Transcript Highlights:

• the federal government's broader electoral cycles, something that benefits both voters and local government
• The Texas election code has gradually evolved, incorporating adjustments for convenience, like varying
• I think making it a study gives us some opportunity to work with counties and local governments to look
• Where is that in the code? Paper code?
• HB 311 would move Texas forward and save local governments. money as well.

Bills: HB311, SB447, SB505, SB2217, SB2753, HB311

Keywords: voter registration, electronic, Texas election law, Signature verification, DPS, internet application, Texas Election Code, signature verification, online application, data security, electronic application, Department of Public Safety, information security, electronic voter registration, voting technology, voter access, state election laws, digital signature, election irregularities, audit

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Zaffirini recommends the bill for local and uncontested consideration. None.

Bills: HB1237, HB2663, HB3071, HB4384

Keywords: occupational licenses, renewal, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, registration, license expiration, HB 2663, inactive well, plugging extension, Railroad Commission of Texas, RRC, oil and gas, orphan wells, well cleanup, well plugging, abandoned wells, surface equipment removal, electric service termination, administrative penalty, Natural Resources Code, Section 89.029

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a landowner in Childress and Donley Counties of Texas, and I am here also representing... ...Texas
• We represent 28,000 members, landowners in the state of Texas.
• I'm here on behalf of the Texas Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and myself.
• Senator Hancock moves that the bill be certified for the local and uncontested county.
• So when we vote on it, I won't be able to send it to local uncontested.

Bills: HB1237, HB2663, HB3071, HB4384

Keywords: occupational licenses, renewal, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, registration, license expiration, HB 2663, inactive well, plugging extension, Railroad Commission of Texas, RRC, oil and gas, orphan wells, well cleanup, well plugging, abandoned wells, surface equipment removal, electric service termination, administrative penalty, Natural Resources Code, Section 89.029

Transcript Highlights:

• , Adult Protective Services reached out to Wyoming Guardianship about a young woman who was in the local
• :03.360> to allowing her brother to bring her in to allowing her brother to bring her in to code
• 06:05.280> she<02:06:05.520> could<02:06:05.760> not<02:06:06.880> read code
• sign documents she could not read code sign documents she could not read or<02:06:08.239> understand
• authority<02:12:03.360> that Independent prosecution authority that cannot be overridden by local

Bills: HB0101, HB0062, HB0109

Keywords: guardianship, monitoring, ward protection, financial independence, case management, governmental claims, liability limits, inflation adjustment, public safety, local government insurance, property tax, tax exemption, homeowner, armed forces, residency requirement, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is not a new government mandate; rather, this service will coordinate with the Texas Department
• of Agriculture, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and Texas Animal Health Commission.
• This is not a new government, this is not new government mandate, rather this service will coordinate
• with the Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Parks of Wildlife, and Texas Animal Health Commission
• The Texas Agricultural Finance Authority was created within the Texas Department of Agriculture to provide

Bills: HB43, HB519, HB 1275, HB1592, HB2842, HB3088, HB3479, HB4163, SB823, HB609

Keywords: agriculture, finance, young farmers, financial assistance, pest control, honey production, beekeeping, food safety, local regulation, bovine producers, dairy farms, permits, bovine tuberculosis, public health, wildlife management, disease prevention, alert system, Texas A&M, white-tailed deer, public safety

Summary: The Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs met with only four members initially present, so quorum was not established until later in the hearing. The committee heard several agriculture-, wildlife-, and food-labeling-related bills, including HB 3479 on expanding the Rio Grande vegetative management program beyond carrizo cane to other noxious vegetation, SB 823 on shrimp origin labeling and restrictions on misrepresenting imported shrimp as Texas or Gulf shrimp, HB 3088 on giving Texas Parks and Wildlife more flexibility to procure resale goods for park gift shops, HB 1275 on permits for non-bovine dairy farms in certain TB-affected areas, HB 519 on honey production and packaging rules, HB 609 on cleaning oyster cages in-bay with bay water only, HB 1592 on a voluntary AgriLife pest and disease alert system, HB 2842 on targeted urban deer depredation permits, and HB 4163 on limiting city requirements that agricultural operators maintain roadside rights-of-way. Testimony generally came from industry groups, agency resource witnesses, and affected producers, with most witnesses supporting the bills and several bills drawing questions about enforcement, labeling responsibility, and the scope of local authority. The most extensive discussion centered on SB 823, where Vice Chair Hancock and others questioned why wholesalers would be covered if they cannot relabel products. The bill author and restaurant association witness said the measure was intended to improve transparency and allow enforcement against intentional mislabeling, while preserving a good-faith defense and clarifying that the bill does not create a private cause of action. HB 519 also drew supportive testimony from beekeepers and a family farm, who argued that current rules treat honey extraction and bottling too much like food manufacturing and burden small operations. HB 609 was presented as a way to save time and resources for cultivated oyster mariculture by allowing cage cleaning in the bay without soaps or chemicals, and HB 1592 was described as a voluntary opt-in alert system for pests and diseases coordinated through AgriLife and other state agencies. HB 43 generated the most detailed policy debate. The bill would restructure and expand the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority, update grant and loan programs, and create a pest and disease control depredation program. The committee substitute reduced some funding caps, changed references from predators to depredating animals, and made the financial provisions contingent on appropriations. Supporters from Texas Farm Bureau, cotton growers, grain and feed interests, and young farmers described severe drought, inflation, land loss, rising input costs, and shrinking infrastructure as major threats to agriculture, while one witness urged preserving priority for young farmers. After testimony, the committee adopted the committee substitute and reported HB 43 favorably. The committee also voted HB 519, HB 609, HB 1275, HB 1592, HB 3088, HB 3479, HB 2842, and HB 4163 favorably, with several recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. SB 823 was reported from committee on a 6-2 vote after adoption of the committee substitute. The meeting ended with notice that the committee would tentatively reconvene Friday morning and then recessed subject to the chair's call.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, this bill is presented as a voter control measure, but it weakens local representative government
• It treats locally elected school boards as if they are not representative government.
• Would you disagree that this is a protection of the taxpayers of their local governments?
• I mean, I I uh their local governments?
• c> those local governments to protect those local governments to protect those taxpayers<00:52:28.160

Bills: HB0147, HB0127

Keywords: property tax, homeowner exemption, Wyoming, voter initiative, tax legislation, HB0127, recreation mill levy, recreational facilities, public recreation, mill levy, local tax, county commissioners, school district levy, voter approval, ballot measure, general election, tax referendum, special purpose tax, Wyoming taxation, W.S. 18-9-201

Bills: HB214, HB217, HB253, HB411, HB440, HB514, HB515, HB543, HB614, HB620, HB658, HB812, HB898, HB961

Keywords: property tax, blighted properties, urban rehabilitation, tax exemption, local government, financial incentives, blighted property, derelict property, property tax exemption, local redevelopment plans, rehabilitation standards, ad valorem tax, community development, income tax, tax repeal, individuals, estates, trusts, tax reduction, state revenue

Transcript Highlights:

• residents, and revitalize the local residents, and revitalize the local economy.<00:30:33.200>
• Thank you. the local 49ers and other critical the local 49ers and other critical unions<00:37:36.480>
• <01:21:36.480> We uh sourced locally I should say. We uh sourced locally I should say.
• This is not just a local facility.
• This is not just a local facility.

Bills: HF2178, HF942, HF2470, HF1043, HF1287, HF1229, HF1230, HF424, HF571, HF404, HF910, HF1055, HF318, HF319, HF401, HF609, HF306, HF1599, HF1881

Keywords: HF2178, Cohasset, capital investment, bonding bill, state bonds, public infrastructure, water tower, water infrastructure, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, street reconstruction, municipal infrastructure, Public Facilities Authority, bond proceeds fund, Minnesota bonding, local government aid, utility infrastructure, public works, infrastructure, stormwater

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:06:37.280> Senator uh county municipal government.
• Senator uh county municipal government.
• <00:19:56.160> bills, this because they're local bills, this because they're local bills,
• No other local board as far as we know has to report directly to the state government in this way.
• No other local bill an overreach, right?

Bills: SB115, SB131, SB93, HB319, HB163, HB268, SB115, SB131, SB93, HB319, HB163, HB268, HB181, HB153, SB132, SB26, SB189, SB196, HB140, SB197, HB117

Keywords: SB115, Alabama, impersonating a peace officer, peace officer, law enforcement impersonation, police impersonation, unauthorized police officer, fake cop, certification revoked, certification suspended, Alabama Peace Officers' Standards and Training Commission, APOSTC, Class C felony, law enforcement hiring, appointment of officers, federal law enforcement, arrest authority, public order, criminal offenses, Judiciary Committee

Bills: HR38, HR96, HR160, HCR31, HCR61, HB578, HB668, HB1198, SCR19, SB66, SB68, SB76, SB139, SB336, SB475

Keywords: privacy rights, surveillance, USA Patriot Act, FISA, Fourth Amendment, civil liberties, government oversight, civil bench warrants, judgment debtors, notification process, judgment debtor examination, Louisiana State Law Institute, property transfer, public records doctrine, bad faith, real estate law, HCR 31, House Concurrent Resolution 31, foreign entities, foreign corporation

Transcript Highlights:

• That's if you only have two local governments, a county and a town that touch.
• um the two multiple different local um the two multiple different local governments.<00:13:12.240
• That's if you only have two local<00:13:13.680> governments,<00:13:14.000> a<00:13:14.160
• > county<00:13:14.320> and<00:13:14.480> a<00:13:14.639> town local governments
• , a county and a town local governments, a county and a town that<00:13:15.120> touch.

Bills: HB0076, HB0102, HB0115

Keywords: annexation, landowner rights, municipal law, city planning, property, local government, artificial intelligence, synthetic sexual material, child protection, self-harm, criminal liability, cardiac emergency, defibrillator, school safety, training, public health, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In elementary, we use color coding.
• <01:32:35.360> So coding. We use red, yellow, green. So coding.
• , again, the three queuing system, um, as you touched on, has been banned in, um, states including Texas
• > on, has been banned in, um, states on, has been banned in, um, states including<01:48:55.760> Texas
• . um you know including Texas and Florida. um you know a<01:48:58.560> lot<01:48:58.880> lots

Bills: HB0076, HB0102, HB0115

Keywords: annexation, landowner rights, municipal law, city planning, property, local government, artificial intelligence, synthetic sexual material, child protection, self-harm, criminal liability, cardiac emergency, defibrillator, school safety, training, public health, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, it keeps the jobs in Texas.
• Which are in Texas on the coast.
• House Bill 5103, as you said, just amends Section 75 of the Texas Property Code, and it's woefully overdue
• The very largest mineral owner in the state of Texas is the state of Texas. Texas.
• Texas, right?

Bills: HB3619, HB3652, HB4572, HB4891, HB4941, HB5103, HB5105, HB5106, HB5224, HB5600

Keywords: surface estate, well plugging, Railroad Commission, landowner rights, liability, strategic reserve, gas supply, petroleum products, disaster response, Railroad Commission of Texas, energy security, emergency planning, oil and gas waste, environmental regulation, waste management, mining pits, groundwater monitoring, regulation, commercial disposal facilities, environmental standards

Transcript Highlights:

• Code.
• I'm from South Texas.
• The Texas Pacific owns interests in more than 6,800 oil and gas wells, mostly in West Texas, and so we
• , Texas chapter.
• in Texas schools.

Bills: HB3619, HB3652, HB4572, HB4891, HB4941, HB5103, HB5105, HB5106, HB5224, HB5600

Keywords: surface estate, well plugging, Railroad Commission, landowner rights, liability, strategic reserve, gas supply, petroleum products, disaster response, Railroad Commission of Texas, energy security, emergency planning, oil and gas waste, environmental regulation, waste management, mining pits, groundwater monitoring, regulation, commercial disposal facilities, environmental standards

Transcript Highlights:

• I think that 2106 does need to be stricken from the Texas Penal Code. One of the big focuses...
• When Ann Richards was working on revamping the Texas Penal Code, there was an amendment presented to
• To make that protection enforceable, the bill amends Article 62.053A of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure
• It ensures that local governments are not forced to dip into property tax revenues to fund services that
• House Bill 3553 amends section 9.42 of the Texas Penal Code to modify the justification for the use of

Bills: HB 1194, HB 1221, HB1738, HB1913, HB2177, HB2178, HB2180, HB2229, HB2282, HB2448, HB2492, HB2777, HB2984, HB3357, HB3553, HB3602

Keywords: emergency protection order, protective order, magistrate, criminal procedure, victim safety, family violence, domestic violence, stalking, assault, magistrate's order, temporary protection, court order duration, defendant restrictions, Article 17.292, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, emergency restraining order, victim protection, firearm restriction, pretrial intervention, reimbursement fee

Transcript Highlights:

• preclude rules, policies, or practices of an interscholastic athletic association, including those governing

Bills: SB342, SB342, SB159

Keywords: land bank, land bank authority, local land bank authority, Alabama Land Bank Authority, tax delinquent property, tax sale, tax lien, redemption period, quiet title, blight remediation, vacant property, foreclosure, ad valorem tax, property tax exemption, intergovernmental agreement, county government, municipal government, redevelopment, brownfields, floodplain management

Transcript Highlights:

• > for<00:19:49.200> Alabama It is government overreach for Alabama It is government overreach
• We're a little bit higher than what Texas is doing, but that's where we got those numbers from.
• We're a little bit higher than what Texas is doing, but that's where we got those numbers from.
• We're a little bit higher than what Texas is doing, but that's where we got those numbers from.
• We're a little bit higher than what Texas is doing, but that's where we got those numbers from.

Bills: HB179, HB354, SB57, SB137, HB431, HB179, HB354, SB57, SB137, HB431

Keywords: campus chaplain, chaplain, school chaplain, volunteer chaplain, public schools, public K-12 education, public charter schools, local control, teacher support, student support services, religious volunteer, faith-based support, church-state separation, background check, sex offender registry, school volunteer, education policy, district attorney, compensation, constitutional amendment

Transcript Highlights:

• , and the county citizens would actually have to vote on this on whether they want this form of government
• They would not only have to vote on whether they wanted this form of government; there would be an additional

Bills: SB1265, SB2154, SB1775, SB2139, SB1552, SB483, SB1198, SB2135, SB2118

Keywords: municipal ordinance, municipal court, court of record, court not of record, local government, city penalties, fine limits, penalty cap, ordinance enforcement, state statute, traffic offenses, speeding, parking, DUI, DWI, driving under the influence, alcohol-related offenses, drug-related offenses, prostitution, solicitation

Transcript Highlights:

• Areas in Texas.
• You're letting the people of Texas decide.
• We have a program that we created through Texas Tech that we fund locally.
• It also allows the Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company to reallocate funds for distribution to local
• governments if a local government affirmatively refuses the funds in writing or fails to deposit.

Bills: HB188, HB 265, HJR35

Keywords: emergency preparedness, flood-prone communities, Texas Rural Emergency Preparedness Fund, disaster relief, funding, youth camp, safety regulations, advisory committee, child welfare, health standards, summer camp, camp safety, child abuse reporting, child neglect, mandatory reporting, background check, criminal history check, sex offender registry, CPR training, first aid

Transcript Highlights:

• Every 10 years, Texas livestock producers are. required to physically visit their local county clerk's
• Senate Bill 503 would amend Chapter 144 of the Texas Ag Code to update the livestock brand. registration
• In 2019, the legislature added authorization to Texas Water Code Chapter 13 for the Public Utility Commission
• Kirshbaum mentioned, and that is found in Texas Utilities Code section 36-210.
• in Central Texas.

Bills: SB 384, SB 503, SB 565, SB 616, SB 740

Keywords: hunting license, fishing license, donation, operation game thief fund, wildlife conservation, livestock, electronic registry, marks and brands, Texas Animal Health Commission, animal identification, SB 565, Texas Water Code, TCEQ, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, compliance agreement, enforcement suspension, utility consolidation, regionalization, water supply, sewer

Summary: The Senate Committee on Water and Agriculture and Rural Affairs convened under the leadership of Chairman Kelly Hancock, who opened the meeting with a prayer in remembrance of Chairman Perry, who was absent due to a personal loss. The session focused on the discussions surrounding SB384, which aims to support the longstanding initiative known as Operation Game Thief. Senator Flores presented the bill, emphasizing its essential role in the fight against poaching through public support. The operation has a successful track record of convictions but is currently dependent on donations and merchandise sales for funding. The committee aimed to vote on multiple bills during this session, contingent on achieving a quorum. Notably, discussions also revolved around fiscal notes on two bills that were set aside for later consideration, indicating the committee's intention to carefully manage their legislative decisions. The meeting showcased a productive atmosphere, with committee members actively engaged in the review and potential advancement of key legislative measures.