Transcript Highlights:

• Regular Order 1. Regular Order 1. Mr.
• Regular Order 6. Senate bills on final passage.
• If they do, maybe we could take that up next session.
• If they do, maybe we could take that up next session.
• Regular Order 4. Representative Fontenot moves to revert to Regular Order 4. Without objection.

Bills: SCR59, SCR70, HR275, HR279, HR282, HR289, HR307, HCR112, SCR61, SCR62, SCR64, SB121, HR310, HR314, HR316, HR317, HR321, HCR117, SCR5, SCR29, SCR33, SCR37, SCR63, SCR30, SCR40, SCR65, HCR3, HCR49, HCR66, HCR67, HB54, HB137, HB321, HB368, HB386, HB414, HB431, HB552, HB555, HB578, HB590, HB593, HB618, HB638, HB670, HB692, HB707, HB708, HB715, HB718, HB732, HB741, HB748, HB776, HB796, HB807, HB822, HB848, HB856, HB887, HB888, HB917, HB921, HB1082, HB1243, HB1246, HB1, HB2, HB42, HB45, HB71, HB79, HB126, HB133, HB159, HB213, HB218, HB222, HB289, HB291, HB312, HB313, HB324, HB352, HB383, HB398, HB403, HB429, HB457, HB459, HB549, HB571, HB579, HB591, HB608, HB616, HB624, HB766, HB769, HB783, HB804, HB864, HB874, HB909, HB951, HB971, HB983, HB1005, HB1017, HB1051, HB1056, HB1126, HB1186, HB1193, HB1223, HB1224, HB1235, HB1249, SB259, SB295, SB312, SB348, SB444, SB485, SB441, SB149, HB359, SB29, SB43, SB78, HB463, HB998, SB197, SB268, SB123, SB276, SB326, SB80, HB901, HR20, HR74, 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, SB479, HB74, HB119, HB134, HB210, HB258, HB468, HB784, HB870, HB953, HB956, HB1117, HB1236, SB42, SB208, SB217, SB274, SB300, SB341, SB379, SB382, SB387, SB401, SB449, SB487

Keywords: Major Richard Star Act, veterans, military retirement, disability compensation, VA benefits, combat-wounded, medically retired, military retirees, service members, veterans benefits, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, concurrent receipt, retirement offset, combat-related disability, bipartisan support, memorial resolution, Congressional memorial, Louisiana delegation, Richard Star

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, during session, you often get a little postcard from somebody.
• During session, you often get a little postcard from somebody that you may or may not even know, and
• We're fixing to get into the regular order five.
• Regular order one, Madam Clerk. In this order, my fault, my fault. In this order, Mr.
• Madam Clerk, regular order five.

Bills: HR252, HR253, HR254, HR255, HR256, HCR103, HCR104, HR244, HR245, HR246, HR247, HR248, HR249, HR250, HR251, HCR101, HCR102, SCR40, SCR60, SB112, SB131, SB145, SB194, SB268, SB307, SB312, SB319, SB333, SB341, SB346, SB464, SB466, SB488, SB495, SB503, SB507, SB509, HR9, HR196, HCR27, HCR28, HCR50, HCR62, HCR67, HCR71, HCR78, HCR81, SCR20, HB123, HB251, HB625, HB662, HB709, HB769, HB775, HB783, HB895, HB1011, HB1057, HB1155, HB1186, HB1224, HB1245, HB1247, HB1253, HB1254, HB1255, HB1256, SB8, SB10, SB11, SB12, SB13, SB14, SB16, SB17, SB18, SB20, SB21, SB22, SB40, SB48, SB55, SB69, SB75, SB77, SB78, SB85, SB102, SB115, SB133, SB140, SB148, SB151, SB165, SB169, SB170, SB185, SB197, SB200, SB217, SB235, SB278, SB280, SB291, SB300, SB303, SB315, SB324, SB330, SB411, SB416, SB420, SB436, SB438, SB449, SB455, SB456, SB477, SB489, SB521, SB97, SB105, HR171, HCR49, HCR65, HCR72, HR37, HCR64, HR170, HR191, HR206, HR207, HR208, HR217, HCR11, HCR53, HCR60, HCR66, HCR68, SCR19, SCR3, SCR6, SCR18, SCR11, SCR22, SCR2, HCR6, HB64, HB68, HB92, HB130, HB258, HB633, HB801, HB61, HB98, HB102, HB139, HB142, HB170, HB185, HB194, HB199, HB231, HB247, HB294, HB336, HB474, HB661, HB842, HB852, HB66, HB153, HB165, HB326, HB387, HB455, HB513, HB603, HB660, HB719, HB762, HB766, HB802, HB816, HB833, HB940, HB950, HB975, HB1028, HB1039, HB1051, HB1053, HB1080, HB1201, HB1215, HB1228, HB1251, HB1252, SB1, SB23, SB32, SB42, SB43, SB46, SB51, SB110, SB113, SB150, SB154, SB161, SB218, SB220, SB221, SB253, SB289, SB310, SB351, SB399, SB404, SB502, SB26, SB28, SB29, SB30, SB41, SB44, SB64, SB84, SB87, SB93, SB98, SB107, SB118, SB142, SB192, SB195, SB199, SB219, SB222, SB234, SB241, SB255, SB275, SB277, SB292, SB294, SB306, SB314, SB482, HCR32, HB798, HB998, HB1084, HB1223, HB59, HB955, HB1191, HB1234, HB646, HB824, HB341, SB397, SB442, HB901, HB79, HR20, HR74, HB284, HB306, HB366, HB393, HB458, HB577, HB582, HB605, HB614, HB682, HB733, HB752, HB773, HB911, HB926, HB996, HB1035, HB1069, HB1113, HB1140, HB1180, HB1240, SB47, SB82, SB89, SB149, SB382

Keywords: consumer protection, credit card fees, cash transactions, rounding practices, transparency, low-income, economic impact, residential construction, building codes, inspection practices, housing costs, task force, HR254, House Resolution 254, Ty Hebert, Acadiana Legislative Delegation, Louisiana State University, LSU, graduation, commendation

Summary: The House met with a quorum, opened with prayer and the pledge, adopted the journal, and received a large number of Senate messages, committee reports, and bill referrals. Members also introduced several resolutions and recognized guests, including students from Allen Parish, federal appointees Brandon Beach and Paul Hollis, and other visitors. The chamber then moved through a lengthy agenda of House and Senate measures, with many bills and resolutions reported favorably, amended, or referred to committee. Among the notable floor actions, the House adopted H.R. 32 urging the Port of New Orleans to obtain backup motors for the St. Claude Avenue Bridge. It also passed bills on a wide range of topics, including local court and ordinance procedures for Alexandria, prohibiting reporting criminal fines and fees to credit bureaus, veterans’ lottery benefits, police chief residency in Tickfaw, fire marshal plan review authority, expanding the definition of first responder to include public works employees, NIL protections for student athletes, salary increases and additional positions for assistant district attorneys, limiting OMV debt referrals for unpaid reinstatement fees, watershed restoration and flood control funding, a sexual assault survivor task force, elderly consumer protection education, recreation of the Public Service Commission, Medicaid reimbursement for non-emergency medical transportation, local sales tax audit procedures, alcoholic beverage definitions for salons and similar businesses, transfer of removed monuments to state park property, hearing aid dealer regulation updates, a permit fee for small in-state distillers, expanded city court jurisdiction in Avoyelles Parish, and a narrowed version of the Alexandria administrative adjudication bill. Several measures were amended on the floor before passage, including the Alexandria ordinance bill, the sales tax audit bill, the alcohol/beverage bill, and the monument transfer bill. The House also temporarily returned some bills to the calendar for later consideration. Most measures passed overwhelmingly, though House Bill 153 on criminal court debt reporting passed with 67 yeas and 18 nays, House Bill 660 on assistant district attorney salaries passed 94-1, House Bill 719 on additional ADA positions passed 95-0, House Bill 883 on the sexual assault task force passed 86-2, House Bill 1028 on non-emergency medical transportation passed 81-15, and House Bill 1215 on monuments passed 78-14.

Transcript Highlights:

• And thank you for your ongoing support, in particular on some key matters that passed last session, such
• We'll be submitting detailed written testimony on all of our bills filed this session.
• This upended years of practice, as the decision rested on regular compensation requiring a service to
• Since seven of the eight bills we filed for this session were previously filed last legislative session
• . ...and advance the important legislation during this session.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several public service and retirement-related bills. Senator Kelly Dooner and Rep. O’Rourke supported a Taunton home rule petition to extend Chief Walsh’s service during the city’s transition to a new public safety facility, citing the need to manage new equipment, cameras, and 911 systems smoothly. Senator Lovely testified in favor of bills expanding retirement savings access through the SMART Plan and the CORE Plan, arguing that automatic enrollment and broader eligibility would help state, municipal, and nonprofit workers save for retirement. No questions were raised on the Taunton petition, and the hearing later moved through the remaining testimony without any votes taken during the transcript. Mary Waldron of the Old Colony Planning Council and Jeffrey Walker of the Southeast Regional Planning and Economic Development District urged support for legislation protecting regional planning agencies from being required to make retroactive payments to the State Retirement Board for past employer contributions. They warned that the costs would be unsustainable, could force layoffs or closures, and would jeopardize their ability to provide transportation, housing, economic development, and planning services. Bill Keith and Patrick Charles of PEREC testified on several retirement administration bills, including measures to ease statement-of-financial-interest filing rules, require payment for certain creditable service purchases, and clarify the definition of wages to include sick, vacation, and personal time; committee members asked questions about regional transit authorities joining retirement systems and about adding local retirement board representation to a proposed commission. Jonathan Osimo and Rob Fabino of the Massachusetts Teachers Retirement System supported bills to penalize delinquent pension reporting by employers and to create a special commission to study retirement credit purchases, saying better reporting would improve retirement processing and that a broader review could improve fairness and sustainability. Eddie Boynton of the Braintree Education Association backed the SMART Plan bill, describing how automatic enrollment and low-fee fiduciary oversight could protect educators from high-cost supplemental retirement products. Matthew Nugent testified for a bill to divest public pension funds from firearms and ammunition. After the final witnesses, the chairs asked if anyone else wished to testify, heard none, and then adjourned the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We will now recess the regular session to convene the first extraordinary session.
• We are now in the first extraordinary session.
• session.
• Members, we are now back in the regular session. The quorum call is still in place.
• Thursday, January 23rd, floor session at 9 AM.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, members, by way of background, a similar bill to SB 1136 was heard and passed the House last session
• Chair, members, by way of background, a similar bill to SB 1136 was heard and passed the House last session
• If you are in a regular school district, you can, or I mean, if for...
• If you are in a regular school district, you can, or, I mean, if for a regular school district or accommodation
• By way of background, a substantially similar bill was vetoed two sessions ago.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee heard a long series of Senate bills, mostly on third-read consent, covering education, public safety, health, courts, labor, and water. Several bills were briefly explained and then pulled from consent for further discussion, including measures on public records review standards (SB 1078), sexually explicit materials in schools/libraries (SB 1435 and SB 1567), burial costs in death cases (SB 1135), military flags in HOAs/COAs (SB 1184), court-ordered treatment guardianship (SB 1243), standardized state hiring (SB 1665), released-time religious instruction (SB 1741), firearm safety instruction in schools (SB 1424), student participation in extracurriculars after certain convictions (SB 1475), Celebrate Freedom Week (SB 1572), federal scholarship-granting organizations/vouchers (SB 1142), immigration-related arrest notifications (SB 1055), defamation standards (SB 1099), peace officer certification for military police veterans (SB 1107), mandatory reporting of child abuse/neglect directly to DCS (SB 1127), attorney licensing and discipline issues (SB 1148 and SB 1039), concealed weapons on college campuses (SB 1068), and firearm muffling devices/silencers (SB 1069). Members also raised constitutional, policy, and school-safety concerns on several of these bills, while supporters emphasized alternative pathways for students, veterans, and workers, and tighter reporting or licensing rules. Other bills were described without extended debate, including claims against the state for unpaid contracted services (SB 1097), workers’ compensation death benefits for surviving spouses who remarry (SB 1136), burial expense increases (SB 1135), state agency web pages for internal guidance (SB 1586), court-ordered treatment procedures and service of process in mental health cases (SB 1113), medical examiner authorization (SB 1123), tribal MOUs with DCS (SB 1125), controlled-substance scheduling conformity with federal classifications (SB 1188), EMT personal information protections (SB 1193), mammography notice updates (SB 1318), assisted-living referral disclosures (SB 1477), accommodation school GED instruction for 11th graders and students over 16 (SB 1166), credit enhancement board continuation (SB 1422), school district and charter school obligations related to religious release time (SB 1741), school firearm safety instruction (SB 1424), and school civics/freedom-week instruction (SB 1572). The committee also heard bills on CPA certification pathways (SB 1181), insurance adjuster licensing (SB 1415), county voter-registration rules online (SB 1040), campaign address privacy (SB 1259), federal land acquisition notification (SB 1281), water supply/demand assessments (SB 1202), environmental compatibility for power plants and small modular reactors (SB 1418), and groundwater recovery rules (SB 1785). The meeting ended with announcements and a brief recognition of Rep. Stephanie Hamilton with an “Affordability Award.” No final votes are shown in the transcript excerpt; instead, many bills were either left on consent, pulled for later discussion, or flagged for closed caucus. The chair then asked guests to leave so members could hold a closed caucus.

Transcript Highlights:

• But the other piece of it is that we have the inspections that we would like to have them on a regular
• But the other piece of it is that we have the inspections that we would like to have them on a regular
• But the other piece of it is that we have the inspections that we would like to have them on a regular
• Sometimes the board would have them giving regular reports to the board.
• Sometimes the board would have them giving regular reports to the board.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from its October 3 meeting unanimously. It then reviewed follow-up status on prior performance audits, beginning with the Department of Corrections’ sex offender treatment program. DOC said all audit items from the 2016 review were resolved except one related to tracking benchmarks, progress, and recidivism. Officials explained that a new offender management system, Chorus, was recently implemented but has had rollout problems affecting operations, including restitution checks, and that they hope the system will be stable enough within about six months to begin tracking the needed metrics. Members asked about treatment inside prison and after release; DOC described in-prison treatment, parole aftercare, probation and parole oversight, administrative restrictions, and reassessment if conditions are not met. The committee next heard from OPLC on the Real Estate Commission audit. OPLC reported that all but one finding is substantially or fully resolved, with the remaining issue involving review of applicants’ adverse financial history and liabilities. The delay is tied to ongoing rulemaking, and OPLC said the commission is amending its criteria and integrating universal application procedures into board rules. The office estimated substantive completion by March 2027, with rule filing expected sooner. The committee then took up the Board of Pharmacy audit, where OPLC said most findings remain partially resolved because the board is in the middle of a major rule overhaul and a new licensing software project. Officials described a shift toward a compliance bureau and more routine, risk-informed inspections, rather than inspections driven only by complaints, and said updated manuals and forms will follow the new rules and technology. Finally, the Legislative Budget Assistant reported on ongoing audits. For special education, staff said they are writing the report, have 25 completed observations, and have expanded to 70 identified observations, with a full draft expected in the first quarter of 2026 and a final report by summer 2026. For education freedom accounts, 40 observations have been identified, 15 finalized, and a draft is expected by midspring with a fiscal committee presentation in summer. For the Doorway program, the audit plan was finalized with DHHS help, financial activity was isolated, fieldwork is expected to finish by Thanksgiving, and a draft report is planned for January or February 2026, with a final report by March or April 2026. The committee discussed scheduling its next meeting for February 6 at 10 a.m. and emphasized the value of follow-up on older audits; the meeting adjourned after members agreed the follow-up process should continue.

Transcript Highlights:

• If they just got regular blood off the shelf at a hospital, it's not going to last as long because it
• We get quite a bit of donations when school is in session. However, we struggle during the summer.
• These are my family members, and they are regular blood donors.
• And that is the regular blood donor blood, not directed.
• This is our final meeting for this session.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But if it's a regular summer job, if they're employed as employees, then they would be eligible as employees
• but<00:04:17.239> if<00:04:17.359> it's<00:04:17.479> a<00:04:17.639> regular
• <00:04:17.959> summer correct uh but if it's a regular summer correct uh but if it's a regular
• <00:30:49.919> meeting scheduling that regular meeting scheduling that regular meeting now
• that was requested in the session that was requested in the board's<00:41:57.760> testimony<00

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education and Labor and Technology heard Senate Bill 420, which would extend Department of Education workers’ compensation coverage to newly graduated high school students participating in DOE-sponsored work-based learning programs through July 31 after graduation. DOE testified in support, estimating the bill could affect about 50 to 100 students in the first year and saying it would help students gain experience and transition to employment. Members asked about current coverage, costs, and partnerships; DOE said current coverage ends at graduation, there had been no incidents, and the bill would create no additional cost. The committees voted to pass SB 420 with amendments, including an amended effective date, and the bill was adopted. The Committee on Education then took up several education measures. It adopted a proposed SD1 for SB 894, a Farm to School measure that would appropriate funds to help meet a goal of serving 30% locally sourced food in public schools. The committee also heard SB 789 on school cafeteria meal costs; DOE said it wanted the existing requirement lowered from 50% of meal preparation cost to 25% rather than repealed, to align with its administrative package, and explained current prices were about $2.75 while meal costs were about $9. Testifiers from the Hawaii Public Health Institute and Hawaiʻi Appleseed supported removing the requirement entirely or at least reducing it, saying it would avoid large price jumps and move toward free school meals. The committee later voted to pass SB 789 with amendments lowering the threshold to one-fourth of meal cost and changing the effective date. The committee also heard SB 449 on a school facilities planning database. DOE said it supports better planning but believes the database should be housed within DOE rather than duplicated under the School Facilities Authority, while SFA supported the bill as a proactive decision-making tool. The Attorney General’s office suggested clarifying language to make clear references to the Board of Education. In later agenda items, the committee heard SB 423, which would add Head Start-related ex officio members to the Early Learning Board; EOEL and the board chair supported it and suggested technical language to preserve required representation. The committee also heard SB 1384, a housekeeping bill redirecting repaid early childhood educator stipend funds to the Early Learning special fund after the prior special fund was repealed; EOEL supported it and said about $31,864 was being recouped from nine recipients. Finally, SB 684 would require the Board of Education to adopt rules banning cell phones at DOE schools; testimony was in support, and members discussed the need for a consistent statewide policy, with the board expected to work on one in collaboration with DOE.

Transcript Highlights:

• Notwithstanding the regular practice, Notwithstanding the regular practice, the<00:10:06.520> edge
• executive session when I have a chance. executive session when I have a chance.
• >> wait until I call the executive session? >> wait until I call the executive session?
• go into executive session? go into executive session? Yes,<01:24:48.600> ma'am.
• executive session? executive session? >> Absolutely. >> Absolutely.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They say in here that it's normal and regular conduct. Right.
• So it's sort of a normal and regular concept explanation.
• Not always reflecting back to what happened during session.
• It refers to the immediately preceding legislative session.
• We take, you know, what, a thousand votes every session.

Keywords: 904, all

Summary: The meeting focused on ethics guidance for legislators’ official newsletters and social media posts about a major tax bill that has since become a ballot measure. Members and staff debated whether existing board guidance, which allowed comments on legislation previously before the legislature, should also apply to social media and to the current biennium rather than only the immediately preceding session. Several members argued that legislators should be able to state how they voted on the bill and discuss it as part of their legislative record, while others stressed that using state resources to advocate for or against a ballot measure is prohibited and that posts could become an indirect appeal to voters. The discussion also covered whether there should be a bright-line cutoff tied to the primary election date, after which official communications should stop discussing the bill if it is now a ballot measure. Staff and members raised concerns about tone, tenor, and proximity to the election, and whether official social media, caucus communications, and newsletters should be treated differently. One motion to extend the prior rule to the full biennium and apply it to social media failed. A second motion then passed establishing the primary date as a date certain for monitoring these discussions, with the understanding that official communications should be more limited after that point. Members noted that personal social media and campaign resources remain separate from official legislative resources. The meeting then moved toward adjournment of the public portion, with no public testimony offered, before a brief break and executive session.

Transcript Highlights:

• They say in here that it's normal and regular conduct. Right.
• So it's sort of a normal and regular concept explanation.
• Not always reflecting back to what happened during session.
• It refers to the immediately preceding legislative session.
• We take, you know, what, a thousand votes every session.

Summary: The meeting focused on whether legislators and legislative staff may use official resources, including newsletters and social media, to comment on a bill that has since become a ballot measure. Members discussed older ethics guidance allowing comments on legislation previously before the legislature, but questioned whether that rule still applies to modern social media posts and to ballot measures, especially when the language is strong or could be seen as an indirect appeal to voters. Several members argued that once a bill becomes a ballot measure, using state resources to advocate for or against it is prohibited, while others emphasized the importance of allowing officials to explain their votes and speak to their legislative record. The group debated possible guardrails, including whether comments should be limited to the bill itself, whether tone and timing should matter, and whether the rule should apply only to members not subject to election-year restrictions. One motion proposed extending the prior ethics guidance from the immediately preceding legislative session to the full biennium and applying it to social media, but that motion failed. Members then shifted toward a brighter-line approach tied to the primary election date, with discussion that after the primary officials should not use state resources to talk about a bill that became a ballot measure or is subject to ballot challenge. A second motion to use the primary date as the cutoff for monitoring these discussions was made, seconded, and passed. The chair then noted that officials are still free to speak on personal or campaign accounts, and to respond to questions, but the board’s guidance would help distinguish permissible official communications from campaign-like advocacy. The meeting then moved toward adjournment of the public portion, with no public testimony offered.

Transcript Highlights:

• . session. session.
• fact that they're not used on a regular fact that they're not used on a regular basis,<00:56:49.040
• why anybody would have a regular why anybody would have a regular registration<00:57:00.880>
• <00:59:45.839> transportation could be used for regular transportation could be used for regular
• They're not regular transportation, and they can be used as regular transportation.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This session and it also it started last session Post COVID, there were federal dollars available to
• It was the last session or the session before where they were able to use more of the money. they received
• HB 1 this session. Notable inflation is a regular presence in transportation infrastructure.
• From 2019 and then again last session.
• But the first tranche of money, we got a billion dollars last session.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we appreciate the work that you all do on a regular basis.
• They're currently in session.
• in session, Illinois is still in session, so we're looking at a number of bills likely becoming law
• Pennsylvania is still in session, New York is still in session, Illinois is still in session, so we're
• York is still in session, Illinois is still in session, so we're looking at a number of bills likely

Keywords: Technology and Science, Joint Commission on, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We ask that you would put your hand on this session.
• Senate Bill 57 by Senator McMath is an act to amend Section 5 of Act 463 of the 2025 Regular Session
• House Bill 735 by Representative Jackson is an act to amend Title 17 and Act 93 of the 2025 Regular Session
• House Bill 977 by Representative Boe... is an act to amend Title 51 and Act 481 of the 2025 Regular Session
• Act to amend Title 51 and Act 481 of the 2025 Regular Session relative to minors' use of applications

Bills: SCR63, SCR12, HB89, HB451, HB595, HB617, HB621, HB730, HB1064, HB1125, HB221, HCR58, SB106, SB206, SB248, SB441, SB104, SB122, SB180, SB260, SB424, SB476, SCR9, SCR30, SB57, SB414, SB525, SB35, SB65, SB135, SB215, SB246, SB249, SB269, SB276, SB282, SB296, SB323, SB363, SB369, SB474, SB484, SB490, SB492, SB500, SB501, SB513, HCR31, HB462, HB547, HB613, HB691, HB712, HB720, HB723, HB728, HB735, HB747, HB759, HB825, HB845, HB846, HB903, HB904, HB907, HB923, HB929, HB941, HB962, HB965, HB1036, HB287, HB370, HB515, HB521, HB570, HB1200, HB29, HB39, HB58, HB67, HB73, HB76, HB77, HB82, HB112, HB121, HB125, HB132, HB134, HB151, HB154, HB155, HB161, HB166, HB187, HB191, HB207, HB211, HB224, HB238, HB241, HB242, HB250, HB260, HB265, HB275, HB300, HB320, HB338, HB339, HB349, HB379, HB399, HB427, HB463, HB464, HB468, HB545, HB550, HB551, HB565, HB588, HB639, HB725, HB782, HB805, HB808, HB834, HB847, HB853, HB858, HB861, HB883, HB916, HB937, HB977, HB1012, HB1027, HB1044, HB1054, HB1091, HB1117, HB90, HB127, HB138, HB150, HB201, HB268, HB273, HB285, HB315, HB354, HB355, HB360, HB376, HB445, HB506, HB606, HB649, HB665, HB681, HB721, HB746, HB757, HB781, HB835, HB844, HB857, HB872, HB886, HB889, HB892, HB982, HB987, HB1037, HB1068, HB1072, HB1078, HB1085, HB1132, HB1137, HB1167, HB1174, HB1232, HB1238, HB23, HB136, HB17, HB21, HB51, HB55, HB74, HB106, HB108, HB133, HB140, HB159, HB168, HB215, HB226, HB263, HB296, HB299, HB322, HB364, HB519, HB535, HB538, HB568, HB571, HB622, HB635, HB676, HB772, HB784, HB1006, HB1018, HB1033, HB1034, HB1043, HB1070, HB1134, HB1237, HB1239, HB36, HB119, HB126, HB129, HB245, HB271, HB280, HB337, HB351, HB677, HB726, HB789, HB850, HB956, HB966, SB149, SB382

Keywords: fiscal notes, legislation, legislative auditor, state policy, conflict of interest, logging, recognition, John Keith, environment, safety, HB89, Act 615, district attorney, assistant district attorney, retiree health insurance, group health insurance, retirement benefits, public employee benefits, Third Judicial District, Thirtieth Judicial District

Transcript Highlights:

• charging more for it than a regular charging more for it than a regular driver's<00:19:27.039>
• These are regular bicycles. They look like a regular bicycle and they're referred to as e-bikes.
• session on House Bill 1350. session on House Bill 1350.
• <05:10:47.280> on I'll open up the executive session on I'll open up the executive session
• I guess regular calendar it will be. That's all we're going to take up today for executive session.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So that's our regular federal funding that we get at ARDOT to take care of the highways.
• So that's our regular federal funding that we get at ARDOT to take care of the highways.
• Would you say the majority of the budget goes to regular maintenance or for new projects, new development
• We do want to talk about some potential legislation at the next session in 2027 about litter, but, you
• And I know during the session, we strengthened some of the laws or gave you some more tools to work with

Summary: The committee received a report from Director Wiley of the Arkansas Department of Transportation on a series of routine and quarterly items, including the closeout of the department’s efficiency review. Wiley said all five remaining recommendations from that review had been implemented, highlighted a new public maintenance dashboard on the agency website, and reported four surplus properties sold since the last meeting. He also noted that ARDOT had obligated $3.14 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding to date and reviewed the annual expenditure report tied to 2019 revenue changes, which funded $98.7 million in maintenance projects last year. Members asked about the balance between maintenance and new construction, with Wiley saying about 75% of construction dollars go to maintaining the existing system and that ARDOT’s overall spending is overwhelmingly focused on upkeep because of the size of the state highway network. He also discussed major projects and corridor priorities, including Interstate 57 and Highway 5 work in Lonoke County, Interstate 49 public meetings, passing-lane improvements on Highway 412/62 in north central Arkansas, Highway 82 widening in south Arkansas, and long-range plans to widen Interstate 40, possibly including a toll study. On the Toad Suck Bridge flood mitigation project, he said the design had been revised to reduce public impacts and would not require a long-term bridge closure. The committee also discussed safety and enforcement tools in work zones. Wiley said new work-zone cameras and cell phone detection tools were being used on projects such as I-30, I-57, and I-49, mainly to improve safety rather than issue citations. In addition, he said ARDOT spends about $8 million annually on litter control and is expanding anti-litter efforts, including a spring cleanup day involving more than 2,500 operations employees and some office staff. He also announced agency initiatives on human trafficking awareness training for field and office staff and the Street Smart education program for middle school students, with plans to expand it to high school content next year. No votes were taken, and the meeting adjourned after the director’s presentation and member questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're moving on to the regular calendar.
• Um we uh had two sessions since uh 2024.
• > um<00:36:46.960> in additional stakeholder sessions um in additional stakeholder sessions
• changes from those stakeholder sessions. changes from those stakeholder sessions.
• >> Sorry, the the rules are on the regular >> Sorry, the the rules are on the regular

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee opened with housekeeping items, approved the minutes and consent agenda, and reminded the public that JLCAR’s role is limited to determining whether agency rules are within statutory authority, not to decide policy. Testimony was to be limited, and members noted that policy concerns should be addressed through the legislature rather than the committee process. The first major item was Public Utilities Commission rule 25-215 concerning natural gas suppliers. Staff said the proposal had been postponed because the PUC appeared to lack authority to impose fines and penalties in this rule set, especially suspending or revoking registrations, and recommended either a conditional approval removing those provisions or a preliminary objection for lack of statutory authority. PUC counsel responded that the cited authority had been incorrect, that the Department of Energy now has most registration rulemaking authority, but argued the commission still has jurisdiction over mediation and dispute resolution and may still have authority over fines because natural gas suppliers are not expressly excluded from public-utility status. Committee members discussed the split between PUC and DOE authority and the possibility that the transition in authority had not been fully cleaned up in statute. The committee then voted to grant a waiver of the time limit and postpone the item for another month so the agencies could work with counsel and clarify which parts of the rule could proceed. Members also urged that any needed legislative fix be brought forward quickly, noting that the Senate was not taking up non-germane amendments and suggesting the House as the likely venue for a cleanup bill. The committee next took up Department of Energy EN900 and EN1000 rules. Staff said the EN900 net-metering rules had been postponed previously and that the main remaining issue was a retroactive requirement in EN909.03(b), which the agency agreed to revise so the language would apply only on or after the 2026 effective date of the chapter. The agency described the EN900 rules as implementing net metering authority transferred from the PUC and expanding the chapter to cover municipal group net metering and low- and moderate-income community solar projects. The EN1000 interconnection rules were described as implementing 2024 legislation requiring uniform procedures for distributed energy resources. The department said both sets of rules were developed through extensive stakeholder input and asked for approval subject to the oral amendment already discussed."}】【。json

Transcript Highlights:

• know, when we did the 12 sessions ago on 3.5 cap.
• session, regular session, so we can figure out what, what to, what consequences it will have on our
• Your next session we'll have a long runway who will have our local.
• Hopefully Senator Bentalcourt or the House will agree to bring this up to the regular session and not
• during the special session when we have such a short runway and very short notice.

Bills: SB 10, SB 8, SB 15, SB 12, SB 6, SB 13, SB 9, SB 7, SB 17, SB 4

Keywords: sex designation, restroom access, civil penalties, private civil right of action, women's privacy, law enforcement, department file, employee records, misconduct, confidentiality, Texas occupations code, election laws, attorney general, prosecution, criminal offenses, criminal prosecution, jurisdiction, hemp, consumable hemp, hemp-derived cannabinoids

Transcript Highlights:

• A couple of sessions ago, we...
• And so that's something going in the next session.
• I believe it was two or three sessions ago.
• So if we went into executive session, it would indicate in the minutes that we go to executive session
• , that you are staying on the topic of the executive session, that that portion of the executive session

Summary: The committee met to receive a series of audit presentations, beginning with the statewide Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for fiscal year 2025. The State Auditor’s Office and OMB reported a clean, unmodified opinion for the state, with strong financial results including a $40.6 billion net position, $30.99 billion in assets, $1.81 billion in liabilities, and continued Legacy Fund growth. OMB also explained the new GASB 101 compensated-absences reporting change and discussed pension-liability fluctuations tied to discount-rate assumptions and investment performance. Members asked about how the state compares to others and about the effect of short-term commodity price swings, and OMB said the report reflects actual fiscal-year results rather than forecasts. The committee then heard the University System audit, which also received a clean opinion but included four findings: misreporting of Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund revenue, insufficient monitoring of service organizations at CTS, NDSU, and UND, improper bank reconciliations at Dakota College of Bottineau, Dickinson State, and Williston State, and investment/cash reconciliation problems at Bismarck State College related to bond proceeds. University officials agreed with the findings and said corrective actions were underway, including internal review of bank reconciliations. Members raised questions about NDSU’s use of certificates of deposit, and university staff explained that CDs are used to earn interest on funds being accumulated for future projects. Several other audits were presented, most with clean opinions and no findings, including the State Auditor’s Office, Workforce Safety and Insurance, Housing Finance Agency, Housing Incentive Fund, Job Service North Dakota, the Retirement and Investment Office, PERS, the Center for Distance Education, the Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigents, the Ethics Commission, and the Office of Administrative Hearings. Notable exceptions included a State Fair Association audit with an adverse opinion on the foundation component unit because its financial statements were not available for audit, and a Securities Department performance audit finding that performance-based pay increases and bonuses were issued without required evaluations. The committee also discussed the State Auditor’s future needs, including more staff capacity, data analytics, cybersecurity reviews, possible subpoena authority, independent legal counsel, and whether some audits—such as the Ethics Commission and State Fair—should be handled by independent third parties or under different statutory arrangements.