Video & Transcript Research : 'Class B misdemeanor'
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MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on the Judiciary Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Joint Committee on the Judiciary
Transcript Highlights:
- This legislation clearly defines distribution of Class A controlled substances or counterfeit controlled
- The individuals targeted by this legislation are distributing a Class A controlled substance, which is
- We're also fortunate to have world-class education on this subject matter.
- And you have to give us Greg B said. Thank you.
- Today's work for savage age is 57 years ago, and classes are held yearly to train new hens.
Summary:
The hearing covered a wide range of Judiciary Committee bills, with much of the testimony focused on criminal justice, public safety, and civil asset forfeiture reform. Several lawmakers and advocates supported bills to increase penalties or create new offenses related to assaults on sports officials, assaults on transit workers, reckless discharge of firearms, fires and explosives, pill press machines, and drug-induced homicide. Testifiers described rising harassment and violence against youth sports officials and transit workers, as well as the fentanyl overdose crisis and the need for stronger tools to prosecute dealers whose conduct leads to death. Supporters of the sports-official and transit-worker bills emphasized declining referee availability and repeated assaults on commuter rail and MBTA workers. District attorneys also backed bills on reckless firearm discharge and fires/explosives, saying current law does not adequately address dangerous conduct that endangers bystanders.
The committee also heard testimony on several proposals related to youth diversion and prison mitigation. Supporters of the youth court justice fund bill said youth courts are peer-led diversion programs with strong compliance and low recidivism, and argued for a stable funding source rather than annual earmarks. A representative from Bridgewater supported a prison mitigation fund for municipalities that host state prisons, saying the costs of public safety and emergency services are not fully covered. On gun policy, testimony split between supporters of a bill to ban in-state manufacture of assault-style rifles for civilian sale and opponents or skeptics of other firearm-related measures, including a bill on collateralizing firearms and a bill to increase penalties for drug trafficking combined with illegal firearm offenses.
A major portion of the hearing was devoted to civil asset forfeiture reform. Advocates from the ACLU, CPCS, the Boston Bar Association, the Institute for Justice, and others supported bills to increase the burden of proof, improve transparency and reporting, require counsel, and limit or eliminate the current practice of directing forfeiture proceeds to law enforcement. They argued the current system creates perverse incentives, lacks adequate due process, and is insufficiently transparent. District Attorney Paul Tucker defended current forfeiture practices, saying his office has reporting and oversight, uses the funds for investigations and community programs, and warned that reducing forfeiture revenue would hinder crime fighting. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the hearing; the chairs repeatedly thanked witnesses and indicated the bills would remain under consideration.
HI
Hawaii 2026 Regular Session
JHA Info Briefing - Thu Jan 29, 2026 @ 2:00 PM HST
Hawaii House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- district court on misdemeanor charges. district court on misdemeanor charges.
- A people held on misdemeanor charges.
- evenly. 54% felony, 46% misdemeanor. evenly. 54% felony, 46% misdemeanor.
- <00:58:23.040>
C defer prosecution is for the class C defer prosecution is for the class C - assigned misdemeanor and petty misdemeanors<01:40:01.679>
only <01:40:02.000>on <01:40:
OK
Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session
House of Representatives Second Regular Session of the 60th Legislature Day 22 Afternoon Session Mar 10th, 2026 at 01:30 pm
Oklahoma House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- deals with attempting to take photos of people's private areas out in the public, which is also a misdemeanor
- So what we're doing is this bill turns second or subsequent misdemeanor offenses into a felony.
- I didn't realize I I was part of the elite class today that is not technically challenged, Mr.
- Have the courage to change this, and there are a lot of subjects and classes that really didn't matter
- Here we've got a former colleague, former class of six classmate, and friend Carri Bush joining us on
Bills:
HB4104, HB3722, HB3787, HB3700, HB3701, HB3310, HB3404, HB2964, HB2398, HB3024, HB3499, HB3278, HB3279, HB3645, HB3649, HB2293, HB3260, HB3176, HB3177, HB3114, HB3172, HB3322, HB3323, HB4248, HB3720, HB2210, HB1322, HB1937, HB3301, HB4107
Keywords:
Oklahoma criminal law, felony classification, Class B5, Class D1, sentencing enhancement, repeat offender, domestic violence, stalking, voyeurism, peeping tom, clandestine recording, hidden camera, privacy offense, sex offender registry, Sex Offenders Registration Act, protective order violation, animal cruelty, cockfighting, dogfighting, public safety
OK
Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session
House of Representatives Second Regular Session of the 60th Legislature Day 22 Morning Session Mar 10th, 2026 at 09:30 am
Oklahoma House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- to Oklahoma State University College of Orthopedic Medicine in Tulsa, where he served four years as class
- And I wanted it noted that this is the inaugural class. So they're extra special.
- We have a group of fourth graders from the gifted and talented class from Lindsay, and I want to point
- to have with us today from Sallisaw, Marty Green and Nan Stites and the Sallisaw Junior Leadership Class
Bills:
HB4104, HB3722, HB3787, HB3700, HB3701, HB3310, HB3404, HB2964, HB2398, HB3024, HB3499, HB3278, HB3279, HB3645, HB3649, HB2293, HB3260, HB3176, HB3177, HB3114, HB3172, HB3322, HB3323, HB4248, HB3720, HB2210, HB1322, HB1937, HB3301, HB4107
Keywords:
Oklahoma criminal law, felony classification, Class B5, Class D1, sentencing enhancement, repeat offender, domestic violence, stalking, voyeurism, peeping tom, clandestine recording, hidden camera, privacy offense, sex offender registry, Sex Offenders Registration Act, protective order violation, animal cruelty, cockfighting, dogfighting, public safety
WY
Wyoming 2026 Regular Session
Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources Committee, June 12, 2026
Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources
Transcript Highlights:
- /c> except for it starts with a B except for it starts with a B up<00:41:13.920>
at <00:41:14.040 - we should not be treated as lower-class we should not be treated as lower-class citizens<03:11:37.960
- My solutions include a criminal penalty My solutions include a criminal penalty misdemeanor, misdemeanor
- but a misdemeanor charge. but a misdemeanor charge. $750<03:17:54.160>
or <03:17:54.280>- ,<03:25:41.400>
in criminal penalty, a misdemeanor, in criminal penalty, a misdemeanor, in - ,<03:25:41.400>
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee 2/23/26
Transportation Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- touches every corner of Minnesota, from big cities to small towns, regardless of geography, size, race, class
- if it used to be just a misdemeanor if it used to be just a misdemeanor<00:57:49.760>
in <00:57 - in the inlock side making it misdemeanor in the inlock side making it a<00:57:51.359>
gross <00 - :57:51.599>
misdemeanor <00:57:52.079>if <00:57:52.319>someone <00:57:52.480> - is a gross misdemeanor if someone is a gross misdemeanor if someone is supposed<00:57:52.960>
Keywords:
intelligent speed assistance, transportation, speeding offenses, public safety, license restrictions, speed control, pedestrian safety, traffic safety, roadway improvements, nonmotorized transportation, crosswalks, sidewalks, bike lanes, complete streets, Vision Zero, Toward Zero Deaths, MnDOT, Department of Transportation, Department of Public Safety, local road authority
HI
Transcript Highlights:
- or misdemeanor cases, they end up staying there longer than their sentence.
- or misdemeanor cases, they end up staying there longer than their sentence.
- or misdemeanor and petting misdemeanor or misdemeanor and ending<00:20:36.159>
up <00:20:36.919 - Next, we have Robert B. in opposition. Is that Robert?
- /c><00:57:54.880>
in very much next we have um Robert B in very much next we have um Robert B
Summary:
The joint Health and Human Services and Judiciary meeting heard testimony on several measures, with most of the discussion focused on SB 709 and SB 955. On SB 709, relating to mental health data and related appropriations, the Department of Health supported the bill’s intent and said the funding would help maintain a data dashboard and positions, though it had no suggested amount for one blank appropriation. Members also discussed whether sections of the bill were duplicative of existing data reporting. The committees later recommended SB 709 be passed with amendments, including technical changes, deferring the date to December 31, 2050, and blanking out the appropriation for later clarification.
SB 955, relating to fitness to proceed, drew mixed testimony. Judiciary opposed portions of the bill, saying some changes could have unintended practical consequences. The Office of the Public Defender supported the bill’s intent but urged keeping a three-member evaluation panel rather than reducing it to two, warning that a two-panel process could create delays if a third evaluator had to be added later. A former Hawaii State Hospital clinician said the bill placed too much blame on the courts and should address institutional and administrative problems at the hospital more directly. The Department of Health supported the intent and said it appreciated efforts to address overcrowding. After discussion about examiner shortages and status hearings, the committees recommended SB 955 be passed with amendments reducing the number of qualified examiners from three to one and making related technical changes.
The committee also heard SB 1228, a child welfare services measure creating a working group related to youth legal representation and child welfare reform. DHS requested adding a Child Welfare Services representative to the work group, and multiple advocates, including the National Center for Youth Law and Hawaii Youth Services Network, testified in strong support, emphasizing the need for youth voice and implementation of Malama Ohana recommendations. Members asked whether this working group overlapped with another recently passed working group bill; testimony indicated the two measures addressed different issues. The meeting then recessed and later resumed for decision-making on the 9 o’clock calendar, where SB 709 was adopted with amendments and SB 955 was adopted with amendments.
VA
Transcript Highlights:
- honored to recognize the outstanding swimmers from Bruton for their amazing accomplishment at the Class
- It is my distinct honor and pleasure to welcome the representatives of Virginia's world-class university
- Section 18.2-287.4(B): any person who imports, sells, manufactures, purchases, or transfers an assault
- firearm is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
- 1 misdemeanor too.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- But Chris died in the arms of one of his teammates because it was an art class.
- The bill creates a Class A misdemeanor for individuals who provide personal care services without an
- It adds the same Class A misdemeanor offense for operating an assisted living facility without a license
- They're here to go to class.
- They're here to go to class.
Summary:
The Senate met with a quorum, heard an invocation, dispensed with the previous journal, and received a House message. Members also recognized Dr. Namita Bardwaj as doctor of the day. The chamber then adopted Senate Resolution 554 honoring Christopher “Chris” Jake Stone of Santa Fe for his heroism during the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting, with several senators and the lieutenant governor offering remarks about his sacrifice and the ongoing impact on his family and community. The Senate also signed a number of bills and resolutions and adopted Senate Resolution 533 recognizing the Texas Legislative Internship Program class, with multiple senators highlighting individual interns and the program’s role in developing future public servants.
The floor then took up and passed several bills, often by suspending the regular order and the three-day rule. These included HB 1639 on a study of cancer incidence among female firefighters; HB 102 granting early registration for students in military-related programs; HB 4325 increasing civil penalties for barratry; HB 5342 creating a 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline trust fund and related funding study; HB 3370 allowing late timberland appraisal applications after an owner’s death; HB 3376 requiring certain guardians to complete dementia/Alzheimer’s training; HB 132 extending confidentiality protections to information about hostile acts by foreign adversaries; and HB 1978, which sought to restrict ERCOT interconnections, but its motion to pass to engrossment failed on a 20-11 vote.
Additional measures passed included HB 511 on unsolicited voter registration mailings, HB 2187 on nurse staffing, retaliation, and overtime protections, HB 2510 creating offenses for unlicensed assisted living operations, HB 694 on DFPS notification timelines, HB 1893 making license plates in law-enforcement video nonconfidential for public information requests, HB 2733 updating barratry and solicitation laws for digital communications, HB 4506 allowing opt-in electronic zoning notices, HB 3751 transferring a TxDOT property to DPS, HB 3033 creating a grant program for nonprofits supporting injured or killed DPS employees, HB 4273 on Medicaid fraud prevention and eligibility verification, HB 3211 on vision care benefits, HB 4529 exempting certain DoD-certified child care facilities from state licensure, HB 2522 easing fingerprinting requirements for certain vehicle dealers, HB 4219 tightening public information request response requirements, and HB 4783 requiring a report on opioid antagonist programs. The Senate also received a House message noting passage of SB 9, and a nominations committee report was announced for future consideration.
AZ
Transcript Highlights:
- People with misdemeanor records in Arizona face thousands of barriers to jobs.
- People with misdemeanor records in Arizona face thousands of barrier jobs.
- Misdemeanor records keep them from getting everything from construction to desk jobs.
- For shoplifting, it was five, and for regular misdemeanors, it is three. Okay? Okay. What else?
- A single misdemeanor can block someone from employment, education, and when survivors can stabilize,
Bills:
SB1110, SB1140, SB1234, SB1275, SB1426, SB1436, SB1470, SB1489, SB1512, SB1540, SB1556, SB1568, SB1569, SB1573, SB1585, SB1609, SB1627, SB1634, SB1635, SB1648, SB1654, SB1687, SCR1027, SCR1040
Keywords:
home confinement, electronic monitoring, community supervision, criminal justice reform, recidivism, expungement, misdemeanor, criminal record, Arizona Revised Statutes, judicial process, record sealing, juvenile court, legal representation, appointed attorney, guardian ad litem, child welfare, veterans, mental health, criminal diversion, military service
Summary:
The Judiciary and Elections Committee met with a hard stop at 4:30 and approved the February 4, 2026 minutes. The chair announced several bills would be held for a later supplemental meeting, then took up SB 1426, the “squatter” bill. The bill was described as changing forcible detainer rules for unauthorized occupants and requiring immediate writs of restitution after judgment. Testimony from the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office supported the measure as a practical, collaborative response to unlawful occupancy. SB 1426 received a do-pass recommendation on a 7-0 vote.
The committee next considered SB 1687, a strike-everything amendment moving the primary election date from late July to the Tuesday before Memorial Day starting in 2027. The sponsor said the goal was to give more time between the primary and general elections and align Arizona more closely with other states. County election officials testified in neutral, saying they generally supported more time but flagged several issues, including filing deadlines, consolidated election dates, polling place availability, redistricting timelines, signature calculations, and possible conflicts with presidential preference elections. The amended bill passed 4-3, with concerns raised about clean elections qualification periods and state versus local control over elections.
The committee then approved SB 1110, which creates a home confinement program for certain nonviolent inmates, with GPS monitoring, eligibility limits, and a 50-to-1 inmate-to-officer ratio. Supporters said it would help families, reduce recidivism, and save money; an opponent criticized the retroactive effective date and questioned funding and monitoring capacity. SB 1110 received a do-pass recommendation on a 5-1 vote. SB 1275, which allows courts to consider PTSD and related service-connected conditions when sentencing certain veterans and first responders, drew support from the sponsor and advocates but opposition from county officials who argued it would undermine mandatory sentencing and victims’ rights; it passed 7-0.
Finally, the committee heard SB 1140, as amended, which allows expungement of eligible misdemeanor records after a waiting period, with exclusions for serious offenses and special rules for shoplifting and peace officer employment. Supporters, including a formerly incarcerated advocate and a retired police chief working on anti-trafficking issues, said expungement would improve employment and stability and give people a real second chance. The committee adopted the amendment and then passed SB 1140 as amended on a 7-0 vote before adjourning.
TX
Texas 89th Regular
Criminal Jurisprudence S/C New Offenses and Changed Penalties May 8th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- They're just going to plead it down to a misdemeanor.
- First, the bill will elevate first-time DWIs from misdemeanor, and in some cases, to a state jail felony
- You're only giving an incentive to take a misdemeanor into a felony."
- A misdemeanor to a state jail felony.
- The bill increases the penalty from a Class A misdemeanor to a state jail felony.
AL
Alabama 2025 Regular Session
Alabama Joint Reentry Committee Mar 20th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- You know, no misdemeanors allowed. So, it was reaching out to that specific group.
- So, I'm just saying company A may be in the business of making widgets and company B is also making widgets
- They do classes on financial literacy and things like that. financial literacy and things like that.
HI
Hawaii 2026 Regular Session
AEN-WLA-EIG, AEN-WLA-EDT, AEN-GVO, AEN DEFER, AEN, AEN-EDU Public Hearings 02-18-2026
Agriculture and Environment
Transcript Highlights:
- And authorizes the development of solar energy facilities on ag lands with productivity ratings of B,
- on ag lands with productivity<00:01:46.880>
ratings <00:01:47.240>of <00:01:47.360>B, - <00:01:47.600>
C, <00:01:47.920>or <00:01:48.080>D productivity ratings of B, - >> So, for B and C lands, it does go through the land use commission process.
- >> So, for B and C lands, it does go through the land use commission process. >> Always known that. >
Keywords:
workforce development, agriculture, biosecurity, pilot program, Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, University of Hawaii, Leeward Community College, DHRD, training, apprenticeship, career pathways, credentialing, job training, internship, hands-on experience, state employment, workforce pipeline, agricultural jobs, biosecurity jobs, general fund appropriation
Summary:
The committees first heard SB 2371, which would prioritize lease offers on agrivoltaics parcels for beginning farmers, require annual compliance reports to DAB, authorize penalties for noncompliance, and allow solar facilities on certain agricultural lands. DAB, the State Energy Office, PUC, and Hawaii Farm Bureau generally supported the intent, while OPPSD recommended amendments to preserve agricultural lease affordability and strengthen food-production language. Members questioned whether the bill would meaningfully encourage solar on ag lands, whether beginning farmers would have enough information to use such parcels, and how the bill would interact with Land Use Commission review. The Farm Bureau said agrivoltaics remains challenging and largely in pilot form, and noted the Mililani project as a promising example of dual use. The committees voted to pass SB 2371 with amendments, with one member expressing a preference that it be opened to all farmers rather than only beginning farmers.
The next measure, SB 2800, appropriates funds to DAB, DLNR, and ADC for acquisition, repair, and maintenance of irrigation systems. All testifying agencies and the Farm Bureau supported the bill, and members pressed them for estimates of needed funding and the condition of existing systems. DAB cited major repair needs, including Waimea, Molokai, Kahuku, and Kawailoa, and said its backlog could total roughly $65 million; ADC estimated about $35 million for several systems; and DLNR said its current needs for three systems were about $35 million, with the largest cost tied to piping in Kekaha. The committees amended the bill to defer its effective date to July 1, 2050 and to blank out the appropriation amounts in the bill text, with the agencies’ requested amounts to be included in the committee report for consideration. SB 2800 then passed in AEN, Water and Land, and EIG.
The final measure discussed was SB 2718, a food hub pilot program beginning in 2028 that would require state departments and UH to source 30% of certain food purchases from local agricultural products, create a nutrition- and ʻāina-based school program, and have DAT partner with a regional aggregator for Native Hawaiian staple crops. DAT, DOH, the Farm Bureau, Food Plus Policy Group, HAPA, and others supported the bill’s intent, while the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation opposed it, saying it is already struggling to meet the current local procurement percentage and faces procurement and quantity barriers, especially for staple items used daily. The testimony focused on whether agencies could realistically meet the higher local purchasing target and whether smaller farms could supply the needed volumes.
DE
Delaware 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Administration Committee Meeting Jun 24th, 2026
Administration
Transcript Highlights:
- class A.
- I think at their lowest level, at their most common, it's a misdemeanor. Justice.
- I think at their lowest level, at their most common, it's a Class A misdemeanor.
- And this would also be a Class A misdemeanor. Okay, perfect. Thank you. Since you're at the table.
- For a misdemeanor like this, I think jurisdictionally it really ought to flow when it's a juvenile to
Bills:
SB231
Keywords:
school social workers, salary supplement, LCSW, mental health, education funding, Delaware Code, certification, professional standards
Summary:
The House Administration Committee met and first considered Senate Bill 231, which would extend the existing 6% salary supplement for school-based mental health professionals with advanced credentials to school social workers who hold licensed clinical social worker credentials and have passed the national exam. The bill sponsor and multiple witnesses described school social workers as essential to student mental health, crisis response, attendance, and family support, and argued the measure corrects an oversight and inequity in the current salary supplement structure. Public testimony was uniformly supportive, and the committee voted to release the bill.
The committee then heard Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 212, a constitutional amendment to protect the rights to hunt, fish, and trap. Supporters, including sportsmen’s groups and individual residents, said the amendment would preserve longstanding traditions, support wildlife management, and guard against future threats to hunting and trapping. An opposing witness argued there was no current threat in Delaware and said the Constitution should not be used to protect trapping or elevate hunting and trapping over other wildlife management approaches. Despite the opposition, the committee voted to release the substitute bill.
Finally, the committee took up Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 284, the First State Emergency Response Act, which would create a 25-foot buffer around first responders at emergency scenes after warning, with misdemeanor penalties for knowingly entering or remaining in the zone to interfere with duties. Supporters said the bill would protect police, firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics from interference, while opponents from the ACLU and the Office of Defense Services raised concerns about vague terms, potential First Amendment impacts, enforcement clarity, and jurisdictional issues. Committee members also questioned how the buffer would be marked and enforced. The sponsor and staff said they would continue working on the language, and the committee voted to release the bill.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety - Part 2 - 03/27/26
Judiciary and Public Safety
Transcript Highlights:
- any type of permit a misdemeanor. any type of permit a misdemeanor.
- The work we do with the men in classes The work we do with the men in classes is<00:40:15.040>
- subdivision 14, section B, subdivision 14, section B, uh<02:29:25.280>
it <02:29:25.400>- subdivision 2 paragraph B. subdivision 2 paragraph B.
- My memory is that that CHRO law. class mail class mail uh<02:40:36.520>
when <02:40:36.720> - subdivision 14, section B, subdivision 14, section B, uh<02:29:25.280>
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Importantly, the bill also establishes a Class A misdemeanor. or penalty for violations reinforcing the
- And quite frankly, I don't know if a Class A misdemeanor is enough in the waning hours of campaign, the
- A misdemeanor is enough.
- All we have right now is the class A misdemeanor, and we have DPS here as well as a resource. resource
- Class A misdemeanor.
Keywords:
emergency communication, infrastructure, first responders, grant program, interoperability, Texas Interoperability Council, local governments, HB 143, Texas Railroad Commission, Public Utility Commission of Texas, Natural Resources Code, oil and gas, well site, surface facility, electrical power line, National Electrical Code, NEC, electrical safety, utility disconnect, service disconnection
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety - 03/03/25
Judiciary and Public Safety
AZ
Transcript Highlights:
- two misdemeanor with an immediate license suspension possible.
- The result is a class two misdemeanor under this statute.
- Also, class two misdemeanor.
- If you're passing them while they do that, class two misdemeanor under this statute.
- two misdemeanor and there's nothing in between.
Keywords:
critical infrastructure, foreign adversaries, China, communications, security, law enforcement, disciplinary action, administrative appeals, investigative files, due process, retaliation, county seal, law enforcement authority, sheriff's posse, public safety, county governance, ambulance services, certificate of necessity, emergency medical services, state regulations
Summary:
The Committee on Public Safety met, approved the March 11, 2026 minutes, and heard two presentations before moving to bills. The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry presented on its K-9 program, describing staffing, dog types, functions such as contraband interdiction, search and rescue, and offender apprehension, and noting aging vehicles and the need for replacement canines. Biometrica then presented a privacy-focused facial recognition/sensor system intended to help law enforcement identify missing persons and known offenders in real time without storing video or audio; members asked questions but took no action on the presentation.
The committee then considered HB 2134, which would create the Arizona Critical Infrastructure Protection Act to restrict Chinese-owned or Chinese-produced equipment and software in critical infrastructure and require reporting and oversight by the Corporation Commission. The sponsor said the bill was revised to be prospective and more workable; supporters framed it as a national security measure, while some members raised cost and implementation concerns. The bill passed 4-3. HB 2404, which shifts inter-facility transport of behavioral health patients away from peace officers and toward authorized transporters except in limited circumstances, drew support from a Phoenix police crisis intervention officer and the Arizona Police Association and passed 7-0.
HB 2402, dealing with ambulance certificates of necessity for small or underserved areas, was amended to require rather than allow certain certificates and to streamline reporting and application processes; the sponsor and firefighters said it would preserve access and modernize a decades-old system. It passed as amended 7-0. HB 2673, as amended, was reduced to creating a study committee on inmate mental health services after originally proposing broader jail and prison screening and treatment requirements; the sponsor and a victim’s family member described the bill as a response to failures in the mental health and jail systems. It passed 6-0 with one not voting. HB 2253, protecting employees from retaliation for testifying in law enforcement disciplinary appeals, passed 5-0 with two not voting, and HB 2270, expanding county control over use of county seals, logos, and sheriff’s posse names, passed 6-0 with one not voting.
Finally, HB 2941, which would make certain motorcycle lane-splitting or passing behavior reckless driving except as allowed by existing lane-filtering rules, drew support from the sponsor and motorcycle advocates who said it targets dangerous high-speed lane splitting, but one speaker warned the language could unintentionally criminalize safe filtering. The bill passed 5-1 with one not voting. The committee then adjourned.
AR
Arkansas 2026 1st Special Session
ALC-GAME & FISH/STATE POLICE Feb 18th, 2026
ALC-GAME & FISH/STATE POLICE
Transcript Highlights:
- passing on curves or on hills or double yellow lines, those individuals were being charged with misdemeanors
- your help, we sponsored legislation and we were able to make fleeing from a law enforcement officer a Class
- I don't know what the— is that a Class D felony?
- It begins at a Class D felony, depending on the pursuit and the outcome of the pursuit.
- of things that could change that from a Class D to make that a higher-class felony.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- As you all may know, failure to report child abuse is a Class A misdemeanor when the actor is a professional
- A misdemeanor to a state jail felony.
- Chairman, let me also say this: What we've done also has taken us from a Class A misdemeanor to a state
- Assault is elevated to a third-degree felony, and harassment becomes a Class A misdemeanor under these
- Members, y'all may recall. ...becomes a Class A misdemeanor under these conditions.
Summary:
The committee heard and laid out a series of criminal justice bills, with public and invited testimony on restitution, juvenile justice, child abuse reporting, public-safety protections, organ trafficking, property fraud, disaster-response worker protections, fentanyl exposure, emergency data disclosure, insurance-fraud investigations, blood warrant execution, human smuggling, and TJJD advocacy access. Several measures drew support from prosecutors, clerks, law enforcement, utility companies, and victims who described real-world harms and delays in current law; opposition or caution came from civil-rights and advocacy groups on bills involving expanded criminal liability, data disclosure, and juvenile-facility access. Most bills were left pending after testimony, with the committee later voting out SB 127 favorably and placing it on the local and uncontested calendar.
SB 1666 would streamline restitution payments for parole or mandatory supervision cases by requiring TDCJ to include victim information when forwarding payments, shortening the period before unclaimed funds go to the Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund, and clarifying confidentiality and contact procedures; county clerks supported it as an efficiency measure. SB 2776 would let TJJD disclose certain information, with written consent, to support the Credible Messengers Program, and SB 127 would extend limitations periods for failure-to-report child abuse and concealment offenses, with testimony emphasizing delayed discovery of abuse and the need for accountability. SB 1980 would increase penalties for assaulting or interfering with peace officers, parole officers, and community supervision officers, and SB 456 would raise penalties for organ purchasing/trafficking and create a more specific criminal framework for the offense; both drew strong support from law enforcement and victims.
The committee also heard SB 2611 on real property theft and deed fraud, which would create separate offenses for real property theft and fraud, add a ten-year limitations period, require criminal judgments to be filed in county property records, and expand restitution and title-clearing remedies. Witnesses described forged deeds, stolen church and family properties, and long, costly efforts to restore title; county clerks and prosecutors said the bill would help victims and streamline civil remedies. SB 482 would increase penalties for offenses against utility workers during declared disasters or evacuation orders, prompted by reports of threats and assaults during Hurricane Beryl; utility representatives said the bill is needed to keep mutual-aid crews coming to Texas. SB 1234 would add fentanyl to the endangerment statute for vulnerable people, while SB 816 would allow providers to disclose electronic data in immediate life-threatening situations; both drew support from prosecutors and criticism from civil-rights advocates concerned about overbreadth and liability protections.