Transcript Highlights:

• No scratching the surface there, huh? All right, Senator Leach, I see you're on the board.
• Whenever you allow one property owner to build and improve the value of their land, but you do not...
• If one property owner, farm, ranch, whatever the agricultural business is, makes an improvement, and
• And how was that as a property owner? Maybe I don't want a gray house with a blue top.
• So I think as property owners, we need choices. I want choices.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Senate convened, approved the journal, received House messages and first-read a large number of bills, then moved through several Committee of the Whole calendars. On Calendar 2, SB 1419 on solar energy inspection contractors was amended with a Carroll floor amendment and passed; a Sundareshan amendment aimed at requiring utilities to shield residential ratepayers from costs tied to large loads such as data centers was debated at length, but failed on a 12-15 division. SB 1498 (Department of Public Safety appropriation) and SB 1502 (unlawful flight/reckless endangerment) also received do-pass recommendations. The Committee of the Whole report was adopted, and the Senate later rejected an attempt to add the failed data-center amendment to the report by a 13-14 vote. On Calendar 3, the Senate advanced SB 1165 (insurance cost sharing for breast exams), SB 1206 (storm-related insurance claims), SB 1212 (health insurance reimbursement rates for vaccines), SB 1215 (firefighters’ occupational disease/workers’ compensation), SB 1290 and SB 1291 (agricultural property notices/classification), and SB 1347 (fertility preservation coverage), with committee amendments adopted on most of them. A Warner substitute floor amendment to SB 1347 was adopted to address insurer concerns by allowing prior authorization with a 72-hour processing requirement and clarifying storage-cost responsibility. The Senate also retained SB 1503 on the calendar. On Calendar 1 and the additional calendars, the Senate advanced SB 1013 (public employees merit hiring), SB 1108 (cash transactions and rounding, with an emergency clause added), SB 1178 (naturopathic physicians), SB 1186 (document retention/proposals/donations), SB 1286 (veterinary visits and prescriptions), SB 1366 (commercial buildings and telecommunications), SB 1431 (municipal design prohibitions), SB 1671 (gaming/racing/boxing conflict-of-interest continuation), SB 1004 (ESA students’ interscholastic activities), SB 1116 (AHCCCS access/claims review/behavioral health), SB 1162 (health care institution licensing complaints), SB 1179 (group home monitoring), SB 1475 (school district governing boards/eligibility), SB 1821 (DCS training and child placement), and SCR 1012. Several floor amendments were debated and adopted or rejected, including a Kavanaugh emergency-clause amendment to SB 1108, a failed Sears amendment to SB 1178 on prescription drug price gouging, a failed Sundareshan transparency amendment to SB 1186, a failed Kavanaugh amendment to SB 1286 on veterinary prescriptions, a Gowan amendment to SB 1366, a Payne amendment to SB 1077, a Carroll amendment to SB 1479, a Petersen amendment to SB 1566, and an Angius amendment to SB 1018 expanding the definition of foreign law to include certain harmful practices. The Senate adopted the Committee of the Whole reports and properly assigned the bills after each calendar.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'll talk first about the surface water provisions.
• Asked the EPA to regulate our surface water permitting so they determine who can discharge into our surface
• We call primacy so that we can have our own state surface water permitting program.
• What that did was deregulate 95% of the surface waters in the state of New Mexico.
• Surface water.

Transcript Highlights:

• Produced water is water that's brought to the surface with the production of oil and gas and is an inherent
• This investigation team would be charged with gaining a better understanding of the root causes of surface
• That is an environmental risk, not just to the surface. It costs to clean that up.
• We had a breakout that flowed to surface 100,000 barrels a day. That went on for 2 weeks.
• We spray surfaces, we spray our clothes and boots when we've been on premises that are suspect premises

Summary: The committee met with a quorum present to hear Article VI Natural Resources agency budget recommendations, beginning with the Railroad Commission. LBB staff summarized the commission’s 2026-27 base recommendation at $458.7 million, down from the prior biennium, with an increased FTE cap. The presentation highlighted reduced federal IIJA funding, volatility in oil and gas regulation account 5155, continued support for IT modernization, and rider changes. The commission’s major exceptional items were then presented, including requests for produced water and injection data reporting, an authorized pit registration system, regulatory filing/permitting upgrades, an underground injection well investigation team, site remediation support, and especially $100 million for orphan well plugging. Members asked about biennium-to-biennium comparisons, salary biennialization, the scale of orphan well risks, federal funding delays, bonding, and whether the state should rely more on industry or general revenue for plugging costs. Commission leadership explained that orphan wells can threaten water and public safety, that plugging costs have risen sharply, and that current funding is insufficient to keep up with emergency wells and the backlog; they also said the agency is moving to cloud-based systems with cybersecurity protections and that the proposed performance measure may need adjustment if funding does not increase. The Railroad Commission testimony was followed by LBB and agency testimony for the Texas Animal Health Commission. LBB described a $42 million recommendation for 2026-27, an increase overall, but with a reduced FTE cap due to turnover and salary reallocation. The recommendation maintained funding for cattle fever tick work, chronic wasting disease, lab testing through an MOU with Texas A&M’s veterinary diagnostic lab, and a new $5 million spay-and-neuter pilot program, while deleting a capital budget rider and adjusting riders tied to entry point inspection stations and clinical trials. Agency leadership then outlined the commission’s mission to protect livestock health and the state’s $22 billion animal industry, and described major disease threats including highly pathogenic avian influenza, cattle fever ticks, New World screwworm, and chronic wasting disease. Their exceptional items focused on recruiting and retaining veterinarians, replacing fleet vehicles, creating an ectoparasite identification lab, adding field staff and IT support, improving records and epidemiology reporting, strengthening central administration, supporting secure food supply planning, expanding chronic wasting disease work, and staffing the new spay-and-neuter program. Members asked about field identification of ticks, the use of disinfectants and PPE, fleet management, the scale of cattle fever tick risk, and chronic wasting disease; the agency explained its current inspection and lab-confirmation process, its reliance on field disinfecting and biosecurity, and the need for more staff and better data systems to keep pace with growing workloads and disease threats.

Transcript Highlights:

• practices, but it failed to fully assess the hydrologic impacts of increased flood risk and groundwater-surface
• Sometimes operators will see other things, wisps of smoke, changes in landfill surfaces, but the important
• Moore, Blathman Watkins, on behalf of Sable Offshore, the owners of the San Ynez Unit and its pipeline
• Moore, Blathman Watkins, on behalf of Sable Offshore, the owners of the San Yenez Unit and its pipeline
• Wannock, on behalf of the California Business Properties Association and our members, the Building Owners

Summary: The committee heard several climate, environmental, and housing bills. AB 1425, dealing with pit dewatering near the San Joaquin River Parkway, drew extensive testimony. The author and supporters argued the bill was needed to protect the river, groundwater, floodplain conditions, tribal and cultural resources, and public access from a proposed mining project near the river. Opponents, including Cemex, labor representatives, and industry groups, said the bill would bypass the CEQA process before it was complete, threaten jobs, and create uncertainty for an existing operation. Members questioned both sides about hydrology, blasting, dewatering, and the adequacy of the ongoing environmental review. The bill was moved, but several members expressed concern about preempting CEQA and some did not vote or voted no. AB 881, which would allow California to move forward with carbon capture and sequestration pipelines, was presented as a way to advance state climate goals and capture federal funding. Supporters, including SMUD, labor, and industry groups, said the bill would help deploy carbon capture safely and preserve jobs. Environmental justice opponents supported stronger safety direction and warned that CO2 pipelines pose serious risks and that the state should not move ahead without clearer standards. The bill received a due-pass recommendation to Appropriations. AB 1207, on the cap-and-trade allowance price ceiling and the social cost of carbon, was presented as a science-based update to California’s climate policy. The author and EDF said the bill would keep the program aligned with current economic and climate data and protect it from federal political interference. It received broad support and a due-pass recommendation. AB 1106, creating a coordinated network of air quality incident response centers, was also approved after testimony about wildfire smoke, toxic emissions, and the need for better real-time monitoring during disasters. AB 28, the Landfill Fire Safety Act, focused on the Chiquita Canyon landfill fire and related health impacts in Castaic and Val Verde; residents described serious illnesses and contamination concerns, while landfill and county representatives warned about costs and asked for more study. The committee nonetheless advanced the bill with a due-pass recommendation. The committee also heard AB 357, which would speed Coastal Commission review of student and faculty housing projects, with supporters citing student homelessness and opponents urging caution but acknowledging the need for more housing; the bill was presented and discussed, with the committee emphasizing the need to balance housing production and coastal oversight.

Transcript Highlights:

• so basically, the casing, tubing, all the equipment... ...the casing, tubing, all the equipment, surface
• I'm also a small business owner, OGMI Solutions.
• I'm also a small business owner, a veteran small business owner.
• One of the things we had in that hearing, we had the actual owner-creator of the Glint card... he made
• creator of the glint card ...had in that hearing, we had the actual owner-creator of the Glint card,

Bills: HB42

Keywords: special prosecutor, state law, criminal justice, accountability, law enforcement

Summary: The committee heard Senator Flores lay out the committee substitute for HB 2894, which would expand state reimbursement eligibility for local governments disproportionately affected by the disabled veterans homestead exemption. Flores said the bill would add certain municipalities in Bell, Coryell, and Lampasas counties if lost ad valorem tax revenue equals or exceeds 10% of general revenue, while existing recipients would remain under the current 2% threshold. Lampasas and Bell County officials and the City of Killeen testified in support, describing significant revenue losses and urging adequate funding. One witness, Howard Avery, argued any reimbursement should be counted as property tax revenue for voter-approval rate purposes to avoid a windfall. The committee later adopted the substitute and reported the bill favorably, with one nay. The committee also heard SB 782, which would create a temporary severance tax exemption for restimulated inactive oil and gas wells, intended to encourage investment in mature wells. The Comptroller explained the revised fiscal note as effectively zero because the wells are currently marginal and not generating meaningful tax revenue, while industry witnesses said the bill could extend well life, support local economies, and reduce orphan-well liabilities. Public testimony was supportive, and the bill was left pending. Members then heard HB 3033, a DPS-related grant program funded by voluntary $3 donations on driver’s license and ID applications to support nonprofits aiding injured or fallen DPS officers and their families, including memorial highway signs. The DPS Officers Association supported the bill, citing existing foundation assistance and the need for a steady funding stream. The committee later reported the bill favorably. The committee also considered SB 524, which would permanently extend the franchise tax and fee exemption for qualifying veteran-owned businesses for their first five years; testimony from a veteran business owner and veterans advocates supported the measure, and the committee adopted the substitute and reported it favorably. Additional measures were laid out and left pending or voted out: HB 3594, a local San Antonio retiree health care fund bill with agreed changes for contributions, spouse benefits, and remarriage rules, was supported by stakeholders and reported favorably; HB 4738 would repeal small administrative fees tied to certain loans and was reported favorably; HB 42 on HEAF funding and HB 5246 on the Texas Space Commission were heard and left pending. The committee also reported HB 3474, a cleanup bill for the Pension Review Board’s investment performance review schedule, and HB 2802, the Austin firefighter retirement fund bill, both favorably. Finally, the committee took up HB 1056, which would allow gold and silver held in the Texas Bullion Depository to function as legal tender through debit-card transactions. Supporters framed it as a way to use hard assets and expand financial options, while bankers and some senators raised major operational, consumer-protection, tax, and constitutional questions; the bill remained under discussion as testimony began.

Transcript Highlights:

• A facility must include a site plan that has setbacks unless waived by the adjacent property owner.
• Witness heirs' property owners face eviction lawsuits, have their credit damaged, and be forced into
• Partition of Heirs Property Act to protect heir owners' property rights and prevent the loss of homes
• You've greatly diminished the value of... ...that property owner, because I'm buying a problem.
• You've greatly diminished the value of that property owner, because I'm buying a problem.

Bills: SB231, SB584, SB600, SB668, SB841, SB986, SB1003, SB1244, SB1625, SB1960, SB1963, SB1964, SB2026, SB2056, SB2368

Keywords: temporary emergency electric energy facility, temporary generation, emergency power, backup generation, mobile generator, portable generator, grid resilience, power outage restoration, transmission and distribution utility, TDU, Public Utility Commission of Texas, PUCT, Utilities Code Section 39.918, competitive bidding, lease authorization, emergency procurement, bulk power system, locational marginal pricing, reliability model, black start

Transcript Highlights:

• It is located close to Carlsbad in the Salado Formation, at a depth of 2,150 feet below the surface,
• In surface water and drinking water, we've never detected any americium or plutonium, which is a good
• Oil and gas or produced water is at the surface, or at least I should say under a lease.
• Now you have oil and gas at the surface, or you have produced water at the surface.
• Untreated produced water could not be released to ground or surface waters. 2.

Transcript Highlights:

• Last February, our previous owners decided retirement sounded pretty good, and they decided to contact
• 10:24.519> February<00:10:25.000> our<00:10:25.200> previous<00:10:25.560> owners
• last February our previous owners last February our previous owners decided<00:10:26.440> retirement
• 02:36.200> 1810<01:02:36.680> does<01:02:36.799> a<01:02:36.960> very surface
• sener file 1810 does a very surface sener file 1810 does a very simple<01:02:37.440> thing<01

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Foreign adversarial network connected technologies also create greater surface area for long launching
• It's not clouded as this land moves through different owners down the line. Precisely. Okay.
• As a real estate business owner, I think I know firsthand how damaging this bill would be.
• It will make it harder for immigrant families and business owners to buy homes and land.
• I'm a small business owner. I have investment in Texas. I create a lot of job in Texas.

Bills: HB17, HB34, HB41, HB 118, HB 119, HB 127, HB 128, HB 129, HB 130, HB132, HB133, HB17, HB41, HB118, HB119, HB127, HB128, HB129, HB130, HB132, HB133

Keywords: foreign ownership, real estate, national security, designated countries, Texas property law, lobbying, foreign adversaries, compensation prohibition, transparency, civil penalties, higher education, foreign adversary, research security, trade secrets, academic partnerships, HB 128, sister city, sister-city agreement, international exchange, municipal diplomacy

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the owner of Universal Service.
• Hello, my name is I'm Joseph Mendoca, and I'm one of the primaries and owners of Universal Service Recycling
• So the way we have it The Nexus Waters category is designed to capture surface waters that are not currently

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This MSD, this Main Street District Road Surface Improvements, was funded by the New Mexico Finance Authority
• I'm a business owner myself, and I have to jump through hoops.
• Just like you, just like my business, anyone else that's a business owner in this room and has to meet

Transcript Highlights:

• source of funding for our universities, driven primarily by revenues from oil, gas, mineral, and surface
• Gavel back to its rightful owner. owner. day on this very thorough agenda that we've had for the Senate

Bills: SB530, SB757, SB769, SB1085, SB1241, SB1242, SB1409, SB1878, SB2138, SB2314, SB2231, SB2361, SB2431, SJR59

Keywords: accreditation, postsecondary education, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, baccalaureate degrees, junior colleges, program delivery, faculty recruitment, higher education, performance standards, student loan debt, degree programs, funding, students with disabilities, accessibility, enrollment, report, SB 1085, Sul Ross State University, Rio Grande College, Del Rio

Transcript Highlights:

• District leveling is a thin overlay to improve the roadway surface.
• So it's a 1.1% increase. surface. This bill adds 1.7 million, surface.
• EVs and plug-in hybrid owners are paying $89 or the $44.50, and that's going to the EV charging program
• <01:12:27.040> of is an intent that ensures all owners of is an intent that ensures all owners
• So trying to create a the owners.

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He said that before becoming a pastor, he was a business owner and was called into ministry.
• ,<01:10:03.120> but<01:10:03.360> we're Sounds good on the surface, but we're Sounds
• <01:10:44.159> Uh<01:10:44.880> food Representative McDonald said that on the surface
• Uh yeah,<01:11:04.800> on<01:11:04.960> the<01:11:05.120> surface<01:11:05.360><
• <01:11:05.760> We yeah, on the surface that's good. We yeah, on the surface that's good.

Bills: HF2078, HF777, HF841, HF1112, HF1098, HF1926

Keywords: child care, day care, child care center, licensing, license requirements, parent access, guardian access, custody order, court order, furnishings, equipment standards, learning materials, early childhood education, infant care, toddler care, preschool, school-age child care, play materials, sensory materials, gross motor equipment

Transcript Highlights:

• suspected arson attack, he moved to Anacostia here in Washington, D.C., and became the editor and later owner
• suspected arson attack, he moved to Anacostia here in Washington, D.C., and became the editor and later owner
• suspected arson attack, he moved to Anacostia here in Washington, D.C., and became the editor and later owner
• These parents aren't asking for luxury; they're asking for a clean, flat surface and basic respect.
• THESE PARENTS AREN'T ASKING FOR LUXURY BUT ASKING FOR A CLEAN, FLAT SURFACE AND BASIC RESPECT.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Monday, June 9, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• our total tax revenue comes from one company, Alexandria Real Estate, the largest biotech property owner
• So several years ago, an idea surfaced.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Revenue held a hybrid hearing on 17 late-file and miscellaneous bills, with testimony focused on several local tax and fee proposals. The first major item was H. 4687 for Watertown, which would permanently continue a special property tax classification allowing the city to maintain a 50% residential minimum factor and a 175% commercial shift. Watertown officials and local legislators said the measure is needed to prevent an estimated 18% residential tax increase when the current temporary authority expires, arguing that the city’s commercial growth and 1988 tax rules have created an unintended burden on homeowners, especially seniors. Committee members asked about the regional business impact, whether major taxpayers might leave, and why a permanent change was sought instead of another short extension; Watertown officials said the policy had not deterred commercial growth and that the city’s fiscal planning and stabilization funds were being used for schools, infrastructure, and bond rating support. The committee also heard H. 4435 from Charlemont, which would authorize a local tax on commercial recreation services. Town officials described Charlemont as a small rural community with a large visitor burden from skiing, rafting, and other recreation, saying police, fire, and EMS costs rise sharply during peak seasons and that the tax would help shift some of those costs to visitors rather than local residents. A committee member questioned the legal structure of taxing recreation services versus goods, but the town said the proposal was modeled on the meals and rooms tax and had local business support. Finally, testimony was taken on H. 4722, promoting fair tax treatment for zero-emission vehicles, especially electric school buses and Class 3-8 trucks. Supporters, including EV advocates, a school transportation company, and Rep. Gentile, said the bill would cap sales and excise taxes on EV vehicles at the level of comparable diesel vehicles to remove an unintended tax penalty, keep revenue neutral, and support the state’s climate goals while helping school districts and private bus operators manage higher upfront costs. Rep. Gentile also spoke in support of H. 4755, which would amend Sudbury’s means-tested senior property tax exemption so the town would not need new special legislation if the program is renewed again in the future. No votes were taken, and the hearing concluded after public testimony and committee questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• This concern is not lessened by the impact of individual well owners' wells going dry and the over-permitting
• Well, let's be clear, they will have a list of water supply projects, be it desal, be it surface water

Bills: HB3077, HJR2, HJR7, HJR7

Keywords: alcohol, taxation, reporting requirements, sales, distribution, death tax, inheritance tax, estate tax, property transfer, constitutional amendment, water fund, Texas water supply, state revenue, infrastructure, HJR 7, Texas Legislature, quorum, majority quorum, two-thirds quorum, legislative procedure

Transcript Highlights:

• The opportunity to produce far more with far less surface acreage gives us a unique and far higher economic
• , as well as Senator Pope (member_13697), an act relating to construction requiring developers or owners

Transcript Highlights:

• Property owners can go onto our website and see the testing the Army Corps did on their property.
• <00:29:13.360> So<00:29:13.600> property<00:29:13.919> owners<00:29:14.880><
• So property owners um can website too.
• <02:35:04.720> of I've touched barely on the surface of I've touched barely on the surface
• I literally have touched the surface of what our team is doing and what we're working on.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The order must be from the building owner representative.
• The order must be from the building owner representative.
• Laro continued that an owner who does not care and can afford a small fine may simply keep ignoring the
• uses<05:05:40.520> of<05:05:40.638> the<05:05:40.798> state<05:05:41.440> surface
• waters um to uses of the state surface waters um to to<05:05:45.840> um<05:05:46.160> make

Keywords: 1189, house, all