Transcript Highlights:

• And also the operational support, the operational support, the operations... ...critical for that.
• And also the operational support.
• We anticipate this program launching here in the next few months.
• We launched a B program.
• As mentioned, we anticipate launching this program early in 2025.

Summary: The committee heard introductory remarks from Chair LaMarca and members, then received presentations on electric utility planning, transportation infrastructure, and broadband deployment. Public Service Commission staff explained how Florida’s utilities plan for reliability and cost through 10-year site plans, demand forecasting, and economic dispatch. The presentation emphasized Florida’s residential-heavy load, growing EV demand, expanding solar and battery storage, continued reliance on natural gas combined-cycle plants, and the role of nuclear power. Members asked about energy efficiency, rates, renewable options beyond solar, cybersecurity, grid resilience, data centers, and small modular nuclear reactors; the witness said efficiency programs are reviewed every five years, utilities must balance reliability and affordability, and large new loads like data centers generally must pay for their own infrastructure needs. Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue described FDOT’s five-year work program, decentralized district structure, and funding mix, noting that the agency is predominantly state-funded and prioritizes maintenance and preservation before expansion. He highlighted record investment levels, major congestion-relief projects, toll-road revenues, seaport and airport partnerships, spaceport investments, workforce and equipment needs, and emerging technology such as advanced air mobility. Members asked about project timing, MPO planning, rail and ferry funding, airport governance, winter storm preparedness, and flooding/sea-level rise; Perdue said faster delivery depends on resources, local governments lead transit operations with FDOT as a capital partner, and coastal and drainage projects are designed around storm surge and resiliency. The Office of Broadband reported on six grant programs supporting infrastructure, community facilities, digital connectivity, and future digital capacity and broadband expansion. Director Leo Garcia said the office has awarded hundreds of millions of dollars across most counties, leveraged significant private investment, and focused heavily on rural areas. He noted that broadband efforts are intended to support telehealth, education, workforce development, and economic growth, and said the state has reduced the number of unserved locations from more than 400,000 to a projected 170,000 after current awards are completed. He also said the office needs additional budget authority for the upcoming digital capacity program and that the larger federal/state broadband deployment program will be used to reach remaining unserved and underserved areas.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> program launched on January 1, right? program launched on January 1, right?
• to operate our we have no other operator to operate our equipment.<00:41:54.960><c> Plus,</c><00:41:
• Things are operational.
• Things are operational.
• Things are operational.

Committee: House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• He then moved to Arkansas Launch.
• to the launch system.
• Arkansas Launch, there were some questions around Arkansas Launch.
• McGoo and others, but launch for job seekers is live, launch for employers is live, but still has some
• And we’re tying that into Launch.

Committee: All ALC-HOSPITAL, MEDICAID, & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES STUDY SUBCOMMITTEE

Transcript Highlights:

• You have a launch control center, which is where we, as the missile launch officers, sit, and that's
• It's all hot launch.
• facility there and test launch it.
• And you have to have the launch code.
• And then the other launch crew will put in the first launch vote.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, heard an invocation from Rabbi Jack Stocker for New Mexico’s first Jewish Community Day at the legislature, and then proceeded with the Pledge of Allegiance, Spanish pledge, flag salute, and national anthem. Early floor business included unanimous-consent approvals for cameras on the floor and in the gallery, a relaxed dress code for guests, and an excuse for Senator Hickey. Majority Floor Leader Peter Wirth noted it was the last day for bill introductions and reviewed the day’s observances and receptions, including Multiple Sclerosis Advocacy Day, Jewish Community Day, Santo Domingo Pueblo Day, Lincoln County Day, and UNM Day. A large portion of the meeting was devoted to honoring the Artesia Bulldogs football team, recognized for winning another state championship and for their long record of success. Senators and coaches praised the team’s resilience, community support, and the role of local fundraising and school support in sustaining athletic excellence. The Senate also observed a moment of silence for New Mexico State Police Officer Darien Jarrett on the fifth anniversary of his death in the line of duty, with Senator Brantley speaking about Jarrett’s service and the impact of his loss on law enforcement and the region. The chamber then celebrated UNM Day with a formal certificate recognizing the University of New Mexico’s role as the state’s flagship university, its enrollment, degrees awarded, research, patents, health sciences, and hospital services. Multiple senators spoke in support, emphasizing UNM’s impact on education, health care, public service, first-generation students, and athletics, and several introduced guests from UNM programs and leadership. The Senate also read and adopted a certificate recognizing Dr. V. Sue Cleveland for 32 years leading Rio Rancho Public Schools, with members praising her role in building the district and supporting its growth and success. Later, the Senate recognized Valencia County Day and Hidalgo County Day, with senators highlighting each county’s history, economic development, agriculture, transportation, and community identity, and introducing local officials, business leaders, and youth honorary lieutenant governors. Additional floor remarks honored nurses and health care professionals tied to Lincoln County Day and related observances, with senators introducing guests from nursing, education, and hospital settings and emphasizing the importance of the nursing workforce and rural health care.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um primarily technical operations.
• We're also focused on the hemp licensing market launch.
• Uh we've identified a market launch.
• And the most common question I get is where should I launch my drink?
• hemp operators, especially in rural<00:12:56.480><c> areas.

Transcript Highlights:

• , whether any individual launch is permissible and then the safety requirements around those launches
• We're seeing commercial space launches.
• But as a practical... matter for a given launch.
• There were only 20 space launches.
• contract to operate a jail.

Bills: HCR158 , HCR159 , HCR160 , HCR161 , HCR162 , HCR163 , HCR164 , HR174 , HR427 , HR790 , HR810 , HR857 , HR866 , HR882 , HR883 , HR962 , HR966 , HR1001 , HR1045 , HR1085 , HR1097 , HR1127 , HR1138 , HR1141 , HR1150 , HR1152 , HR1292 , HR1296 , HR1304 , HR1305 , HR1306 , HR1308 , HR1309 , HR1310 , HR1311 , HR1312 , HR1313 , HR1315 , HR1317 , HR1318 , HR1320 , HR1321 , HR1322 , HR1323 , HR1324 , HR1325 , HR1327 , HR1328 , HR1329 , HR1330 , HR1331 , HR1332 , HR1333 , HR1334 , HR1335 , HR1338 , HR1340 , HR1341 , HR1342 , HR1343 , HR1344 , HR1345 , HR1346 , HR1347 , HR1348 , HR1349 , HR1352 , HR1353 , HR1354 , HR1355 , HR1358 , HR1359 , HR1360 , HR1361 , HR1362 , HR1363 , HR1364 , HR1365 , HR1366 , HR1368 , HR1369 , HR1370 , HR1380 , HR1383 , HR1384 , HR1385 , HR1386 , HR1387 , HR1388 , HR1389 , HR1390 , HR1392 , HR1393 , HR1396 , HR1397 , HR1398 , HR1399 , HR1400 , HR1402 , HR1403 , HR1404 , HR1405 , HR1406 , HR1407 , HR1408 , HR1409 , HR1410 , HR1411 , HR1412 , HR1413 , HR1414 , HR1415 , HR1417 , HR1418 , HR1419 , HR1420 , HR1421 , HR1422 , HR1424 , HR1425 , HR1426 , HR1427 , HR1428 , HR1429 , HR1430 , HR1431 , HR1432 , HR1433 , HR1434 , HR1435 , HR1436 , HR1437 , HR1438 , HR1440 , HR1441 , HR1442 , HR1443 , HR1444 , HR1445 , HR1447 , HR1448 , HR1449 , HR1450 , HR1452 , HR1453 , HR1454 , HR1455 , HR1456 , HR1458 , HR1459 , HR1460 , HR1461 , HR1462 , HR1463 , HR1464 , HR1465 , HR1466 , HR1467 , HR1469 , HR1470 , HR1471 , HR1472 , HR1473 , HR1475 , HR1477 , HCR132 , HCR154 , HR17 , HR49 , HR170 , HR275 , HR355 , HR356 , HR364 , HR369 , HR672 , HR690 , HR755 , HR756 , HR759 , HR762 , HR763 , HR781 , HR785 , HR848 , HR1240 , HR1265 , HR1303 , HR1307 , HR1314 , HR1316 , HR1319 , HR1326 , HR1336 , HR1337 , HR1350 , HR1351 , HR1367 , HR1371 , HR1372 , HR1373 , HR1374 , HR1375 , HR1376 , HR1377 , HR1378 , HR1379 , HR1382 , HR1391 , HR1395 , HR1451 , HR1457 , HR1468 , HR1474 , HR1476 , SB1637 , SB2878 , HB2885 , HB2017 , HB5246 , SB8 , SB2308 , SB1405 , HB 119 , SB3059 , SB15 , SB568 , SB2900 , HB3642 , HB3909 , SB268 , HB493 , SB2217 , HB2516 , SB650 , HB2963 , SB1610 , HB705 , SB2972 , SB1540 , HB40 , SB2753 , SB1660 , SB2024 , HB1545 , HB46

Transcript Highlights:

• And of cohort five, which just launched in January of this year, And of cohort five, which just launched
• Before the program initially launched in 2024, we started to collaborate...
• Cooth, who operates Saluna, has been operating for over 20 years as a health care company in the UK.
• The licensed folks who oversee the clinical operations of both programs.
• Mark Beckley, Chief Deputy Director for Operations.

Summary: The hearing focused first on behavioral health, especially serious mental illness and anosognosia, a condition described by witnesses as a neurological symptom that prevents people from recognizing they are ill. The chair framed the issue around families cycling through emergency rooms, jails, conservatorships, and short-term stabilization without lasting treatment, and warned that federal changes under H.R. 1 could reduce Medi-Cal funding and worsen access. Dawn Marie Anderson gave a personal account of her son’s long history of psychosis, homelessness, arrests, repeated jail and state hospital stays, and eventual stability when he received sustained medication and coordinated support. She argued that the system often treats the problem as criminal rather than medical and that voluntary programs and short-term services are not enough for people who lack insight into their illness. Other panelists, including representatives from the California Behavioral Health Association, Santa Barbara County Behavioral Health, and the County Behavioral Health Directors Association, agreed that anosognosia is not denial or noncompliance and said the system needs long-term, coordinated care, including assertive community treatment, mobile crisis, supportive housing, medication support, and stronger handoffs between county and managed care systems. They said CalAIM and other reforms have improved some coordination, but significant gaps remain, especially for people with serious mental illness, for those in jail or locked settings, and for people with private insurance, which witnesses said often offers little meaningful coverage for early psychosis or intensive behavioral health services. Several witnesses urged the Legislature to protect Medi-Cal, shore up county safety-net services, and invest in training and family engagement. The committee then turned to the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, with a focus on the virtual services platforms BrightLife Kids and Soluna and the CYBHI fee schedule. DHCS reported strong growth in app registrations, coaching sessions, referrals, and positive user outcomes, saying the platforms provide free, culturally responsive, early-intervention support statewide and help connect users to higher levels of care when needed. On the fee schedule, DHCS said more than 500 LEAs, colleges, universities, and school-linked providers are participating, 181 LEAs have submitted claims, and $9.6 million has been reimbursed to date, with 41,556 students represented in claims. The chair and several members criticized the pace of implementation and the amount of money spent relative to reimbursement levels, saying the Legislature had requested data earlier and that the return on investment still appeared low. DHCS responded that many claims are still being submitted, that 70% of denials are correctable, that $400 million in capacity grants has been distributed locally, and that reimbursement is increasing rapidly as more districts come online. Public comment included a rural county behavioral health director who said private insurance denials leave counties with significant uncompensated work, especially for unlicensed staff providing case management and mobile crisis services.

Transcript Highlights:

• And of cohort five, which just launched in January of this year, And of cohort five, which just launched
• Before the program initially launched in 2024, we started to collaborate...
• Cuth, who operates Soluna, has been operating for over 20 years as a health care company in the UK.
• We start to do those calculations based on actual past operating expenditures.
• Mark Beckley, Chief Deputy Director for Operations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Smaller counties may not have the resources to advance launch-ready projects.
• Both Brightline, who operates the Bright Life Kids programs, and COOTS, that operates the Soluna program
• For Brightline, they've been in operation for many years.
• So they will have an option to launch coverage in July.
• And HCAI plan to launch in July or after.

Transcript Highlights:

• We went from two boat launches to seven.
• Smaller equipment can launch from a boat launch, but most equipment is going to have to come through
• We can get things like operators, point of contact, size of the pipe, We can get things like operators
• So CPRA doesn't get agreements with the pipeline operators ourselves if it's required by the operator
• It's coastal and marine operators. Yes, CMO? Marine operators.

Summary: The board met on January 21, 2026, approved the agenda and minutes, and received a CPRA implementation update from Executive Director Michael Hare. Hare reported about 103 active projects, with work focused on completing existing projects and moving more into construction. He highlighted several projects, including Port Fourchon shoreline protection, Northwest Little Lake marsh creation, Sugar Ridge Pump Station, a large RESTORE-funded marsh creation project, Schooner Bayou saltwater barrier rehabilitation, Cain Bayou marsh creation redesign, West Shore river reintroduction work, Morganza to the Gulf reaches, NERDA Raccoon Island restoration, and Chenier-O-Tig ridge restoration. He also reviewed recreation and partnership projects such as Bayou Pigeon and Destrehan boat launches, Grand Bayou Marsh Creation, Highway 1 terracing, and four Louisiana projects funded through the National Coastal Resilience Fund. Hare noted the annual plan public meetings were complete and the comment period remained open through February 17, 2026. Board members asked about the Rockefeller shoreline project, and Hare said the Corps and state agencies were working through geotechnical and environmental issues and that leadership remained committed to moving it forward. The board then heard a joint presentation from CPRA and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on the White Lake Conservation Area and Management Plan. Officials described White Lake as a 72,000-acre property in Vermilion Parish with major habitat, recreation, and revenue functions, but said aging infrastructure, levee erosion, limited water control structures, and maintenance costs made a master plan necessary. The plan, finalized in October 2025, recommends coastal restoration projects, lodge and facility revitalization using private dollars, revenue-generation improvements, and long-term partnerships. Proposed work includes GIWW shoreline protection, Unit 2/Caddo levee stabilization, and north shoreline protection, with about $30 million already secured for engineering and construction and total needs estimated at roughly $120 million to $130 million. Officials also discussed broader habitat management, conservation incentives for private landowners, possible land acquisition in southwest Louisiana, and coordination with federal partners and other state agencies. Members praised the White Lake effort as a model of interagency collaboration and emphasized its importance for waterfowl habitat, public access, and tourism. Questions focused on funding sources, oil and gas revenue, and whether other agencies such as economic development and tourism should be involved. Several members also urged the state to apply similar management approaches to other refuges, including Sabine, Cameron Prairie, and Lacassine, where they said federal management has lagged. The discussion underscored a broader shift toward landscape-scale habitat management and public recreation investment. The final major presentation covered CPRA’s marsh creation design guidelines and related construction logistics. Staff explained that marsh creation makes up a large share of the coastal master plan and that the agency is updating its 2017 design guidelines after nearly a decade of use. The updates will address survey standards, geotechnical methods, dredge production estimates, construction monitoring, and oil and gas infrastructure conflicts. A second presentation reviewed safety, access, and logistics for marine construction, including equipment access routes, pipeline identification and coordination, cultural resources, private landowners, oyster resources, and permitting. Board members asked about reducing geotechnical costs, improving land-rights coordination, considering uncontained marsh creation where appropriate, and managing pipeline impacts; staff said they would consider those suggestions as part of the guideline updates.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> ensure that the market's able to launch ensure that the market's able to launch uh<00:26:26.000>
• Uh we've identified a market launch.
• Operators like Viro can confidently operate its business, hire more workers, and our state's cannabis
• 01:05:00.880><c> operate</c><01:05:01.200><c> its</c> like Viro can confidently operate its like Viro
• </c> up, which was local Minnesota operators. up, which was local Minnesota operators.

Bills: HF1545 , HF2426 , HF1615 , HF2403

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the operations the operations agency's<00:06:31.680><c> response.
• Andrea Olsen, administrative operations supervisor for DNCR.
• And the agency portal side of things is ready to launch. So, we'd like to do that.
• And the agency portal side of things is ready to launch. So, we'd like to do that.
• The plan is to launch August 4th.

Summary: The JLCAR meeting opened with approval of the prior minutes and the consent calendar, after one Fish and Game item was pulled from consent for separate discussion. The committee then reordered the regular calendar and postponed an HHS item at the agency’s request because work on the proposal was still ongoing and the sponsoring representative was absent. The committee next considered OPLC item 2547, dealing with amendments to licensure and discipline forms for regulated professions. Members raised concerns that the form appeared geared toward health professions and that boards were not sufficiently involved in the process. OPLC responded that the form was being moved toward a dynamic online format with logic to collapse irrelevant questions, and that the agency was trying to make the application more user-friendly. The committee approved the item. DNCR item 2551, concerning volunteer/adopt-a-park program rules, was approved after the agency acknowledged it had been operating the program and using forms before formal rules were adopted, and said it was now correcting that issue. Fish and Game item 2570, on electronic OHRV and snowmobile registration applications, drew discussion over processing times. The committee chair argued for consistency with the five-day mail-in processing period, while Fish and Game said it had concerns about file-transfer delays and workload and preferred 10 days. The committee ultimately approved the proposal with an oral amendment and conditional approval. In other business, staff described a broader move to an online agency portal for submitting rulemaking documents, replacing email submissions. Members supported the change as a modernization effort and noted it would also make it easier to see which rules are nearing expiration. The committee approved the manual change, with implementation planned for early August after agency training.

Transcript Highlights:

• We went from two boat launches to seven.
• Smaller equipment can launch from a boat launch, but most equipment is going to have to come through
• We can get things like operators, point of contact, size of the pipe, We can get things like operators
• So CPRA doesn't get agreements with the pipeline operators ourselves if it's required by the operator
• It's coastal and marine operators. Yes, CAR. Marine operators.

Summary: The board met at the State Capitol and approved the agenda and prior minutes after brief motions and no public comment. Executive Director Michael Hare then gave a CPRA implementation update, describing a large portfolio of active projects and highlighting several that are under construction, nearing bid, or recently awarded, including Port Fourchon shoreline protection, Caernarvon marsh creation, Schooner Bayou saltwater barrier rehabilitation, Cain Bayou marsh creation, West Shore river reintroduction work, Morganza to the Gulf, Raccoon Island restoration, Chenier-O-Tig ridge restoration, Bayou Pigeon and Dismal Swamp boat launches, Grand Bayou marsh creation, Highway 1 terracing, and several National Coastal Resilience Fund projects. He also noted the annual plan public meetings had concluded, with comments accepted through February 17, 2026, and answered board questions about the Rockefeller shoreline project, saying CPRA and the Corps were working through geotechnical and environmental issues and trying to move it forward. The board then received a joint presentation from CPRA and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on the White Lake Conservation Area and Management Plan. Speakers described White Lake as a 72,000-acre property in Vermilion Parish with major freshwater marsh, wildlife habitat, hunting and fishing opportunities, and aging infrastructure that currently operates on limited self-generated revenue. The plan, finalized in October 2025, focuses on habitat protection, maintaining wildlife, supporting revenue generation, expanding controlled public access, and strengthening partnerships. Proposed priorities include GIWW shoreline protection, Unit 2/Caddo levee stabilization, and north shoreline protection, with about $30 million secured for engineering and design and total costs estimated around $120 million to $130 million. Officials also discussed a possible lodge revitalization funded only with private dollars, broader landscape-level habitat management, conservation incentives for private landowners, and potential land acquisition for additional public access. Board members and agency leaders emphasized the importance of White Lake to waterfowl habitat and public recreation, and one member urged similar management attention for Sabine, Lacassine, and Cameron Prairie refuges. The final major presentation covered CPRA’s marsh creation design guidelines. Staff explained that marsh creation remains a major share of the coastal master plan and current project pipeline, and reviewed how projects are built using dredged sediment, containment dikes, and pipeline systems. They said the 2017 design guidelines were intended to standardize minimum design and construction practices, but are now being updated to reflect lessons learned, current survey standards, geotechnical practices, construction methods, and issues such as oil and gas infrastructure and land rights coordination. Board members asked about reducing unnecessary geotechnical costs, improving land-rights timing, considering unconfined marsh creation where appropriate, and accounting for why marsh areas are failing in the first place. Staff said they would consider those suggestions as part of the guideline update and then moved into a follow-up presentation on safety, access, and logistics for marine construction in the coastal zone.

Transcript Highlights:

• Boat inspections can happen when you are launching your boat at the boat launch.
• This bill prevents them from stopping you while you are operating your boat.
• They can still do the boat inspection at the boat launch.
• They can do all that when you're launching your boat.
• So if they want to do the boat inspection, they do it at the boat launch.

Committee: House State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:31:22.000><c> We</c> for the full launch in January. We for the full launch in January.
• </c><00:40:56.640><c> Auto</c> launch of the prism system. Auto launch of the prism system.
• During the soft launch period, between.
• /c> operate three manufacturing facilities operate three manufacturing facilities in<00:53:36.880><c>
• And correction before the hard launch.

Committee: House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Yesterday we launched Artemis, and today we will launch the Select Committee.
• Yesterday we launched Artemis, and today we will launch the Select Committee.
• We want a business, and it's youth-operated.
• We want a business, you know, and it's youth operated.
• We operate a little bit like a family, which is an incredible thing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We launched this program with our state universities this past year.
• Literacy Launch is... Literacy Launch is key to the expectations we have for students and teachers.
• Today, we operate nearly every part of early childhood.
• Now, C3 operational grants have helped prevent a deeper crisis.
• But at the same time, operating support cannot replace access.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Summary: The hearing was a Joint Committee on Ways and Means budget session held in Lawrence focused on the governor’s proposed FY27 education and local aid budget, with remarks from legislative co-chairs, local officials, and education agency leaders. Acting Mayor Giovanni Rodriguez and Superintendent Ralph Carrero emphasized Lawrence’s high-need student population, the importance of Chapter 70 and Student Opportunity Act funding, and the impact of state aid on schools serving many English learners and low-income families. Carrero highlighted Lawrence High School programs such as early college, dual degrees, career pathways, and early childhood classrooms embedded in the high school, while lawmakers introduced themselves and noted the importance of the hearing to their districts. Acting Secretary of Education Amy Kershaw, Commissioner of Higher Education Noi Ortega, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Pedro Martinez, and Commissioner of Early Education and Care Amy Kershaw outlined the administration’s FY27 priorities. They described investments in literacy initiatives, universal school meals, student mental health, early college and career pathways, higher education affordability, community college and university student-success supports, preschool expansion, child care subsidies, and workforce supports for early educators. The commissioners also discussed federal funding threats, equity gaps, and the administration’s efforts to improve outcomes for Black and brown students, multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and low-income students. Members questioned the panel about the local contribution formula study, the final year of Student Opportunity Act implementation, and the need to revisit Chapter 70 funding to better address rising costs such as special education, transportation, and health care. Officials said the local contribution study report is expected by the end of June, with a draft to be shared after data analysis and public comment. Commissioner Martinez said the Student Opportunity Act narrowed funding gaps but more work is needed, and he pointed to a proposed Accelerating Achievement Initiative to support the highest-need schools. Senator Oliveira also raised concerns about Chapter 70 disparities and asked about partnerships with libraries to support literacy, prompting discussion of broader early literacy collaboration.

Transcript Highlights:

• work in each of the operation work in each of the counties<00:05:06.320><c> as</c><00:05:06.520><c>
• In addition, over the past few years, we have launched several technology enhancements to improve the
• In addition, over the past few years, we have launched several technology enhancements to improve the
• </c> new federal guidelines we have launched new federal guidelines we have launched a<00:14:44.399><
• You have four newly launched treatment courts.

Transcript Highlights:

• Minnesota only allowed two companies to operate.
• With supply, particularly early in launch.
• Operators like Vireo can confidently operate their business, hire more Minnesotans, and our state's cannabis
• In fact, multi-state operators (MSOs) were the only cannabis businesses legally allowed to operate while
• I've actually operated in other states since 2008 as a medical and adult-use operator.

Bills: HF1545 , HF2426 , HF1615 , HF2403

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• But, Nuclear operations, national security—the list is endless.
• They don't have the authority to just close the area for their launches.
• There's a lot of external factors that impact those launches.
• It would most likely also encourage those non-peak-time launches and closures.
• K-U-L-R makes a battery that they're about to send into space on a SpaceX launch.

Bills: SJR12 , SCR39 , SB27 , SB29 , SB241 , SB406 , SB414 , SB464 , SB568 , SB578 , SB609 , SB660 , SB689 , SB693 , SB785 , SB857 , SB879 , SB921 , SB922 , SB955 , SB985 , SB993 , SB996 , SB1008 , SB1035 , SB1036 , SB1059 , SB1098 , SB1120 , SB1122 , SB1147 , SB1188 , SB1197 , SB1209 , SB1227 , SB1245 , SB1267 , SB1307 , SB1321 , SB1332 , SB1386 , SB1396 , SB1453 , SB1484 , SB1494 , SB1536 , SB1537 , SB1596 , SB1610 , SB1664 , SB1741 , SB1814 , SB1822 , SB1841 , SB1948 , SB2065 , SB2155 , SB2188 , SB2230 , SB2406 , SB2407

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, heard an invocation, and approved the previous day’s journal. The chamber then adopted Senate Resolution 358 honoring the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on its 10th anniversary, with senators highlighting the university’s growth, medical school, research expansion, and role in serving South Texas. The Senate also adopted Senate Resolution 368 honoring outgoing Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp, with numerous senators praising his long public career, leadership in higher education, and statewide impact. Senate Resolution 361 recognizing Texas HBCU Day and Senate Resolution 362 recognizing Denton County Days at the Capitol were also adopted, along with other routine recognitions and gubernatorial appointments being read into the record. The Senate then took up several bills. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 27, relating to rights and support for public school educators, was debated and amended to shorten vacancy posting requirements, allow bilingual certification candidates to retake only failed test sections, give teachers more flexibility with paid leave, clarify classroom removal procedures, and ensure parents are informed of appeal rights. The bill passed to engrossment, the three-day rule was suspended, and it was finally passed unanimously. Senate Joint Resolution 12, proposing a constitutional amendment to establish a parent’s right to direct a child’s education, was also brought up and passed to engrossment after a contested suspension vote. The Senate next passed Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1741, which would require reporting of foreign funding at public universities, bar gifts from adversarial governments, and require training and reporting systems to prevent foreign influence and intellectual property theft in higher education. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 29, the so-called “Dexit” bill, was debated at length for its corporate governance changes, including codifying the business judgment rule and altering internal corporate litigation and records rules; it passed to engrossment, the three-day rule was suspended, and it was finally passed by a 30-1 vote. Senate Bill 857, allowing law enforcement discretion to tow vehicles driven by unlicensed or uninsured drivers, passed after discussion of towing abuses during flooding and disaster conditions. Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1536, requiring dementia and Alzheimer’s training for certain guardians, passed with broad support, and Senate Bill 922, addressing delayed electronic disclosure of sensitive medical test results so physicians can discuss them first, was taken up and passed to engrossment as the chamber continued through its calendar.