Transcript Highlights:

• . this House take up this measure.
• </c><07:55:17.440><c> And</c> this house take up this measure. And this house take up this measure.
• 56:57.440><c> and</c> provides free preventative care and provides free preventative care and requires
• We can prevent a legislation.
• We don't need to weaken energy and water conservation measures that help people save money.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and then there would be no time for me to be a student so definitely would not only delay but it'll prevent
• For 24 years, this law has prevented high school dropouts. has expanded our workforce, has ensured that
• to economic stability. of increasing, by increasing tax revenues, using fewer social services, preventing
• HB 232 would prevent Texans from access. Seeing higher education based on the immigration status.
• These young people are part of. our communities and trying to prevent them from accessing education is

Bills: HB232

Committee: House Higher Education

Keywords: disaster recovery, natural disaster, weather disaster, emergency relief, flood relief, hurricane relief, storm damage, wildfire, tornado, hail, windstorm, extreme heat, ice storm, snowstorm, property damage, personal injury, temporary housing, relocation assistance, lost wages, state emergency management

Transcript Highlights:

• It likely will prevent us from maybe having to engage beds that we have offline sooner by being able
• toward these guidelines and go toward requirements of having to parole, you know, when certain measurements
• And we believe that if this law was in place at that time, it may have gone a long way to prevent...
• Additionally, continually being up for review prevents inmates from participating in certain programs
• not apply to exculpatory, impeaching, or mitigating evidence benefiting a defendant, nor does it prevent

Bills: SB552 , SB1099 , SB1124 , SB1208 , SB1372 , SB1506 , SB1667 , SB1804 , SB1806 , SB1870 , SB1936 , SB1937 , SB2180 , SB2405 , SB2569 , SB2570 , SB1646

Committee: Senate Criminal Justice

Keywords: community supervision, criminal justice, illegal alien, deferred adjudication, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, SB 1099, undocumented immigrant, unauthorized immigrant, immigration status, felony sentencing enhancement, criminal penalty increase, Texas Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, affirmative finding, judgment finding, deportation, public safety, immigration enforcement, sentencing reform, felony offense

Summary: The committee heard a series of criminal justice bills, beginning with SB 1870 and SB 1727, both of which were adopted as committee substitutes and reported favorably to the full Senate. SB 1870 would bar local governments from adopting policies that decriminalize controlled substances or direct officials not to enforce state drug laws, with civil penalties enforced by the Attorney General for violations. SB 1727 was described as a technical change to make the draft a formal Legislative Council version of a TDCJ-related assault bill; both bills were also sent to the local and uncontested calendar. The committee then took up SB 2405, the major Sunset bill for TDCJ, the Board of Pardons and Paroles, Windham School District, and the Correctional Managed Health Care Committee. Senator Parker explained that the bill continues and modernizes those agencies, requires a 10-year facilities and staffing plan, expands rehabilitation and reentry programming, improves parole-board consistency and training, and codifies various cleanup and inspector general recommendations. Sunset staff and agency witnesses discussed the bill’s data-sharing, program coordination, and projected savings from reducing delays in parole-voted programming; public witnesses generally supported the post-secondary education and reentry provisions, while some urged stronger statutory direction for Windham and more reform to medically recommended intensive supervision. The bill was left pending. SB 1804, SB 1099, SB 2569, and SB 2570 were also heard. SB 1804 would allow restitution for tattoo removal for human trafficking survivors and remove the age restriction so adult survivors can qualify; it was reported favorably and sent to the local calendar. SB 1099 would increase penalties for certain felony offenses when committed by a person determined to be unlawfully present in the country; immigration and civil rights witnesses opposed it as overbroad and difficult to administer, but it was reported favorably. SB 2569 would modernize unmanned aircraft reporting by requiring law enforcement agencies to post reports on public websites; it passed unanimously and was sent to the local calendar. SB 2570 would create a defense to prosecution for peace officers and correctional guards using less-lethal force weapons within the scope of their training; law enforcement witnesses supported it, civil rights and prosecutor witnesses raised concerns that it was too broad and could weaken existing use-of-force standards, and the bill was left pending for further work.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we see that as another role of ours in terms of the prevention space.
• space because the more prevention happens, the less we're needed for response ultimately.
• </c><00:25:05.039><c> space</c> help work in the prevention space help work in the prevention space because
• happens,</c><00:25:07.360><c> the</c> because the more prevention happens, the because the more prevention
• </c> confidence in the processes to prevent confidence in the processes to prevent uh<00:50:29.440><c

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• That has the effect of preventing the rate from going up by 0.6 cents.
• That has the effect<00:08:22.479><c> of</c><00:08:22.720><c> preventing</c><00:08:23.120><c> the</c><
• 00:08:23.360><c> rate</c><00:08:24.319><c> uh</c><00:08:24.479><c> from</c> effect of preventing the
• ,</c><00:20:02.799><c> but</c> through non-traditional measures, but through non-traditional measures
• The secondary performance measure that we're looking at is the impacts on crashes.

Committee: Joint Transportation

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The law aims to create laboratory conditions in which the will of the majority of workers is measured
• The law aims to create laboratory conditions in which the will of the majority of workers is measured
• recent decades as employers have grown increasingly aggressive and sophisticated in their attempts to prevent
• 00:36:08.240><c> of</c><00:36:08.359><c> resources</c><00:36:09.440><c> in</c><00:36:09.600><c> preventing
• </c> great deal of resources in preventing great deal of resources in preventing these<00:36:10.880><

Committee: Senate Labor

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You guys are blessed beyond measure.
• This bill requires local governments to support the enforcement of federal immigration law, prevents
• They don't get preventative care, and in the end, it costs all of us a lot more money.
• policy change statewide could mean for outbreaks of meningitis, for pneumonia, for other vaccine-preventable
• This is going to be a great cost-saving measure.

Summary: The Senate began with opening prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognitions, including the doctor of the day and a lighthearted “Cannoli Day” introduction. The chamber then held an extended farewell celebration for Senator Joe Gruters, with numerous senators, colleagues, and family members praising his loyalty, political skill, family focus, and service in the Legislature and Republican Party. Gruters was presented with a commemorative gift recognizing his work on a 2019 public-safety and immigration bill that prohibited sanctuary cities and required local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The Senate adopted a motion to spread Gruters’s remarks upon the journal and then recessed briefly. After recess, the Senate returned to regular business and took up third-reading bills. Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 354, relating to blue ribbon projects, was temporarily postponed. The chamber then considered Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1758, relating to public assistance, with Senator Gates explaining that it contained five reforms to the public assistance system discussed earlier in session. During debate on SB 1758, Senator Berman opposed the bill, saying he could not support it in its current form because he believed the Medicaid-related provisions would create a coverage cliff after the one-year transition period and could leave people without care while increasing costs to hospitals and taxpayers. He also said SNAP error reduction should be a priority, but argued the state should focus on fixing administrative errors and fraud rather than imposing a work requirement whose costs and effects were uncertain.

Transcript Highlights:

• You guys are blessed beyond measure.
• This bill requires local governments to support the enforcement of federal immigration law, prevents
• They don't get preventative care, and in the end, it costs all of us a lot more money.
• policy change statewide could mean for outbreaks of meningitis, for pneumonia, for other vaccine-preventable
• This is going to be a great cost-saving measure.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I know it still goes on, so I hope this does a better job of finding out the cause and trying to prevent
• I know it still goes on, so I hope this does a better job of finding out the cause and trying to prevent
• do</c><00:09:24.800><c> we</c><00:09:24.920><c> know</c><00:09:25.120><c> what</c> and trying to prevent
• it do we know what and trying to prevent it do we know what happened<00:09:25.600><c> with</c><00:09
• So we do take measures to ensure the smaller districts are redacted kind of more efficiently than the

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• percentage of sales, and the excise tax on the left-side y-axis is represented by the blue line and is measured
• Whatever the measure you like, the conclusion is the same: oil is a globally traded commodity.
• And I would add, to date, as I understand it, the transparency measures are largely around reporting
• That will prevent further market concentration.
• That will prevent further market concentration.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications held an oversight hearing on managing the transportation fuels transition, fuel pricing, and supply reliability. Chair Allen opened by discussing prior legislation, including SB 1322 and special session measures, that expanded reporting to the California Energy Commission (CEC) and gave the state tools to study gasoline costs, refinery margins, inventories, and potential supply disruptions. He framed the hearing around refinery closures, rising imports, global conflict affecting crude markets, and the need to balance affordability, reliability, and the state’s long-term clean-fuels transition. CEC Vice Chair Siva Gunda, CDTFA Chief Deputy Director Gentian Droboniku, and DPMO Director Ty Miller presented data showing California’s growing dependence on imported crude and refined products, declining in-state refining capacity, and stable-to-tight inventories that are being supported by higher imports. They said the new transparency laws have improved understanding of the market and pointed to the proposed Gateway Pipeline, marine imports, and distribution constraints as important supply issues. CDTFA and DPMO emphasized that retail margins, especially for branded gasoline, have widened significantly, with large price gaps between branded stations and hypermarts/unbranded stations, and that some of the recent price increases were tied to the Iran conflict while earlier spikes were more consistent with localized market behavior and possible price gouging. DPMO also said it is investigating high-priced branded stations, monitoring algorithmic pricing under AB 325, and continuing to analyze diesel spot-market transparency. The CEC and CARB also discussed the Transportation Fuels Transition Plan and the SB 237 assessment, describing them as efforts to plan for a managed decline in fossil fuel demand while protecting workers, communities, and consumers. They said California’s climate goals remain centered on an 85% greenhouse gas reduction by 2045, with continued use of liquid fuels expected but with lower-carbon alternatives, more efficient vehicles, and alternative fuels playing a larger role. Committee members focused heavily on workforce impacts, the need for concrete transition planning, and whether the agencies could provide a clearer picture of what California’s fuel system will look like under the state’s long-term goals. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• like a dorm room where people can come and go and leave the facility, or are there accountability measures
• Points should primarily measure risky driving behavior.
• Point should be primarily measure risk-dicky driving behavior.
• They're being represented as something that can prevent absconding or prevent people from going where
• And when people have a higher success rate of sobriety, staying sober, you know, it prevents DUIs, preventing

Committee: Joint Judiciary Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, House Bill 915 sets clear timelines, uniform standards, and accountability measures for managed
• It preserves the Louisiana Sanitary Code, which authorizes disease control measures, isolation, quarantine
• So healthy, asymptomatic individuals—this is protecting their medical freedoms, so preventing discrimination
• It did not prevent the spread. People still got the COVID vaccine.

Committee: Senate Health and Welfare

Summary: The Senate Committee on Health and Welfare met on May 13 and approved the minutes from the prior week before taking up a series of House bills, many of them with testimony from sponsors, agency officials, and stakeholders. Early action included HB 971, which would direct LDH to equalize Medicaid reimbursement rates between independent rural health clinics and hospital-owned rural health clinics; the sponsor described a significant payment disparity and the committee reported the bill favorably. The committee also deferred HB 1030 and HB 796 until the following week before moving to other items on the agenda. Several bills dealing with Medicaid and provider regulation were advanced. HB 414, as amended, closes a loophole so health care providers cannot hire unlicensed workers with certain serious out-of-state convictions; amendments addressed effective dates, FBI background-check issues for therapeutic group homes, and delays for direct support professional applicants caused by minor record issues. HB 740, as amended, creates an independent review process for Medicaid claims disputes in the coordinated system of care for behavioral health providers, with amendments clarifying applicability dates and program definitions. HB 786, which prohibits extrapolation in managed care claims recoupments and requires recovery to be based on actual overpayments or underpayments, was also reported favorably. HB 915 set timelines and accountability standards for prior authorization and utilization management in Medicaid managed care and was reported favorably after testimony about delays in care. The committee also heard and passed several bills affecting health professions and facilities. HB 405 simply updates the name of the national acupuncture certification body. HB 1095 allows nursing homes to use alternative power sources while keeping existing generator and fuel requirements. HB 557 defines long-term care pharmacies for policy purposes. HB 779 authorizes expedited partner therapy prescriptions for certain sexually transmitted diseases. HB 933 creates an optional commemorative birth certificate, with part of the fee going to the Office of Women’s Health. HB 796, carried by another representative for the author, establishes a chiropractic preceptorship program with on-site supervision requirements and was reported favorably after questions about student training and patient safety. The committee also heard emotionally charged testimony on HB 288, which would place the term “miscarriage” alongside “spontaneous abortion” in medical documentation and patient communication. Several witnesses described the distress caused by current coding language, and supporters said the change would make records more compassionate and understandable; the bill was reported favorably. HB 403 increased the cottage food gross-sales cap, and after testimony from small producers and the committee’s discussion of other states’ higher limits, an amendment raised the cap to $150,000 before the bill was reported favorably. HB 930 modernizes cosmetic-product regulation and creates a small home-based producer exemption under a wholesale-sales threshold; it was also reported favorably. Finally, HB 1041, a no-mandate bill restricting discrimination based on medical intervention status, prompted extended debate over exemptions for schools, hospitals, and other entities, with one amendment failing on a roll-call vote and the discussion continuing over the scope of the bill and federal funding concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• So hopefully we can come up with a single, thoughtful, measured, good piece of legislation related to
• And if I substitute the legal profession for the language here that says, 'Nothing shall prevent a person
• And this is the amendment we heard in crime and prevention.
• How is it that when we say that on a ballot measure, you say we're just overriding the vote of the people

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So hopefully we can come up with a single, thoughtful, measured, good piece of legislation related to
• And if I substitute the legal profession for the language here that says, 'Nothing shall prevent a person
• And this is the amendment we heard in crime and prevention.
• How is it that when we say that on a ballot measure, you say we're just overriding the vote of the people

Summary: The House opened with prayer, approved the previous day’s journal unanimously, and then adopted a motion suspending House Rule 98 to allow members to wear hats on the floor. Members also introduced several special guests, including the Eugene High School Class 2 basketball champions, family members, scholarship recipients, and other visitors. One member used a lengthy personal privilege speech to criticize a recent U.S. Supreme Court voting-rights decision and warn about threats to democracy and minority voting power. The chamber then took up committee reports and several bills. It approved a motion to go to conference on the property-tax omnibus measure tied to Senate Bills 1066 and 1088. House Bill 3329, repealing expired tax credits, passed 142-0. House Bill 3405, clarifying the SALT deduction and improving tax-credit accounting, also passed 138-0. House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2426, a parental-rights bill that also drew criticism over a school financial-ledger requirement and possible burdens on schools and student safety, failed on third reading 70-60. The House next passed House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1233, a professional-licensing bill involving CPA exam access and other occupational licensing changes, by 129-6 after adopting an amendment removing compact language and rejecting a nursing-home physicals amendment. It then passed House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1408, which raises the maximum rural interstate speed limit to 75 mph and, through multiple amendments, also carried a mix of transportation-related provisions including vehicle inspections, hands-free enforcement, motorcycle lighting, driver education, and specialty license plates for women’s professional sports; the final vote was 82-53. The Speaker also appointed a conference committee for Senate Bill 1066. The final item mentioned was Senate Substitute No. 2 for Senate Bill 863, described as an interscholastic athletic oversight/appeals bill, but the transcript cuts off before its final action is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• So it wouldn't just prevent new feeding bans. It would also undo the ones that are currently there.
• So it wouldn't just prevent new feeding bands.
• of the impetus behind trying to detect the disease sooner rather than later, get mitigations and measures
• Let me ask you this: if the bill passes or the resolution passes, both of them, how do you measure, as

Committee: House Natural Resources & Environment

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that local counties are actually raising the assessed value of homes that undertake wind mitigation measures
• bill makes clear that they may not increase the assessment of a property based on wind mitigation measures
• The ounce of prevention, Section 5A, does it seem appropriate over the last eight years that I've only
• extremely focused on preparedness, states and locals to be extremely focused on preparedness and preventing

Summary: The committee took up four bills before moving to a broader discussion of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Trust Fund. SB 434, which would prohibit counties from increasing a home’s assessed value because the owner installed wind mitigation measures, was presented as a homeowner protection measure and reported favorably. CS/SB 110, clarifying that certain 98-year-or-longer residential leaseholders remain eligible for the homestead exemption even if the lease ends at death, was also reported favorably without opposition. SB 856, requiring online real estate listing platforms to display estimated ad valorem taxes using prescribed calculation methods and not the current owner’s tax bill, drew supportive testimony from property appraisers, Zillow, and local government groups; members emphasized transparency for buyers, especially first-time homebuyers, and the bill was reported favorably. The committee then spent most of the meeting on SPB 7040, which would recreate and extend the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund through December 31, 2027. Supporters, including the Division of Emergency Management, argued the fund is needed for hurricanes, flooding, other disasters, and rapid response operations, and said the extension preserves legislative oversight that would otherwise lapse. Opponents from advocacy and policy groups argued the fund has been used too broadly, especially for immigration-related detention and enforcement activities, and criticized the lack of tighter guardrails and transparency. They cited deaths in detention facilities, the use of emergency dollars for non-disaster purposes, and concerns about political favoritism and public accountability. Director Kevin Guthrie testified at length in support of the extension, explaining that the fund is used for natural, man-made, and technological emergencies, that reimbursements from federal and other sources are returned to the fund, and that the state has used it for hurricanes, flooding, civil unrest, international evacuations, and immigration-related operations under Operation Vigilant Sentry. He said the division has sought federal reimbursement for some expenses and that the fund helps the state respond quickly when emergencies arise. Members questioned the size of the fund, the amount spent on immigration-related activities, the status of federal reimbursements, and whether lawmakers should have more oversight or unannounced access to detention facilities. The bill discussion remained ongoing in the portion provided, with no final vote on SPB 7040 shown in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair and members, Senate Bill 1044 and SCR-103 are companion measures. Thank you.
• Members, Senate Bill 1044 and SCR 1003 are companion measures.
• And there's nothing in the bill that would prevent it from being earmarked for one child.
• And there's nothing in the bill that would prevent it from being earmarked for one child.

Bills: SB1042 , SB1043 , SB1044 , SB1135 , SB1136 , SB1142 , SB1180 , SB1221 , SB1252 , SB1254 , SCR1003

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: public funds, virtual currency, bitcoin, investment, Arizona Strategic Digital Asset Reserve Act, state treasurer, retirement system, state payments, cryptocurrency, Arizona law, payment methods, government transactions, property tax, tax exemption, Arizona Revised Statutes, digital currency, workers' compensation, death benefits, burial costs, spousal compensation

Transcript Highlights:

• the funding stream that we could get for restoration could include options, um, uh, conservation measures
• regulatory entity, and we are, um, entirely responsive to releases, and, we don't have a role in preventing
• historically at ONRT and during my term in this job, um, we have focused on funding conservation measures
• Preventing additional contamination, for example, because, um, We don't have water, you know, we're,

Committee: House Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• We nip stuff in the bud to prevent hospitalization and other more costly outcomes to the best of our
• We nip stuff in the bud to prevent<00:13:25.120><c> hospitalization</c><00:13:26.079><c> and</c><00:13
• :26.320><c> other</c><00:13:26.560><c> more</c> prevent hospitalization and other more prevent hospitalization
• Um, and then in the new House Bill 152 measure that's going to be funded by localities, local governments
• Um, and then in the new House Bill 152 measure that's going to be funded by localities, local governments

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Health and Family Services heard a presentation on Kentucky personal care homes from representatives of the Kentucky Association of Healthcare Facilities, Management Systems of Kentucky, and Elder Care Partners. Witnesses described personal care homes as a lower-cost, 24/7 residential option for adults with serious mental illness who do not qualify for nursing home care but need structured support, medication assistance, meals, housekeeping, transportation, and supervision. They said the homes are regulated by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, are not Medicaid-funded, and rely on a state supplementation rate of about $50.70 per day, which they argued no longer covers operating costs because of rising food, labor, insurance, and maintenance expenses. The presenters said the sector has shrunk significantly over time, citing a drop from 64 homes in 2002 to 34 today among the homes serving this population, with 30 closures over 23 years and two more closures since August. They argued that the closures have contributed to homelessness, hospital overcrowding, and longer stays in psychiatric hospitals, and they gave examples of residents who had spent many months in hospitals before stabilizing in a personal care home. One provider also described spending more than $800,000 on capital improvements after acquiring Kentucky facilities and said reimbursement is too low to sustain safe operations. They asked for an incremental reimbursement increase over two years and said they have also proposed an assisted-living model for people with mental illness. Members asked about staffing, reimbursement, and the number of people still needing placement. The presenters said there is no requirement for licensed or certified staff in these facilities, though some homes use medication technicians and occasional LPNs. They estimated they are currently serving about 2,000 residents and said they receive roughly 30 referrals for every one person admitted, with many referrals involving people whose needs exceed the personal care home level. Senator Meredith and Representative Fleming said any funding request would need documentation of savings and corresponding budget offsets, while Representative Duval expressed support and asked about possible staffing and program improvements. The witnesses also compared Kentucky’s flat-rate reimbursement to a more individualized reimbursement model in Minnesota, saying a needs-based system would better match staffing and reduce hospitalizations.

Transcript Highlights:

• He spent the next five years of his life doing more to help addiction recovery and prevention in New
• Nor does it go far to prevent overdoses or fatal overdose deaths.
• </c> far to nor does it do much to prevent far to nor does it do much to prevent overdoses<00:54:56.240
• It followed investments in treatment, recovery, prevention, and harm reduction.
• ,<01:08:23.839><c> and</c><01:08:24.080><c> community</c><01:08:24.400><c> based</c> prevention, and

Committee: House Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Keywords: 1189, house, all