Video & Transcript : 'port visit' :

Page 450 of 500
WA
Transcript Highlights:
  • Congratulations to the Seahawks, and we’re real proud to have them visit us today or later today.
Summary: House and Senate Republican leaders held a press availability focused on the late-session legislative agenda, with repeated criticism of Democratic proposals they said would raise costs and expand state control. Their main targets were a proposed state income tax on high earners, which they described as an unconstitutional income tax likely to expand over time, and an anti-initiative bill they said would make it harder for voters to use direct democracy. They also objected to bills they said would restrict local authority over camping bans and housing permits, and to a series of tax and fee increases affecting bottles, tires, groceries, food, health care, energy, labor, and licensing costs. The Republicans said the income tax proposal drew more than 60,000 opposition sign-ins and argued that the level of opposition showed Washingtonians broadly reject it. They said any legal challenge would likely come from outside the Legislature, not from caucuses, and cited former Attorney General Rob McKenna’s testimony as support for their view that the measure violates the state constitution. They also discussed capital flight and said prior tax increases, including the estate tax and capital gains tax, were already prompting businesses and wealthy residents to leave the state. The caucus highlighted several Republican-backed affordability bills they said remain alive, including a diaper tax exemption, a prepared-food tax exemption, repeal of last year’s services tax, and sales tax exemptions for certain continuing education and licensing fees. They also said they had helped block or weaken several Democratic bills, including proposals involving grocery stores, wildfire utility costs, college encampments, plastic bag fees, and a juvenile justice bill they said would have allowed earlier release of violent offenders. On child welfare, members criticized a bill addressing the Keeping Families Together Act as insufficient and said they would keep pushing to change the “imminent harm” standard, while also supporting a separate bill to add fentanyl exposure to the child endangerment statute. No formal votes were taken in the press event itself.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

Senate - Finance Feb 10th, 2026

House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • required training as set by rule of the department to identify and refer at-risk children, home visiting
Bills: SB241 , SB145 , HB2
Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 241 and reviewed a Senate Finance Committee substitute that incorporated several amendments. Staff explained changes related to the child care fund, residency determinations for federally eligible applicants, expanded child care assistance eligibility for grandparents raising grandchildren and foster parents, updated payment-rate rulemaking, tribal child care sovereignty and culturally appropriate services, limits on land grant permanent fund use for nonsectarian/non-denominational services, provider licensure pathways, and reporting clarifications. Members also discussed whether the bill would maximize federal and state child care tax benefits and how the nonsectarian language would apply to faith-based child care providers. The committee adopted the substitute and then passed it on a 7-3 vote. The committee then moved into House Bill 2 budget language review, focusing on budget adjustment authority and other fiscal provisions. Members discussed proposed BAR language for the State Investment Council, State Treasurer, PERA, and the Economic Development Department, with concerns about caps, whether the language was too broad, and whether some items should revert to existing law or be removed. The committee approved some of the BAR language items, but flagged the Treasurer and Economic Development provisions for later review. Members also discussed extending certain appropriations and project timelines, including a Rio Grande Trail Commission item and several IT and public safety projects, generally favoring extensions where work was still underway. The committee then debated proposed public school support language that would bar PED from approving budgets for schools with fewer than 180 instructional days and from approving new moves to four-day school weeks. Several members argued the 180-day language conflicted with existing statute, which is based on instructional hours, and that the four-day-week restriction could have unintended consequences. The committee ultimately voted down both public school support provisions. The meeting ended with a brief discussion of reviewing the rest of House Bill 2 and related supplemental and language items in the next session, and then adjourned.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

House - Government, Elections And Indian Affairs Feb 6th, 2026 at 08:32 am

House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • And then during one of my visits to my grandma, she asked me why I only had one daughter.
Keywords: 996, all
NM
Transcript Highlights:
  • And then during one of my visits to my grandma, she asked me why I only had one daughter.
Summary: The committee met on American Indian Day and first rolled Committee Substitute House Bill 110 at the sponsor’s request. It then heard House Memorial 32, which would direct the Indian Affairs Department and the Commission on the Status of Women to study the history and ongoing impacts of forced and coerced sterilization of Indigenous women and women of color in New Mexico, including known cases, access to reproductive health services, educational policy, and possible reparations. The sponsor, survivors, and expert witnesses described personal experiences and historical research, arguing the issue remains unresolved and that New Mexico could become the first state to formally acknowledge it through a memorial and study. Support came from the Commission on the Status of Women, Planned Parenthood, ACLU of New Mexico, and others; one member objected to the phrase “reproductive justice,” but the sponsor declined to change the language. The committee approved the memorial on a 7-1 vote, with Representative Block voting no. The committee then heard House Bill 109, which would speed up the approval and release of Water Trust Board funding by suspending the current legislative authorization step and relying on a more streamlined review process. The sponsor and NMFA witnesses said the bill would help rural and small communities avoid delays that drive up construction costs, especially given inflation, drought, and the large number of water projects needing funding. They noted the bill would still involve review by multiple state agencies and that legislators could still obtain project information from NMFA. Members asked about oversight, transparency, and whether the change would reduce legislative control, but supporters said the current process adds months and can force communities to reapply when costs rise. The committee passed the bill on a voice vote after a motion for due pass, and the meeting adjourned.
ID

Idaho 2026 Regular Session

Agenda Feb 6th, 2026

State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • violation of state law, and I'm not a lawyer nor am I law enforcement, and I've only been in jails to visit
Committee: House State Affairs
Keywords: 989, all
OK
Transcript Highlights:
  • and 8 that have reached out recently to get information on Integrating, and of those 8, I'll be visiting
Keywords: 914, all
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

House - Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Feb 3rd, 2026 at 08:29 am

House Energy, Environment & Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • I'd really like to visit with you more before it moves to the floor.
Keywords: 996, all
ID

Idaho 2026 Regular Session

Agenda Jan 29th, 2026

Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:
  • This is a courtesy kind of visit, something we've never done before.
Keywords: 989, all
FL

Florida 2026 4th Special Session

January 27, 2026 - 03:00 PM

Transcript Highlights:
  • the wonderful City of Coral Springs which I invite you all, it was 83° when I left so come down and visit
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Local Government Jan 26th, 2026 at 01:30 pm

Local Government

Transcript Highlights:
  • And if you've been, if you haven't done this, I encourage you to do it: go visit a privately managed
Bills: SB6211 , SB6234 , SB6242
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Local Government Jan 26th, 2026

Transcript Highlights:
  • If you haven't done this, I encourage you to do it: go visit a privately managed forest, a state forest
Summary: The Senate Committee on Local Government heard staff briefings, sponsor testimony, and public testimony on three bills. Senate Bill 6242 would require counties to enter shared stewardship agreements with federal land managers, such as the U.S. Forest Service, to maintain fuel breaks along roads on federally owned land and include revenue-sharing for timber sales. Sponsor Senator Braun said the bill is intended to improve wildfire prevention, protect transportation corridors, and create a possible funding source for rural counties. County representatives supported the concept but noted concerns about the bill’s timber-revenue condition and whether it could be enforced if a federal agency declined to agree. Senate Bill 6211 would remove the voter-approval requirement for real estate excise tax 2 (REET 2) in counties and cities that voluntarily plan under the Growth Management Act, aligning them with jurisdictions that are required to fully plan. Supporters, including the City of Walla Walla and the Association of Washington Cities, said the bill would create fairness and consistency and provide local governments with more tools for capital projects such as sidewalks, ADA improvements, transportation, and utilities. Opponents from Washington Realtors and Washington Citizens Against Unfair Taxes argued the bill would raise housing costs and eliminate voter approval for a tax increase. The committee also heard concerns about property values and whether the bill would affect home prices or local tax burdens. Senate Bill 6234 would prohibit cities, counties, and water-sewer districts from banning sewage grinder pumps for new residential buildings in certain situations where gravity sewer is impractical, such as steep terrain, low-lying lots, or long distances from sewer lines. The sponsor said the bill is meant to help infill development and housing production in urban growth areas by making a lower-cost sewer connection option available. Cities and sewer districts testified that grinder pumps are already allowed in many cases, but they opposed the bill’s prescriptive language and preemption of local standards, citing long-term maintenance, operational, and ratepayer concerns. No votes or final committee actions were taken on any of the bills during the hearing.
VT

Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Session - 2026-01-20 - 10:00AM

Vermont House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Madam Speaker, today I have a constituent from Coventry visiting the State House.
Keywords: 926, house, all
WV
Transcript Highlights:
  • come... ...more personal aid, not necessarily around-the-clock care, but more people coming, more visits
Keywords: 994, senate, all
Summary: The committee met with a quorum present and heard a presentation from Marty Wright, CEO of the West Virginia Healthcare Association, on the state’s long-term care system. He described the continuum from home care to assisted living to skilled nursing facilities, emphasizing that these settings increasingly serve short-term rehab-to-home patients as well as older adults needing round-the-clock care. He also outlined the number of facilities in West Virginia, the predominance of Medicaid as the payer for long-term nursing home care, the private-pay nature of assisted living, and the role of OFAC/CMS in regulation. A major focus of the presentation was workforce shortages and turnover, especially for CNAs, LPNs, and RNs, along with declining interest in nursing careers and the impact of regulatory burden and burnout. Wright said the system is also struggling to serve younger patients with substance use disorder, mental illness, or other behavioral needs, who are often not well suited for traditional nursing home placement but have limited alternatives. Senators raised concerns about where such patients are being housed, the long-term effects of opioid and behavioral health issues, and the gap between school-age special needs populations and adult care needs. Wright said Medicaid can cover long-term nursing home care for those who meet financial and medical eligibility requirements, but affordability and spend-down requirements remain major barriers. He also warned that Medicare Advantage can create confusion and shorter covered stays for rehab patients, and he urged early planning around long-term care insurance and estate planning. No votes were taken on the presentation, and the committee adjourned after questions and discussion.
ID

Idaho 2026 Regular Session

Agenda Jan 19th, 2026

Resources and Conservation

Transcript Highlights:
  • That person's maybe travel costs and per diem to go out and visit water districts is an ongoing cost
Keywords: 989, all
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Local Government Jan 13th, 2026 at 10:30 am

Local Government

Transcript Highlights:
  • actually went on a lean trip eight years ago to Japan to learn about some of their manufacturing and visited
Keywords: 904, all