Video & Transcript Research : 'CPA certification'

Page 47 of 332
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs May 23rd, 2025

Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • Both my wife, who was a CPA, and I saw after just a couple of years that the conventional farming system
Summary: The committee met with limited attendance at first, then took up a series of water, agriculture, and rural affairs measures. HB 3898 would allow the Texas Water Development Board to provide financial assistance for brackish water desalination projects in certain border counties and related nonprofit suppliers even if the projects are not in the state water plan. Supporters said it is needed to address severe water shortages in places like Webb County and to support future planning; opponents, including the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts, argued it bypasses the regional and state water planning process. The bill was left pending after testimony. The committee also heard HB 5339, which would create a higher-education grant program for regenerative agriculture research. A rancher testified that regenerative methods improved soil health, water retention, and farm viability, while a senator noted existing university research but said better coordination could help. Public testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. Members then heard HB 1523, a temporary prohibition on TCEQ issuing Austin a Class 5 injection well permit for an aquifer storage and recovery project in Bastrop and Lee counties until December 2027. Local officials from Bastrop supported the pause, citing unanswered questions about water treatment, recovery rates, and impacts on the aquifer, while Austin Water opposed the substitute, saying the project is central to its long-term water plan and that stakeholder talks were already underway. TCEQ explained its ASR permitting process and said public participation is possible but not always used in the current authorization process. The bill was left pending. HB 5659, concerning the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District and requiring majority city-council approval before certain water sales or interbasin transfers, drew testimony from district officials who said the change could interfere with existing contracts and district authority, but the chair emphasized the need for local buy-in and said the stakeholders had reached a workable compromise; testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HB 1690, which would expand notice requirements for groundwater export permits so neighboring landowners and potentially affected aquifer areas are informed by certified mail and publication. The sponsor tied the bill to impacts from the Vista Ridge project, and no one testified against it; it was left pending. HB 3333 would prohibit TCEQ from issuing new wastewater discharge permits directly into the Devils River in Val Verde County. The sponsor and a conservation witness said the bill protects one of Texas’s most pristine rivers and reflects a local stakeholder agreement, while TCEQ said it can ensure water quality but acknowledged the river’s unique sensitivity; the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HCR 108 urging continuation of the U.S.-Mexico tomato suspension agreement, with supporters warning of major Texas job and consumer-price impacts if it ends, and HCR 76 urging federal action on imported shrimp, citing public health and industry concerns; both were left pending. Additional measures heard and left pending included HB 4158 on compensation for Texana Groundwater Conservation District directors, HB 654 creating a dismissal path for certain first-time deer hunting violations after self-reporting and hunter education, HB 4530 requiring Texas Water Development Board review of groundwater rights placed in the Texas Water Trust, HB 2128 directing a study of rural versus urban firefighting and rescue disparities, and HB 278 requiring groundwater districts and management areas to track progress toward desired future conditions over shorter intervals. On HB 278, witnesses split over whether the bill’s interim tracking would improve accountability or create new triggers that could be used against local districts, but no final vote was taken and the bill was left pending.
HI

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

LBT Public Hearing 01-29-2025

Labor and Technology

Transcript Highlights:
  • CPA firms and other employees, once you give them a little bit more to do, they expect compensation for
Keywords: 912, senate, all
Summary: The Committee on Labor and Technology heard testimony on several measures. Senate Bill 327, relating to internships, drew broad support from the Department of Education, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, University of Hawaiʻi, DBEDT, P20, HFIA, Hawaiʻi Electric, the Hawaii Primary Care Association, and the Chamber of Commerce, with suggested amendments to clarify the internship purpose, limit some responsibilities to the state executive branch, and address staffing and reporting details. The committee later recommended passing SB 327 with amendments, including changes to the internship language, private-sector references, work-hour limits, reporting requirements, and a deferred effective date for further discussion. Senate Bill 716, relating to the Hawaii Employment Security Law, received support from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations as a step toward modernizing unemployment insurance, and the committee recommended passage with housekeeping and technical amendments. Senate Bill 717, relating to collective bargaining, would allow certain exempt employees to grieve suspensions or discharges. The City and County of Honolulu and the Department of Human Resources Development said the issue should remain a collective bargaining matter, while HGEA and United Public Workers supported the bill. DHRD opposed changing the statute and pointed to existing internal complaint procedures. The committee nevertheless recommended passing SB 717 with amendments and deferred the date for further discussion. Senate Bill 742, relating to data sharing, would create a data sharing and governance working group within the Office of Enterprise Technology Services and include appropriations. OETS, the Executive Office on Early Learning, the University of Hawaiʻi, DOE, Hawaiʻi Kids Can, Hawaiʻi P-20, and others supported the measure, with OETS estimating a total cost of about $2.64 million, including software, consulting, and six FTE. The committee recommended passage with amendments and a deferred effective date, and noted the budget request in the committee report. The final measure, Senate Bill 855, relating to the Hawaii Retirement Savings Act, would shift the program from opt-in to opt-out and appropriate startup funds; former Senator Brian Taniguchi and AARP supported it, while Retail Merchants of Hawaiʻi and the Tax Foundation of Hawaiʻi opposed it over costs and burdens on small businesses and concerns about adding mandates before the program is implemented. The committee recessed briefly on a proposed AARP amendment, then returned and indicated support for the opt-out language before taking the bill up for decision-making.
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

RM 411 Conference PM - Fri May 1, 2026

Hawaii House Floor Meeting

HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

House Chamber - Fri May 1, 2026, 6:30PM HST - Day 56

Hawaii House Floor Meeting

HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

RM 329 Conference AM - Fri May 1, 2026

Hawaii House Floor Meeting

HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

RM 325 Conference PM - Fri May 1, 2026

Hawaii House Floor Meeting

HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

Room 229 Conference PM - 05-01-2026

Hawaii Senate Floor Meeting

HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

Room 016 Conference PM - 05-01-2026

Hawaii Senate Floor Meeting

HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

Senate Floor Session 05-01-2026 06:30pm

Hawaii Senate Floor Meeting

HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

Room 224 Conference PM - 05-01-2026

Hawaii Senate Floor Meeting

HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

Room 224 Conference AM - 05-01-2026

Hawaii Senate Floor Meeting

HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

RM 325 Conference AM - Fri May 1, 2026

Hawaii House Floor Meeting

HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

RM 329 Conference PM - Fri May 1, 2026

Hawaii House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Uh, this will give minimum certification periods for our elderly during the application report and a
  • The bill would give minimum certification periods for our elderly during the application process and
  • by any accreditation or certification organization approved by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
  • Aye. certification by any accreditation or certification by any accreditation or certification<03:11:
  • approved by certification organization approved by Centers<03:11:30.640> for<03:11:30.800>
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

RM 309 Conference AM/PM - Fri May 1, 2026

Hawaii House Floor Meeting

HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

RM 329 Conference AM - Thu Apr 30, 2026

Hawaii House Floor Meeting

HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

House Chamber - Thu Apr 30, 2026, 12:00PM HST - Day 55

Hawaii House Floor Meeting

HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

RM 309 Conference AM - Thu Apr 30, 2026

Hawaii House Floor Meeting

HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

Room 016 Conference AM - 05-01-2026

Hawaii Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • This is a certification of available funds with a threshold amount and, of course, a position for the
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

Room 229 Conference AM - 04-30-2026

Hawaii Senate Floor Meeting

HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

Room 229 Conference PM - 04-30-2026

Hawaii Senate Floor Meeting