Video & Transcript Research : 'border wall'

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TX

Texas 89th Regular

State Affairs Aug 22nd, 2025

State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • This means don't tear down the flags, the statues, monuments, Ten Commandments, babies, border, Alamo
  • This is those who tear down the wall, the statues.
  • Doctors in Texas and beyond our borders.
Bills: HB7, SB 8, HB7, SB 8
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • incarcerate children, incarcerated workers who do substantially similar tasks and duties inside CDCR walls
  • Amid rollbacks of worker protections at the federal level and changing border policies, it is urgent
  • Amidst rollbacks of worker protections of the federal level and changing border policies, it is urgent
Summary: The committee heard several labor-related bills, with AB 1424, AB 1340, AB 288, and AB 746 all advancing on due-pass motions to Appropriations after testimony and roll calls. AB 1424 would require climate resiliency and extreme-heat protections in CDCR facilities; supporters described dangerous heat conditions for incarcerated workers and staff, while no opposition testified. AB 1340 would allow rideshare drivers to unionize and collectively bargain; drivers, labor groups, and researchers testified that app-based work is low-paid and unstable, while TechNet, Uber, Lyft, and other business groups argued the bill conflicts with Proposition 22 and could raise costs. AB 288 would let PERB step in when federal labor remedies are unavailable; supporters said it is needed because of NLRB dysfunction, while the Chamber of Commerce raised preemption and enforcement concerns. AB 746 would create an inmate cooperative program and a green reentry reserve; supporters framed it as a recidivism-reduction and reentry strategy, and there was no opposition testimony. The committee also heard AB 858, which would extend hotel and hospitality worker recall rights after declared emergencies and extend existing COVID-era protections. Hospitality workers and unions supported the bill as a way to protect jobs after pandemics, wildfires, and other disasters, while hotel, chamber, retail, restaurant, trucking, travel, and attractions groups opposed it, saying the current recall rules were meant to sunset and that the bill would create broad liabilities and hiring complications. The bill was moved to Appropriations but remained on call after the roll. AB 291, creating a credentialed educator apprenticeship program to address teacher shortages and improve diversity, drew support from education groups and stakeholders who said apprenticeships could lower preparation costs and provide better support; it was also moved to Appropriations and placed on call. Later, the committee took up AB 1104, a solar-energy bill intended to clarify that private solar customers are not “awarding bodies” and to ease certain business-to-business solar transactions while preserving prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements for contractors. Supporters said the current interpretation has chilled commercial solar adoption and harmed jobs, while opponents from electrical workers, PG&E, and others warned about expanded “over-the-fence” power sales and the need for clearer limits. Members questioned the lack of a definition of “small,” and the bill was held without a second. The committee also heard AB 338, which seeks $50 million for Los Angeles and Ventura wildfire workforce recovery; the author and county officials described major job loss and business destruction and said the funds would support displaced workers and rebuilding, with the testimony continuing beyond the excerpt provided.
MN
Transcript Highlights:
  • Customs and Border Patrol announced just this week that they've collected $200 billion in new tariffs
  • Border crossings from Canada to Minnesota peak each year in August.
  • Border crossings from Canada business.
  • And so that's a major impact, especially for the border communities. That's just in one year.
  • And so that's a major impact, especially for the border communities.
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

Senate Chamber Jan 28th, 2026 at 11:26 am

New Mexico Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • I can't see over the wall. Senator Munoz. Mr. President, thank you for doing that.
  • I can't see over the wall where I'm at, so I appreciate you introducing them.
  • drivers of high cesarean-section rates and adolescent pregnancy among Latinas in the U.S. and Mexico border
Keywords: 996, all
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • I represent a very rural district of Northern California from the Oregon border down to Alpine and Amador
  • Bouncing off the walls. That child also gave me this sudden notice.
  • bouncing off the walls. That child also gave me this sudden notice.
Summary: The California State Assembly Select Committee on Child Care Costs held its first hearing to examine the state of child care access, affordability, and provider compensation. Chair Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and other members described child care as essential infrastructure for working families and the economy, noting that costs are unaffordable for many households and that providers are underpaid. Early testimony came from a San Francisco parent, Quinn Chung, who described the difficulty of finding safe care and the financial and career sacrifices caused by lack of child care, and from Tuolumne County provider Anita Viscini, who detailed her monthly costs, low margins, and the need to work weekends and teach CPR classes to make ends meet. Assemblymembers also emphasized the crisis in rural communities and the need for a long-term strategy. The first policy panel featured Jennifer Troia of the California Department of Social Services, Laura Pryor of the California Budget and Policy Center, and Alexa Frankenberg of Child Care Providers United. Troia said the state has nearly doubled child care funding in five years, expanded subsidy slots, and reached a new tentative three-year agreement with providers that includes cost-of-living adjustments, stabilization payments, and continued work on an alternative rate methodology and single rate structure. Pryor argued that despite funding gains, child care remains too expensive, only a fraction of eligible children receive subsidies, and provider wages remain far below comparable jobs, worsening racial and gender inequities. Frankenberg said the tentative agreement is progress but not enough, calling for a true cost-of-care system, fair wages, paid time off, better support for emergency and nontraditional care, and stronger integration of family child care into the mixed-delivery system. Members asked about why the crisis persists, how the alternative methodology will work, how family fees and sliding-scale help are being used, and why middle-income families still struggle. The panel said the problem reflects long-term underinvestment, a broken market, and a system that still leaves many families without access. The committee also heard an economic panel from Ashley Hoffman of the California Chamber of Commerce and Sarah Bone of the Public Policy Institute of California. Hoffman described employer child care benefits and public-private partnership models in other states, including shared-cost programs and local chamber efforts. Bone said child care costs reduce family financial security and labor force participation, especially for mothers of young children, and estimated that if mothers of young children worked at the same rate as mothers of older children, more than 80,000 additional women could be in the workforce each year. In the final panel, parent and provider advocates, including Jennifer Greppie and Black Californians United for Early Care and Education co-founder Keisha Doyle, argued for fully funding child care, ending waiting lists, protecting culturally affirming care, and addressing racial inequities and private equity’s role in the sector.
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

Senate Executive Departments and Administration (02/05/2025)

Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:
  • We know that we have many registered dental hygienists that work on our borders and right now have to
  • and right now have to on our borders and right now have to have<01:55:08.800> multiple<01:55:
  • And on a final note, what I'd like to share with you is the immense value to our border hygienists.
  • immense value to our border immense value to our border hygienists<02:04:11.880> um<02:04
  • Do you know what the hour requirements are for Vermont and Maine, our other border states?
Keywords: 1191, senate, all
NH

New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session

House Criminal Justice and Public Safety (01/21/2026)

Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:
  • you work for the city of Manchester or NSHA, whether you're an officer on the seacoast or on the border
  • c><01:07:01.839> the officer on the sea coast or on the officer on the sea coast or on the border
  • 03.200> whether<01:07:03.440> you're<01:07:03.599> up<01:07:03.760> by border
  • of Vermont, whether you're up by border of Vermont, whether you're up by Canada<01:07:04.720> or<
Keywords: 1189, house, all
VT

Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Session - 2026-05-19 - 1:15PM

Vermont House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • <00:40:57.359> patrol the second safest year for border patrol the second safest year for
  • border patrol and<00:40:57.839> ICE<00:40:58.160> agents<00:40:58.880> based<00:
  • The Caesar of the Border Patrol was just here last month.
  • Patrol was just The Caesar of the Border Patrol was just here<01:11:50.560> last<01:11:50.880
  • of Brownington. >> Walls of Brownington. >> Walls of Brownington. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Whyfield
Keywords: 926, house, all
Summary: The House returned from recess and took up S. 208, a bill on standards for law enforcement identification. The House Judiciary Committee explained that it had rewritten the bill into a model-policy approach focused on Vermont state and local agencies, rather than imposing direct requirements on all law enforcement, because of constitutional and preemption concerns raised by a recent Ninth Circuit decision. The amended bill would direct the Law Enforcement Advisory Board to develop a statewide policy on officer identification and facial coverings by July 2027, require agencies to adopt a consistent policy by October 1, 2027, and deem agencies to have adopted the model policy if they do not act. The committee reported the bill favorably on a 6-5 vote. Members then debated an amendment offered by Representatives Berbeco and McGill to restore federal officers to the bill. Supporters argued that public authority should not be anonymous, that visible identification is necessary for transparency, accountability, and public trust, and that the bill should apply to federal agents as well as state and local officers. They said the amendment included exemptions for undercover work, tactical teams, protective equipment, and safety concerns, and argued Vermont should not wait for courts to resolve every constitutional question before acting. Opponents on the Judiciary Committee said the language remained likely unconstitutional and could jeopardize the bill’s passage; the committee had found the amendment unfavorable on an 8-1 vote. The floor debate continued with several members speaking in favor of the amendment, including arguments that other states have adopted similar requirements and that Vermont should lead on the issue. One member raised a point of order that was not sustained, and the Speaker ruled federal authority relevant to the question. The transcript ends while debate on the amendment was still underway, after a request for a roll-call vote was granted, with no final floor vote on the amendment shown in the excerpt.
CO

Colorado 2026 Regular Session

Colorado House 2026 Legislative Day 055 Mar 9th, 2026

Colorado House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • And, as was noted, those jurisdictions expand beyond even the United States borders because Interpol
  • And the wall might not be big enough to even adapt it to be held secure to the wall safely.
  • And the wall might not be big enough to even adapt it to be held secure to the wall safely.
  • And a lot of these businesses are functioning as kind of hole-in-the-wall, older buildings.
  • hole-in-the-wall hole-in-the-wall uh<04:53:20.000> old<04:53:20.560> older<04:53:21.120
Keywords: 981, all
Summary: The House convened with a color guard presentation by Colorado Military Academy cadets and the pledge led by Olivia and Owen Curry. After roll call established a quorum, members approved the journal of Friday, March 6, 2026, as corrected. Several committees then announced upcoming hearings, including Agriculture, Water, and Natural Resources; State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs; and Finance. The chamber then took up House Joint Resolution 1020, designating March 8, 2026, as International Women’s Day in Colorado. The resolution praised women’s contributions across history and society, highlighted Colorado’s early adoption of women’s suffrage, and recognized trailblazing women in the General Assembly. Sponsors and supporters spoke at length about women’s leadership, economic and civic contributions, and the need to continue advancing equality. The resolution also drew recognition of women and advocacy organizations present in the chamber. Representative Bradley and other Republican members criticized the resolution as partisan and said Republican women were not included in drafting or sponsoring it. They argued the measure should have been more inclusive and should have better reflected women’s roles in the home and the broader bipartisan history of women’s history observances. Bradley announced she would vote no. In response, Representative Ricks said an amendment would be accepted from the minority caucus to address concerns about traditional roles of women, and he moved Amendment L002 for consideration.
ND

North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Water Topics Overview Committee Jun 10th, 2026

Transcript Highlights:
  • What I wanted to illustrate here is this includes the cost of water for states bordering North Dakota—South
  • is an example of, again, consecutive systems in North Dakota, in the red as compared to those in bordering
  • Some of the design components, there is a concrete mill wall.
  • So they weren't able to build an earthen levee in that section, so there's a 900-foot flood wall.
Summary: The Water Topics Overview Committee met to receive interim status updates on several water-related studies and Department of Water Resources projects. The committee approved the March 26, 2026 minutes, observed a moment of silence for the late Representative Conmy, and then heard updates on the watershed management study and the stormwater/wastewater study. Staff reported that the committee had already received the testimony contemplated in the study plans, including input from state agencies, local governments, and out-of-state entities, and that any further action would be at the committee’s discretion. The Department of Water Resources then provided project and budget updates on NAWS and the Southwest Pipeline Project. Reese reported NAWS is expected to serve about 81,000 users, with a total projected cost of about $571 million and about $96 million remaining, while the Southwest Pipeline Project is estimated at $1.06 billion total with about $409 million remaining. Members asked about funding sources, capacity needs, and whether current and future construction is being designed for increased demand; department staff said current work is designed for ultimate capacity, but some future components may need redesign based on new requests. The committee also discussed local cost shares, Minot’s role in NAWS funding, and whether the system is adequate for peak demand. A major portion of the meeting focused on the department’s cash management, carryover, and long-term water funding outlook. The department said Resources Trust Fund revenues are tied to oil extraction taxes and are affected by stripper well exemptions and future oil price declines. Members expressed concern about large carryover balances and whether the state is obligating more money than can realistically be spent in a biennium. The department reported about $340.6 million in remaining carryover and said it is trying to reduce that through a two-tier pre-construction/construction process and closer project vetting. The department also summarized the Deloitte studies on regional governance and finance and on cost-share policy. Stakeholders generally favored keeping the current governance structures for NAWS and Southwest with improvements, while Red River stakeholders leaned toward a different option; the department said it will bring an implementation plan back in September. On cost share, Deloitte’s recommendations would reduce some percentages, prioritize projects differently, and use other measures to close a projected long-term funding gap. Members debated affordability, local burden, deferred maintenance, and whether statutory changes may be needed to allow the commission more flexibility in prioritizing and funding projects. No formal votes or final actions were taken beyond approving the minutes and receiving the updates.
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Public Health Jun 21st, 2026 at 09:00 am

Joint Committee on Public Health

Transcript Highlights:
  • I was forced to fight to be heard and to advocate for myself, while tied to the wall by a chest tube
  • When a potential destination state, like Massachusetts, for those seeking cross-border legal abortion
  • It's like a bookshelf where the books are glued shut, a deadening wall, and no energy is allowed through
  • Also, ventilators were widely used initially, and according to the Wall Street Journal, killed 88% of
  • extensive scar tissue that adhered all of my pelvic organs together. ...and to my abdominal pelvic wall
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The committee opened by explaining hearing procedures and time limits, then heard testimony on House 2499, a bill to create a public awareness campaign on menopause and related midlife health issues. Supporters, including a nurse, the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, and other advocates, said menopause is widely misunderstood by patients and providers, leading to delayed care, unnecessary suffering, workplace impacts, and inequities in women’s health. Several speakers shared personal experiences with symptoms being dismissed or misdiagnosed and urged the committee to advance the bill. The committee then took testimony on a package of endometriosis bills, including House 2527 and Senate 1564, calling for a task force and broader awareness efforts. Patients, a physician, and advocates described long diagnostic delays, severe pain, infertility, medical gaslighting, and limited access to specialists and effective treatment. They argued for more research, provider education, and a coordinated state strategy, and several asked for favorable reports. The chair also noted the hearing was running behind and extended time to allow more testimony. Later, the committee heard Senate 1579, which would eliminate parental consent and judicial bypass requirements for abortion access for minors under 16. Planned Parenthood representatives, physicians, legal advocates, and students argued the current law creates unnecessary delays and harms vulnerable youth, especially those in unsafe homes or foster care, while supporters said minors can already consent to other reproductive health care. A pro-life witness opposed the bill and emphasized parental involvement and support services. The committee also heard House 2403 and Senate 1560, which would create a Human Service Transportation Consumer Advisory Board; disability advocates and riders described past safety problems and current service gaps, and supported the board as a low-cost way to improve accountability, rider input, and reliability. No votes or final actions were taken in the excerpt.
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Ways and Means Jun 21st, 2026 at 11:00 am

Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:
  • Representative Joe McKenna, 18th Worcester, bordering on both Connecticut and Rhode Island in Central
  • of here, and I'm a 1982 graduate of the university, so I greatly enjoyed a cruise through the blue wall
  • We've been meeting and supporting CRC in their engagement with Customs and Border Protection.
  • We've had several meetings that I participated in with Customs and Border Protection.
  • But I don't have a definitive answer, but we are waiting on Custom Border Patrol right now.
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The Joint Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing at UMass Amherst on Governor Healey’s fiscal year 2027 budget, focusing on energy/environment-related transportation issues and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The chairs and members opened with thanks to UMass, university leadership, court officers, and legislative staff, and Chancellor Javier Reyes highlighted UMass Amherst’s research, workforce, sustainability, and transportation contributions, including energy research, transit operations, and partnerships with MassDOT. The hearing then moved to MassDOT and MBTA testimony on the administration’s transportation funding package, including House 2, the FY26 Fair Share supplemental, and a proposed four-year Chapter 90 authorization. MassDOT officials described the budget as part of a broader multi-year transportation investment strategy, citing funding for operations, snow and ice removal, regional transit authorities, the MBTA, the Merit Rating Board, sustainable aviation fuel credits, micro-transit and last-mile grants, unpaved road improvements, bridge and pavement work, and housing-related transportation infrastructure. They emphasized workforce expansion, capital delivery capacity, safety improvements, and local aid, including the new lane-mile-based Chapter 90 formula intended to benefit rural communities. Officials also discussed major projects and programs such as Grant Central, culvert and unpaved road grants, work zone speed cameras, congestion hotspot fixes, the Sagamore and Bourne Bridge projects, and MBTA operating support and safety upgrades. Testimony from the MBTA and rail/transit staff focused on improved ridership, service frequency, accessibility, and safety, including progress on the Green Line Train Protection System, reduced delays, expanded bus and commuter rail service, and the South Coast rail extension. Regional transit authorities reported increased ridership and described new fare-free, connectivity, and community transit grants. Aeronautics testimony covered airport capital work, drone and data programs, sustainable aviation fuel efforts, and workforce development in aviation maintenance. Committee members then asked questions, especially about Western Massachusetts priorities, Chapter 90 funding, bridge repairs, snow and ice costs, Cape Cod bridges, Buzzard’s Bay rail, and Compass Rail/West-East Rail. Officials said several federal rail grants were moving forward, that Sagamore Bridge procurement would begin soon, and that the administration remained committed to pursuing federal funding and multi-year transportation investments.
NM
Transcript Highlights:
  • on on-ramps, and what we do to kind of minimize that is, you know, we fill those areas with barrier wall
  • Senator Ezell's voice in my head. about 380 because that goes from I-25 all the way to the Texas border
WY

Wyoming 2026 Regular Session

Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources Committee, June 11, 2026 - AM

Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • once you've learned the skill, it's not particularly hard to attain that and to keep that skill. the wall
  • that there wasn't going to be the wall that there wasn't going to be enough<00:25:52.000> income<
  • for somebody and stick my arm in their cow and it's legal, but I can't hang my shingle out on the wall
  • I can't hang my shingle out on the wall I can't hang my shingle out on the wall and<02:26:45.120
  • I'd like to get with<03:40:47.920> the<03:40:48.080> border<03:40:48.319> of<03:
Keywords: 916, all
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

EDU Informational Briefing 01-23-2026

Hawaii Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Kr for number one and border >> Oh, yeah.
  • Kr for number one and border ed<00:54:22.720> for<00:54:22.880> number<00:54:23.119>
  • Very challenging when you're sticking in AC into the wall without taking out a bunch of other kind of
  • plugged into the wall into the grid<01:46:03.840> and<01:46:04.159> you<01:46:04.320><
  • you're sticking in AC into the wall you're sticking in AC into the wall without<01:46:21.119>
Keywords: 912, senate, all
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Ways and Means Jun 21st, 2026 at 11:00 am

Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:
  • Sutton, on the Connecticut, Rhode Island border.
  • I can't think of a more difficult job, and sometimes because it's behind the walls, folks don't recognize
  • It is a wall. So it is a priority to us, but we had to make some difficult decisions.
  • advance, specialty opportunities to work with—and many of the sheriffs do work outside of the four walls
  • The wall and how it will follow.
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The hearing was held in Clinton Town Hall as part of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means’ budget review, with local officials welcoming legislators and noting the long agenda of many panels. The main presentation was from Secretary Terrence Reedy of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, who outlined the Healey-Driscoll administration’s FY26 proposal for the secretariat, including a $1.7 billion budget and a 7% increase over FY25. He described investments in emergency preparedness, hate-crime prevention, reentry programming, technology modernization, internships, and public safety training, while also noting some reductions driven by resource constraints, including cuts to certain grant programs and administrative costs. Committee members also raised concerns about federal uncertainty and how it could affect state budgets and public safety planning. A major portion of the questioning focused on the Department of Correction. Secretary Reedy and Commissioner Sean Jenkins said the biggest challenges are staffing, officer wellness, facility safety, and contraband—especially K2. They described steps taken at MCI Souza and other facilities, including reducing population at the maximum-security unit, changing management, removing metal products and free weights, improving screening and roll calls, adding a rapid response team, and increasing investigative and technological efforts to combat K2. They also discussed the closure of MCI Concord, saying it was driven by high maintenance costs and staffing needs, and explained that savings are being used to improve staffing patterns and address deferred maintenance over time rather than producing immediate large budget reductions. Members also questioned the budget’s impact on police training and community policing. The administration defended the increase in police academy tuition from $3,200 to $6,000 as reflecting true training costs and said it would still be subsidized by the state, while acknowledging the burden on small municipalities. They said the MPTC is expanding regional training and considering proposals such as Greenfield Community College’s. On community policing, officials emphasized uniform statewide training, de-escalation, and communication skills. The State Police also announced an outside review of the academy by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and said the next class will be split into two smaller groups to improve oversight and allow quicker implementation of recommendations. Other topics included ICE and federal immigration enforcement, with Reedy saying state law prohibits Massachusetts law enforcement from acting in a civil immigration capacity and that no state dollars were used in the Tufts-related ICE operation mentioned by a member. Senators and representatives also raised the upcoming FIFA World Cup, warning that it will require significant public safety resources and likely federal funding. Additional discussion covered restorative justice and juvenile diversion, health care costs in DOC, electronic health records, and the need for more diverse and culturally competent public safety staffing. No votes were taken during the hearing.
ND
Transcript Highlights:
  • I am a North Dakota farm kid, born and raised right up on the Canadian border.
  • But I think with the rise of AI, you've got Silicon Valley and you've got Wall Street who were really
  • We've been operating since 1930, right near the Canadian border.
  • We've been operating since 1930, right near the Canadian border.
  • We were delivering the coal across the border. Liberty Fuels, the project got terminated.
Summary: The committee met at the Coteau Freedom Mine in Mercer County, approved the June 2 minutes, and heard an overview of the mine from Coteau Properties president Andrew Hawbaker. He described the Freedom Mine as the largest lignite mine in the United States, supplying coal to Dakota Gasification, Antelope Valley Station, and Leland Olds Station. He emphasized the mine’s scale, safety record, reclamation work, workforce needs, community involvement, and economic impact, including payroll, taxes, royalties, scholarships, and local hiring. Members asked about how long land stays in production, how quickly it returns to agriculture after reclamation, labor shortages, and how mining affects groundwater and water wells. Hawbaker said most tracts are mined for about three to five years, reclamation is coordinated with landowners, and the company continues to struggle to find electricians, welders, mechanics, operators, and engineers. The committee then heard from Public Service Commission Chairman Randy Christman on coal mining reclamation and permitting. He reviewed North Dakota’s coal mining history, the state’s reclamation laws, federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act primacy, bonding, permit renewals and revisions, prohibited mining areas, inspection and enforcement, and contemporaneous reclamation requirements. Christman stressed that North Dakota’s program is professional and thorough, with frequent inspections, financial assurance, and a 10-year revegetation monitoring period before bond release. He also discussed federal coal ownership issues that can delay mine plans, the treatment of prime farmland, and how reclamation differs for wind and pipelines. In response to questions, he said one challenge is sometimes releasing land too soon before long-term compaction issues are fully understood, and he noted that data centers do not currently have a comparable reclamation model because they typically own the land. In the afternoon, the committee received an update from Lignite Energy Council president Jonathan Fortner on the lignite industry. He said North Dakota’s lignite sector supports five commercial power plants, four mines, about 12,000 direct and indirect jobs, and more than $5.5 billion in economic activity, while helping keep the state’s electricity rates among the lowest in the nation. Fortner reviewed coal severance and conversion tax revenues, the lignite research fund, federal regulatory rollbacks, carbon capture policy, and the industry’s legal costs fighting federal rules. He also highlighted a study on large-load development, saying new data centers and critical mineral processing facilities could create major local tax revenue and help justify new baseload generation. Members asked whether new gas pipelines would crowd out coal plant development and whether the economic study included jobs and broader local impacts; Fortner said the industry sees room for both and that the study did include construction, operations, jobs, and tax effects.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

No entering into certain civil immigration enforcement agreements with the feds 3/3/26

Minnesota House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • activities, mental health services, medical appointments, and dental care are all provided within the four walls
  • I don't have to tell you, you've been living that with regard to ICE and Border Patrol, and people around
  • with regard to you've been living that with regard to ICE<00:53:10.200> and<00:53:10.360> Border
  • Patrol,<00:53:11.040> and<00:53:11.160> people<00:53:11.480> around ICE and Border
  • Patrol, and people around ICE and Border Patrol, and people around the<00:53:11.840> country<
Keywords: 1183, house
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • Conversations that shape those values begin right here, within these walls, at this historic moment in
  • And when Congress is going to cut eight hundred and eighty billion, hundreds of billions will go to border
  • Mendocino County and as far south as Calexico, California, where my family lives on both sides of the border
  • As many have mentioned, last month Border Patrol conducted a raid in Kern County, more than 200 miles
  • from our border with Mexico.
Keywords: 988, house, all