Bills: SB210 , SB292 , HB360 , HB233 , HB66 , HB356 , HB164 , HB238 , HB209 , SB223 , HB307 , SB210 , SB292 , HB360 , HB233 , HB66 , HB356 , HB164 , HB238 , HB209 , SB223 , HB307

Committee: House Judiciary

Keywords: hospital liens, medical billing, government healthcare, insurance claims, patient rights, education oversight, subpoena authority, investigation, State Superintendent, school misconduct, drug courts, accountability, veterans, mental health, substance abuse, rehabilitation, criminal justice, court intervention, elder abuse, financial exploitation

Transcript Highlights:

• If you require assistance in registering or testifying, please contact the committee staff.
• especially when considering that less than 21% of the investment we have is utilized effectively to assist
• I even asked the man if he needed assistance, if he needed to go somewhere. He likes that area.
• Finally, to assist in the prosecution of serial offenders, this bill does two things.
• Allen, you're registered as Kayla Allen, first assistant at the Galveston County District Attorney's

Bills: HB316 , HB353 , HB 1160 , HB1414 , HB1422 , HB1443 , HB1713 , HB1789 , HB1902 , HB2073 , HB2666 , HB2695 , HB316

Committee: House Criminal Jurisprudence

Keywords: motor fuel, criminal offense, metering device, organized crime, Texas Penal Code, trespassing, school safety, day-care centers, education, trespass, public safety, utility employees, criminal penalties, assault, harassment, public duties, safety, law enforcement, driving offenses, license regulations

Transcript Highlights:

• If you require assistance in registering or testifying, please let our committee clerk know.
• Workforce Commission administers the State Unemployment Insurance Program, which provides financial assistance
• They found that limiting the duration of UI assistance did not correlate with. improved labor market
• I'm Stephen Leary, Assistant General Counsel at the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Bills: HB 112 , HB199 , HB621 , HB1349 , HB2214 , HB3466 , HB3698 , HB3699 , HCR9 , HB112 , HB199 , HCR9

Committee: House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development

Keywords: science park district, economic development, technology innovation, higher education collaboration, infrastructure development, Texas Economic Development Office, workforce development, unemployment benefits, state average unemployment rate, benefit year, economic support, Texas Workforce Commission, property owners' association, free speech, assembly rights, government officials, political candidates, floodplain, landlord, tenant

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill contains clarifying language from the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program.
• This bill contains clarifying language from the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program.
• This bill contains clarifying language from the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program.
• This bill contains clarifying language from the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program.
• This bill contains clarifying language from the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program.

Bills: HF1082 , HF1042 , HF1295 , HF1686 , HF1998 , HF1775 , HF1163

Committee: House Public Safety Finance and Policy

Keywords: public safety, law enforcement, mental health, domestic violence, appropriations, criminal justice, Minnesota corrections, victim services, task force, personal safety, Independent Use of Force Investigations Unit, criminal sexual conduct, sexual assault, peace officers, law enforcement oversight, Minnesota National Guard, U.S. armed forces, military installation, armory, air base

Transcript Highlights:

• And occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants practicing in Texas will always be bound
• Between April 1 and May 30th of this year to try the program goal is to try and assist 250 individuals
• You are testifying on behalf of the Texas Academy of Physician Assistants. and yourself and you are for
• Physician assistants have a long and deeply rooted history in military. services.
• So I designated each location to have an assistant superintendent. a medical director and a chief nurse

Bills: HB713 , HB827 , HB932 , HB499 , HB510 , HB163 , HB296 , HB879 , HB913 , HB163 , HB296

Committee: House Public Health

Keywords: healthcare, maternal health, reporting requirements, Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee, health provider immunity, workplace violence, nurses, grant program, healthcare facilities, safety measures, safety, nursing, grants, healthcare safety, verbal abuse, physical abuse, nurse empowerment, occupational therapy, licensure, interstate practice

Transcript Highlights:

• To assist with that complexity, the military special operations community carries a standardized map
• Whereas we had standardized maps to assist us in the military, that doesn’t exist for schools or responders
• the state mobilization plans, what we've done is now we have local medical directors and that has assisted
• First responders are often exposed to significant roadside dangers during traffic stops and accident
• Unlike alcohol, there is currently no standardized or court-accepted roadside test for cannabis impairment

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused on a range of public safety bills, with especially emotional testimony on the Maggie Hubbard Rental Safety Act, which would require short-term rentals to be inspected for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and require platforms or agents to verify compliance before listing. Rep. Hadley Luddy, Sen. Julian Cyr, and the Hubbard and Waldron families described the fatal Airbnb fire that killed Shannon Hubbard and her daughter Maggie in New York, saying the deaths were preventable and that the bill would save lives. Committee members expressed sympathy and support for the families’ efforts to turn their loss into legislation. The committee also heard testimony on a proposed peace officer oath (S. 1680), described by Sen. Lydia Edwards as a binding ethical standard tied to certification and recertification, with discipline and annual reporting to promote accountability and de-escalation. Rep. Tom Walsh testified for a bill requiring hotel and motel workers to be trained to recognize human trafficking and to post hotline signage, and later testimony supported a school safety data grant program to provide first responders with standardized, up-to-date school maps for emergencies. Another major topic was a bill to allow temporary door-locking devices in public buildings; supporters said the devices are removable, do not alter fire code, and could improve lockdown response during active shooter events. Additional bills discussed included measures to transfer the Office of Emergency Medical Services to EOPSS, increase penalties for unlicensed hood-system cleaning, expand membership on the Massachusetts Fire Training Council, and strengthen confidentiality for peer support and critical incident stress debriefings. Firefighters and fire chiefs also supported a bill to tighten penalties for violations of hot-work regulations, citing the 2014 Beacon Street fire that killed Lt. Walsh and Firefighter Kennedy. Law enforcement groups backed a package including a Blue Star plate and Blue Alert system for fallen officers’ families, stronger move-over penalties, and a memorial fund, while the State Police Association supported the move-over provisions but asked for further work on the special state police officer bill before final action. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• officer makes a stop and has this idea, they're going to bring somebody else there to do whatever roadside
• It's an advanced roadside training for drugs as well, and there's over 2,000 of them in the state.
• Then the other half of that is we removed the roadside, which I do think is going to create issues of

Keywords: 977, all

Transcript Highlights:

• American service members and hundreds of thousands and even millions of people with what's called roadside
• They were the kings of the roadside bomb. And we took out Solommani.
• 02:02:34.800><c> the</c> [applause] He was the father of the [applause] He was the father of the roadside

Keywords: Presidential address to the Joint Session of the United States Congress on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm assistant chief of the crime lab division at Texas DPS. My other title is Deputy Lab Director.
• There really isn't a version of a roadside test for it.
• So it's very dependent on what happens at the roadside to establish impairment, and there aren't roadside
• tests that effectively can be used to say that impairment at the roadside.
• I was a prominent physical therapist assistant. I specialized in chronic pain.

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:

• Quintana will also share part of what we're doing to assist, keeping in mind that the Department of Transportation
• made bales with them, and we use them as erosion control measures and as safety features on the roadside
• Finally, regarding the Bridge Management Section, our group out of Santa Fe will assist with some of
• of our Santa Fe office; he is the most competent snooper operator. for New Mexico DOT, and he will assist
• Transportation Policy Fund, our project fund that was passed in 2019, which went a long way to help us assist

Transcript Highlights:

• Testimony to the assistant clerk. We will need 40 copies with your name on each copy.
• If you wish to provide oral testimony, please fill out a witness card and turn it in to the assistant
• We've expanded our roadside stations.
• existing riders and one of particular interest to me is Rider 19, which is the Texas Wine Marketing Assistance
• I'm Lena Wilson I'm the assistant commissioner for food and nutrition at the Texas Department of Agriculture

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:

• addition to on our land, we've watched with alarm as aggressive calgary pear trees have dominated roadsides

Committee: House Conservation and Natural Resources

Keywords: 959, house, all

Bills: SB378 , SB540 , SB1061 , SB1475 , SB1531 , SB1534 , SB1684 , SB1824 , SB1826 , SB2049

Committee: House Commerce & Economic Development Oversight

Keywords: bail bondsman, bondsman license, multicounty agent bondsman, surety bondsman, Insurance Commissioner, bail bond regulation, bond deposit, forfeiture, deposit ratio, writing capacity, license transfer, power of attorney, surety bond, bail industry, Oklahoma insurance law, financial solvency, administrative action, dentist, dental hygienist, dentistry

Transcript Highlights:

• Intelligent speed assistance, or ISA, is a latent safety vehicle technology found at the middle of the
• Yeah, so what you're talking about is what I was discussing is the intelligent speed assistance, the
• You might need your microphone on, or maybe we need assistance from... Thank you.
• I mean, on the roadside, they are confiscating the license. I think the judge mentioned that.
• And so I'm here to ask you to please consider intelligence speed assistance.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Intelligent speed assistance, or ISA, is a latent safety vehicle technology found at the middle of the
• You might need your microphone on, or maybe we need assistance from... Thank you.
• I mean, on the roadside, they are confiscating the license. I think the judge mentioned that.
• And also, you know, investing in technology to assist in an enforcement capability.
• And so I'm here to ask you to please consider intelligent speed assistance.

Summary: The joint Senate Public Safety and Transportation hearing focused on DUI, impaired driving, speeding, distracted driving, road design, and the broader traffic safety system in California. Chairs Jesse Arreguín and Dave Cortese said the purpose was to inform upcoming legislation and noted that no bills would be acted on at the hearing. They emphasized the scale of the problem, including thousands of fatal and serious injury crashes each year, and framed the discussion around a Safe System approach that combines infrastructure, enforcement, education, and technology. The first panel covered current DUI law and traffic safety research. Thomas Nozowitz of the Committee on Revision of the Penal Code outlined California’s DUI penalty structure, including escalating misdemeanor and felony penalties, license suspensions, ignition interlock devices, Watson advisories, and homicide-related offenses such as vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and Watson murder. Stephanie Doherty of the Office of Traffic Safety described statewide crash trends, the role of alcohol, drugs, and speeding in fatalities, and state efforts such as the Safe System approach, safety corridors, and grant funding for impaired-driving countermeasures. Dr. Julia Griswold of UC Berkeley SafeTREC presented research favoring systemic interventions like self-explaining roads, safer speed limits, speed safety cameras, intelligent speed assistance, ignition interlocks, sobriety checkpoints, and treatment for chronic offenders, while noting that first-time DUI offenders account for a large share of fatal crashes. Members pressed the panelists on first-offense DUI treatment, ignition interlocks, speed governors, diversion, and whether tougher sanctions or vehicle technology would better reduce recidivism. Several senators raised concerns about repeat offenders, alcohol-use disorder, and the need for earlier intervention, while others questioned the effectiveness and cost of in-car devices. The panel also discussed data gaps and the need for better reporting and coordination between courts and DMV. The second panel, with DMV Director Steve Gordon and Judge Lisa Rodriguez, explained how administrative and court processes work in parallel: DMV receives court abstracts and can impose administrative per se suspensions quickly, while courts handle criminal cases, probation, and sentencing on a slower timeline. Both witnesses said the system is complex and paper-heavy but improving, and they acknowledged the need for better integration, clearer statutes, faster reporting, and more timely license actions to keep impaired drivers off the road.

Transcript Highlights:

• The RSVP volunteers provide rides for older adults to medical appointments, and the volunteers assist
• to medical appointments and the adults to medical appointments and the volunteers<00:11:15.360><c> assist
• </c><00:11:15.839><c> older</c><00:11:16.160><c> adults</c><00:11:16.560><c> with</c> volunteers assist
• older adults with volunteers assist older adults with errands<00:11:17.760><c> and</c><00:11:18.079>
• In addition to completing their application, they'll often submit a technical assistance form.

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Aye. 13 tri roadside, we're gonna reopen that vote. Chairman votes.
• Thank you to void victims of impaired drivers for their advocacy and assistance on this bill and getting

Bills: HB1016 , HB1453 , HB1992 , HB2015 , HB2940 , HB2959 , HB2997 , HB3037 , HB3045 , HB3053 , HB3087 , HB3267 , HB3301 , HB3453 , HB3495 , HB3521 , HB3581 , HB3584 , HB3586 , HB3587 , HB3662 , HB3691 , HB3695 , HB3697 , HB3742 , HB3743 , HB3845 , HB4058 , HB4125 , HB4198 , HB4227 , HB4425

Committee: House Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight

Keywords: minors, content creation, trust account, compensation, civil action, digital content, Oklahoma statutes, foreign ownership, property rights, agricultural land, Attorney General, divestment, real estate, felony penalties, motor vehicles, towing services, combination vehicles, wrecker fees, possessory lien, landlord

Transcript Highlights:

• And then, all right, so, and also, like, say, for instance, they can assist with repairing, but the municipality
• program, and I guess I could spill the beans a little bit, but where we're going to be able to help assist
• elected official, as a parish president who served for a couple decades, even to the point where we do roadside
• digging, the best thing I ever implemented is before we go dig a roadside ditch in a neighborhood, we
• We're here in support of it because we believe that the actions therein will help us assist and enhance

Committee: House Commerce, Consumer Protection, and International Affairs

Summary: The House Committee on Commerce met on May 18, 2026, with a quorum present and the chair noting it was the committee’s last meeting of the session. The committee first considered Senate Bill 254, which would prohibit certain excess debit card surcharges and authorize enforcement by the Attorney General. After adopting technical amendments and a committee amendment requiring written notice before a private right of action, the bill was reported favorably as amended. The committee then took up Senate Bill 80 on broadband administration fees and GUMBO program closeout. Members questioned the proposed increase in administrative and contractor fees, the timing of project completion, and how withheld reimbursements would work for utility damage. After adopting several amendments, including cleanup language and a provision to restore the reimbursement process, the bill was reported favorably as amended, though the Louisiana Telecommunications Association voiced concerns about the withholding language and lack of a clearer fault-determination process. The committee next considered Senate Bill 469, updating the Louisiana Underground Utilities and Facilities Damage Prevention Law. Technical amendments were adopted, along with amendments clarifying that the bill’s 30-day notice to utility owner-operators is separate from existing GUMBO notice requirements and creating a rapid dispute-resolution process involving the Office of Broadband, the utility operator, and the local governing authority. Testimony from broadband and municipal stakeholders emphasized the need for quicker responses to excavation damage and better enforcement, while some witnesses raised concerns about the late amendment and the need for clearer recourse and standards. The bill was reported favorably as amended. Senate Bill 468, dealing with fuel rewards programs and fuel discount limits, was also amended to allow such discounts while capping them at $1 below the advertised price; it was reported favorably as amended. Senate Bill 131, concerning attorney’s fees and costs in professional licensing disciplinary proceedings, drew testimony from a cosmetology board representative and the Pelican Institute. Supporters argued the bill would curb incentives for boards to generate revenue through enforcement and give licensees a fairer opportunity to resolve cases; board testimony noted that some boards already have fee caps and that enforcement actions are relatively limited. After adopting an amendment clarifying when a licensee is the prevailing party, the bill was reported favorably as amended. Senate Bill 251 on critical infrastructure protection also received technical amendments and several substantive changes, including adding ports and airports to the definition of critical infrastructure, clarifying “significant access,” adding a knowledge requirement, and adjusting exemptions and enforcement timing; it was reported favorably as amended after testimony from State Armor representatives about foreign adversary threats. Finally, House Resolution 253 was introduced to create a task force to study how post-2005 building code additions and inspection requirements affect residential construction costs, with the sponsor explaining the goal was to gather industry input and return recommendations next session.

Transcript Highlights:

• the countless incidences of troopers and deputies and officers having to handle narcotics on the roadside

Committee: Senate Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security

Summary: The committee heard two presentations on domestic security. Deputy Commissioner David Binder of FDLE described the state’s domestic security structure, including FDLE’s coordination role, the fusion center system, regional task forces, and private-sector infrastructure partnerships. He emphasized the Domestic Security Oversight Council’s grant-ranking process and warned that federal homeland security funding has dropped sharply over time, with possible future cuts threatening fusion center analysts and other capabilities. Binder also focused on emerging threats, especially drones and counter-UAS issues, noting current legal limits on mitigation authority, concerns about tethered drones and drone use near correctional facilities and military sites, and the need for a turnkey solution if state or federal authority expands. He also highlighted FDLE’s cataloging of critical infrastructure sites through Florida Kicker and the growth of trusted private partners. Director Dave Kerner of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles then outlined the Florida Highway Patrol’s role in domestic security. He paid tribute to a fallen sergeant and discussed FHP’s structure, criminal interdiction work, border integrity and trafficking enforcement, dispatch and communications, aviation and drone use, and immigration enforcement under 287(g). Kerner said troopers have seized large amounts of narcotics and currency this year and have arrested thousands of unlawful immigrants. He also described FHP’s involvement in operations such as Lone Star, Vigilant Sentry, and Faithful Service, and said the agency is working toward expanded counter-UAS authority through federal discussions and Sergeant Dooley’s testimony. Members expressed support for both agencies, discussed the dangers and potential benefits of drones, and the committee adjourned without objection after no public testimony was offered.

Transcript Highlights:

• is define employee as an individual employed by the tow business who may physically respond to a roadside
• :21.560><c> physically</c><01:38:22.080><c> respond</c><01:38:22.560><c> to</c><01:38:22.680><c> roadside
• </c> who may physically respond to roadside who may physically respond to roadside to<01:38:23.800><c
• accident or whether the municipality asked for help, and whether the State Trooper barracks would assist
• He said there are times when the State Police will assist a local agency, for example if they come across

Committee: House Transportation

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: House Transportation opened public hearings on three Senate bills and discussed a fourth scheduling issue. On SB 499, which would change Traffic Safety Commission reporting requirements, the sponsor’s representative said the bill would require annual aggregated data on the causes of traffic collisions in New Hampshire and recommendations to address them. Members asked about the added Trauma Medical Review Committee seat, and a representative explained that it is a longstanding state board of emergency and trauma professionals; the bill had already been amended and passed unanimously earlier in the process. On SB 500, concerning restroom access for certain commercial motor vehicle operators, the sponsor and trucking-industry supporters said the measure arose from concerns raised by female truck drivers and was intended to require larger commercial facilities with available public or employee restrooms to allow truck drivers to use them when there are no public safety concerns. Supporters from the New Hampshire Motor Transport Association said driver shortages make it important to recruit and retain women, and that lack of bathroom access is a significant barrier. Committee members asked about the scope of the problem and whether the issue affected male and female drivers differently. The committee then heard SB 559, which would reduce the minimum allowable speed limit on locally controlled roads. Supporters, including bicyclists and the Bike-Walk Alliance, testified that lower speeds improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, citing personal crash experiences and national guidance supporting lower urban speed limits where warranted by traffic or engineering studies. They emphasized the bill would not mandate lower limits statewide but would give towns local discretion. Members questioned whether the group would support 15 mph limits and how congestion and travel-time concerns were weighed. A Department of Transportation official testified neutrally, saying the agency had no formal position but had concerns about public perception and possible spillover to unnumbered state roads. The chair also noted an earlier scheduling problem that prevented immediate executive action on a bill until later in the day.