Transcript Highlights:

• <02:29:13.560> to<02:29:13.800> those converting customers to those converting customers
• that when you connect those customers that when you connect those customers they<02:45:30.439>
• through the rates charged to customers through the rates charged to customers um<02:51:05.200>
• <04:21:56.319> via<04:21:56.880> utility customers via utility customers via utility assessments
• <04:45:51.638> public and at least one customer-owned public and at least one customer-owned

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• One compressor can cool an entire 44 two-man cell wing or a large open bay area, and we just fabricate
• One compressor can cool an entire 44 two-man cell wing, or a large open bay area, and we just fabricated
• . man, cell wing, or a large open bay area, and we just fabricate a wall.
• So, Senator Leak, would this capture a Florida small business that uses ChatGPT for customer service?
• , verifying parent-child relationships, and storing very sensitive family information that creates large

Bills: S2500, S2502, S2504, S7028, S2506, S2508, S2510, S2512, S2514, S2516, S2518, S0482, S0678, S0984, S1016, S1074, S1706, S7030

Keywords: budget, appropriation, education funding, healthcare, environmental protection, infrastructure, local government, Appropriations Act, funding, education, rural development, economic assistance, collective bargaining, state employees, labor relations, impasse resolution, negotiations, retirement, elected officials, Deferred Retirement Option Program

Summary: The committee heard presentations on the Senate’s proposed 2026-2027 budget, SPB 2500, with chairs outlining major spending in K-12 education, higher education, health and human services, criminal and civil justice, transportation/tourism/economic development, and agriculture/environment/general government. Highlights included a $115 billion overall budget, pay raises for state employees and public safety workers, major K-12 funding increases and enrollment supplements, higher education workforce and nursing investments, expanded Medicaid/KidCare and behavioral health funding, corrections and law enforcement operational funding, transportation and housing investments, and significant environmental and water quality spending. Members asked about civic education funding, declining enrollment, professor retention, APD waiver waitlists, cultural grant allocations, and other line items. Public testimony also addressed HIV/AIDS drug assistance funding and prison air conditioning. SPB 2500 was adopted as a committee bill after amendment consideration and a roll call vote. The committee then took up implementing and related budget bills, including SPB 2502 (implementing the General Appropriations Act), SPB 2504 (state employee bargaining placeholder), SB 7028 (Florida Retirement System contribution rates and related retirement changes), SPB 2506 (fuel tax distributions), SPB 2508 (state agency law enforcement radio system surcharge), SPB 2510 (termination of an unused court trust fund), SPB 2512 (new judgeships), SPB 2514 (K-12 conforming changes), SPB 2516 (higher education conforming changes), and SPB 2518 (health conforming changes). Most were explained as technical or conforming measures tied to the budget, and all were reported favorably as committee bills, with SB 7028 amended to direct a portion of increased contributions to disability and line-of-duty death benefits in the FRS investment plan. The committee also heard and passed several member bills, including CS for SB 1074 on rounding rules for cash transactions in a world without pennies, CS for SB 678 restoring the alcohol loss deduction framework for distributors, and SB 964 on firefighter cancer benefits and prevention. SB 964 drew the most discussion, with questions about the one-year death-benefit window, the separate $25,000 cancer diagnosis payment, and whether the bill could create gaps in coverage for firefighters diagnosed or dying just outside the new time limits. Firefighter representatives testified in support, saying the bill would provide clearer protections for members and families. All of these measures were reported favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, we see... ...from the L&E perspective, the possibility of miniatures being in the bathrooms, loading
• up drinks at the the bathrooms loading up drinks at the same<00:15:29.759> time<00:15:30.160>
• <00:52:46.160> walk and before they let the customer walk and before they let the customer
• So that’s a pretty large establishment.
• <01:53:52.719> distorted<01:53:53.159> by capita largely distorted by capita largely

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee first dealt with a brew pub license bill and corrected some sponsor/subcommittee roster confusion before voting to pass it without discussion. The main item of debate was a bill allowing patrons to take purchased alcoholic beverages into restrooms. The bill sponsor argued the current ban is outdated, rarely enforced, and can leave patrons vulnerable if they set drinks down and leave them unattended; he said establishments could still post their own rules if they wished. Liquor enforcement officials said they were neutral overall, noting both the risk of drinks being left unattended and the practical concerns of underage drinking, over-service, and restroom monitoring. Testimony split between those who saw the law as a non-issue and those who viewed it as a safety measure. One member said he had never seen anyone take alcohol into a restroom and opposed changing the law, while others cited drink-spiking concerns and suggested alternatives such as safe zones behind bars, drink covers, and alert apps. Industry representatives said many operators would prefer to keep the law as-is because it helps with policing drinking in their establishments, though they acknowledged the motivation behind the bill. Several members also raised drafting concerns, saying the wording was confusing about whether the rule applied to patrons or establishments. The committee ultimately voted 5-2 to recommend the bill ought to pass. Afterward, members discussed amending the language to clarify that establishments could still prohibit the practice, but one member suggested a simpler fix would be to strike the word “restroom” from the prohibition entirely. The committee then unanimously voted to reconsider its action so the language could be revised later, and the amendment discussion was left for a future meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• A big, a large participation problem, employment participation problem.
• We have foreign trade zones that are very, very large, allow us to mitigate some of the cash flow and
• We have foreign trade zones that are very, very large, allow us to mitigate some of the cash flow and
• We need to figure out firm load or base load.
• We've got a renewed focus on customer service.

Summary: The committee first recognized Mark Roper of the Economic Development Department for his long service and retirement, with members and the secretary praising his work on economic development across the state. Secretary Rob Black then presented EDD’s budget and special appropriation requests, describing strong recent job and income growth and outlining the department’s strategy around science and technology, site readiness, workforce development, foreign direct investment, and rural/community programs. He highlighted wins in advanced energy, quantum, space and defense, and biosciences, and asked for funding for quantum/DARPA matching funds, additional site readiness work, LIDA closing funds, JTIP training support, New Mexico Partnership, and healthy foods and other community programs. Members asked detailed questions about the quantum proposal, site readiness, the new mapping tool for industrial sites, workforce participation, trade missions, foreign investment, tariffs, water and produced water, tribal site evaluation, and public engagement on major projects. Black said the quantum request was intended to match federal dollars and build a workforce pipeline, that the site-readiness software would be a set enterprise license, and that the department was working with tribes and local partners on future site evaluations. He also said tariffs have created uncertainty but New Mexico’s infrastructure and foreign trade zones could help attract manufacturing, and he acknowledged concerns about transparency and community input while noting that some projects, such as Pacific Fusion, had gone through extensive public processes. The committee also discussed specific projects and funding balances, including Mantis Space’s move to Albuquerque, the status of Virgin Galactic’s spaceport lease, and the current LIDA fund balance and encumbrances. Black and Deputy Secretary Isaac Romero said the department was trying to use State Investment Council-backed venture funds to attract companies and that the new investments were already producing deals and jobs. Members generally supported the department’s direction but pressed for more targeted expertise, faster deployment, and stronger community involvement in future economic development decisions. Later, Secretary de Blassie of the Department of Health presented the department’s budget request and progress report. He said DOH had improved revenue cycle management, reduced old Medicaid-pending cases, increased census at facilities, improved budget and contract timeliness, and responded effectively to the measles outbreak. The department requested additional base funding for epidemiology and response, the DOH helpline, the Vital Records Virtual Vault, state labs, and the veterans home, along with special requests for respiratory vaccinations and marketing and lab equipment replacement. He also noted progress on MOUD and the medical psilocybin program, and said the department was not seeking to launch new programs given the limited time left in the administration.

Transcript Highlights:

• [Music] house research um there's a large house research um there's a large um<00:41:10.200> uh
• They were here before the large distilleries.
• impressive the next would be the large impressive the next would be the large Spirits<01:03:38.200
• before the large before the large distiller<01:04:29.440> they<01:04:29.599> are<01
• <01:39:31.560> cash operate instead of keeping large cash operate instead of keeping large

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We have large employers, some who are fully insured, some of you.
• A Ford that stopped innovating and meeting its customers' needs would lose to Toyota.
• And that's, I work at a large oil and gas company.
• But you are right to a large extent. ...complex. But you are right to a large extent.
• They do a survey of their large employers every year to see how their costs are increasing.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We will include customer service filings, two courtrooms that we hope to run every day, as opposed to
• We will include customer service filings, two courtrooms that we hope to run every day, as opposed to
• <00:10:42.880> is ago um since then the case load is ago um since then the case load is Multiplied
• <00:13:51.040> and<00:13:51.320> these extremely heavy case load and these extremely
• heavy case load and these Social<00:13:52.079> Service<00:13:52.480> AIDS<00:13:53.240

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Labor and Judiciary heard the Judiciary’s budget presentation from Brandon Kimura and other court administrators. The Judiciary outlined its mission and access-to-justice programs, including specialty courts, self-help centers, online small claims dispute resolution, and e-reminders. It requested an operating budget of $6.17 million in FY 2026 and $6.25 million in FY 2027, along with 17 permanent and one temporary position, and described a series of staffing and program requests tied to specialty courts, district court operations, technology, and public guardianship. Major program requests included making women’s court permanent by converting seven temporary positions to permanent and adding a substance use counselor; expanding truancy court and the Early Education Intervention Program on Oahu; and making the driving while impaired court permanent. The Judiciary also sought staffing and funding for the new Wahiawa District Court, including security, janitorial, IT, clerical, bailiff, and social worker support, plus an additional district court judge and staff in Kona. Technology requests included cybersecurity tools and a cybersecurity unit, enhanced email protection, and replacement of aging network switches. Other operating requests included continued funding for the Criminal Justice Research Institute, restoration of 12 positions cut during the pandemic, and added support for the Office of the Public Guardian. For capital improvement projects, the Judiciary’s top priorities were $4 million to design a new South Kohala District Court, $900,000 to replace an aging AC chiller on Kauai, and $5 million for lump-sum facility preservation work. Members asked questions about purchase-of-service contract rates, implementation of court-appointed fee increases, federal grant dependence, specialty court effectiveness, truancy court outcomes, and the condition of the Ewa District Court site. Judiciary witnesses said they were working to raise provider rates through contracts and a separate bill, cited low recidivism and reduced petitions as evidence that specialty courts and truancy efforts are working, and said the Ewa site has significant foundation issues that may require further assessment or a different location.

Transcript Highlights:

• Oh, well, let's talk to, you know, can you reach out to your customer, Ms.
• Morgan about that because there are clear exceptions in the law where large industrial risk and large
• large. ...or international companies.
• Vision Benefit Managers, or VBMs, are large, vertically integrated organizations.
• But I do contract with both of those large groups.

Bills: HB139, HB1818, HB1942, HB1959, HB2221, HB2254, HB2563, HB2067, HB2275, HB3211, HB139

Keywords: HB 1818, Texas Insurance Code, Texas Department of Insurance, commissioner of insurance, health maintenance organization, HMO, insurer, utilization review, preauthorization, prior authorization, medical necessity review, health care services, medical care, insurance regulation, insurance examination, regulatory oversight, confidential records, public information exception, Chapter 843, Chapter 1301

Transcript Highlights:

• No, I'm sure There is oversight, but they could be to load the car for whatever they need for the reason
• lot of focus on the larger banking institutions, but we have some local and state banks that have a large
• And in that Supreme Court decision, they said that businesses could refuse to do business with a customer

Bills: HB1245, HB2588, HB3024, HB3172, HB3279, HB3919, HB3306, HB3383, HB3431, HB3435, HB4352, HB3883, HB3942, HB4193, HB4203, HB4303, HB4311, HB4484

Keywords: retirement, pension, public employees, Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System, benefits, survivorship, contribution rates, disability retirement, owners associations, membership requirements, property ownership, board governance, residency requirements, salary increase, state employees, public finance, bonus limits, job performance, Fair Banking Act, financial institutions

Transcript Highlights:

• They are sharing courses, faculty loads, labs, and equipment.
• But in the research, the two large ones, it balances out at the end of the day.
• Customizing it, basically, I guess. Mr. Chairman, for that, I guess I'm not sure.
• just due to the large number of graduate programs that we offer.
• This, I think, is largely tied to CTE weighting.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• construction or operation of small modular reactors when the SMR is located on the same site as a high load
• factor customer who has obtained all zoning requirement approvals.
• Customer who has obtained all zoning requirements approvals.
• utility can skip the full environmental review for a new power plant if the plant is co-located with a large
• nuclear industrial, a large industrial energy user, pardon me, and the utility gives the Arizona Corporation

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The meeting was a rapid review of a very large bill package, with the chair repeatedly asking staff to keep descriptions high level and many bills placed on third-read consent or consent calendars. A major theme was artificial intelligence: bills would require minors to be told when they are interacting with AI, allow AI-assisted divorce arbitration by consent, create an AI education program, privilege certain AI communications, and require K-12 instruction on ethical and practical AI use. Other education measures addressed school district superintendents, health instruction, anti-Semitism prohibitions, fetal development standards, and school safety, including a bill allowing concealed firearms on school grounds under specified conditions. Several health and public safety bills were also discussed. These included funding and oversight measures for childhood cancer research, nursing care complaint timelines, firefighter cancer data collection, limits on pharmacy penalties, and a bill making it a felony to administer abortion-inducing drugs without consent. Members also heard bills on overtime wage enforcement, domestic violence evidence standards in parenting cases, probation limits for dangerous crimes against children, and a measure expanding manslaughter liability to online encouragement of teen suicide. One sponsor strongly opposed a provisional medical licensing bill for foreign-trained applicants, while other sponsors emphasized rural health access, nurse anesthetist reimbursement parity, and the need for a dental board member who is an oral surgeon. A large portion of the meeting focused on water, land, energy, and state agency oversight. Bills would streamline or change rules for small modular reactors, new power plants, water supply determinations, groundwater transportation fees, water hauling, and state land disposition. Members also considered measures affecting the State Land Department, including audits, oversight boards, continuation, land-use maps for data centers and energy projects, and rules for mineral leases and solar or wind siting. Other topics included wildlife and ranching, Mexican wolf policy, annexation, housing and development incentives, transportation and towing rules, digital driver licenses, and a proposed four-year moratorium on municipal and county fee, tax, and utility-rate increases, which drew questions about stakeholder input and the impact on enterprise funds and local utilities. No recorded roll-call votes were taken in the transcript; most items were simply presented, briefly discussed, and left on consent or calendar status, with one bill noted as held in rules and another pulled for further discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I think, you know, there's a lot of customer service that we could go a long way in improving sometimes
• Yes, customer service is a big deal to us. Thank you. We'll take care of it. Thank you very much.
• The RAQ piece is the Regional Air Quality Planning Commission, and so that's the group that's largely
• the local governments in air quality planning, water quality planning, TMDLs—the total maximum daily load
• Those are developed largely at the local level with our participation, and so the counties and local

Summary: The Senate Committee on Nominations met with a quorum and first took up pending nominations from an earlier agenda. Members severed Douglas McReecken, nominated to the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents, from the rest of the list and then voted to report the remaining nominees to the full Senate by a 7-0 vote. The committee then voted on the severed nomination itself and reported Douglas McReecken to the full Senate as well, by a 5-2 vote. The committee heard testimony from Brooke Pop, reappointed as chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and later from Commissioner Katarina Gonzalez, also of TCEQ. Questions focused on whether TCEQ rules comply with state law, ex parte restrictions, public transparency, concrete batch plant permitting, MUD approvals, water availability, illegal dams, enforcement, and the agency’s role in local environmental disputes. Both nominees said they follow the law as written, described internal legal review of rules, and emphasized transparency, public outreach, and enforcement; Gonzalez said she had already sent back two rules she believed did not comply with legislation. Members also discussed TCEQ’s authority limits and the need for clearer public communication about what the agency can and cannot regulate. The committee also considered Alethea Sullivan, nominated to the Texas Southern University Board of Regents. Questions centered on TSU’s status as an independent institution, the role of HBCUs amid DEI-related legal changes, and student outcomes. Sullivan said she would focus on ensuring taxpayer and student resources produce valuable credentials and noted concerns from her review of graduation and bar passage rates. The committee then heard from Benjamin Barkley, appointed chief executive and public counsel of the Office of Public Utility Counsel. Barkley said OPUC’s main need is additional funding to recruit and retain attorneys and expert witnesses, reduce turnover, and continue representing residential and small commercial consumers in utility rate cases; he said the office was involved in 73 contested cases and saved Texans $2.2 billion in FY 2024. No final action was taken on the later nominees, and the committee recessed with nominations left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's an incredibly broad and also a diverse in terms of large companies and all the way down to small
• So our tool kits are designed to to work in various stages so well, there are a large cap company, Mid
• And we're going to get the presentation loaded up here.
• You'll see on the right in the large pie graph that most of what we do is market.
• markets of tour operators and travel agents who can better sell Florida and create new products for customers

Transcript Highlights:

• 5,000 customers. 5,000 customers.
• The plant's retirement is a large-scale process, so these funds remain critical to the transition.
• We have a room dedicated to that right now, but it is not nearly large enough for what we want to do.
• Bemidji will largely maintain its current footprint.
• my fellow scientists leaving um largely my fellow scientists leaving um largely due<01:33:01.080

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This means that a large number of veterans who were not previously receiving disability compensation
• The other is that this is an activity that largely is not happening today.
• And there is a fiscal load; I want to say it's around six million dollars.
• When a large number of unsavvy investors enter a market they do not understand, they earn fees on the
• That's why we need this, the gold... is an unregulated market to a large extent.

Bills: SB524, SB782, HB42, HB1056, HB2894, HB3033, HB3474, HB3594, HB4738, HB5246, HB42

Keywords: SB 524, Texas franchise tax, veteran-owned business, new veteran-owned business, business tax exemption, filing fee exemption, Tax Code Chapter 171, Business Organizations Code, Comptroller, small business, veterans, entrepreneurship, tax repeal, privilege tax, beginning date, franchise tax exemption, severance tax, oil, gas, restimulation wells

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, the next one is a loaded chamber indicator.
• <00:20:16.320> chamber Um, the next one is a loaded chamber Um, the next one is a loaded chamber
• you assume that every firearm you touch is loaded.
• their customers. their customers.
• Local control exists for good load.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And especially we've seen very large-scale and repeat examples of fraud, especially within substance
• And especially we've seen very large-scale and repeat examples of fraud, especially within substance
• residential services and customized residential services and customized Living<01:29:37.880>
• And, you know, just this is a large policy bill and a lot of it's technical, but not all of it is.
• I want an independent insurance agency and have a number of agents, and I have had customers who have

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These large-scale utility plants, or these large-scale solar plants.
• It requires a large amount of $1,000 per violation.
• increases, and alleviate rate pressures on residential customers.
• Load increases and alleviates rate pressures on residential customers.
• Efforts in other large counties illustrate this concern. L.A.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, offered a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then proceeded through gubernatorial appointments and third-reading measures. Three appointments to the California Housing Finance Agency Board and the State Mining and Geology Board were confirmed by unanimous or near-unanimous votes. The body then considered a series of bills on criminal procedure, military authority, housing, refinery safety, land use, music festivals, homelessness planning, solar tax assessment, HOA assessments, privacy, utility accounts, refrigerant disposal, law enforcement training, natural gas planning, school transfers, and regional transportation planning. Among the more debated measures, SB 1173 on lesser related offense instructions passed 25-10 after opposition centered on judicial discretion and consistency. SB 1354, limiting out-of-state military or law enforcement activity without the Governor’s permission, passed 29-9 after supporters framed it as a sovereignty measure and opponents argued federal command authority controls. SB 1090, the Altadena disaster-speculation bill, passed 29-9; supporters said it would curb predatory investor purchases after wildfire disasters, while opponents raised concerns about property rights and market effects. SB 966 on refinery worker participation in safety standards passed 30-9 amid a dispute over worker protections versus regulatory burden, and SB 1256, a local housing/subdivision bill, passed 32-0 despite concerns about fire-safety amendments. The Senate also approved SB 865 on music festivals, SB 866 on homelessness planning with a commitment to exempt smaller cities, SB 1007 on HOA assessment transparency and homeowner approval thresholds, SB 923 on privacy deletion rights, SB 1098 on utility balancing accounts, SB 1010 on refrigerant recovery, SB 937 on flashbang and breaching-device restrictions, SB 1082 on inter-district transfer timelines, and SB 1087 on modernizing regional transportation planning. SB 1329 on solar farm property tax assessment drew extensive debate over county revenues, solar development certainty, and fairness to rural communities, but ultimately passed after the call was lifted. Several measures were supported by authors and committee chairs as balancing consumer, worker, or local government protections against concerns about costs, regulatory stability, and local control.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a heavy load. Passes. Okay, a burden to bear, but let's go.
• It's<00:07:15.880> a<00:07:15.920> heavy<00:07:16.120> load.
• It's a heavy load. Passes. It's a heavy load. Passes.
• is substantially large, as you might<00:14:32.760> contemplate.
• Additionally, these large fire trucks.

Bills: HF1016, HF2800, HF156, HF3051, HF526, HF2658, HF2062, HF2801

Keywords: local government aid, Baldwin, taxation, base year formula, municipal funding, population aid, aid penalty forgiveness, Minnesota, city funding, appropriations, HF156, lawful gambling, veterans organizations, licensed veterans organization, Minnesota gambling law, gross profits, lawful purpose, real property repair, facility maintenance, capital assets

Transcript Highlights:

• And even where monitors exist, not all key ...largely inadequate.
• They're large gray cylinders, 18 feet high and 11 feet across.
• They've done so in large part for harm reduction purposes.
• Customers leave my bar with a little boost of energy and a little focusness. That's it.
• I've had people, customers, come into my bar that after learning about kratom, I don't know.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Health held a lengthy hearing to take testimony on a wide range of bills related to environmental health, PFAS, medical device chemicals, food access, lead poisoning, air quality, oral health, and school food additives. Chair Driscoll and Chair Decker emphasized that the hearing was for testimony only, no decisions would be made that day, and that written testimony could still be submitted. They also noted the high volume of speakers and asked witnesses to keep remarks brief. A major portion of the hearing focused on PFAS-related legislation, including bills to restrict PFAS in products and food packaging and to create a PFAS remediation trust fund. Municipal officials and advocates described the high costs of PFAS cleanup, especially for drinking water systems, citing Easton’s multimillion-dollar treatment investments and rate increases. Testimony from legislators and advocates argued that Massachusetts should act despite federal uncertainty, and that the state should stop PFAS at the source rather than leaving municipalities and residents to pay for remediation. The committee also heard strong support for a bill banning DEHP in medical devices, with physicians, nurses, and a bill sponsor saying the chemical can leach from IV bags and tubing and that safer alternatives already exist. The committee also heard testimony on bills to establish statewide food truck permitting, with food truck owners and a senator describing the current system as costly, duplicative, and inconsistent across municipalities. Another set of witnesses supported the “Bean New Deal,” which would expand plant-based food options in public institutions, senior nutrition programs, and WIC, citing health, equity, and cost savings. On lead poisoning, housing advocates and a representative backed bills to expand lead-safe housing requirements to all rental units, arguing the current law contributes to discrimination against families with children and leaves too much pre-1978 housing uncertified. The committee also heard support for an outdoor air pollution bill that would create an advisory committee, identify pollution hotspots, expand monitoring, and set reduction targets, with testimony from environmental justice groups, pediatricians, and legislators describing disproportionate asthma and other health harms in overburdened communities. Later testimony addressed oral health bills to create dental therapists and allow dental hygienists to administer nitrous oxide, with supporters saying the measures would expand access, reduce costs, and help underserved patients. The committee also heard testimony on a bill to prohibit harmful food dyes in competitive school foods, with parents describing behavioral and health concerns tied to synthetic dyes. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.