Transcript Highlights:

• A COALITION OF SUPPORTERS FOR WHAT WOULD BECOME THE NATION'S FIRST GROUND COVER STANDARD FOR Solar farms
• SOLAR FARMS. IT BUILT MINNESOTA BUSINESSES. IT BUILT CAREERS BUILD OPPORTUNITY.
• The Petro Fund is currently funded with a sort of on-off fee per unit of about $0.02 per gallon paid
• The Petro Fund is currently funded with a sort of on-off fee per unit of about $0.02 per gallon paid
• The Petro Fund is currently funded with a sort of on-off fee per unit of about $0.02 per gallon paid

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> As you know, Minnesota farmers and farm communities are sometimes hard-pressed because of soaring
• Right down the road from my farm, actually, about 20 miles away, more than 10 years ago, scientists at
• These records, called ammonia certificates, are a new and valuable commodity for Minnesota farmers and farm
• So, it's my opinion that it's going to be on the farm, on the grassroots companies getting together who
• /c><00:19:11.080><c> the</c><00:19:11.160><c> grassroots</c><00:19:11.800><c> companies</c> on the farm

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> has a county farm. has a county farm.
• </c> gathering spot for FFA in the United gathering spot for FFA in the United States<00:23:10.320><c
• I think, like, we have L Farm.
• Mo farms, um, because it's like probably the closest apple farm we would go to.
• </c> death for children in the United States. death for children in the United States.

Committee: House Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• Anna has spoken at the United Nations.
• It includes duplexes, townhouses, and other multi-unit options.
• It is adjacent to farms.
• We need to create more units.
• across 100 different projects across our Commonwealth. 7,000 units.

Summary: The House first adopted several ceremonial resolutions congratulating three Eagle Scouts, then concurred in Senate amendments to House bills affecting the town of Milford’s alcohol licensing law and the town of Middleton’s charter. It also passed to enact a Senate bill on maintenance of private roads in Gloucester and engrossed a House bill allowing Plymouth to create a special revenue account for land acquisition. The chamber later observed moments of silence for former Lynn City Councilor Richard “Rick” Ford, Portuguese American community leader Louis Pedroso, and Quincy veteran Mildred “Millie” Cox, and welcomed several guest groups and dignitaries, including students from Fall River, D.A.R. Good Citizen award recipients, and a British minister visiting the State House. Most of the floor session centered on FY27 budget amendments, especially housing and shelter policy. Members debated and rejected multiple Republican amendments that would have tightened eligibility for the HomeBASE and emergency shelter programs by requiring citizenship or limiting access to U.S. citizens with Massachusetts residency, with supporters arguing the changes would reduce costs and opponents saying the programs already have strict eligibility rules and that the proposals would exclude lawful residents and vulnerable families. The House also rejected an amendment to block Housing and Livable Communities grants from being conditioned on MBTA Communities Act compliance, with supporters calling it a reprieve for noncompliant towns and opponents saying the law is helping address the housing shortage. A consolidated housing/environment amendment was then adopted 154-0, funding major housing, shelter, clean water, climate, and food assistance accounts. The chamber also defeated amendments to create a data center commission and to eliminate the vocational-technical school admissions lottery, though the latter was withdrawn after debate. Another rejected amendment would have suspended public policy and public benefit charges on electric and gas bills; opponents said that would eliminate low-income and senior bill relief. The House then turned to education-related amendments, rejecting proposals to change special education reimbursement formulas and to raise the reimbursement rate from 75% to 80%, with opponents arguing the ideas needed committee review and cost analysis. Finally, the House began debating an amendment to fully fund regional school transportation by removing “subject to appropriation,” but the transcript ends before any final vote on that item.

Transcript Highlights:

• incredible affordable affordable units incredible affordable<00:26:41.360><c> units</c><00:26:41.919
• Thank you very much. deliver a th000 affordable housing units deliver a th000 affordable housing units
• That's 86 total units at or below 30% of AMI. 104 units will be at three-bedroom sizes for large families
• That's 86 total units at or below 30% of AMI. 104 units will be at three-bedroom sizes for large families
• </c><00:49:05.520><c> farm</c> the definition of a size of a farm farm the definition of a size of a

Committee: Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention

Transcript Highlights:

• to State and Farm to School.
• We’re trying to support our institutional purchasing through Farm to State and Farm to School.
• We’re trying to support our institutional purchasing through Farm to State and Farm to School.
• </c><01:11:54.239><c> bureau's</c> points made in the farm bureau's points made in the farm bureau's
• </c><01:58:04.560><c> bureau's</c> to take the Hawaii Farm bureau's to take the Hawaii Farm bureau's

Committee: House Water & Land

Summary: The Committee on Water and Land heard testimony on several measures, beginning with HB 347 relating to goats. The Department of Land and Natural Resources offered comments and said its Division of Forestry and Wildlife was available to answer questions. Testimony on the bill was largely opposed, with speakers arguing it would amount to a “free-for-all” rather than game management and urging deferral. DLNR responded that bag limits can be adjusted by area and game management unit under adaptive management rules, and that hunters typically take out their catch. No vote was taken in the portion provided. The committee then took up HB 1278, on which DLNR testified in support. The record in the excerpt does not include discussion of the bill’s substance beyond the department’s support, and no action or vote is shown. A substantial portion of the hearing focused on HB 144, relating to the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority and proposed exemptions from Sunshine Law requirements during the transition period. The authority’s vice chair testified that the body is a startup agency with a complex transition from the University and needs to be able to discuss strategic planning, operational formation, and other day-to-day matters with more than two members present. Opponents, including the Public First Law Center, Hawaiʻi Environmental Alliance, and community members, argued the bill would cut the public out of the deliberative process, allow decisions to be hashed out in private, and set a poor transparency precedent. One testifier also raised cultural and environmental concerns about Mauna Kea. Committee members questioned whether existing law and narrower guardrails could address the authority’s concerns, and the authority said it had already proposed a narrower alternative but the bill returned in similar form. The excerpt ends before any final committee action on HB 144 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a two-mile spacing unit, you know, approaching $30 million to do a large...
• Likely, you're going to move spacing unit by spacing unit, figure out how to consult.
• Going to move spacing unit by spacing unit, figure out how to consolidate, because you've got to get
• then selling them back, saving farms, right?
• Our record $500 million farm financial stability loan program put us over the top on that.

Summary: The committee received a compliance and budget update on Industrial Commission agencies and programs, including the Industrial Commission administrative office, the Oil and Gas Research Program, the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority, the State Energy Research Center, the Research Technology Park grant program, and related funds. Staff reviewed spending and balances for items such as electric grid resiliency grants, lignite research, enhanced oil recovery, the salt cavern business case study, and the new NDSU research and technology park grant. Members also discussed timing, carryover balances, matching requirements, and how some programs are structured to reimburse projects over several years rather than spend funds immediately. Karen Tyler of the Industrial Commission described the agency’s administrative budget, the grant management system nearing completion, and the transition to standalone audits and staffing after separating from other agencies. She also outlined the status of active grant rounds across lignite, oil and gas, renewable energy, outdoor heritage, and clean sustainable energy programs. Members asked about the length of active grants, demand for clean energy funding, and the possibility of future grant rounds. Tyler and members also discussed the salt cavern study, the need to better define its commercial value, and the research technology park grant’s cash-match requirement. Ron Ness then testified on enhanced oil recovery and broader oil and gas market conditions. He said North Dakota production remained steady, but future growth depends on infrastructure, longer laterals, and better use of natural gas and carbon dioxide for EOR. He described the state’s EOR grant round, the use of federal DOE funding to replace part of a state-funded project, and the expectation of additional grant rounds. Members asked about CO2 supply, storage, and the economics of using legacy fields and pipelines to extend oil production and support agriculture and industrial uses. The committee also heard from Bank of North Dakota President Don Morgan, who reviewed the bank’s mission, governance, lending verticals, disaster programs, and new initiatives. He said the bank is seeing deposit growth flatten and is responding to fintech competition by focusing on liquidity, risk management, and a new payment infrastructure initiative called Rough Rider Coin, which he emphasized is not crypto and not a public coin, but a banking payment rail for North Dakota institutions. Members asked about student loan rates, disaster lending, and how the bank’s lines of credit and balance sheet capacity are affected by deposit trends. Morgan said the bank remains profitable and continues to support agriculture, commerce, and industry through participation loans, student lending, and state-directed programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands
• It is an honor to be in the United States of America to protect all our rights, all our freedoms, and
• workers, construction workers, hotel and restaurant workers, to accomplish... ...together, from farm
• States...” “...the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California
• This is what the United States is about. This is what we are about. Giana, you are my heart.

Summary: The California State Senate held a special ceremonial session to swear in Monique Limón as the 50th President Pro Tempore, described throughout the event as the first Latina to hold the post and only the second woman to lead the chamber. The session opened with acknowledgments of statewide officials, tribal leaders, members of Congress, former legislative leaders, and other guests, followed by a quorum call, suspension of Senate Rule 55 to allow guests and media on the floor, a prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a land acknowledgement honoring the Miwok, Nisenan, Patwin, and Southern Maidu peoples. The ceremony included musical performances by Mariachi Bonitas and the Sacramento Women’s Choir/Genesis Church, after which several senators delivered remarks praising Limón’s leadership, coalition-building, work on education, labor, child care, wildfire response, and her role as a trailblazer for women and Latinas in California politics. Speakers also referenced the state’s fiscal challenges, federal policy concerns, and the importance of inclusive leadership. Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero administered the oath of office, and Limón was formally introduced as President Pro Tempore. In her acceptance remarks, Limón thanked her predecessor Mike McGuire, Governor Gavin Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, and her colleagues, family, and supporters. She emphasized her immigrant family background, the importance of education, child care, consumer protection, labor rights, and support for working families, and said California must continue to protect immigrants and expand opportunity. The Senate then announced a reception in the Capitol Rotunda and adjourned/recessed until January 8, 2026 at 9 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're losing over four farms per day.
• our conservation programs to keep farming.
• for our conservation programs to keep farming.
• To keep farming.
• A farm stand owner just yesterday.

Summary: The committee held its second hearing on CalFresh enrollment and nutrition, focused on the effects of H.R. 1 on eligibility, administration, and food access in California. The Legislative Analyst’s Office and the Department of Social Services outlined major federal changes: expanded work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents, narrowed eligibility for certain lawfully present non-citizens, and new state and county cost-sharing for both administrative and benefit costs. Officials said about 665,000 Californians could lose benefits under the work requirement, roughly 72,000 non-citizens could lose eligibility, and California could face hundreds of millions to billions in new costs depending on error rates and implementation details. DSS described its mitigation efforts, including county guidance, trainings, automation, outreach materials, and coordination with workforce programs, while county representatives argued the workload is larger than current funding assumptions and that staffing and training needs are urgent. Members also heard from a CalFresh recipient, Lauren Keltz, who described how benefits helped her family during her daughter’s medical crisis and how a clerical error led to the loss of food, health, and cash assistance, contributing to homelessness and food insecurity. Her testimony was used to underscore the consequences of administrative errors and benefit disruptions. Grocery and agriculture representatives said CalFresh is not only an anti-hunger program but also a major economic driver, with benefits spent locally at grocery stores, farmers markets, and farm stands. They warned that cuts would reduce demand for fresh food, hurt independent grocers and small farmers, and increase reliance on food banks, while urging continued support for market match and farm-to-food-bank programs. In the second panel, advocates and local administrators emphasized the human and operational impacts of the federal changes. The California Immigrant Policy Center called for expanding the state-funded California Food Assistance Program to cover more immigrants excluded by H.R. 1. A San Francisco eligibility worker and a San Diego county administrator said the new rules will add substantial casework, require more client outreach and exemption screening, and strain already limited staffing. Justice in Aging stressed that CalFresh is a key anti-hunger tool for older adults and people with disabilities, especially as housing and health costs rise, and supported outreach funding for seniors. Throughout the hearing, members discussed the need for state funding, better automation, and stronger county and community partnerships to reduce disenrollment and protect access to food.

Transcript Highlights:

• Finally, we support the bill's efforts to eliminate the sub-minimum wage for farm workers.
• Farm workers perform some of the most difficult and essential work in our economy...
• Childhood poverty cost the United States an estimated, is not zero.
• Thank you. ...inclusion of an increase in the minimum wage for farm workers to $15 an hour.
• The United Way of Mass Bay and the Midas Collaborative.

Bills: H5085 , H5286

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities

Keywords: poverty alleviation, family support, economic mobility, youth transition, financial education, matched savings, community programs, Department of Children and Families, DCF, child abuse investigation, child neglect, pediatrician, advanced practice registered nurse, medical misdiagnosis, rickets, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta, vitamin D deficiency, bone fragility, child welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> Justice Muniz: CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES THAT I AM DULY QUALIFIED TO HOLD
• OFFICE IN THESE UNITED STATES AND I WILL WELL AND SAFELY PERFORM THE DUTIES OF THE STATE SENATOR UNDER
• I APPRECIATE YOUR DEDICATION TO FLORIDA FARM FAMILIES. AND THE COMMUNITIES THAT SURROUND THEM.
• ATTACKING FOOD INSECURITY UNITES FLORIDIANS ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM LIKE NOTHING ELSE I HAVE EVER
• IT IS UNITING AND POWERFUL AND THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

Transcript Highlights:

• County Farm Bureau.
• Our valleys are made up of family farms.
• Going out of business looks like a legacy cow herd dispersed, or a once smaller hay farm now farmed by
• This method would still keep our communities whole, as farmers would still be farming, but just farming
• We weren't citizens of the United States of America.

Committees: House Water, Parks and Wildlife , House Water, Parks, and Wildlife

Summary: The committee heard several bills related to water, wildlife, wildfire preparedness, and local governance. AB 362, by Assembly Member Ramos, would add tribal water uses as a protected beneficial use and strengthen tribal consultation in water planning; tribal witnesses strongly supported it as a long-overdue correction, while water agencies, farm groups, and business groups opposed or opposed unless amended, citing concerns about CEQA, regulatory uncertainty, and Bay-Delta plan deadlines. After discussion about ongoing stakeholder meetings and the need to keep tribes at the table, the bill passed on a vote of 9-1-1 and was sent to Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials. AB 1089, by Assembly Member Carrillo, would expand local permitting authority under the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act to include commercial and industrial projects. The author and the City of Adelanto argued it would reduce delays and support housing and economic development, while conservation groups opposed, saying it was premature and would weaken protections before the current system had been tested. The committee raised questions about Fish and Wildlife’s discretion, but the bill passed to Appropriations. AB 1024, also by Carrillo, would require a regional plan to address escalating black bear conflicts in the San Gabriel Valley; Sierra Madre officials described a sharp rise in bear intrusions and supported the measure, and it passed unanimously to Appropriations. AB 846, by Assembly Member Connolly, would streamline permitting for local wildfire preparedness and vegetation management in local responsibility areas by creating a faster review process and better mapping coordination. Supporters from cities, fire chiefs, counties, and agriculture said it would reduce delays while preserving environmental review, and there was no opposition; it passed unanimously to Natural Resources. AB 263, by Assembly Member Rogers, would extend emergency minimum-flow regulations for the Scott and Shasta Rivers for up to five years or until permanent rules are adopted. Supporters, including the Yurok Tribe and conservation groups, said the measure protects salmon, tribal subsistence, and the fishing economy while permanent regulations are developed; opponents argued it bypassed normal administrative and CEQA processes and would harm farmers and water rights holders. The bill passed 9-2-1 to Appropriations. The committee also approved AB 1044, which would create a new Tulare County groundwater sustainability agency for undistricted lands in the Tule Subbasin after other agencies broke away, with the county saying it needed the structure to comply with SGMA and manage overdrafted groundwater. The bill passed unanimously to Local Government. The transcript ends as Assembly Member Caloza begins presenting AB 1426, which would establish the Diablo Range Conservation Program.

Transcript Highlights:

• When you're talking about using this in private business, farms, whatever, what is the cost comparison
• </c> or regions like Minnesota in the United or regions like Minnesota in the United States<00:38:09.319
• County, where we operate an 850-acre grain farm.
• We're going to go back now to member questions. grain Farm if our family has learned grain Farm if our
• </c> challenging times ahead for the farm challenging times ahead for the farm economy<00:59:25.039><

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a physician in the neuroendocrine unit in Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as an assistant
• Some are discouraged from applying when advertisements state that units are not lead safe.
• This is the United States, and it cut off. There's a lot more still coming behind. Thank you.
• Globally, three-fourths of all medically important antibiotics are fed to farmed animals.
• You may be thinking that these problems with animal farming are unrelated to the Bean New Deal.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Health

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.

Transcript Highlights:

• Because farm worker housing... We'll pass and retain on file item 90.
• Because farm worker housing Housing instability in our state.
• I see it on my family farm when suppliers no longer exist.
• Domestic farm workers are the backbone of California's agricultural industry.
• workers and now own their own farms.

Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Edari Phillips, and I'm a farm owner.
• In 2021, I made my childhood dream of owning a farm a reality, and I was able to purchase a farm in Wilton
• It's a small rural town; everyone farms.
• It resulted in my farm...
• Richard Filgus with the California Farm Bureau.

Summary: The meeting began with a budget subcommittee hearing on a proposed sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) tax credit trailer bill. Assembly Members Ávila Farías and another member spoke in support, emphasizing union jobs, refinery investments, and the need to decarbonize aviation. The Department of Finance said the Governor’s proposal would provide a $1 to $2 per gallon credit against the diesel excise tax for SAF sold in California from 2026 to 2036. The Legislative Analyst’s Office recommended rejecting the proposal, arguing it is a relatively expensive way to reduce emissions, has uncertain environmental benefits, could significantly reduce transportation revenues, and conflicts with the spirit of voter restrictions on transportation taxes. Committee members questioned whether the credit would mainly benefit out-of-state producers, whether firms would have diesel tax liability to use the credit, and whether the proposal would shift production away from renewable diesel and raise fuel prices. Administration and CARB staff said the credit is intended to support aviation decarbonization, preserve jobs, and help keep California on track toward its 2045 climate goals. LAO and UC Berkeley testimony countered that the policy could mostly subsidize existing technologies, that feedstock supply is limited, and that the net emissions benefit may be small relative to the cost. Members also asked about the effect on local streets and roads, SHOP, and trade corridor funding; Finance estimated a $165 million annual revenue impact would reduce those programs, while LAO said the reductions would mean fewer projects over time. No vote was taken, and the chair said the issue would remain open for further discussion. The committee then moved to a zero-emission vehicle incentive trailer bill proposing a one-time $200 million appropriation to CARB for a new point-of-sale incentive program focused on first-time buyers and leases of new and used light-duty ZEVs. Supporters said the program would help offset the loss of the federal EV tax credit, maintain momentum in California’s ZEV transition, and use a one-to-one match with participating automakers to double the state’s investment. LAO recommended rejection, saying the proposal does not meet the high budget bar this year, lacks enough program detail to evaluate, is unlikely to move sales significantly given the size of the appropriation, and could duplicate existing state and utility programs. Members asked about current incentives across light-, medium-, and heavy-duty sectors, the recent decline in ZEV sales, and whether the program would help lower-income buyers rather than subsidize purchases that would have happened anyway. CARB said the proposal is meant to fill a gap in the light-duty market, where sales fell sharply after the federal credit expired, and noted existing programs for other vehicle classes. The Department of Finance also addressed a separate question about the Motor Vehicle Account, saying a previously planned GGRF transfer was no longer needed because updated forecasts showed the fund had sufficient balances, though LAO said the account still has a structural long-term imbalance. The discussion ended before any vote or action on the ZEV proposal.

Transcript Highlights:

• These are our migrant farm workers, both legally and emergently, who are going about performing a very
• A crime of being in the country illegally to do farm labor. I'm very concerned.
• You know, in everyone's district, there are farm workers that are migrants.
• H-2A is for seasonal farm workers, while H-2B has a cap.
• They're trying to put 420 units on 40 acres.

Bills: SB243 , SB1586 , SB1891 , SB1959 , SB2159 , SB2568

Committee: Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• It remains standing for the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, which will
• Under his leadership, the church has created one of Richmond's largest urban farms and the Broad Rock
• And the Supreme Court of the United States in Castle Rock v.
• Who’s assigned to a drug unit? Who’s conducting surveillance? Who’s working gang enforcement?
• It clarifies that officers assigned to SWAT, specialized tactical teams, undercover units, drug units

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum present. Members received introductions of Pastor Ralph S. Hodge of Second Baptist Church in Richmond and students from the 26th District and surrounding areas. The House also adopted House Resolution 2195 honoring Robert Stouffer, with a request that adjournment be in his memory. During personal privilege remarks, members spoke on Pride Month and LGBTQ+ rights, and another member delivered a lengthy floor speech opposing firearm restrictions and defending self-defense rights. The chamber then adopted memorial and commending resolutions in blocks, including additional commending resolutions added by the clerk. The main item of business was House Bill 30, the budget, on which the House considered the governor’s 14 amendments. Amendments 3, 4, and 5 were taken up together and adopted, followed by adoption of Amendment 1 on referendum costs, Amendment 2 on Atlantic research support, Amendment 6 expanding REGO utility credit to cooperatives, Amendment 7 clarifying law-enforcement facial covering restrictions, Amendment 8 creating a firefighter cancer screening grant program, Amendment 9 funding a digital services team, Amendment 10 relating to acquisition of Oak Hill Farm, Amendment 11 on data center electricity tax technical changes, Amendment 12 on local sales tax referendum timing, Amendment 13 on paid sick leave, and Amendment 14 on firearms in public areas and delayed enactment. Most amendments passed by substantial margins, with Amendment 8 adopted unanimously. The House completed work on the calendar and then agreed to a motion to stand in recess pursuant to House Resolution 2069.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:22:17.679><c> This</c><00:22:17.919><c> heavily</c> the federal farm bill.
• This heavily the federal farm bill.
• of hemp in the farm bill will go<00:50:32.480><c> into</c><00:50:32.800><c> effect.
• </c><01:10:00.239><c> bill</c> inception under the 2014 farm bill inception under the 2014 farm bill
• So in green table farming.

Bills: HB1974 , HB1853 , HB1973 , HB1574 , HB2619 , HB1966 , HB1643 , HB1671 , HB2558 , HB1854 , HB2173 , HB1575 , HB2229 , HB1535 , HB1978 , HB2508 , HB1549 , HB2187 , HB1550 , HB1977 , HB2314 , HB1871 , HB2319 , HB1591 , HB1858 , HB1898 , HB2372 , HB1765 , HB2012 , HB1706 , HB1962 , HB1963 , HB1975 , HB2009 , HB2083 , HB2224 , HB1877 , HB1959 , HB1626 , HB1665 , HB2488 , HB2456 , HB2548 , HB2207 , HB1832 , HB2079 , HB1985 , HB1618 , HB2486 , HB2242 , HB2045 , HB1703 , HB2236 , HB2480 , HB1976 , HB2287 , HB2288 , HB1777 , HB276 , HB1660 , HB1676 , HB1605 , HB1751 , HB1967 , HB2383 , HB2340 , HB1946 , HB2268 , HB1950 , HB2156 , HB2118 , HB1859 , HB1863 , HB1996 , HB2114 , HB2423 , HB2429 , HB2475 , HB2534 , HB2545 , HB1813 , HB1941 , HB2474 , HB2583 , HB1576 , HB1886 , HB1939 , HB2540 , HB2590 , HB2000 , HB2163 , HB2386 , HB1691 , HB1680 , HB2516 , HB1993 , HB2442 , HB1510 , HB1958 , HB1692

Transcript Highlights:

• We call it a solar farm, but it's actually a commercial facility. Sure.
• ; they grow stuff under it, or it's not the case for every single farm.
• That farm is a legacy to my family.
• I couldn't build a water treatment plant on my farm.
• I live in a century farm. If you can go ahead and kind of wrap it up.

Summary: The House Utilities Committee resumed and then concluded a hearing on HB 2402 and HB 2816, both dealing with utility-scale solar development. The chair asked witnesses to testify for informational purposes where they supported some provisions but opposed others, and the discussion centered on setback distances, taxation, cropland conversion caps, local control, and decommissioning/oversight. Several witnesses described concerns about large solar projects encircling farms, impacts on neighbors, glare, fire risk, wetlands, and property values, while others emphasized the need for reasonable statewide standards and the importance of preserving Chapter 100 agreements and county flexibility. Testimony from landowners and advocacy groups largely urged stronger protections: higher setbacks, more local authority, lower caps on cropland conversion, and higher tax rates than the bill’s proposed $2,500 per megawatt. Some witnesses argued solar should be taxed as commercial property rather than agricultural land, while others raised constitutional concerns about changing agricultural assessment. A county commissioner described local regulations his county adopted, including road agreements, decommissioning bonds, hydraulic studies, and buffering, and said counties need clearer rules, especially where there is no zoning. Industry and utility representatives said the bills were generally workable but wanted further discussion on setbacks and tax treatment. They argued tax comparisons should account for the full package of taxes and incentives, not just nameplate taxes, and said higher taxes can raise electricity costs for customers. Ameren Missouri said most of the bill was acceptable, but cautioned about how real property would be assessed and noted its current and planned solar buildout. The committee took no vote; after hearing the final witness, the chair closed testimony on HB 2402 and HB 2816 and adjourned the committee.