Transcript Highlights:

• We need to stick to the law.
• We need to stick to the law.
• Against the law, it was violating state law.
• We need to stick to the law.
• We need to stick to the law.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Judiciary Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 148, with the chair limiting testimony to two minutes and asking for no outbursts so the committee could get through eight bills that day. Representative Kofalt, the prime sponsor, said HB 148 was the same as last year’s HB 396, which passed both chambers but was vetoed by the governor. He explained the bill would allow, but not require, separation by biological sex in bathrooms, locker rooms, houses of correction, and certain athletic competitions, leaving local school boards and administrators discretion to set policies. He argued the bill was meant to address safety and privacy concerns and cited a Milford incident and concerns in several school districts as examples of why local flexibility was needed. Committee members questioned the lack of a definition of “biological sex” and how the bill would be applied. Kofalt said he did not think a definition was necessary because males and females are generally understood, and he said the bill would give local policymakers latitude to make practical rules. He also said the bill was intended to address situations where people might misuse transgender claims to access spaces inappropriately. In response to questions, he said he was aware of issues in Kearsarge, Milford, and Mascoma school districts and had heard of discomfort in the State House, though he did not know all the details. Several opponents testified that the bill would discriminate against transgender and non-binary people and create enforcement problems. Executive Councilor Karen Hill said the bill would roll back New Hampshire’s anti-discrimination protections and conflict with the state’s Live Free or Die values. Alice Wade, a trans woman, said she had used women’s restrooms without incident and argued the bill would invite invasive enforcement and harassment. Representative La Selig said the bill was discriminatory and that bathroom concerns were being confused with unrelated harassment by cisgender males. Betsy Harrington supported the bill, citing a girls’ soccer game at Kearsarge that she said was disrupted by a boy playing on a girls’ team. Rosie Emer and her child testified against the bill, saying bathroom restrictions would increase anxiety and risk for trans and non-binary children. Stephen Scaer and Wendy Stallings supported the bill, arguing sex is biologically fixed and that excluding males from female spaces should not require genital inspections. No vote or final committee action was taken in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Folks, Senate Bill 488 updates Florida's transportation laws.
• We align the state law with some federal laws in the transportation world.
• The ought to be a law program where the heart and hustle fit.
• My job was not just passing laws, but listening to you.
• The bill doesn't address that on a federal law piece.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for former Lee County Judge John Carlin, the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognition of FSU Police Officer Cody Popple for stopping the April campus shooter. The Speaker then outlined the final week of session, noting the House had passed 253 House bills and 149 Senate bills to date, but that the 2026-27 budget would not be completed this week. The chamber also adopted the Rules and Ethics Committee’s special order report for the day. The House took up several Senate bills on special order, largely technical or open-government measures, and passed them with little or no opposition. These included SB 100, SB 104, and SB 102 on the Florida Statutes and revisor’s changes; SB 7006, SB 7014, SB 7002, SB 7012, SB 7024, SB 7016, SB 7026, SB 7008, SB 7000, and SB 7004, which extended or preserved various public-records and meeting exemptions for matters such as Public Service Commission proprietary information, social media investigations, military affairs, highway safety records, cybersecurity, emergency shelter contact information, conviction integrity units, and trade secrets. Most passed overwhelmingly, though SB 7006 drew 99-8, SB 7022 on public records for exam integrity passed 101-8 after questions about testing materials and scoring rubrics, and SB 7026 on trade secrets passed 106-3. The most substantive floor debate centered on SB 7040, which recreates the emergency preparedness and response trust fund in the Executive Office of the Governor. Rep. Eskamani offered an amendment to let the fund expire, arguing the money had become a “slush fund” and had been used for the Everglades detention facility rather than emergencies; several members supported her on fiscal and separation-of-powers grounds, while others said the fund is needed for rapid disaster response. The House rejected Eskamani’s amendment and then adopted a Griffiths strike-all amendment adding accountability measures, including spending limits, quarterly reporting, asset tracking, and a sunset/review provision. SB 7040 then passed 82-25. The chamber also passed CS/CS SB 302 on coastal resiliency, CS/CS SB 984 on firefighter cancer benefits, CS SB 474 on military affairs, and SB 488 on Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which prompted extended questions about vehicle registration requirements, license plate frames, and foreign passport/I-94 documentation; the bill was still under amendment and debate when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• Folks, Senate Bill 488 updates Florida's transportation laws.
• We align the state law with some federal laws in the transportation world.
• The ought to be a law program where the heart and hustle fit.
• My job was not just passing laws, but listening to you.
• The bill doesn't address that on a federal law piece.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for former Judge John Carlin, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a recognition of FSU Police Officer Cody Popple for his actions during the April campus shooting. The Speaker also outlined the final week of session, noting the House would focus on Senate bills and returning messages, and that the 2026-27 budget would not be completed by the end of the week. The chamber then adopted the special order calendar for the day. The House passed several technical and open-government bills, mostly on strong bipartisan votes. These included SB 100, SB 104, and SB 102 on the Florida Statutes and reviser changes; SB 7006, SB 7014, SB 7002, SB 7012, SB 7024, SB 7016, SB 7026, SB 7008, SB 7000, and SB 7004, which extended or preserved various public records or meeting exemptions involving the Public Service Commission, social media investigations, military affairs, highway safety investigations, cybersecurity, small business loan records, trade secrets, emergency shelter locations, and conviction integrity units. Members asked questions on several of these bills, especially about the scope and purpose of the exemptions, but the bills generally advanced with little opposition. The chamber also took up more substantive measures. SB 7040 recreated the emergency preparedness and response trust fund and drew extended debate over whether the fund had been misused for the Everglades detention facility; an Escamani amendment to let the fund expire failed, while a Griffiths amendment adding limits and oversight was adopted, and the bill ultimately passed 82-25. CS/CS/SB 302 on coastal resiliency passed unanimously after supporters highlighted nature-based shoreline protection and a Biscayne Bay provision. CS/CS/SB 984 on firefighter cancer benefits passed after a House amendment aligned it with the House version. CS/SB 474 on military affairs passed unanimously after an amendment allowing local governments to extend Guard leave. SB 488 on the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles was debated extensively over vehicle registration requirements, license plate frames, and I-94 documentation, with amendments including one for disabled veterans and another on dealer allocation; the transcript cuts off before final disposition of that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Folks, Senate Bill 488 updates Florida's transportation laws.
• We align the state law with some federal laws in the transportation world.
• . beyond the briefs and the role within our democratic laws.
• The ought to be a law program where the heart and hustle fit.
• The bill doesn't address that on a federal law piece.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Consultation that we currently have in law.
• It has no effect on the law.
• In this state, we have already passed laws that criminalize ghost guns.
• Keeping with the theme of the Law and Justice Committee bills today, where we're updating our laws to
• That's already against the law.

Bills: SB6061 , SB6234 , SB6170 , SB6176 , SB6182 , SB6335 , SB5647 , SB6047 , HB2367 , HB2606 , SB5998 , SB6005 , SB6003 , SB6129 , SB6225 , SB6228 , SB6231 , SB6061 , SB6234 , SB6170 , SB6176 , SB6182 , SB6335 , SB5647 , SB6047 , HB2367 , HB2606 , SB6129 , SB6228 , SB6231 , HB2235 , HB2272 , HB2340 , HB2543 , HB2554 , HB2632 , HB2464 , HB2619

Keywords: tourism, self-supported assessment, funding, statewide promotion, economic development, sewage, grinder pumps, residential buildings, regulation, construction, contracting rules, state highway construction, procurement limits, state regulations, infrastructure funding, vehicle registration, enforcement, renewal, transportation, state law

Transcript Highlights:

• that have been expanded by law when only that have been expanded by law when only in<00:27:51.919><c>
• Welcome to Election Law.
• Welcome to Election Law.
• Welcome to Election Law. Mr.
• Oh, welcome to Election Law.

Committee: House Election Law

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, 75% of net income is required by law to go back to the state of Wyoming.
• Uh, the lottery will pass partially because we omitted scratch tickets, because that was the real controversial

Bills: SF0052 , SF0024

Committee: Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources

Keywords: wildlife management, environmental restoration, funding, invasive species, aquatic ecosystems, native fish, habitat conservation, lottery, debit card payments, gambling regulations, state revenue, financial transactions, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Law enforcement still has to know, especially in urban and rural areas.
• Law enforcement has to know. Right, Mr. Chair. Please proceed. Thank you.
• Understood, but I think the law in Ohio is different.
• So I just want to be very clear if we're making reference to other state laws.
• But if there isn't any penalty for not complying with the law, then what do we do?

Committee: House Education

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We started State Armor when my in-laws left China.
• Representative, presumably you all could write a law towards that.
• so all else being equal, folks should follow the law.
• How is that not a violation of the law? Touch again on the kill switches.
• That was clearly prevented by the law.

Committee: House Natural Resources

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I did a search of all our laws and I can find nowhere in law where we allow a government contractor to
• Well, my son and my daughter-in-law both work.
• That's omitted entirely.
• Explicit in the law is what counts. Otherwise, it's called a loophole.
• However, private schools do not have to follow federal law.

Bills: HB 3

Committee: House Public Education

Keywords: emergency communication, public safety, interoperability, Texas Interoperability Council, grant program, emergency communications, public safety radio, first responders, radio system, dispatch, 911, emergency management, Texas Division of Emergency Management, public safety infrastructure, Project 25, P25, broadband emergency alerting, outdoor warning sirens, homeland security, disaster response

Transcript Highlights:

• Laws should protect people, not stand in the way of their healing.
• Olcott's questioning, under the... current law, if you have to go to Mexico to get the treatment, you
• I went to law school at the University of Kentucky, where I began to seek.
• This law adds natural organic reduction as another choice Texans have after death.
• First is the foreign licensed doctors from other countries who would be able to omit the U.S.

Bills: HB 44 , HB 2200 , HB 1612 , HB 2747 , HB 2038 , HB 3717 , HB 1431 , HB 3800 , HB 3801 , HB 3560 , HB 3246

Committee: House Public Health

Keywords: HB 44, Life of the Mother Act, abortion exceptions, medical emergency, reasonable medical judgment, pregnancy complications, maternal health, life-threatening condition, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, spontaneous abortion, fetal survival, Texas abortion law, abortion ban, physician liability, health care provider, disciplinary action, aiding and abetting, emergency abortion, obstetric care

Summary: The meeting of the public health committee focused on the pressing issue of opioid addiction in Texas, with a particular emphasis on House Bill 3717. Chairman Harris detailed the bill's intent to fund a grant program for Ibogaine clinical trials, framing it as a critical response to the ongoing opioid crisis. He shared poignant testimonies highlighting the struggles of families and veterans battling addiction and mental health issues. The conversation underscored the necessity of innovative treatments, like Ibogaine, which showed promising results in studies for reducing symptoms of withdrawal and PTSD.

Transcript Highlights:

• So there’s not, in case law or much case law in this particular instance.
• My law practice is solely devoted to water and public utility law.
• My father-in-law, J.C.
• We're using the law.
• the law is unclear.

Committee: House Natural Resources

Summary: The committee held a hearing on high-capacity groundwater wells proposed in Anderson, Henderson, and Houston counties, with members framing the issue as one of local water supply, fairness, and the need to modernize groundwater law while protecting private property rights. Opening remarks focused on the scale of the proposed Redtown Ranch and Pine Bliss projects, the potential export of tens of thousands of acre-feet of groundwater annually, and concerns that the applications lacked sufficient technical detail and could harm nearby landowners, cities, agriculture, and manufacturing. Members also noted the broader context of the recent flooding tragedy in central Texas and the Legislature’s intent to address water-related loss of life in the upcoming special session. Witnesses from the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts and the Texas Water Development Board explained the current groundwater management framework. They described groundwater conservation districts as the state’s preferred management method, the role of groundwater management areas and desired future conditions, and how the Water Development Board uses those conditions to calculate modeled available groundwater. They emphasized that districts rely on local data, monitoring wells, and planning processes, but that information is often more limited in areas without a district, where the rule of capture applies. Members pressed witnesses on recharge rates, export permits, subsidence, the effect of pumping on nearby wells, the age and real-time availability of model data, and whether the proposed project would exceed modeled available groundwater in some counties. TCEQ explained its limited oversight role over groundwater conservation districts, including inquiries, compliance actions, and, in extreme cases, dissolution authority. Water Development Board staff also outlined funding programs, saying the New Water Supply for Texas Fund is limited to projects such as brackish desalination, reuse, ASR, and other new-supply projects, and does not fund fresh groundwater exports alone. They said the project at issue had not applied for board funding. A water lawyer then testified on the rule of capture, ownership in place, and district regulation, arguing that districts must use permitting and other tools to manage production within modeled available groundwater and that the Legislature could consider additional authority over groundwater exports under current law.

Transcript Highlights:

• If no one ever tries to invoke Sharia law as enforceable law. Clarifies authority.
• , supersedes state law...
• supersedes state law.
• Bottom line is, if you don't like a law, change it. Don't neuter law enforcement.
• Immigration law is immigration law, and we're in the state Senate.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Arizona law already addresses flight from law enforcement as an aggravating factor.
• If no one ever tries to invoke Sharia law as enforceable law.
• , supersedes state law.
• Bottom line is, if you don't like a law, change it. Don't neuter law enforcement.
• Immigration law is immigration law, and we're in the state Senate.

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then approved the journal and received House messages and first-read bills. The chamber moved through multiple Committee of the Whole calendars, considering a range of measures on solar energy, public safety, insurance, health care, agriculture, gaming, education, child welfare, and real property. Several bills were retained on calendar, while many others were advanced with committee amendments and floor amendments. On Calendar 2, SB 1419 on solar energy inspection contractors drew the most debate. A floor amendment by Sen. Sundareshan sought to require utilities to protect ratepayers from costs associated with large energy users such as data centers; supporters argued it would help keep electricity affordable, while opponents called it a hostile amendment. After a division vote, the amendment failed 12-15, and SB 1419 was reported do pass as amended. SB 1498 (DPS appropriation) and SB 1502 (unlawful flight/reckless endangerment) also advanced. The Committee of the Whole report was adopted, but a later attempt to add the failed Sundareshan amendment to the report on SB 1419 was defeated 13-14. On Calendar 1, the Senate advanced SB 1165, SB 1206, SB 1212, SB 1215, SB 1290, SB 1291, and SB 1347, mostly with committee amendments. SB 1178 on naturopathic physicians and prescription drug pricing saw a contested Sears floor amendment aimed at stopping price gouging on essential generic drugs; supporters said it would lower drug costs, while the sponsor objected that it was not germane. The amendment failed, and the bill passed as amended. SB 1186 on document retention and donations also drew a Sundareshan amendment on transparency and implementation; it failed, and the bill passed as amended. SB 1286 on veterinary visits and electronic prescriptions advanced after a proposed Kavanagh floor amendment was defeated on division. The Senate then adopted the Committee of the Whole reports and moved on to additional calendars. On Calendar 4, the chamber passed SB 1004 on ESA students and interscholastic activities, SB 1116 on AHCCCS access/behavioral health, SB 1162 on health care institution licensing complaints, SB 1179 on developmental disability/health monitoring, SB 1475 on school district governing boards and eligibility, SB 1821 on DCS training and child placement, and SCR 1012. A request to hold SB 1475 for a reinstatement process was rejected. The Senate also took up an additional Committee of the Whole for SB 1077, SB 1479, and SB 1566; SB 1077 advanced with a Payne floor amendment, SB 1479 advanced with a Carroll amendment classifying certain forged real-property recordings as a class five felony, and SB 1566 began consideration with a Petersen amendment to remove part of a prior amendment. Throughout, the chamber repeatedly adopted committee reports and advanced the bills for further action.

Transcript Highlights:

• How is it lawful and enforceable to pay?
• How is it lawful and enforceable to pass a law that precludes individuals from being able to take a path
• That is not required under the law today.
• These sections of the law are crucial.
• Party, given that China’s national security law and national intelligence laws require Chinese companies

Committee: Senate Appropriations

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• How is it lawful and enforceable to pass a law that precludes individuals from being able to take a path
• That is not required under the law today.
• They would have to research the laws of Florida and find out that Florida has this new crazy law that's
• That surrogacy law out of the state.
• Party, given that China's national security law and national intelligence laws require Chinese companies

Summary: The Appropriations Committee considered a large agenda of bills and reported several measures favorably. Early action included SB 6, a settled claim bill involving the Department of Children and Families and a trust for Leila Estrada and Sapphire Williams, and CS/CS/SB 1266, which creates a cybersecurity experiential learning and clearance-readiness program through the Department of Commerce and Cyber Florida. The committee also approved SB 532 on clerks of court funding, allowing clerks to retain all excess Article V revenue rather than returning half to the state and clarifying foreclosure sale procedures. In addition, the committee passed CS/CS/SB 1602 and CS/CS/SB 1604 to create and fund a pilot housing program for veterans through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, and CS/SB 1110 to expand Medicaid and private insurance coverage for medically necessary orthotics and prosthetics, including testimony from affected families and advocates. The committee also adopted an amendment and then favorably reported CS/CS/SB 1012 on inmate services, removing the bill’s medical-services compensation provisions while retaining changes to the inmate welfare trust fund and related facility uses. It also adopted a delete-all amendment and then favorably reported CS/CS/CS/SB 1614, which was narrowed to remove a provision allowing local governments to use excess fees to construct new buildings. The committee spent substantial time on CS/SB 17, a Medicaid oversight and transparency bill. The sponsor said the measure would create a joint legislative Medicaid oversight committee, authorize the Legislature to retain its own actuary, modernize Medicaid statutes, strengthen managed-care performance standards, and increase accountability for pharmacy benefit managers and related entities. After amendment, the committee adopted changes removing several PBM-related provisions while retaining the broader oversight framework. Testimony from supporters emphasized transparency, fraud prevention, and cost control, while a PBM trade association asked to continue working on affiliate-manufacturer, network, and payment issues. The bill was reported favorably. The most extensive discussion centered on CS/SB 1758, which proposes major changes to Medicaid and SNAP. The sponsor described five reforms: stronger fraud and overpayment recovery authority, a Medicaid work requirement for certain able-bodied adults, expanded behavioral-health services through Medicaid waivers, pharmacy-program changes to obtain rebates and reduce institutional costs, and SNAP/EBT reforms including photo IDs and work requirements. The committee adopted two amendments: one adding a transitional “glide path” for people who gain employment but risk losing Medicaid, and another exempting hospice patients with six months or less to live. Supporters argued the bill would reduce fraud, improve accountability, and encourage work, while opponents warned it would increase administrative burdens, push eligible people off coverage, and conflict with federal law or guidance. The bill remained under debate with extensive public testimony from advocates, providers, and affected families, and the transcript ends before final disposition on the measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• proposed or a current law?
• That's the law that I'm referring to. A law that is consistent with the current law in Texas.
• I'm an immigration lawyer and a retired professor of law from the University of Texas Law School, where
• This can be in law for 20 years.
• So it's not lawful status. It's not lawful presence.

Committee: Senate Education K-16

Summary: The committee heard several education bills, with most of the discussion focused on Senate Bill 1835, Senate Bill 784, Senate Bill 1049, Senate Bill 2942, and Senate Bill 2928. SB 1835 would raise from 5% to 20% the cap on nonresident students who can receive resident tuition and fees through competitive scholarships at certain regional universities in slower-growing workforce development areas, provided the schools have capacity as determined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Supporters, including West Texas A&M University, said the bill would help fill underused capacity, attract students who may stay and work in Texas, and support regional workforce needs. SB 784 would strengthen a prior law allowing peace officers’ children to transfer between public school districts for safety reasons by requiring both districts’ approval, making clear that districts of innovation are not exempt, and prohibiting tuition charges. SB 1049 would require districts and open-enrollment charters to excuse students, at a parent’s request, for religious release-time instruction for up to one hour per day and five hours per week; witnesses said the program is constitutional, voluntary, and already operating in other states and some Texas districts. Each of these bills was left pending after testimony, with no public witnesses opposing them. SB 2942 would expand and adjust the state’s adult charter high school pilot program. Senator Creighton said the bill is intended to help the estimated 7 million Texas adults without a high school diploma by removing barriers to expansion, aligning legal protections with ISDs, changing TEA’s disapproval window for expansion amendments to a 30-day period after receipt, and updating funding to reflect part-year attendance. A committee substitute kept the upper enrollment age at 50 and removed a proposed testing change. Testimony from New Heights students and leadership described the program as life-changing, emphasizing that it combines diplomas with career credentials, childcare, transportation, and other supports to help adults stabilize their families and enter better-paying work. TEA witnesses explained the expansion process and said adult charter schools are overseen by the commissioner rather than the SBOE. The committee substitute was adopted, public testimony closed, and the bill was left pending. SB 2928 would set a uniform school start date for public school districts at the third Wednesday in August, while preserving existing district-of-innovation flexibility for current DOI districts and allowing year-round systems to continue. Senator Creighton argued the bill would reduce the patchwork created by DOI exemptions, support students and families, and preserve summer employment and tourism revenue. A committee substitute was adopted. Testimony came largely from tourism, hospitality, and recreation interests, including hotel, water park, zoo, chamber of commerce, and camp representatives, who said later start dates would extend the summer travel season, improve staffing and revenue, and give students more opportunities for summer jobs and camps. Several witnesses cited large economic impacts from tourism and said early school starts reduce August business. Some senators raised concerns about charter schools being excluded and about year-round calendars, but the bill was left pending after testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> uh you know if this were to pass our law uh you know if this were to pass our law would<00:03:03.760
• the law here, I can just totally break the law there too, and introduce more dangerous.
• the law here, I can just totally break the law there too, and introduce more dangerous.
• the law here, I can just totally break the law there too, and introduce more dangerous.
• </c><00:30:05.679><c> gender</c> according to New Hampshire law gender according to New Hampshire law

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Judiciary Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 148, which Rep. Jim Kofalt said is the same language as last year’s HB 396, vetoed by the governor. He described the bill as allowing, but not requiring, separation by biological sex in three areas: bathrooms and locker rooms, houses of correction, and certain athletic competitions. Kofalt argued the bill would give local school boards and other policymakers discretion to set practical rules, citing concerns about safety, privacy, and a Milford incident involving a biological male in girls’ locker rooms. Committee members pressed him on the lack of a definition of “biological sex,” and he said he did not think one was necessary because males and females are commonly understood. He also said the bill was meant to address situations where outside groups threaten lawsuits and leave local boards with no latitude. Testimony then split sharply. Supporters, including Executive Counselor Karen Hill and several others, said HB 148 would roll back anti-discrimination protections, contradict New Hampshire’s “Live Free or Die” values, and harm transgender and non-binary people. Opponents described the bill as discriminatory and unnecessary, arguing that existing bathroom and sports policies already work and that the bill would invite harassment, invasive enforcement, and legal conflict. Several speakers, including trans residents and parents of trans children, said they had used public restrooms without incident and warned that enforcement would be impractical or abusive. One supporter argued the bill was needed to protect girls’ privacy and safety and cited school sports disputes and a concern about a sex offender at a game as examples of why sex-segregated rules should be restored. Committee members asked questions about how biological sex would be defined, whether the bill was responding to real incidents in New Hampshire, and how any restrictions would be enforced. Kofalt said he was aware of issues in several school districts and at the State House, but did not have detailed documentation for every case. No vote or final action was taken in the portion of the hearing provided; the chair instead moved through public testimony under a strict two-minute limit and noted that follow-up questions would be limited so the committee could hear multiple bills that day.

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, I don't know what the law is.
• I would say we have pretty strong case law coming from the U.S.
• This particular bill is modeled after the Tennessee law.
• And the law of North Dakota has open records.
• For that reason, the appropriation was omitted from the draft.

Summary: The committee first approved minutes from prior meetings and then filled a vacancy on Legislative Management by appointing Senator Braunberger after a caucus recommendation. Members then took up an unusual appeal from the North Dakota Gaming Commission after the Administrative Rules Committee voided a rule that would have raised the poker tournament entry fee from $300 to $1,500. Legislative Council explained the administrative rules process and the grounds for voiding a rule, while Gaming Commission representatives argued the commission had statutory authority and that the issue should be left to the full Legislature. Several members raised concerns about legislative intent, precedent, and whether the matter should wait for the regular session. On a motion to disapprove the Administrative Rules Committee’s finding and restore the rule, the committee voted no, so the voiding of the rule remained in place. The committee then reviewed the fiscal impact statement for Constitutional Measure No. 1 on congressional age limits. Staff reported no current fiscal impact because no litigation had been filed, though members noted the possibility of future legal challenges if the measure were enforced. After that, the committee began hearing proposed bills for the upcoming special session, starting with several kratom-related measures. Representative Wolff withdrew her bill, saying it was redundant, while Representative Heinert presented a bill to legalize and regulate natural kratom for adults 21 and over under the Attorney General, with licensing, labeling, penalties, and a public health campaign. Senator Axtman presented a companion bill targeting synthetic kratom derivatives, placing them on the controlled substances list with penalties similar to marijuana. Legislative Council later outlined Representative Johnston’s separate kratom bill, which would regulate kratom under the Department of Agriculture with product registration, licensing, and enforcement provisions. The committee also heard Senator Hogue’s bill to address funding for the State Historical Society’s military museum project. He argued the state was in breach of contract and that delaying action would increase costs, so his bill would authorize a $35 million line of credit to keep construction moving while fundraising continued. Members questioned the relationship between the proposed line of credit, existing SIF funding, and the private fundraising requirement, but no vote was taken before the meeting moved on. Finally, Representative Sue Ann Olson began presenting a bill requiring the Class D driver’s license test to be administered in English, arguing it was a safety measure because road signs are in English and law enforcement encounters can be complicated by language barriers. The transcript cuts off before her testimony concluded or any action was taken on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a very good update to this law.
• Law enforcement can send a case directly there. Okay.
• Law enforcement can send a case directly there. Okay.
• So has any other state implemented this law?
• It becomes law, correct? It would become now. If not, it's a... It becomes law, correct?

Bills: HB410 , HR310 , HR314 , HR316 , HR317 , HR321 , HR275 , HR276 , HR279 , HR282 , HR286 , HR289 , HR292 , HR295 , HR302 , HR319 , HR307 , HR273 , SCR59 , SCR61 , SCR62 , SCR68 , SCR69 , SCR70 , SCR54 , SCR55 , SCR64 , SCR75 , HCR32 , HB776 , HB42 , HB119 , HB159 , HB302 , HB1017 , HB1028 , SB217 , SB283 , HB953 , SB208 , HR74 , HB998 , HB901 , HR20 , HCR65 , HCR71 , HCR98 , HB284 , HB306 , HB341 , HB366 , HB393 , HB458 , HB577 , HB603 , HB605 , HB614 , HB625 , HB646 , HB733 , HB752 , HB773 , HB798 , HB911 , HB955 , HB996 , HB1035 , HB1069 , HB1113 , HB1140 , HB1180 , HB1191 , HB1240 , HB1255 , SB82 , SB89 , SB97 , SB123 , SB237 , HB36 , HB74 , HB75 , HB258 , HB259 , HB414 , HB459 , HB784 , HB848 , HB956 , HB1095 , HB1220 , HB1252 , SB469 , SB479

Keywords: recording, privacy, notification, direct conversation, law enforcement, first responder, penalties, oil and gas, orphan wells, inactive wells, shut-in wells, marginal wells, plugging and abandonment, well decommissioning, site remediation, site restoration, Oilfield Site Restoration, OSR program, financial security, bonding