Video & Transcript : 'restrictions' :
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FL
Florida 2026 4th Special Session
January 28, 2026 - 03:30 PM
Transcript Highlights:
- HB 1071 also restricts how school districts can use state and federal funding, limiting programs and
- With curriculum mandates, spending restrictions, enforcement policies, and operational changes... ...
- This bill means to establish new K-12 mathematics instruction, restrict how federal funds may be used
- It's a restriction of access to information.
- Our priority should be student support, not state-mandated curriculum and restricted local spending.
Summary:
The Pre-K through 12 Budget Subcommittee took up CS for House Bill 1071, a broad education package described by the sponsor as updating transparency, parental rights, student safety, early learning accountability, scholarship oversight, and instructional program rules. The committee adopted two amendments without objection: one clarifying that Title I funds may be used for STEM programs, and another removing a prior provision related to canine dogs on school grounds. Members then questioned the bill’s provisions on student records transfers, instructional materials adoption and removal, educational emergency authority for low-performing schools, health education and a fetal development video, student-led organizations, FHSAA board language, lab schools, and rulemaking authority. The sponsor repeatedly said the bill was intended to improve accountability, keep education dollars focused on students, and give districts flexibility, while also noting that some issues would be addressed through future rulemaking or later amendments.
Public testimony was overwhelmingly opposed. Many speakers argued the bill was an omnibus measure that bundled unrelated policies together, making it hard for families and educators to understand or meaningfully comment on it. Opponents also said it would increase school-law enforcement coordination, chill immigrant and mixed-status families’ participation, restrict DEI-related and student-led organizations, and impose controversial health and embryology content on students. Supporters, including the Christian Family Coalition and Florida Citizens Alliance, backed the fetal development video and the bill’s parental rights and funding restrictions, saying the content should be medically accurate and that schools should not fund political advocacy. Several speakers urged the committee to break the bill into separate measures.
In debate, some members praised the sponsor’s responsiveness but said they would vote no because of constituent concerns, especially around DEI, the fetal development video, and local control. Others supported the bill, emphasizing rulemaking, educational emergency flexibility, EpiPen access, early learning changes, and evidence-based math instruction. The sponsor closed by reiterating support for the bill as amended, saying the law enforcement provision had been removed, the embryology content would be opt-out with posted materials, state funds should not support political advocacy, and the bill would help with safety, accountability, and student outcomes. The committee then voted on the bill after debate, with the sponsor indicating support and members stating their positions during closing discussion.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Local Government Committee Apr 22nd, 2026
Local Government
Transcript Highlights:
- It removes the outdated geographic restrictions and allows any community with an existing program to
- Five, it addresses private restrictions, including HOA and deed provisions that can block housing.
- First, the deed restrictions.
- The legislature said these projects can be built, and yet century-old private restrictions...
- So it deals with deed restrictions, but not HOA communities. Does that make sense?
HI
Hawaii 2026 Regular Session
HSH Public Hearing - Tue Feb 17, 2026 @ 9:30 AM HST
Human Services & Homelessness
Transcript Highlights:
- This is a $50 refundable diaper tax credit restricted to low-income residents with children four years
- This is a $50 refundable diaper tax credit restricted to low-income residents with children four years
- And I noted that you had some concerns that the language might not recognize the federal restrictions
- And there are restrictions on both income and age of children to keep the group restricted to those who
- And there are restrictions on both income and age of children to keep the group restricted to those who
Keywords:
grants, community engagement, nonprofit organizations, federal assistance, volunteering, youth transit, public transportation, subsidized transit, environment, energy independence, affordable transportation, Hawaii, diaper tax credit, families, low-income, childcare, health, Hawaii Department of Human Services, DHS, emergency appropriation
Summary:
The committee heard testimony on several measures related to human services, homelessness, transit, and family supports. HB 2116 HD1, concerning grants from the Office of Community Services to nonprofits providing training and volunteerism opportunities, drew strong support from Catholic Charities Hawaii, Hawaii Children’s Action Network Speaks, and multiple organizations in written testimony. Supporters said the bill would help vulnerable people affected by federal program changes and cuts by connecting them to reintegration and support services.
HB 1879 HD1, establishing a subsidized youth transit program coordinated with counties, received extensive testimony in support from the Department of Health, Department of Taxation, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, Aloha United Way, Hawaii Bicycling League, Hawaii Appleseed, Hawaii State Youth Commission, Hawaii Public Health Institute, Greenpeace Hawaii, Hawaii Youth Transportation Council, and others. Testifiers emphasized equity, school attendance, reduced transportation costs, climate benefits, and broader access for youth. Several witnesses urged amendments to make the program universal rather than means-tested, and committee discussion noted implementation questions for neighbor islands and rural areas.
HB 2214, creating a refundable diaper tax credit for low-income families with children age four and under, was supported by the Hawaii Diaper Bank, Hawaii Children’s Action Network Speaks, and several other organizations. The Department of Taxation recommended making the credit non-refundable and clarifying definitions to aid administration, while supporters argued refundability was important for low-income families who may owe little or no income tax. HB 2310, an emergency appropriation to replenish DHS funds used to provide SNAP benefits during a federal shutdown, also drew broad support from DHS, Catholic Charities, Hawaii Public Health Institute, Hawaii Children’s Action Network Speaks, Hawaii Food Industry Association, Aloha United Way, and others; witnesses praised the state’s rapid response and said the appropriation would prepare DHS for future emergencies. The committee also heard HB 2168 HD1 and HB 2427 HD1 on education for students experiencing homelessness and unaccompanied homeless youth; the Attorney General recommended technical amendments to avoid conflicts with existing law and to clarify McKinney-Vento-related definitions, while advocates stressed the need for school access, transportation, meals, and other supports for homeless and runaway youth.
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
Senate Chamber Feb 7th, 2026 at 12:19 pm
New Mexico Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Gun restrictions were just as common.
- Gun restrictions were just as common.
- The question is: If I have one of these restricted sale items as an individual, can I sell that restricted
- Could gift someone a firearm, and I was referring to these restricted firearms, but now I'm referring
- If more restrictions on lawful purchases were made us safer here in New Mexico, more restrictions...
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> that removing unnecessary restrictions that removing unnecessary restrictions on<00:33:05.120><c
- </c> Hampshire on a crusade to restrict Hampshire on a crusade to restrict suppress<00:49:14.960><c>
- </c> which would unnecessarily restrict which would unnecessarily restrict access<01:23:40.880><c> to
- can vote just restricting who can vote restricting<01:27:32.159><c> the</c><01:27:32.280><c> options
- :38.159><c> on</c> know there have been restrictions put on know there have been restrictions put on
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Informal House Session 29 Jun 21st, 2026 at 11:00 am
Massachusetts House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Provincetown Year-Round Market Rate Rental Housing Trust to acquire year-round housing occupancy restrictions
- authorizing the Provincetown Market Rate Rental Housing Trust to acquire year-round housing occupancy restrictions
- authorizing the Provincetown Market Rate Rental Housing Trust to acquire year-round housing opportunity restrictions
- Require year-round housing opportunity restrictions, House No. 3909.
Summary:
The House opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and then took up a series of noncontroversial matters. The Committee on Rules recommended adoption of several congratulatory resolutions, including one marking the 65th anniversary of the U.S. Peace Corps and others honoring new Eagle Scouts; the House suspended the rules and adopted the resolutions. The Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling then reported several local bills for House consideration, including measures affecting housing and local governance in Provincetown, Edgartown, Chatham, Wilbraham, Plymouth, and Falmouth.
The House suspended Rule 7A to proceed with second readings of those local bills, which included authorizing the Provincetown Year-Round Market Rate Rental Housing Trust to acquire year-round occupancy restrictions, changes to the Edgartown affordable housing trust fund, a Chatham housing preference for commercial fishermen, Wilbraham town administrator appointment and removal authority, a Plymouth land acquisition special revenue account, and a Falmouth charter/town clerk bill. After second reading, the House ordered the bills to a third reading.
The House then considered three bills released from the Committee on Bills in Third Reading: a bill designating a Pembroke intersection as the Levina A. Hatch Corner, a Newton bill raising the maximum age requirement for police officers, and a Haverhill bill allowing Jonathan Gagne to take the civil service exam for police officer despite the age limit. All three were passed to be engrossed. The House also adopted an order to adjourn and then adjourned to meet the following Monday at 11 a.m. in informal session.
DE
Delaware 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Environment, Energy & Transportation Committee Meeting Jun 23rd, 2026
Environment, Energy & Transportation
Transcript Highlights:
- You're putting restrictions at the back end of projects.
- You're putting restrictions at the back end of projects.
- You're putting restrictions at the back end of projects.
- House Amendment Number 1 was addressed to address those restrictions and others in the bill.
- But again, further discussions revealed that this provision was too restrictive.
Summary:
The committee heard several bills focused on energy, public safety, and environmental cleanup. House Bill 455 would create a historic preservation license plate to raise funds and awareness for Delaware preservation efforts, and House Bill 471 would tighten rules and penalties for off-highway vehicles on shared private roads, with golf carts excluded. House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill 439, the Truth in E-Bike Marketing Act, would require clearer disclosures when selling electric mopeds and electric motorcycles so consumers understand classification, power, and licensing/insurance requirements. House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill 407, related to the Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act and brownfields, would shift funding for brownfield cleanup from the original realty transfer tax approach to a dedicated share of the hazardous substance cleanup fund and raise civil penalties for fraudulent acts. The committee also approved the June 18, 2026 minutes once quorum was reached.
Most of the meeting centered on House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill 233, as amended, a large-load/data center bill intended to protect ratepayers from costs tied to massive new electricity users. The sponsor and Public Advocate said PJM’s warnings about a coming reliability backstop auction made it urgent to establish a Delaware framework now, requiring large energy users to sign utility agreements, cover their share of transmission, distribution, and capacity costs, and comply with curtailment and other protections. Supporters from environmental groups and some labor and business voices said the bill was needed to prevent cost shifts to households and small businesses, while opponents argued it was being rushed, could deter investment, and might unintentionally affect other industries; several asked for more time and clearer definitions. No vote was taken in the portion provided.
The committee also took up House Bill 470, which would authorize Delmarva Power, with PSC approval, to build and operate utility-owned battery storage and spread costs across the customer base. The sponsor and Delmarva said the bill would improve reliability quickly and help avoid outages, while the chair expressed concern that the state had not yet fully studied whether utility-owned or competitively procured storage is the best model, noting a recent SEU storage study and broader policy questions. Supporters said utility storage could be deployed faster and help with peak shaving, while others urged a competitive process; the transcript cuts off before any final action on HB 470.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
- The department may restrict or suspend operations if the Federal Transit Administration issues a directive
- , restriction, or prohibition.
- The department may impose specific restrictions on a manufacturer's operations based on an incident,
- Under the new rules, the DMV can also impose restrictions like reducing fleet size, limiting where and
- There are also hours-of-service restrictions that we fought for that have been turned over by various
LA
Louisiana 2026 Regular Session
Natural Resources and Environment Apr 28th, 2026
Natural Resources & Environment
Transcript Highlights:
- And then now prohibit them prior to 2018 and now restrict them to certain water bodies now.
- restrictions that, because the Representative Mack's bill only allows for the airboats to be in the
- The commission does have broad authority to establish restrictions on wildlife management areas.
- We have a motor size restriction, I believe, on this WMA and other WMAs.
- There's also another voice that would like to see this maintain these restrictions.
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
House Legislative Session Day 13 (1-23-26)
Kentucky House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- saw an increase in firearm restrictions saw an increase in firearm related<00:16:35.839><c> assaults
- But further, we don't restrict constitutional rights in other areas because of misuse.
- But further, we don't restrict constitutional rights in other areas because of misuse.
- But further, we don't restrict<00:30:23.279><c> constitutional</c><00:30:24.000><c> rights</c><00:30:
- 24.559><c> in</c><00:30:24.880><c> other</c> restrict constitutional rights in other restrict constitutional
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
December 9, 2025 - 09:30 AM
Transcript Highlights:
- We will explore what restrictions agencies have from using AI, whether it's statutory in rule or simply
- But before we want before we dive in, I want to be clear that today's discussion is not about restricting
- , what they say we would love to use this tool, but we can't because like what are some of the restrictions
- Are you in compliance with the data, the restricted data types capabilities?
- Is there anything that's restricting an agency from including this in their contract today or and and
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
March 11, 2025 - 10:15 AM
Transcript Highlights:
- Members, you may know that I am loathe to vote in favor of legislation that restricts voting for responsible
- And this is not about restricting responsible boaters.
- Now, with that being said, offering or restricting a particular type of product, like a plastic bag,
- And I think when you start making those restrictions, it just doesn't give people the opportunity now
- I understand, I believe, why the Chamber and Retail Federation don't want these restrictions because
Summary:
The Natural Resources and Disaster Subcommittee met and heard several bills on boating, anchoring, plastics, coastal resilience, and permitting. HB 735, expanding the Boating Improvement Program to fund boat-trailer parking at public ramps and offering a submerged land lease discount for manufacturers using environmental best practices, drew no opposition and was reported favorably. HB 371, a nature-based coastal resilience bill, was amended with a strike-all and then reported favorably with committee substitute. HB 287, allowing building or plumbing permits to move forward while septic system permits are still under review, also passed favorably after testimony from the onsite wastewater industry and a brief debate about construction delays and final occupancy certification.
The committee also took up HB 565 on auxiliary containers, which would preempt local regulation of items like bags, cups, and bottles and maintain statewide uniformity. The sponsor argued it protects consumer choice and business consistency, while environmental groups, PTA representatives, and others warned it would worsen plastic pollution, microplastics, and local cleanup burdens. Despite opposition and a 13-5 vote with several members opposed, the bill was reported favorably. Members also discussed HB 565’s policy background, including prior DEP studies and the tension between state preemption and local environmental regulation.
A major portion of the meeting focused on HB 565 in the transcript’s boating context, actually HB 565 on anchoring limitations in Biscayne Bay and other heavily impacted areas. Supporters from Miami Beach and North Bay Village said derelict and anchored vessels are harming waterways, seagrass, public safety, and enforcement efforts, while cruisers and boating groups argued the bill would displace responsible boaters and fail to solve derelict-vessel problems. The committee adopted an amendment, then reported the bill favorably with committee substitute by an 18-0 vote. The meeting concluded after all agenda items were completed and the subcommittee adjourned.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Housing Finance and Policy Committee 2/19/25
Housing Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- The 80% area median income restriction is a restriction.
- The 80% area median income restriction is a restriction.
- The 80% area median income restriction is a restriction.
- So any reduction in income restrictions or reduction in match requirements for the workforce housing
- So any reduction in income restrictions or reduction in match requirements for the workforce housing
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Informal House Session 98 Jun 21st, 2026 at 11:00 am
Massachusetts House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- The House bill relative to restricted vital records, House No. 3390.
- The House bill relative to restricted vital records, House No. 3393.
- An act relative to restricted vital records, House No. 3393.
- An act relative to restricted vital records, House No. 3393.
Summary:
The House opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and then took up several committee reports and routine floor actions. The Committee on Rules recommended adoption of congratulatory resolutions for Mary Shanley on her 100th birthday and for Thomas Sagendorf on earning the rank of Eagle Scout; the House suspended the rules and adopted both resolutions. The Rules committees of both branches also recommended suspending Joint Rule 12 to send several battery-storage-related petitions to committee, including proposals on permitting, buffer zones, and lithium battery storage facilities; the House approved that suspension.
The Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling reported a slate of bills for consideration, including measures on seeds, protecting children from alcohol and marijuana use, library patron privacy, restricted vital records, a local alcohol license bill for Cohasset, and sick leave banks for two employees. The House suspended Rule 7A, took the bills through second reading, and ordered them to a third reading. Later, the House passed to be engrossed bills authorizing Thomas Harmon to purchase retirement credit, allowing Westfield to set an age limit for police officer appointments, creating local license/permit enforcement provisions in Hanson, and simplifying subdivision road acceptance in Marlborough.
The House also enacted House No. 4413, a bill concerning the terms of certain bonds to be issued by the Commonwealth. Finally, the House adopted an order to adjourn and meet again Monday at 11 a.m., and then adjourned to that time in informal session.
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
House Executive Departments and Administration (03/05/2025)
Transcript Highlights:
- We are not restricting federally recognized members.
- We are not restricting federally recognized members.
- I don't think it's restricted, but the problem is there's something that's causing a problem that we're
- I don't think it's restricted, but the problem is there's something that's causing a problem that we're
- I don't think it's restricted, but the problem is there's something that's causing a problem that we're
Summary:
The hearing focused on House Bill 610, which would fold the Office of the Consumer Advocate into the Department of Energy rather than fully eliminate consumer advocacy functions. The prime sponsor argued the current office is small, funded by a special assessment on ratepayers, and duplicative of DOE work. He said moving the function to DOE would streamline energy policy review, reduce bureaucracy, and better focus the larger agency on lowering residential energy costs. He also disputed claims that the Consumer Advocate is independent, saying the office is appointed through a political process similar to DOE leadership.
Committee members and the sponsor discussed whether the bill would actually relocate existing positions or replace them, and whether the Department of Energy would absorb the cost of the transferred staff. The sponsor said the fiscal note shows roughly a million-dollar reduction in both revenue assessment and spending, and that the bill would effectively reduce the office from five positions to three. He also defended his cost estimates for energy-code-related housing impacts and said the Consumer Advocate has sometimes supported policies he считает increase costs, such as energy-efficiency measures and building code changes. He argued the office should focus more on energy supply and generation, including natural gas and nuclear, rather than efficiency alone.
Representative Wendy Thomas testified in opposition, saying the Consumer Advocate is an important, fair, and impartial voice for ratepayers and warning that the bill was fiscally irresponsible because the incumbent could still be owed salary and benefits if the office were repealed. She also said the bill’s drafting was confusing and that the Consumer Advocate’s role is to push back on utilities on behalf of consumers. Other members raised questions about whether the DOE would simply inherit the same political appointment structure and whether the bill would meaningfully lower bills. No vote was taken in the excerpt; the chair indicated additional testimony would follow, and the Department of Energy was present to answer questions.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Minnesota House OKs housing finance, policy bill agreement 5/13/26
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- We have to find out how to move forward, particularly on the restrictive zoning practices.
- We have to find out how to move forward, particularly on the restrictive zoning practices.
- We have to find out how to move forward, particularly on the restrictive zoning practices.
- We have to find out how to move forward, particularly on the restrictive zoning practices.
- We have to find out how to move forward, particularly on the restrictive zoning practices.
Summary:
The House considered the conference committee report on House File 1141, a housing bill, and moved to adopt the report and repass the bill as amended. Rep. Howard said the compromise would help build thousands of new homes, keep Minnesotans housed, and improve transparency and collaboration with the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, while remaining budget-neutral. He highlighted investments in housing infrastructure bonds, greater Minnesota workforce housing, manufactured housing, EHPAP, supportive housing, and a new provision for greater public access at MHFA board meetings, while noting that some Senate proposals, including a manufactured housing bill of rights and a ban on private equity home purchases, were not included.
Several members spoke in support of the compromise. Rep. Kozlowski emphasized the bill’s role in addressing housing instability, homelessness, and workforce shortages, citing investments in first-generation homebuyer assistance, supportive housing, and preservation of beds and units. Rep. Skraba and Rep. West also supported the bill, with Skraba praising the bipartisan process and West arguing the bill focused on supply-side solutions such as manufactured housing and easing development constraints. Rep. Schultz opposed the bill, arguing the money should instead go to school safety, fraud prevention, asset preservation, and lowering costs for taxpayers. After brief discussion, the House adopted the conference report and advanced the bill to third reading.
MO
Transcript Highlights:
- They haven't restricted the selling.
- But paraquat is a restricted-use pesticide, right?
- First, paraquat is a restricted-use pesticide, which has been mentioned.
- This is why it's so restricted already in its use.
- Are there iterations with that, or once you're restricted use, they all follow the same A through Z restrictions
Summary:
The Committee on General Laws met with a quorum and first went into executive session on House Bill 3088, where members discussed concerns raised by hospitals about proposed language changes. The bill sponsor said he was still working with hospitals and would continue to refine the measure, but several members objected to voting before seeing the revised language. HB 3088 was nevertheless voted do pass by an 8-4 vote. The committee then approved House Bill 2749 by an 8-4-1 vote, after which it moved into public hearing.
The committee heard House Bill 2844, which would prohibit paraquat use in Missouri and require reporting related to its use. Representative Gallick said the bill was intended to be narrow and focused on paraquat’s toxicity and possible links to Parkinson’s disease. Supporters, including the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Sierra Club, and others, argued that paraquat is highly toxic, that research links exposure to increased Parkinson’s risk, and that many countries have banned it. Opponents from the Missouri Soybean Association, Missouri AgriBusiness Association, Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Corn Growers, and Missouri Pork Association said paraquat is a restricted-use pesticide already regulated under federal law, is important for weed control and crop production, and that a state ban would set a dangerous precedent and harm farmers. The committee took no final action on HB 2844 during the hearing.
The committee also heard House Bill 1880, which would bar school districts and charter schools from selling beverages with more than 100 milligrams of caffeine per container to students. Representative Reuter said the bill was inspired by students from Seckman High School and cited concerns about adolescent caffeine consumption. Student witnesses described energy drink use at school, health effects such as anxiety, heart racing, dehydration, and sleep disruption, and said the bill would help reduce harmful habits. Several members supported the goal but suggested the threshold might be too high, that private schools receiving state scholarship funds should be included, and that school boards might be a better place to address the issue; others noted the bill lacked an enforcement provision. No vote was taken on HB 1880.
FL
Transcript Highlights:
- maintain consistent energy policies across Florida, preventing local governments from imposing restrictions
- that could affect the types of sources of energy of Restrictions that could affect the types of sources
- They contain some provisions that prevent electric co-ops from imposing restrictions that could affect
- They can contain some provisions that prevent electric co-ops from imposing restrictions that could affect
- Have we done any assessments as to this bill's perspective on the longer sentences and more restrictive
Summary:
The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including remarks from Senator Berman outlining Democratic priorities such as education, health care, environmental protection, and opposition to rollbacks on child labor, book access, and gun safety. The chamber also recognized military guests and an intern before moving to the special order calendar. Several bills were temporarily postponed, including measures on human trafficking, waste management, Bright Futures, Medicaid oversight at one point in the flow, and mammogram coverage, though the Medicaid oversight bill was later taken up and passed.
The Senate passed a series of bills, often after substituting House companions and adopting technical amendments. Among the major measures approved were the dangerous dogs bill (the Pam Rock Act), which tightened penalties and procedures after fatal attacks; a local government land regulation bill that streamlined comp plan review and defined impact-fee circumstances, though members raised concerns about quasi-judicial hearing limits and local costs; a vessel-related bill combining boating safety and voter-freedom provisions; a blood clot screening and treatment bill creating the Emily Adkins Family Protection Act; fleeing and eluding penalties; concealed carry and firearm possession rules for certain officers and service members; timeshare management reforms; and public education on background screening requirements.
The chamber also approved bills on disability history and awareness instruction, manufacturing and a related fee bill, utility service restrictions, educational opportunities for military children, health facilities authorities, and veteran and spouse nursing home beds. The disability instruction bill drew extended debate about the use of the term “disability,” inclusion, and whether the measure was consistent with broader DEI debates; it passed unanimously after emotional testimony from the sponsor and families. The manufacturing and utility bills focused on statewide economic policy and preemption of local restrictions, while the military children bill was presented as a student-driven proposal. Most measures passed with strong bipartisan support, with recorded votes ranging from unanimous to 33-3 on the firearm bill and 26-8 on the land regulation bill.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Election Laws Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Joint Committee on Election Laws
Transcript Highlights:
- So it really restricts our youth who are eligible to vote in their first election.
- So it really restricts our youth who are eligible to vote in their first election.
- It really restricts them of their ability to pick their chosen candidate in a primary.
- It really restricts our youth who are eligible to vote in their first election.
- It really restricts them of their ability to pick their chosen candidate in a primary.
Summary:
The House Committee on Election Laws, chaired by Dan Hunt and co-chaired by Senator Keenan, held a hearing on 27 bills with testimony limited to three minutes per speaker. The main policy theme was expanding youth participation in elections. Senator O'Connor testified in support of Senate Bill 526 and House Bill 854, which would allow 17-year-olds to vote in a primary if they turn 18 before the general election. Lawan Allen of Vote 16 USA also supported bills to lower the voting age, arguing that youth voting becomes habitual, can increase turnout more broadly, and is already in place in several cities and states. Robin Chen, the lead petitioner for S. 508 and H. 814, gave extended testimony in favor of children's right to vote, saying children are affected by government decisions and should have a voice. Representative Sousa raised concerns about misinformation and the vulnerability of younger voters, but Chen responded that misinformation affects adults too and pointed to historical civil rights activism by children.
Several local election-law measures were also discussed. Cynthia Hogan, Brockton’s elections director, supported a bill requiring candidates for local office to have lived in the city for a year, saying people have sometimes used business addresses or other questionable claims of residency to run for office. Representative Suzy testified in favor of H. 872, a Pembroke home-rule petition to reduce the signature threshold for a recall petition from 20% to 10% of registered voters, describing the change as a response to low-turnout local elections and not aimed at any current official. Representative Gallagher supported two Bridgewater home-rule petitions: one establishing a recall process for elected officials and another creating term limits for town councilors, both of which had been approved by the town council and would still require voter ratification in Bridgewater if adopted by the legislature.
The hearing concluded without any bill votes or committee actions beyond accepting testimony. The chair noted that written testimony would continue to be accepted until action is taken on the bills, and the committee adjourned after no further witnesses came forward.
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Consumer Protection & Business Feb 25th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- , the registration of travel retailers, provisions about travel administrators, sales practice restrictions
- operating virtual currency kiosks, including establishing a daily transaction limit of $2,000, restrictions
- This would remove the restriction on the amount of fees and charges that could be charged to customers
- virtual currency kiosks, including establishing a daily transaction limit of $2,000, including restrictions
- This would remove the restriction on the amount of fees and charges that could be charged to customers
Summary:
The Consumer Protection and Business Committee met on February 25, 2026, received a staff briefing on eight bills, and discussed several proposed amendments before taking action on four measures after caucus. The briefing covered bills on insurance disclosure and wildfire risk modeling (SB 5928), travel insurance regulation (SB 6248), wildfire preparedness grants and insurance eligibility (SB 6079), insurance fraud enforcement (SB 6031), assignment of post-loss insurance benefits (SB 6178), mortgage modification safe harbors (SB 5831), real estate marketing restrictions (SB 6091), and virtual currency kiosk consumer protections (SB 5280). Members also asked about the “Beckett’s Law” title amendment and whether amendments to the virtual currency kiosk bill conflicted; staff said the amendments generally could be reconciled, though some policy differences remained.
After recess, the committee deferred action on SB 5928, SB 6079, SB 6031, SB 6178, and SB 5280, and then voted to report Substitute Senate Bill 6248, the Washington Travel Insurance Act, out of committee with a do pass recommendation. Members spoke in support of the bill as a consumer protection measure and a benefit to the travel insurance industry. The committee then reported Senate Bill 5831, the Uniform Mortgage Modification Act, out with a do pass recommendation after members said it would preserve mortgage priority in certain modifications and noted the bill’s title-company-supported change.
The committee next considered Substitute Senate Bill 6091, which would prohibit real estate brokers from marketing residential property to exclusive groups of buyers or brokers except for health and safety reasons. Representative Corey withdrew the amendment naming the act “Beckett’s Law,” and the committee approved the bill on a 13-1 vote with one excused member. The chair and ranking member closed by thanking committee staff for their work, and the meeting adjourned.