while a ban would be easier for officers to enforce. They also emphasized support for the Texas Compassionate Use Program and said medical THC should remain available. Dr. Peter Stout of the Texas Association of Crime Lab Directors and Alice Amelot of Texas DPS testified as resource witnesses about forensic testing. They said current lab resources are already stretched thin, that quantitative testing for THC and related cannabinoids is expensive and time-consuming, and that a ban would simplify enforcement because labs could focus on presence/absence testing rather than concentration. Amelot said DPS labs are neutral on the bill but explained that mislabeled products and inaccurate certificates of analysis are common. Committee members asked about traffic safety, impairment, youth use, and the costs of enforcement and lab testing; witnesses repeatedly said the bill would reduce complexity for law enforcement but that any approach would still require more resources for labs.

Transcript Highlights:

• today in support of this bill.
• I support that.
• Whether it be multi-family, single-family, they come in and clear the lot in order to dig, in order to
• of farming families.
• of farming families.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Agriculture opened its first hearing by outlining procedures, including three-minute testimony limits, written testimony options, and the plan to hear 27 bills in docket order. The committee then took testimony on H.11/S.53, a resolve promoting equity in agriculture, with advocates from the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, Southeastern Mass Agricultural Partnership, and urban farming organizations describing racial and economic disparities in farming, lack of data on BIPOC farmers, barriers to land and capital, and the need for a commission to collect information and recommend policy changes. Committee members asked questions about the importance of data collection and future policy development, and the bill was repeatedly urged to be reported favorably out of committee. Testimony also supported H.118, which would create a special commission to examine the strengths and sustainability of the Commonwealth’s emergency food network. The Amherst Survival Center described serving 1.6 million meals last year and explained that food pantries are now functioning as essential parts of the state’s food system while relying heavily on donations, volunteers, and unstable funding. Members discussed the need for a more holistic look at food security infrastructure. The committee then heard H.119/S.60 on climate change impacts on farms and fisheries, with regional planners and farm advocates describing flood damage, rising costs, canceled federal climate-smart funding, and the need for direct state support for adaptation, resilience, and infrastructure improvements. The committee also heard testimony on H.125/H.142/S.65, a healthy soils bill, from landscape professionals who said construction sites often leave poor or stripped soil and that the bill would require better post-construction soil standards to support healthier landscapes and reduce long-term maintenance and environmental problems. Finally, the committee took extensive testimony on H.127, which would prohibit aquaculture of octopus for human consumption. Supporters, including legislators, scientists, veterinarians, students, and animal welfare advocates, argued octopus are highly intelligent and sentient, cannot be farmed humanely, and that octopus aquaculture would create environmental harms such as waste runoff, pressure on wild fish stocks, and ecosystem disruption. No votes were taken during the hearing; the bills were heard and testimony was received.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sydney Pond with Northeast Medical Services, in strong support. Good afternoon. Thank you.
• Dee Wu of Northeast Medical Services, in strong support of this bill. Good afternoon.
• I'm an integrative medicine assistant at Northeast Medical Services, and I am in strong support.
• Vanessa Cahina, on behalf of the California Academy of Family Physicians, here in support.
• Joe Monroe, licensed marriage and family therapist, private practice. My full support.

Committee: Senate Health

Summary: The Senate Health Committee heard several bills focused on health care access, research funding, consumer protection, and insurance administration. SB 895 by Sen. Wiener would create the California Foundation for Science and Health Research and place a bond measure on the November 2026 ballot to support scientific and health research in California; supporters from UC, labor, and patient groups said it would protect jobs, public health, and the state’s research leadership amid federal funding cuts, while the committee later voted 6-0 to pass it as amended and re-refer it to Natural Resources and Water. SB 944 would make acupuncture a permanent Medi-Cal benefit regardless of federal matching funds; acupuncture providers, patients, health systems, and API community advocates testified in strong support, and the committee voted 6-0 to pass it as amended and re-refer it to Appropriations. The committee also considered SB 987, which would create a California Health Access Fund to capture state savings if federal Medicaid changes under H.R. 1 reduce Medi-Cal enrollment and redirect those funds to care for people who lose coverage and to reimburse safety-net providers. Support came from disability, consumer, family physician, emergency physician, hospital, and reproductive health groups; members discussed prioritizing indigent care, prevention, and safety-net needs, and the bill was moved on a unanimous vote to Appropriations. SB 964 would let a licensed provider adjust the dose or frequency of an already covered medication up to two times without prior authorization when clinically appropriate, with Crohn’s and Colitis advocates describing delays that harmed patients and insurers warning about safety and cost concerns; after committee discussion about off-label use and clinical safeguards, the bill passed 11-0 and was sent to Appropriations. Later, SB 1099 clarified local governments’ authority to provide state or local public benefits to all residents under PRWORA, with city and county counsel and local officials saying it would preserve flexibility for homeless outreach, street medicine, crisis lines, and other low-barrier services; it passed 11-0 and was re-referred to Human Services. SB 1033 would require protein product manufacturers to test for heavy metals and disclose results, prompted by Consumer Reports findings and supported by consumer, health, and women’s health groups; industry witnesses asked for narrower scope and source-level testing, and the committee voted 11-0 to pass it as amended and send it to Environmental Quality. The committee then began SB 1049, which would give providers a 90-day window after a plan’s latest action to correct certain claim errors and prevent denials based solely on missed filing deadlines; the author said it would address honest billing mistakes and recoupments, and the bill was introduced with support from medical groups and ongoing discussions with health plans.

Transcript Highlights:

• She is artistic and makes cards and gifts for friends and family. Finally.
• She is artistic and makes cards and gifts for friends and family.
• She is artistic and makes cards and gifts for friends and family.
• Service benefits. So, quite the opposite of SB 1051.
• You're not talking about child support. It's a civil offense.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I read two days ago that The Hill did a poll and suggested that 71% of Trump voters do not support the
• That is not a place where Minnesotans have ever been a supportive.
• That is not a place where Minnesotans have ever been a supportive.
• </c> they're talking about taking uh support they're talking about taking uh support according<00:03:
• </c><00:10:15.440><c> uh</c> landscape uh regarding Human Services uh landscape uh regarding Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Support Services.
• I'm going to support the bill. I'm going to support the effort moving forward.
• We're in support. Thank you.
• Anyone else in support?
• Thank you for your support. Thank you. All right. Anyone else in support?

Summary: The committee first took up SB 934 by Senator Wiener, which would extend the time for survivors of conversion therapy to bring malpractice claims and clarify how expert testimony and scientific evidence may be used in those cases. Senator Wiener and supporters, including a survivor and a licensed therapist, described conversion therapy as harmful and argued that survivors often cannot come forward within current limitation periods. Opponents, including attorneys and advocacy groups, argued the bill was an unconstitutional workaround to California’s existing ban and could chill legitimate therapy or expand liability. Committee members pressed both sides on the bill’s scope, with the author emphasizing it does not bar exploratory therapy or medical treatment, only attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill was moved on a 7-2-1 vote to the Senate Appropriations Committee, with the item placed on call; the consent calendar was also adopted 6-0 and placed on call. The committee then heard SB 1092 by Senator Allen, as amended, concerning manufactured home parks. The bill would require park owners who intend to sell to give residents or their designated representatives notice and an opportunity to submit a competitive bid, with timelines intended to allow residents to organize financing and complete due diligence. Supporters said the measure would help preserve naturally occurring affordable housing and give residents a fair chance to buy the land under their homes, especially after fire-related losses and increasing investor ownership of parks. Opponents from park-owner and realtor groups argued the bill would burden private property rights, devalue parks, and create an unconstitutional taking by imposing long timelines and restrictions that could deter buyers. Several senators questioned the 240-day process and whether the bill should include clearer good-faith or reciprocity provisions; the author said he was open to further adjustments. The transcript ends during committee discussion of SB 1092, with no final vote shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• But we are also observing higher costs for services that are paid on a fee-for-service basis.
• that are paid on a fee for services that are paid on a fee for service<00:25:01.679><c> basis.
• </c> plans to cover services for enrolles. plans to cover services for enrolles.
• Services and a quarter to the fact that some services are getting more expensive.
• . services. services.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm here representing not only the Border Patrol, but also my family, and I want to introduce the family
• I had to do both... ...both roles as a supervisor and as a family member.
• Unlike my family, who don't really know what it means.
• She's very supportive of this program.
• I'm here to support this bill.

Bills: SB215 , SB1104 , SB1351 , SB1931 , SB2245 , SB2589 , SB2707 , SB2807 , SB1423 , SB1568

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: education, funding, school districts, local control, equity, digital identification, identity verification, Department of Public Safety, Texas legislature, wireless communication, Texas, technology, identification program, fee structure, wireless devices, public safety, hunting license, handgun license, fingerprinting, dealer license

Transcript Highlights:

• I respectfully urge you to support House Resolution 25 for my father, for families like mine, and for
• So we were a peaceful and law-abiding family who believed in education, service, and coexistence.
• </c> service and coexistence. service and coexistence.
• </c> you know support to leave. you know support to leave.
• ,</c> health care, uh public services, health care, uh public services, financial<02:42:15.520><c> services

Committee: House State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So this committee is sort of working... ...access to behavioral health services.
• We're focusing on prevention, early intervention, and community-based services.
• Where are the families? Where are those for whom we are writing? Where are they?
• Where are the families? Where are those for whom we are writing? Where are they?
• And so I would just say that, you know, I definitely support number one.

Summary: The committee met for its final session before submitting a report to the governor and legislature, with introductions from state officials, legislators, advocates, providers, and facilitators. Staff explained that the meeting would focus on finalizing the committee’s strategic priorities and recommendations for a five-year behavioral health plan centered on prevention, early intervention, and community-based services. Members reviewed the draft overarching priorities, including the need for a statewide behavioral health vision and an executive-level role to coordinate behavioral health across agencies, and discussed how those priorities should reflect people with lived experience, families, and community voice. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on the draft recommendations and how they should be organized and worded. Members raised concerns that the document was too aspirational and not specific enough, and several suggested moving more detailed actions under the broader priorities rather than leaving them in a separate section. There was also discussion about the use of the term “evidence-based,” with tribal representatives and others asking for language that also recognizes practice-based evidence, promising practices, cultural specificity, and flexibility in funding and implementation. Members also discussed clarifying “early intervention,” adding examples such as universal screening, outpatient access, primary care integration, and home visiting, and ensuring the plan reflects accountability and community feedback. Other edits included clarifying credentialing recommendations to distinguish between licensure and payer credentialing, adding mentorship as a workforce retention strategy, and broadening Medicaid-centric language to include carriers and insurers more generally. Staff noted the report would be revised and sent back out for review by May 22, with comments due by May 27, in order to meet the June 1 submission deadline. No public comment was offered, and the meeting ended with thanks to members and facilitators for their work.

Transcript Highlights:

• to support their buildings but to support their buildings to<00:42:28.800><c> support</c><00:42:29.240
• And so homeless services needs.
• </c> service location to provide the services service location to provide the services that<00:50:40.360
• Not<00:51:32.720><c> Not</c><00:51:33.000><c> supported.</c> Not Not supported. Not Not supported.
• service to God, family,<01:08:15.120><c> community,</c><01:08:15.800><c> and</c><01:08:16.000><c> country

Keywords: House streaming session for Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 957, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Theodorovic, Director of Budget Services, Judicial Council, long-term Judicial Service Council member
• You know we are in the service of people in service and the initial and primary what I would describe
• On the one hand, this money will improve service levels.
• It might be providing that family closure, but in order to do that, we need data, again, from that family
• The money recommended, the $6.5 million, is not enough to support the program. support the program at

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Supportive housing providers across our state deliver critical services that help keep our neighbors
• So, this is a $25 million one-time funding in the supportive housing area.
• that comes in with some of the wrap-around mental health services, addiction services, which I've heard
• </c> are correct that you know, supportive are correct that you know, supportive housing.<00:26:58.600
• </c> particularly for permanent supportive particularly for permanent supportive housing<00:35:24.760

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are in support of this bill.
• I support H.B. 477 in its original form.
• Well, please consider, for the sake of my family and families all across Florida, protect our ecosystems
• Well, please consider for the sake of my family, families all across Florida, protect our ecosystems,
• So while I support the initiative...

Summary: The Natural Resources and Disaster Subcommittee took up eight bills focused on water policy, coastal resilience, environmental regulation, beaches, wildlife funding, and carbon sequestration. HB 7001 preserved the public-record exemption for site-specific location information on endangered and threatened species before its scheduled repeal, and it was reported favorably 16-0. H.R. 661, expressing support for a “one-water” approach to the state water supply, drew discussion about whether it implied centralized control; an amendment aligning the resolution with Senate language was adopted, and the resolution passed 16-0 with a committee substitute. The committee also advanced HB 1345 on infrastructure and resiliency, which after a strike-all amendment authorized DEP to procure coastal resiliency projects through public-private partnerships and use incentives such as revenue-sharing, expedited permitting, public engagement, and workforce training; it passed 16-0. HB 477 on weather modification was substantially amended to return to current statute and add a $10,000 fine for failing to obtain a permit; the bill drew extensive public testimony both for and against weather modification and cloud seeding, and it passed as amended with a committee substitute. HB 6043, repealing the 2018 customary-use beach statute affecting Walton County, prompted testimony about beach access, tourism losses, and private property rights; it passed 17-0. The committee then approved CS for HB 843, making clarifying changes to Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission trust funds and allowing use of the non-game wildlife trust fund for law enforcement and coordination with related agencies and landowners; it passed 17-0. HB 1169 revised water management district planning, budgeting, reporting, and procurement practices, including restrictions on lobbyist funds and updated project preference rules; two amendments were adopted and the bill passed 16-0. Finally, HB 1063 created a task force to study carbon sequestration and related ecosystem services in Florida’s natural and agricultural lands and waters; after amendments removing a fiscal component and clarifying voluntary participation and property-rights protections, it passed 15-2. The meeting adjourned after all bills were reported favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, I see a great deal of support for the Services Manager.
• For increased funding to support mental health services and staff in schools.
• system that supports a student's needs, regardless of where the services are delivered.
• Our family sacrificed to provide the educational support he needed.
• As previously stated, I help other families get support and services for their children.

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And whereas Richard has had the support and love of his family, his siblings Brian, Maureen, Carol, and
• Domestic violence services, services for the developmentally disabled, broad-based health services, property
• Second, it would restore funding to social services providers whose support is being cut in this budget
• certain measures concerning minors' use of online services.
• We have to support small companies. This is not a major dollar factor.

Keywords: 1146, all