Transcript Highlights:

• THANKFULLY THEY PULLED BACK ON THAT PERMIT FEE WHILE THEY TRIED TO CLARIFY WHAT CURRENT LAW IS BUT IT'S
• JUST THOSE TYPE OF CHALLENGES WHERE MONEY IS BEING SPENT ON LAWSUITS OR ON PERMIT FEES OR PAYING FOR
• HAVE A LAW ON THE BOOKS THAT SAYS BUILDING DEPARTMENTS, MUNICIPAL BUILDING DEPARTMENTS CAN COLLECT FEES
• PESKY HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS WHERE WE DON'T THINK ABOUT THIS, WHERE WE NEED TO GO OUT INTO THESE GATED

Transcript Highlights:

• I will start with the Mayor of Tussian, which is the south gate of the Grand Canyon.
• SCR 1030, revenue increases administrative fee authorization. Finance.
• SB 1326, victims' rights attorney fees, costs. SB 1327, foreign countries redistricting penalties.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and an electronic roll call showing 30 members present. The body approved the previous journal and then paused for several memorial and guest recognitions, including a moment of silence for former Representative Noel Campbell, who died in a motorcycle accident. The chamber also welcomed visiting school district leaders, Grand Canyon University Government and History Club students, and Food Bank Day at the Capitol participants. Members then adopted a proclamation recognizing International Holocaust Remembrance Day, with remarks emphasizing the history of the Holocaust, the rise in antisemitism, and the importance of education and remembrance. A guest shared a personal family story about escaping Germany in 1938. Senator Bolick also read a proclamation for National School Choice Week, highlighting Arizona’s public, charter, private, homeschool, and microschool options and urging members to engage with schools in their districts. The Senate received numerous governor communications and introduced a long list of first- and second-reading bills covering topics such as education, water, energy, public safety, elections, health care, taxes, housing, and border issues. The chamber also received House Concurrent Resolution 2045 honoring the late Congressman Raul Grijalva; it was adopted unanimously, and the Senate observed a moment of silence. The session ended with committee announcements for the next day and adjournment until Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 1:15 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• What would their fees be?
• um and can the the their fees be?
• the fees fee amounts or any the fees fee amounts or any proportionality<01:45:22.000> standard
• [clears throat] impact fees. [clears throat] impact fees.
• the fees. the fees.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's supported by utility fees. And B8 is the last letter.
• It's supported by license and application fees.
• It's supported by license and application fees.
• This is just going to cover us for any unexpected fees.
• fee or an ICF provider fee, but then not transfer it out to be matched.

Summary: The committee considered a series of appropriation, transfer, and review items, approving most requests in Sections B through J. These included temporary appropriations for state technology upgrades, personnel management, court reporters and interpreters, crime victim claims, juvenile sex offender assessments, radiation lab testing, higher education workforce grants, an ARPA grant for the UAFS LPN program, an IIJA grant for geological/critical minerals work, a restricted reserve transfer for 102 State Police vehicles, a transfer to the Arkansas Heroes Program, several cash fund requests for the Real Estate Commission HVAC and AV needs, and overtime appropriations for Emergency Management and Military. One budget classification transfer request from the Commissioner of State Lands for $250,000 to cover operating expenses tied to a new building was discussed at length but failed on the vote after questions about the lease and operating costs. A major portion of the meeting focused on a $25.7 million pay plan appropriation request for 15 agencies. Members questioned why the Department of Human Services had not requested additional pay-plan dollars for human development centers, where DHS acknowledged staffing shortages, high turnover, and heavy overtime but said the issue was not lack of pay-plan funding. DHS was asked to provide a written plan to address staffing problems. The Department of Corrections testified that the pay plan had improved retention and hiring, and committee members asked for follow-up data on vacancies and staffing outcomes. Members also clarified that the pay-plan request was appropriation only, not new funding, and approved it. The committee then reviewed fund reports, including the restricted reserve, Budget Stabilization Trust Fund, Tobacco Settlement, State Central Services, Education Adequacy, Medicaid Trust Fund, IIJA, and Revenue Services transfer reports. DHS and DFA were questioned closely about the Medicaid Trust Fund, with members noting a $90 million February draw and asking about projected year-end balances; DFA and DHS said February was a high-expense, low-revenue month and projected the fund would remain solvent through the fiscal year, ending between $150 million and $200 million, while a second $100 million set-aside is planned for FY27. The committee also discussed a state hospital damage report, where DHS explained that insurance proceeds would not fully cover the repair costs because of depreciation and the age of the buildings; members expressed concern that the state would recover far less than originally expected, and DHS said any additional insurance recovery would be limited and returned to restricted reserve.

Transcript Highlights:

• She's all occasions of financial aid fees and support programs to assist underrepresented students using
• The legislation provides tuition and fee waivers for active Florida State Guard members for up to 6 credit
• specifically with minority business enterprises within the graduation alternative to traditional education gate
• And when they did, the ambulance could not get through the locked gates to the field.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is to award fees to attorneys appointed for indigent appellants in criminal appeals.
• It is supported by tuition fees and insurance reimbursements.
• going to pay for the total project and how much is ultimately going to come out of the tuition and fees
• going to pay for the total project, and how much is ultimately going to come out of the tuition and fees
• manager, their workers, the rental for the facility, for the computer technician, and then some other fees

Summary: The committee heard a series of appropriation requests and contract reviews across multiple sections. In Section B, members approved temporary appropriations for the Court of Appeals, Commerce/Aeronautics, and Insurance-related payments and refunds. Section C ARPA requests from DHS were approved to return unused federal funds. Section D infrastructure-related appropriations, including wildfire preparedness, broadband BEAD funding, forestry support, recycling, and oil and gas sample preservation, were approved after questions about broadband audit controls and performance safeguards. Section E DHS reallocations were approved, including large transfers within Medical Services from hospital medical to private and public nursing home lines, along with smaller transfers for children and family services, developmental disabilities, and youth services; members asked about the source and purpose of the medical services transfer. Sections F and G were reviewed, covering cash fund requests, federal grants, and miscellaneous grants, including community college storm repairs, corrections commissary and maintenance, 911 enhancements, maternal health, disability determinations, state police equipment, digital newspaper archiving, and CDL data improvements. In Section H, the committee reviewed pay plan appropriations and performance fund transfers tied to the new Class and Comp pay plan. Section I reviewed three methods of finance for UA Little Rock, UAMS, and the University of Arkansas system. In Section J, the committee reviewed discretionary grants, including a $1.4 million HIV services grant and nine tobacco prevention subgrants through UAPB. Members questioned the effectiveness, metrics, and addresses of some tobacco-cessation arts-based grantees, especially Arts Absolutely Inc.; after discussion, Representative Kavanaugh moved to expunge the vote on J2 and refer it back for review at a later ALC meeting, and that motion passed. J3, a Department of Energy and Environment grant for propane safety training and e-waste recycling services, was then reviewed. The committee also reviewed contracts in Section K. K-1 ratified emergency management nuclear planning work performed during a transition between agencies. K-2 construction contracts included architectural and engineering services for corrections, National Park College signage, a Razorback Road parking facility, and UAMS cyclotron installation. K-3 intergovernmental contracts covered health, education, autism waiver, stroke, newborn screening, Medicaid evidence review, and radiation testing services. K-4 out-of-state contracts included staffing, IT, tobacco prevention, audit, marketing, planetarium, recruitment, and janitorial services; Senator Irvin noted one contract appeared to belong in the out-of-state list rather than intergovernmental. K-5 in-state contracts covered staffing, cleaning, re-entry and treatment services, foster care and disability services, hearing officers, asbestos abatement, campus IT support, and janitorial work. The meeting ended after a brief personal update from Senator Irvin about tornado damage in Stone County and thanks to members for their concern, followed by adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• For the Subcommittee on County and Regional Government, HB 3733 relates to the fees charged by county
• HB 3762 by Gary Gates relates to the requirements for certain medical degrees for the Committee on Higher
• It authorizes fees, administrative and civil penalties, and creates criminal offenses for violations,
• HB 3848 by Hernandez relates to the electronic submission of inspection reports and filing fees for the
• and the hemp-derived cannabinoids contained in those products, requiring registration and imposing fees

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The licensing and that fee. So volunteers are not subject to the FBI under this provision.
• Sorry again, I did have some questions about the bill regarding volunteers paying fees.
• Volunteers do not pay fees for background checks. That second is referencing...
• Okay, no fees, no fees. That narrative's dead.
• A lot of that is gated and private community property.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So this was the first project out of the gates.
• So this was the first project out of the gates.
• I mentioned the reimbursement for legal fees, which is capped and upon execution of the easement.
• We will also do any fence repairs, gate repairs as a result, and then I'm missing something.
• Decompaction, seeding, fertilizing, mulching, erosion control, we will also do any fence repairs, gate

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Energy Development and Transmission Committee met in interim session and approved the November 6 minutes. Chair Novak outlined the committee’s study agenda, including large energy users such as data centers, geothermal, landowner relations, wind and solar, and other energy topics across the state. The meeting was framed as informational only, with no bills or formal legislative action taken beyond the minutes approval. Testimony focused first on landowner relations. Oliver County Commissioner Dave Berger described the county’s energy history and local support for coal and related development. North Dakota Farmers Union President Matt Perdue emphasized proactive, face-to-face communication with landowners, respect for property rights, and the need for developers to be transparent about tradeoffs; he also discussed insurance and liability concerns tied to easements. Committee members asked about eminent domain, local versus state authority, and how communities can better understand the revenue and infrastructure implications of energy development. Department of Agriculture Deputy Commissioner Tom Bodine then described the department’s ombudsman programs for pipeline restoration and reclamation, wind restoration, and royalty oversight. He said the programs provide confidential, third-party assistance on reclamation and royalty disputes, but do not provide legal advice. Senators raised concerns about post-production deductions in royalty leases and whether the ombudsman can explain them; Bodine said the program can clarify statements and deductions but cannot resolve legal disputes. He also said the department has not received requests related to fiber lines. Representatives from Grid United and One Oak described their project development and landowner engagement practices. Grid United’s Brent Johnson discussed the North Plains Connector transmission project, its route selection process, voluntary acquisition approach, and efforts to avoid eminent domain by working closely with regulators, counties, townships, and landowners. One Oak’s Danette Welsh and Tom Giltner described the company’s midstream operations, extensive North Dakota footprint, and emphasis on direct landowner communication, consistent local regulation, careful construction practices, and post-construction reclamation. Members asked about setbacks, zoning consistency, invasive species prevention, outside advocacy groups, and eminent domain use; One Oak said it has not used eminent domain on its North Dakota projects, largely because most gathering lines are negotiated easements.

Transcript Highlights:

• after a year and, if it is successful, we'll go through a rulemaking process and actually establish fees
• For example, Tinker has purchased land to help expand their area, make it more secure, install gates,
• upgrade gates.

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• replace cameras, the security cameras, replace the access controls—that's the door swipes, security gates
• as we move forward—and this goes to the AOC director—we're going to have to look at that fines and fees
• pull somebody over to write them a $26 ticket, to put that at risk, and then collect the court and fees
• I certainly didn't include grants, permits, fees, licensing, etc.
• What does that do with this fee schedule?

Transcript Highlights:

• No, the section that referred to a fee...
• They just maybe have a gate, and you pay your fee online and show up to get the gate code, whatever.
• The impact fee credit bill passed unanimously off the Senate but didn't get through the House last session
• for Senate Bill 13, relating to the provision by political subdivisions of credits against impact fees
• Substitute for Senate Bill 13 relates to the provision by political subdivisions of credits against impact fees

Bills: SB8, SB4, SB43, SB1, SB2, SB13, SB6, SB10, SB16, SB14, SB3, SB8, SB4, SB43, SB1, SB2, SB13, SB6, SB10, SB16, SB14, SB3

Keywords: education, accountability, public school assessment, state law, transparency, intervention, performance ratings, Texas congressional redistricting, U.S. House districts, congressional map, redistricting, gerrymandering, 2020 Census, census tracts, block groups, voting districts, election law, Texas House of Representatives districts, federal congressional districts, 2026 elections

Transcript Highlights:

• Half of the fees are going to be going to the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division.
• We carved out fee service. We carved out search engines like Google...
• Anything that you pay a fee with is carved out. Text messages are carved out.
• Out of honest to goodness, out of the time that I've been here, the reading gate, as we've called it
• that were have all these storage fees that were racking up.

Keywords: MS House Floor - 1 April, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is where we will determine kind of what those gating issues are to get into Chairman Gleason: the
• of this month, next Friday, we will have a very robust discussion about this and come up with the gating
• We also are looking to these as gating issues to kind of funnel down what is Chairman Gleason: Real and
• And then they think about a garbage fee, you know, and you may come to Houston, see us total garbage
• And so, that sets what's called the system administration fee, which is our funding source.

Summary: The Committee on State Affairs convened to discuss data centers and their impact on Texas's energy infrastructure. The meeting featured testimony from key representatives of the Public Utility Commission (PUC) and ERCOT, who outlined the evolving landscape of energy generation and the challenges posed by the rapid growth of data centers. Notably, ERCOT reported over 450,000 MW of generation resources planned for connection, with a significant portion attributed to data centers, which now represent around 87% of new large load interconnection requests. The committee explored proposed changes to the interconnection process, including a new 'batch study' approach aimed at streamlining the approval of multiple projects simultaneously. This change is intended to address the challenges of managing numerous simultaneous requests and to provide more certainty for developers regarding their energy needs. Testimonies emphasized the importance of ensuring that the costs of infrastructure upgrades are borne by the data centers rather than residential ratepayers, with discussions around the financial commitments required from developers. Several data center developers also provided testimony, highlighting the economic benefits of their projects, including job creation and increased local revenues. They expressed concerns about the potential for a moratorium on future growth due to the new interconnection rules and emphasized the need for a collaborative approach to address water usage and environmental impacts. The committee plans to continue discussions on these topics in future hearings, with a focus on balancing economic growth with energy reliability and resource management.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is where we will determine kind of what those gating issues are to get into Chairman Gleason: the
• of this month, next Friday, we will have a very robust discussion about this and come up with the gating
• We also are looking to these as gating issues to kind of funnel down what is Chairman Gleason: Real and
• And then they think about a garbage fee, you know, and you may come to Houston, see us total garbage
• And so, that sets what's called the system administration fee, which is our funding source.

Transcript Highlights:

• fees collected are at the emission fee level on June 30, 2025.
• and fees collected.
• ABOR sets those fees or approves the tuition and fees, but they don't directly collect it from the universities
• Just a real quick question about the ABOR fees: what is the total fee that ABOR collects?" "Mr.
• They were talking about ABOR retaining money from the universities’ tuition fees for their operating

Summary: The joint House and Senate Appropriations committees met to hear the FY 2027 budget package, beginning with the General Appropriations Act (HB 4154/SB 1847). Staff outlined the overall budget, including one-time fund transfers, lump-sum reductions, funding for state employee health insurance, school facilities, corrections, flood and wildfire relief, education and child care, and other ongoing and supplemental items. Members briefly discussed the absence of a requested $1.5 million for the oversight office, but the chair said no amendments would be taken in committee and that only limited technical changes were likely later in the process. Public testimony on the feed bill was largely supportive but focused on specific funding concerns. Testimony highlighted school safety funding, Alzheimer’s services, small business tax expensing provisions, disability oversight for group homes, county use of opioid settlement dollars, adult education/community college funding, victim notification funding, and ESA oversight. Several speakers praised the budget for funding DDD and other services, while others opposed or sought changes to items such as the COMIT group home monitoring program, Maricopa Community Colleges’ lack of operating aid, and a possible cut to the victim notification program. The chair repeatedly emphasized that changes to the negotiated budget would be difficult and should be routed through leadership. The committee then moved quickly through the remaining budget reconciliation bills. Staff summarized bills covering amusement and wagering, capital outlay, commerce, criminal justice, environment, health care, higher education, human services, and K-12 education. Notable provisions included continued wagering assessments, highway and building renewal funding, defense innovation and economic development changes, corrections and wrongful conviction provisions, groundwater and water banking measures, health insurance oversight and opioid settlement provisions, higher education funding and ABOR operating caps, SNAP and housing trust fund changes, and a 2% inflation increase for K-12 formula components. The K-12 bill also included a biometric school safety pilot and a child sexual abuse prevention pilot. No votes were taken in the portion provided, and the chair indicated the committee would continue through the remaining bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• that should go to fund schools, public safety, and infrastructure will instead be going to pay legal fees
• litigation, even though they're not monetary costs, we would absolutely see an increase in attorney's fees
• Even though they're not monetary costs, we would absolutely see an increase in attorney's fees and litigation
• And that is that there's a letter from Bill Gates last year. And.
• There’s a letter from Bill Gates last year that encourages everybody to read.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I have a question about the registration fees. So you collect the registration fees.
• our registration fee for electric vehicles. Is that right?
• So the base registration fee for a county. is 50, 75, and then there are county-specific fees, such as
• road and bridge and other fees that are applicable.
• The fee for an electric vehicle is $200, that was determined.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , nor does it require a recording fee in the county clerk's office to negate the fraudulent deed that
• They can actually initiate it on their own and avoid a lot of legal fees, hardship, and headaches.
• The prices are higher, the fees are hidden, and the tickets take forever.
• Eliminate hidden fees, and then also open up and offer more choice for customers.
• And then also, there are the fees on top of it.

Bills: HB2226, HB2269, HB2343, HB2760, HB3621, HB4079, HB4204, HB4518, HB4531, HB4555, HB4850, HB4876, HB4903, HB4996, HB5122

Keywords: construction trust funds, Property Code, Chapter 162, construction payments, mechanics lien, contractors, subcontractors, laborers, material suppliers, materialmen, real property improvement, assignment of payment rights, unpaid trust funds, trust fund beneficiaries, construction industry, payment protection, Texas construction law, property owners association, landscaping, grass maintenance

Transcript Highlights:

• and close the gates, and it works very well for us.
• <00:38:38.480> and the people who uh open the gates and the people who uh open the gates and
• close<00:38:39.040> the<00:38:39.200> gates,<00:38:39.839> and<00:38:40.640>
• it<00:38:40.880> works<00:38:41.200> very<00:38:41.440> well close the gates
• , and it works very well close the gates, and it works very well for<00:38:42.000> us.

Keywords: 916, all