Transcript Highlights:

• 2960, clarifying call firefighter rights; House Bill 1329, temporarily protecting recently widowed spouses
• 2960, clarifying call firefighter rights; House Bill 1329, temporarily protecting recently widowed spouses
• An act temporarily protecting recently widowed spouses from foreclosure, House Bill 1329.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The House began with the Pledge of Allegiance and then took up several committee reports and procedural orders. It adopted a resolution commending the Endometriosis Alliance of Massachusetts for recognizing March 2026 as Endometriosis Awareness Month. The House also adopted multiple orders extending committee reporting deadlines, including for the Committees on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities; Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure; Health Care Financing; Revenue; and Transportation. In addition, the House concurred with a Senate referral on legislation concerning Great River Regional School Districts and suspended Joint Rule 12 to send two petitions to committee, one on retirement benefits for Suzanne Garcia and another on senior property tax credits. The Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling recommended a slate of bills for House consideration, including measures on call firefighter rights, foreclosure protection for recently widowed spouses, wage protections for electronic wage cards and hospital workers, a minimum wage for airline catering employees, incentives for donations to local nonprofits, limits on prison labor, and a sick leave bank for a DCF employee. After suspending Rule 7A, the House gave these bills second reading and ordered them to a third reading. On third reading and final action, the House passed to be enacted a sick leave bank bill for a Department of Correction employee, concurred in a Senate amendment to a land conveyance bill for Brockton, and passed to be engrossed several local and special legislation bills, including measures involving Conway police and fire department employees and an Arlington firefighter civil service exception. The House then adopted an order to meet again Monday at 11 a.m. and adjourned to that time in informal session.

Transcript Highlights:

• Retiree spouses, in other words, does.
• Retiree spouses, in other words, in<00:26:22.080> this<00:26:22.159> case,<00:26:22.400
• before death, the spouse loses coverage. before death, the spouse loses coverage.
• So, the bill adds an exception for<00:27:09.000> spouses<00:27:10.000> in<00:27:10.320>
• ours, for spouses in situations like ours, allowing<00:27:12.960> them<00:27:13.200> to

Bills: HF1151, HF1239, HF1240, HF2020, HF2514, HF2515, HF2451

Keywords: Compensation Council, salaries, state officials, judicial compensation, legislative process, public funds, misuse, law enforcement, accountability, state government, legislative auditor, compliance, transparency, retirement benefits, health insurance, dependents, state employees, Medicare, legislative studies, government oversight

Transcript Highlights:

• say, traveling to these different cemeteries can be very challenging for older veterans and their spouses
• Imagine your spouse having to come visit you there at least once a month.
• So we're very limited whether we can see if it's a spouse who might be involved in the military and have
• involved in a motor vehicle accident, uh, could be impounded for like a son or daughter or wife or spouse
• If a, a sibling or spouse or son or daughter come to get something, then we have contact with the family

Bills: HB101

Keywords: voter approval, local tax, disaster declaration, tax rate increases, community funding

Transcript Highlights:

• /c><01:47:44.400> to will of the legislature, it has to will of the legislature, it has to survive
• <01:47:46.760> And survive. It has to move forward. And survive. It has to move forward.
• same time, we also heard concerns that public disclosure of detailed financial information about spouses
• of detailed financial<02:00:53.880> information<02:00:54.800> about<02:00:55.080> spouses
• , financial information about spouses, financial information about spouses, dependent<02:00:56.280

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• With frequent transfers, mobility is a big issue for military families and military spouses.
• With the compact, military spouses with a multi-state license from a compact state would not need to
• Military spouses, usually lower-paid enlisted personnel, are especially affected by this.
• And this bill would benefit not only military spouses transferred to Texas, but those military spouses

Summary: The Senate Committee on Business and Commerce met with a quorum and took up a long list of pending House bills, most of them on motions by Senator King or Senator Campbell. The committee adopted committee substitutes and favorably reported numerous bills, including HB 252, HB 700, HB 1500, HB 1545, HB 1562, HB 1732, HB 267, HB 2213, HB 2221, HB 2520, HB 2818, HB 3016, HB 3214, HB 3250, HB 3512, HB 3623, HB 3689, HB 3833, HB 4063, HB 4395, HB 4690, HB 4751, HB 5331, HB 3824, HB 4464, HB 4468, and HB 5247. Most of these were sent to the local and uncontested calendar, while some, including sunset and other significant measures, were reported to the full Senate. HB 146 was the only bill reported out on a divided vote, passing 6 ayes to 4 nays. Several bills received brief explanation of committee substitute changes. HB 3016, dealing with rental car collision damage waivers and stolen vehicles, was amended to change a cooperation standard from “fully cooperate” to simply “cooperate.” HB 3689, a major ESF/TWA financing bill, was described as making technical changes to align terminology with the Comptroller’s authority and to avoid creating state debt or new liability. HB 5247, a capital cost recovery bill for transmission in the Permian Basin, was revised to clarify how the new mechanism fits with existing Utilities Code provisions and to add a 2035 expiration date. HB 3824, the battery fire safety bill, also received technical changes to align terminology with industry usage. The committee heard public testimony on several pending measures. HB 3069, which would direct the PUC to develop supplemental multi-decade planning criteria for transmission certificates in ERCOT, drew support from industry, environmental, and manufacturing witnesses who said it would help address congestion costs while balancing consumer protections; the bill was left pending. HB 5196, requiring state agencies to adopt and post telework policies and use written telework agreements, received both support and concern: supporters said it would preserve productivity and retention, while a senator raised concerns about notice and family logistics; it was left pending after testimony. HB 3112, allowing closed deliberations on cybersecurity policy details, was laid out and left pending after brief discussion. HCR 102, supporting federal nuclear tax credits, drew testimony from nuclear industry and energy advocates, who argued the credits are essential for existing plants, new nuclear development, grid reliability, and U.S. competitiveness; the resolution was left pending, with discussion about whether the language should focus more exclusively on nuclear. HB 705, creating a cosmetology licensure compact, was supported by industry, employers, and compact experts as a mobility tool that preserves state authority; HB 3516, expanding a public information exemption for Railroad Commission administrative law judges and technical examiners, and HB 3388, authorizing group property and casualty coverage for personal lines, were also heard and left pending. At the end of the meeting, the committee recessed subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• discouraging new investment, and creating a ripple effect where surrounding businesses struggle to survive
• in my own family, we had to make the decision when my leave was up, and I went back to work for my spouse

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But it actually means the administrator or executor, surviving spouse, of the court judgment, is settled

Bills: SB65, SB248, SB330, SB378, SB844, SB1330, SB1410, SB1475, SB1476, SB1565, SB1618, SB1623, SJR39, SJR47, SB2084, SB1655, SB1679, SB2174, SB1775, SB1873, SB1204, SB1884, SB1916, SB1937, SB1447, SB1500, SB2007, SB2074, SB1944, SB2018, SB1984, SB2026, SB2045, SB2049, SB2062, SB2112, SB2118, SB2127, SB2134, SB2135, SB2139, SB2154, SB1195

Keywords: SB65, naloxone, Narcan, opioid overdose, overdose reversal, opioid antagonist, emergency opioid antagonist, substance abuse services, harm reduction, public health, overdose prevention, good samaritan, civil immunity, criminal immunity, controlled substances, addiction treatment, fentanyl, opioid crisis, school overdose response, first aid

Transcript Highlights:

• 1, introduced by Senator Krasner, urges Congress to enact legislation allowing certain eligible surviving
• spouses of veterans to receive an amount equal to the military retirement pay of the veteran after the

Keywords: 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• they get out of the military, they... ...would be expected to make about $62,000, and perhaps their spouse
• Military spouses are resilient, adaptable professionals experienced building careers across multiple
• Anybody who's been in the military understands that their spouse has to be the flexible one.
• Delaware fails to act, veterans choose those states over our state, taking their second career income, spouse

Summary: The House Revenue and Finance Committee met to consider House Substitute 1 for House Bill 386, which would create a temporary Delaware income tax deduction for qualified tip income from tax years 2027 through 2029. The sponsor described it as relief for service workers in restaurants, salons, and similar tipped occupations, with a deduction of up to $15,000, income-based phaseouts, a refundable credit for lower-income workers, and a sunset for later review. Committee members raised questions about the resident/non-resident language, the fiscal note, and whether the Department of Finance could implement the change; Finance said the department could administer it and expected only modest administrative costs, while the Comptroller’s office said the bill would reduce general revenue. After a brief recess to review updated language, the committee took public comment, but no one testified. A motion to release the bill failed to receive enough votes, and the chair said she would walk it to seek additional signatures. The committee then considered Senate Bill 219, which would phase in an increase in the military pension income exemption from $12,500 to $25,000 by tax year 2029. The sponsor argued the measure would help attract and retain military retirees, citing economic return estimates, workforce benefits, and support from all 21 Senate co-sponsors. Some members supported the bill as a way to reward service and bring in long-term residents, while others questioned whether the exemption should be income-based rather than available to all military retirees, including those with substantial second careers. The Department of Finance said it could operationalize the bill and that the non-resident language was unnecessary because the subtraction is already picked up in the non-resident code section. Public testimony from veterans’ organizations strongly supported the bill, emphasizing that the exemption can influence retirement decisions and help veterans and their families stay in Delaware. A motion to release the bill also failed to get enough votes, and the chair said she would walk it for signatures before adjourning the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Leighton Oshima, the spouse and partner of Senator Mazie Hirono.
• Leighton Oshima, um<00:21:32.160> the<00:21:32.280> spouse<00:21:32.640> and<00:
• 21:32.760> partner<00:21:33.160> of<00:21:33.320> Senator um the spouse and partner
• of Senator um the spouse and partner of Senator Mazie<00:21:33.960> Hirono.

Bills: HR207, SB2595, SB3199, SB3132, SB2591, SB2089, SB2108, SB2970, SB2530, SB2442, SB3076, SB2532, SB2721, SB2055, SB2312, SB2152, SB2438, SB2982, SB2528, SB2919, SB2446, SB2315, SB2544, SB2060, SB2069, SB3011, SB2342, SB2075, SB2578, SB2580, SB2835, SB3084, SB3322, SB3053, SB888, SB709

Keywords: Dr. David Lassner, higher education, community engagement, university leadership, innovation, Hawaii education system, agribusiness, leasing, agriculture, Hawaii, food innovation, Department of Education, mental health, emerging therapies, psychedelic treatment, task force, clinical trials, trauma recovery, MDMA, psilocybin

Transcript Highlights:

• Now you can put, excuse me, joint ownership of vehicles with someone that's not a spouse.
• vehicles in with someone that's<00:04:40.080> not<00:04:40.240> a<00:04:40.479> spouse
• <00:04:41.759> So,<00:04:42.160> so<00:04:42.479> that's that's not a spouse
• So, so that's that's not a spouse.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and took up Senate Bill 110, relating to motor vehicles. The bill is part of a broader effort to modernize county clerk operations and move motor vehicle titling to an electronic system. The sponsor explained that the measure would keep titles in an electronic database, allow online lien releases, electronic notices and payments, and simplify certain estate and ownership issues. A committee substitute was adopted that removed a now-unneeded provision about a signature register for farm bureau farm vehicles. Members asked about the bill’s length, the treatment of all-terrain vehicles and street-legal special purpose vehicles, and whether the measure changed fees or conflicted with prior legislation. The sponsor said the bill did not alter the earlier street-legal special purpose vehicle statute, that printed titles would carry a $6 fee, and that some fee-setting authority for the Transportation Cabinet was included by administrative regulation. He also noted that a floor amendment would likely be offered to align the bill with the Transportation Cabinet’s system and add language for consumer lenders. Supportive comments were offered about the bill’s benefits for Jefferson County and the broader modernization effort. After discussion, the committee voted to report Senate Bill 110 favorably with the committee substitute attached. The roll call showed the bill passed the committee, and the chair thanked the sponsor and staff before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Because the lesser-earning spouse, taxpayer A, earns less than $114,000, the couple uses the Schedule
• , Because the lesser earning spouse, Because the lesser earning spouse, taxpayer<00:40:38.960>
• So, um, for couples whose lesser-earning income spouse makes over $114,000, they're directed by that
• For couples whose lesser-earning spouse makes less than $114,000, they're directed to part one, which
• Um, but the details in the report. spouse makes over $114,000, spouse makes over $114,000, they're<00

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• simply prohibits an insurance company from raising premiums on a motor vehicle policy just because a spouse

Bills: HB4322, HB4202, HB4203, HB4457, HB3983, HB3660, HB3802, HB2933, HB2955, HB2956, HB3781, HB3521, HB3794, HB3796, HB3800

Keywords: funeral services licensing, funeral director, embalmer, funeral director in charge, dual licensure, mortuary science, Oklahoma Funeral Board, funeral establishment, commercial embalming establishment, crematory, cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, apprenticeship, licensing requirements, professional regulation, undertaker, mortician, burial services, death care industry, workers' compensation

Transcript Highlights:

• simply prohibits an insurance company from raising premiums on a motor vehicle policy just because a spouse

Bills: HB4322, HB4202, HB4203, HB4457, HB3983, HB3660, HB3802, HB2933, HB2955, HB2956, HB3781, HB3521, HB3794, HB3796, HB3800

Keywords: funeral services licensing, funeral director, embalmer, funeral director in charge, dual licensure, mortuary science, Oklahoma Funeral Board, funeral establishment, commercial embalming establishment, crematory, cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, apprenticeship, licensing requirements, professional regulation, undertaker, mortician, burial services, death care industry, workers' compensation

Summary: The Business and Insurance Committee first handled a series of executive nominations, including appointments or reappointments to the Oklahoma Securities Commission, Real Estate Commission, State Athletic Commission, Accountancy Board, Commission on Consumer Credit, Uniform Building Code Commission, Abstractors Board, Used Motor Vehicle Dismantler and Manufactured Housing Commission, and State Banking Board. Most nominees briefly addressed the committee, and the nominations were advanced by unanimous or near-unanimous votes. One HB 4488 was laid over at the start of the meeting. The committee then considered several bills. HB 4322, which would remove a dual-licensure requirement for funeral directors and embalmers, drew questions about consumer protection and body care procedures and passed 6-3. HB 4202, changing workers’ compensation fee schedule treatment for radiology, passed unanimously. HB 4203, directing the Uniform Building Code Commission to explore guidelines for single-exit configurations in certain buildings up to four stories, passed 7-2 after concerns were raised about fire safety. HB 4457, dealing with specialty pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers, and access to specialty medications, passed unanimously. Members also debated HB 3983, which would move Oklahoma’s moist smokeless tobacco tax to a weight-based system; supporters argued it would improve fairness and revenue stability, while opponents said it would raise taxes on some products and lacked consumer protections. It passed 6-3. HB 3660, authorizing natural organic reduction as an additional end-of-life option, prompted a lengthy debate over dignity, religious concerns, and consumer choice; it passed 5-4. HB 3802, prohibiting auto insurers from raising premiums solely because a spouse died, passed unanimously. HB 2933, a consumer protection insurance bill, passed 9-0 after extensive discussion of claims handling and insurer accountability. Additional insurance and regulatory measures—HB 2955, HB 2956, HB 3781, HB 3521, HB 3796, HB 3794, and HB 3800—were also advanced, most with little or no opposition. The chair closed by noting all executive nominations and legislation had been cleared from the committee for the year.

Transcript Highlights:

• for our survival thank you I'll<01:45:41.280> take<01:45:41.480> any I'll take any I'll
• Yes, so would that protection carry over to a non-spouse partner?
• I mean, if same-gender people marry, I think they refer to each other as husband and wife and spouse,
• I mean, if same-gender people marry, I think they refer to each other as husband and wife and spouse,
• Attorney Tower said denying basic survival-level care in the state to someone who is here to help law

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• My spouse is a Filipino immigrant who does the back-end work that Americans just won't do.
• He said his spouse is a Filipino immigrant who does the back-end work that Americans just won't do.
• He said his spouse is a Filipino immigrant who does the back-end work that Americans just won't do.
• He said his spouse is a Filipino immigrant who does the back-end work that Americans just won't do.
• He said his spouse is a Filipino immigrant who does the back-end work that Americans just won't do.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Standing Committee on Postsecondary Education met to consider House Bill 4, relating to postsecondary education. Before taking up the bill, the committee adopted a committee substitute. The substitute removed language creating a private right of action and immunity provisions, added a definition of “indoctrinate,” revised language tied to the Attorney General, and added a new section directing the Auditor of Public Accounts to review compliance every four years. If an institution is found out of compliance, it would have 180 days to cure the issue or become ineligible for formula funding increases in the following fiscal year, with an opportunity to petition the Attorney General. The substitute also added language barring licensing authorities from requiring diversity, equity, and inclusion training as a condition of initial or renewal licensure. Representative Decker presented the bill as an effort to end what she described as unconstitutional DEI practices in Kentucky’s postsecondary system and to refocus colleges on academic instruction, equal opportunity, and affordability. She argued that DEI offices and initiatives have cost taxpayers heavily and have not improved enrollment outcomes for low-income and underrepresented students. Michael Frasier, testifying in support, framed the bill as an equal-protection measure rather than simply an anti-DEI bill, saying it targets preferential treatment and discrimination while exempting traditional civil-rights compliance offices such as Title IX, disability, and other anti-discrimination functions. He also argued that the bill aligns with recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent and that Kentucky should shift toward socioeconomic-based approaches. Several members raised concerns about the bill’s assumptions and effects. Representative Willner questioned the claim that DEI initiatives caused enrollment declines and asked why the state would not make such programs more inclusive instead of eliminating them. Representative Stalker argued that the bill ignored decades of exclusion in higher education and asked what would replace DEI efforts aimed at closing achievement gaps and preventing brain drain. Supporters responded that the bill addresses unconstitutional preferences and that the state should move toward equal treatment and socioeconomic factors rather than race-based criteria. After discussion, the committee substitute was adopted, and the committee continued consideration of House Bill 4.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are instances when one spouse, say, they do have some control. ...over finances would transfer
• accounts into their own separate account, and thereby constituting a control issue where the other spouse
• where they're using those types of things to continue to abuse their soon-to-be ex-partner or ex-spouse

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• especially those—not just physicians but all of those health care personnel that are, for instance, spouses
• One, we lost the only surviving, last surviving sibling of. My father's family.
• For survival, and dentists that are no longer able to service patients because reimbursement rates mean

Transcript Highlights:

• Don't tear around, uh, Texas and America piece by piece, plank by plank, or we won't survive, and that
• We are spouses, we are neighbors, we are fellow citizens.
• freedom to make decisions for our families, the dignity to get care without fear, and the chance to survive

Bills: HB7, SB 8

Keywords: abortion, healthcare, jurisdiction, civil action, qui tam, prohibition, state law, sex designation, restroom access, civil penalties, private civil right of action, women's privacy

Transcript Highlights:

• Books helped me survive abuse, isolation, and rejection.
• Both my spouse and I are transgender.
• .services, public accommodations, shelters, and employment, all things that are very necessary to survive

Bills: HB186, HB201, HB229, HB796, HB1506, HB2702, HB2885, HB3225, HB3909, HB4285, HB5138

Keywords: social media, children, account verification, data privacy, parental control, financial crime, card fraud, motor fuel theft, law enforcement, criminal activity, skimmers, prevention, training, biological sex, government information, definitions, sex-based distinctions, public health, federal directives, state authority