Transcript Highlights:

• He said there is no precedent or case law establishing that mining, digital asset mining, or digital
• ,<01:16:31.920> digital that establishes that mining, digital that establishes that mining
• statewide on digital asset mining statewide on digital asset mining because<01:21:43.520> of<
• Digital asset mining electricity.
• I'll buy the I'll mine it for you.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 733, a third-party litigation financing reporting bill. Representative Cole explained that the bill shifts reporting from the Secretary of State to the courts, which he said removes the fiscal note and helps insurers obtain information for underwriting and premium-setting. The committee accepted the explanation and voted ought to pass; the roll call was 8-0 in favor, with one member taking a pause. The committee then heard House Bill 219, dealing with the renewable portfolio standard and the renewable energy fund. Representative Bose argued the bill would reduce electricity costs by lowering the REC purchase obligation from 220,000 to 170,000, which he said would reduce payments into the renewable energy fund by roughly $1 million to $2 million and save consumers only pennies a month. After questions about timing and whether to wait for a DOE report, the committee voted to retain the bill for further discussion rather than advance it; the motion to retain passed 5-4. House Bill 365 was then discussed as an election-related bill intended to help verify citizenship for voter registration and create a voucher process for people who cannot afford a birth certificate. The sponsor said the Secretary of State may be able to use federal and state databases to verify citizenship, and if not, indigent applicants could receive a voucher reimbursed by the state, with a $25,000 appropriation included. Members raised concerns about the Secretary of State’s access to databases and the bill’s timing and cost, and the committee decided to hold the bill until Secretary Scanlan could come testify. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 552, which updates retiree health coverage rules so dependent children can remain on the plan until age 26, consistent with the Affordable Care Act. DAS officials said retirees pay the full cost for dependents, about $1,000 per month, while the state covers only the retiree and spouse. The committee voted ought to pass unanimously, 9-0. The committee then began discussion of House Bill 572, a housing bill aimed at missing-middle housing, describing a voluntary program to identify developable public land, support construction, and streamline review, but the transcript cuts off before any action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, we mine a deposit that's unique anywhere in the world.
• Uh, we mine about 16 million tons of trona annually.
• Uh, we mine a deposit that's unique anywhere in the world.
• Uh, we mine about 16 million tons of trona annually.
• Um, we are the biggest uh trona mine in the world of natural trona.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• New Mexico and making New Mexico a national sacrifice area for AI data banks, uranium mines, oil and
• New Mexico and making New Mexico a national sacrifice area for AI data banks, uranium mines, oil and
• Right now, in the cobalt mines of the Congo, Right now, in the cobalt mines of the Congo, 40,000 children
• corporations, some of which Wall Street owns, to mine cobalt, a necessary ingredient in technology.
• To mine cobalt, an unnecessary ingredient in technology.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So this bill is very troubling to me, because this bill allows mining operators to place reclamation
• I have mines around where I live in southern Arizona, and there's still an old mine, several mines, that
• I have mines around where I live. That cleanup happens.
• I have mines around where I live in southern Arizona, and there's still an old mine, several mines, that
• House Bill 2795 in Act of Mining Section 11, 812, Errors, Rice, Statute, Planey County Zoning.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, attendance, approval of the journal, and several guest introductions, including the doctor of the day, Arizona State Troopers Day participants, the Arizona Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and a Delta Sigma Theta delegation. A Senate proclamation was read recognizing the Arizona Speech-Language-Hearing Association for its work serving people with communication disorders. The chamber then moved into Committee of the Whole and later third-reading votes on a large number of House bills, with several members offering floor explanations on controversial measures. Among the bills considered in Committee of the Whole were HB 2133 on sexual material and synthetic depictions, HB 2167 relating to the Attorney General, HB 2600 on school clubs and parental consent, HB 255 on brackish groundwater recovery, HB 2787 on Mexican wolf reintroduction cooperation, HB 2795 on small modular reactor zoning, HB 2985 on state land water allocations, and HB 2003 on driver instruction permits. HB 2133 was amended, including a floor amendment adding exemptions for parody, comedy, artistic expression, and criticism, and the committee recommended it do pass as amended. HB 2787 and HB 2985 advanced after divided votes, while HB 2795 failed in the later floor vote. HB 2003 was amended to add a delayed effective date of December 1, 2026 and advanced out of committee. On third reading, the Senate passed HB 2013, 2031, 2102, 2103, 2117, 2226, 2262, 2278, 2378, 2584, 2693, 2270, 2370, 2665, 2666, 2876, 487, 2003, 255, 2133, 2167, 2600, 2787, 2811, and 2985, with several votes split largely along party lines. HB 2795 was defeated. Debate focused heavily on water policy, public safety, school parental consent, speech and sexual-material regulation, local control over zoning, and the Attorney General’s authority. The Senate also agreed to a free conference committee for HB 2874 and appointed Senators Finchem, Bolick, and Ortiz, then adjourned until the next scheduled meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, we think it's really important that the workers at those two mines that have been shut down just
• You know, the mining community and the northern Minnesota, the Iron Range area is really looking for
• that have been shut down those two mines that have been shut down just<00:07:12.080> have<00:
• <00:08:28.080> community<00:08:28.400> and you know, the the mining community and you
• know, the the mining community and the<00:08:28.879> northern<00:08:29.280> Minnesota,

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I wish I had remembered mine; we coordinated that today. Thank you for your time.
• I wish I had remembered mine; we coordinated that today. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
• That being one of them was a particular focus of mine for a possible research farm.
• one of them that was a particular focus one of them that was a particular focus of<00:12:32.399> mine
• for a research a possible of mine for a research a possible research<00:12:34.519> Farm<00:12

Keywords: 00:00 – Introduction 00:20 – Attendance Roll Call 1:32 – Discussion of HB 24 03:00 – Roll Call Vote 04:00 – Discussion of HB 304 07:19 – Roll Call Vote 08:54 – Discussion of HB 186 09:46 – Roll Call Vote 11:00 – Discussion of HB 315 13:09 – Roll Call Vote, 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, heard brief announcements, and moved quickly through four House bills. House Bill 24, as amended by a committee substitute, would raise the audit threshold for conservation districts from $750,000 to $1 million and also clarify that temporary roads, highways, and structures may be built on certain easements if they are removed when work is complete. The substitute was adopted, the bill passed on a roll call vote, and a title amendment was also adopted. House Bill 304, presented by Rep. Ryan Bivens with support from the Kentucky Soybean Association, would adjust soybean checkoff language so the state checkoff could rise from one-quarter to one-half percent if the federal checkoff ever ends, keeping funding levels effectively the same and allowing the state board to continue promotion, research, and education work. Members asked about the cost impact on farmers, and sponsors said there would be no added cost because the language is intended as a backup to match the current federal rate. The bill passed unanimously with favorable expression. House Bill 186 would streamline rules for churches and nonprofits providing food to homeless shelters or people displaced by declared natural disasters, reducing regulatory barriers for safe, wholesome food service. The sponsor argued current requirements are too restrictive for simple food distribution. The bill passed. House Bill 315, with a committee substitute, would protect agricultural land from entities tied to designated hostile governments, while also allowing some land to be used or leased for research purposes; the sponsor noted the substitute reflected prior work and concerns from bankers about lien priorities, which he said he would address later on the floor. The committee substitute was adopted and the bill passed unanimously. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, I did ask that question because it was a big concern of mine as well, and it is a moratorium for
• Yeah, that's mine. But uh, oh, do you have another? What's yours? Mine 1789.
• mine. But uh Oh, do you have another? mine. But uh Oh, do you have another?
• <00:25:13.919> Mine<00:25:14.320> 1789.
• Mine 1789. Yeah, I What's What's yours? Mine 1789.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Your Committee on Energy, Industry and Mining has had under consideration engrossed Committee Substitute
• Your Committee on Energy, Industry and Mining has had under consideration engrossed Committee Substitute
• Your Committee on Energy, Industry and Mining has had under consideration engrossed Committee Substitute
• Your Committee on Energy, Industry and Mining has had under consideration engrossed Committee Substitute
• Your Committee on Energy, Industry and Mining has had under consideration engrossed Committee Substitute

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The Senate reconvened, returned to the third order of business, and took up House amendments to Senate Bill 155 on adjunct teaching permits. The Senate adopted its amendment, which created an exception so a criminal history check would not be required every year and was described as giving county boards another tool to fill vacancies, especially in shortage areas. The Senate then concurred in the House amendment as amended and passed SB 155 by a vote of 33 yeas, 0 nays, with one member absent and not voting. The chamber then received a series of committee reports advancing House bills on a wide range of topics, including economic development, education, finance, energy, health and human resources, and the judiciary. Measures reported favorably included bills creating Team West Virginia Corporation and the West Virginia Collaboratory, the Foster Youth Post-Secondary Transition Awareness Act, business-ready site programs, volunteer fire company allowances, extending qualified opportunity zones, natural resource police retirement, school transfer eligibility, the West Virginia Load Forecast Accountability Act, oil and gas well plugging requirements, PEIA treatment flexibility, PANS/PANDAS, ALS care services, abuse prevention, the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact, peer support services, tax lien sales, the Neighborhood Investment Program, bonds for the West Virginia Science and Culture Center, a comprehensive energy development policy plan, TANF applicant drug screening, and child protection commissioners. Most of these bills were taken up for immediate consideration, read a first time, and advanced. One bill, House Bill 5381 on a comprehensive energy development policy and plan, was also referred to the Committee on Rules. The Senate then moved to adjourn until the next day at 11 a.m., after announcements of upcoming committee meetings, and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• , which is the largest mine in North America.
• from my district from the Mntac mine from my district from the Mntac mine which<00:37:09.520>
• in<00:37:10.720> North which is the largest mine in North which is the largest mine in
• that ESG clearly has an anti-mining that ESG clearly has an anti-mining philosophy<00:44:48.400>
• I know it's 90% from that iron mine in which my great uncle Clayton worked in the 60s.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• can't Beyonce how sad I am for all of us and certainly represent the Salas family was their friend of mine
• members, House Bill one, 67 Israeli, the very simple bill that removes strict liability from previously mined
• But when we look at the notice, particularly a mine, 37, the word may is it makes it an optional provisions
• I believe this to at least 2 that I saw pending lawsuits regarding development on former phosphate mines
• That's how subsequent purchases will learn of this former mining.

Transcript Highlights:

• Seated in the North Gallery, we have a good friend of mine, Aaron Adair. Aaron, stand up.
• Your Committee on Energy Industry and Mining has had under consideration Senate Bill 15.
• Your Committee on Energy Industry and Mining has had under consideration Senate Bill 15, protecting coal
• Your Committee on Energy Industry and Mining has had under consideration Senate Bill 76, providing exemption
• Senate Bill 104, providing state mine inspectors with a raise, and reports back a committee substitute

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And as you know, the budget chairman, vice chairman, were very good friends of mine.
• We have one of the greatest mining engineering programs in the whole world at Missouri S&T.
• And I also want to say that I'm very proud to be a mining engineer from Missouri S&T.
• So the mine operators there would be helped by that.
• I think this would help the mine operators, and from the mine all the way down the line through all the

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And as you know, the budget chairman and vice chairman were very good friends of mine.
• I also want to say that I'm very proud to be a mining engineer from Missouri S&T.
• So the mine operators there would be helped.
• So I think this would help the mine operators.
• For anybody who's investing into the production or mining.

Summary: The House took up a series of conference committee reports and third-read Senate bills near the end of session, with several members also recognizing House drafters and research staff. The chamber first adopted and finally passed Senate Joint Resolution 87, which drew debate over whether the measure would remove the City of St. Louis sheriff as an elected office; supporters said the change also applied to other charter governments, while opponents argued it reduced local autonomy. The report and final passage both succeeded on 95-46 votes. Members then adopted and finally passed Senate Bill 973, a package combining a wholesaler/real estate transparency measure with a land bank provision. Senate Bill 1421, a broad public safety bill, was also advanced after a motion to exceed the conference differences; supporters highlighted provisions on clean slate, masked intimidation, prosecuting attorney salaries, fentanyl, gift card fraud, unmanned aircraft, and other public safety items. The conference report passed 116-18, the bill finally passed 110-25, and the emergency clause for the drone-related portion passed 136-5. The House also adopted and finally passed Senate Bills 835 and 1111, a combined conference report that included insurance consumer protections, court administration updates, treatment court and judgeship provisions, a St. Louis civil case surcharge, and the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act. Senate Bill 1408 was stripped back to a single issue authorizing MoDOT to consider raising rural interstate speed limits from 70 to 75 mph, and it passed 93-46. Senate Bill 913, extending several agriculture tax credits and adding a short line railroad credit, prompted extended debate over tax credits, budget pressures, and whether such incentives should be extended now or later; a proposed child tax credit amendment was withdrawn, and the bill ultimately passed 107-30. The House then began debate on Senate Bill 1553, a critical minerals and pharmaceutical manufacturing incentive bill, with supporters framing it as a jobs and supply-chain security measure and opponents raising questions about tax incentives and local impacts.

Transcript Highlights:

• She married a real good friend of mine. ...on there. So she has done it for a number of years.
• She married a real good friend of mine.
• Each one of those bills, one of them is exactly like mine.
• Senator Carter's bill, which we heard last year, One of them is exactly like mine.
• We had a Democratic colleague of mine who is now over in the Senate that came to me and he said, Dave

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• because it is area of interest of mine because it is the<00:10:15.320> largest<00:10:15.760><
• Steve Perkins was a mentor of mine from long ago.
• mine from long<00:14:58.280> ago.
• Nicole Abraham was another favorite of mine.
• She was with me in 2019 where I mine.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: Representative Schomacker delivered a lengthy farewell-style floor speech reflecting on his path into public service, from growing up around news and debate, to starting a teenage Republican group, serving as a page, and eventually being unexpectedly recruited to run for office. He described being elected despite early polling that had him far behind, and said the experience taught him to hold competing viewpoints at once and to focus on getting work done rather than ideological tests. He then reviewed major policy accomplishments from his legislative career, especially in health and human services. He highlighted work on the Lewis and Clark water project for Luverne, the competitive workforce factor in disability waiver rates, expansion of bed capacity at Regions Hospital, and, most prominently, the overhaul of long-term care nursing home funding to a value-based reimbursement system. He emphasized that these efforts required extensive research, negotiation, and input from stakeholders, and said they helped support local care, businesses, and communities. Schomacker also spoke about the importance of long-term care in his district, the aging population, and the role nursing homes play in emergencies. He thanked family, staff, colleagues, mentors, and friends for their support over 16 years in the Legislature, sharing several personal anecdotes and expressing gratitude for the relationships built across party and committee lines. The speech ended with applause and well-wishes; no formal vote or bill action occurred in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• in the Grants Mining District.
• Mine some of the minerals out of that water and make it profitable on that side.
• They're gonna mine it, Brian, and treat it.
• Do I need a permit under the Mining Act? Do I need many permits?
• The Sackett case was not a mining case or an oil and gas case.

Transcript Highlights:

• I would like to call this meeting of the Senate Energy, Industry and Mining Committee to order.
• The Energy, Industry and Mining Committee is called to order.
• passage, but with the recommendation that it be re-referred to the Committee on Energy, Industry, and Mining
• passage, but with the recommendation that it be re-referred to the Committee on Energy, Industry, and Mining

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Energy, Industry and Mining Committee met with a quorum and took up the engrossed committee substitute for House Bill 4012. Counsel explained that the bill shortens several Public Service Commission timelines for certificates of public convenience and necessity, including deadlines for final decisions and final submissions, with different timeframes for smaller water/sewer projects and very large projects. The bill also requires applications to justify the need for a facility by examining alternatives, including advanced transmission technologies, and adds requirements for electric transmission lines of 200 kilovolts or greater, including a showing that costs are roughly commensurate with benefits to West Virginia ratepayers and commitments to build necessary off-take facilities when requested. The committee discussed the bill briefly, and no amendments were offered. The vice chair moved to report the bill to the full Senate without recommendation as to passage, but with a recommendation that it be re-referred to the Committee on Energy, Industry, and Mining. The motion passed by voice vote. After the bill was reported, no further business was brought before the committee. The vice chair then moved to adjourn, and the committee adjourned by voice vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• It should be 2078, Plains Aggregate Mining Notice. HB 2082, Childhood Cancer Research Commission.
• This microphone works a lot better than mine, I feel like. It sounds a lot better. All right, Mr.
• As far as mining, one of the reasons that there hasn't been a lot more mining is it's cheaper, actually
• As far as mining, one of the reasons that there hasn't been a lot more mining, it's cheaper actually
• And that's to have the mine inspector be appointed and not elected because, come on, it's 2026.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, roll call, guest introductions, and approval of the journal before moving through multiple Committee of the Whole calendars. Early action included approval of several bills and resolutions, with amendments adopted on measures such as SB 1515, SB 1678, and SCR 1023. SCR 1023, which would change Independent Redistricting Commission membership and require a two-thirds vote for map approval, drew extended debate over nonpartisanship, geographic diversity, and population deviation; the amendment and the resolution both advanced on voice votes. The body also approved SB 1399, SB 1507, SB 1564, SB 1621, SB 1629, and SB 1811, generally after committee amendments and brief explanations from sponsors. The Senate then considered another calendar featuring SB 1365, SB 1416, and SCR 1049. SB 1365, relating to the Williams Citrus, Fruit, and Vegetable Trust Fund, was amended and advanced. SB 1416, dealing with missing and kidnapped children reporting requirements and the Seek and Find Alert system, was amended to shift training from biannual to every two years and to require documentation of media/social media disclosure decisions; the bill passed as amended. SCR 1049, a constitutional referral on capital punishment, would add a firing-squad option; supporters said it would provide another execution method amid drug shortages, while opponents objected to expanding the death penalty. It also passed as amended. On later calendars, the Senate approved SB 1134, SB 1489, SB 1725, SCR 1048, SB 1012, SB 1573, SB 1661, SB 1662, SB 1569, SB 1634, SB 1647, SCR 1005, SCR 1027, SB 1065, SB 1156, SB 1157, and SB 1213, with several amendments adopted. Topics included political signs, ballot-measure circulator disclosures, marijuana smoke as a nuisance, concealed weapons notice and appeal, paternity, probation conditions, voter registration and signature handling, foreign contributions, election dates, veterans’ hyperbaric therapy funding, border-related appropriations, and immigration enforcement notification. SB 1213 prompted notable debate over a Miranda amendment requiring law enforcement officers to visibly display identification and prohibiting facial coverings during duties, with supporters citing community safety and opponents arguing it would constrain enforcement; the transcript cuts off during that discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• We do have two constituents of mine, Miss Severson and Miss Laugher, that are willing to testify on the
• You said it pertained to mining. Is that like it?
• You said it pertained to mining. Is that like it?
• There's no statute in here or anything that says anything about mining.
• anything that says anything about mining anything that says anything about mining Senator<01:15:

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Next, Senator Burgess, are you willing to take up tab 21, HB 167 on former phosphate mining lands?
• This bill protects owners of land that was formerly mined for phosphate rock from strict liability law
• : the condition giving rise to the lawsuit is a natural geological substance of a former phosphate mine
• A notice identifying the property as a former phosphate mine has been recorded in the county where the
• property is located, and A notice identifying the property as a former phosphate mine has been recorded

Summary: The Committee on Rules met with a quorum and took up a long agenda of bills, most of which were reported favorably. Early measures included CS/SB 62 on candidate qualification, which would allow qualified candidates or political parties to sue over violations of party-affiliation qualification requirements, and CS/SB 156, the Officer Jason Raynor Act, which would clarify resistance-to-officer language and impose a mandatory life sentence for manslaughter committed against a law enforcement officer. SB 156 drew strong support from the City of Daytona Beach and law enforcement groups, while the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers opposed parts of it, arguing the bill removed existing limits on force and erased sentencing distinctions. The committee also approved several open-government sunset review bills, including CS/SB 7014, SB 7016, CS/SB 7012, SB 7000, SB 7002, SB 7004, SB 7006, and SB 7008, all of which extend or preserve public records or meeting exemptions for topics such as social media investigations, small business loan records, motor vehicle enforcement records, emergency shelter information, military affairs records, conviction integrity unit materials, Public Service Commission proceedings, and Gaming Control Commission records. The committee also approved SB 624, allowing batterers’ intervention programs to offer optional faith-based activities, with supporters saying faith-based counseling can help reduce domestic violence and opponents not appearing in the excerpt. HB 167 on former phosphate mining lands was reported favorably after supporters from the Florida Chamber and Associated Industries backed the bill, which limits strict liability claims involving natural geological substances on former phosphate mines but not phosphogypsum stacks. CS/SB 48 on housing, as amended, would require local governments to allow accessory dwelling units, limit certain local barriers, and extend housing incentives; it drew broad support from housing, business, real estate, and advocacy groups. SB 288 on rural electric cooperatives, CS/SB 364 on CPA licensure modernization, SB 292 on public records protection for appellate court clerks, CS/SB 296 and CS/SB 298 on domestic and dating violence protections and related public records exemptions, and SB 386 on farm equipment warranty protections were also reported favorably, generally with supportive testimony from affected industries, advocacy groups, or public safety stakeholders. Later, the committee approved SB 168 expanding public nuisance law to include gambling houses and increase penalties and enforcement tools. It also heard but temporarily postponed CS/CS/SB 290 on the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services after the chair allowed public testimony because many stakeholders had traveled to attend; one opponent, a longtime builder, argued the bill could criminalize contractors who withhold payment for deficient subcontractor work. The meeting concluded with members recording additional votes on selected bills and then adjourning.