Video & Transcript Research : 'petition circulators'
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KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
2026 RS House Impeachment Committee (2-3-26) - Part 2
Transcript Highlights:
- Back on the record of the impeachment committee, I’ll entertain a motion to receive the impeachment petition
- So, we’re going to receive this impeachment petition as part of the committee’s work, and I’ll take a
- This impeachment petition will be on the committee’s website, I think, this evening or as soon as we
Summary:
The committee received an impeachment petition against Mr. Tyler Murphy by motion and vote, then approved posting the petition on the committee’s website. Members also agreed to send Mr. Murphy a letter requesting a response by February 18, with the motion carrying unanimously.
The meeting then turned to the impeachment matter involving Justice Goodwine. On motion and second, the committee approved sending her a letter asking for a response to the impeachment allegations. Members noted that additional requested information was still pending and not yet due.
No other business was raised before the committee. The chair announced that the response deadline would be two weeks from the meeting date, and the committee adjourned.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Criminal Justice and Public Safety (01/16/2026)
Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Transcript Highlights:
- Her Lindsay's petition two weeks later.
- A woman filed a domestic violence petition. It was dismissed.
- But as a pattern of conduct a petition.
- It's standard language on the petition It's standard language on the petition that<04:16:36.560>
- making a false statement on the petition making a false statement on the petition will<04:16:44.640
Summary:
The committee held a public hearing on House Bill 1651, which would create a civil sexual assault protective order for survivors who do not have a domestic violence or stalking relationship with the offender, and would also update the sexual assault survivors’ bill of rights regarding evidence kit retention and tracking. Representative Jennifer Rhodes, the sponsor, said the bill is intended to fill gaps for survivors assaulted by strangers, acquaintances, or others outside existing protective-order categories, and to ensure evidence is preserved for the longer of the statute of limitations or the retention period. Committee members asked whether the new order could be misused and how the bill would prevent frivolous petitions; the sponsor said the same legal process would apply and a victim would still have to prove they were actually assaulted.
Representative Eileen Kelly and Lynn Shallet of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence testified in support, saying current law leaves many sexual assault survivors without a meaningful civil remedy unless they qualify for domestic violence or stalking relief. Shallet said the gap has existed for decades and noted that other states already have standalone sexual assault protective orders. She also said the bill would clarify survivors’ rights to know the status and location of their evidence kits. Shauna Foster of New Beginnings Without Violence and Abuse described local cases where survivors were denied protective orders because they lacked the required relationship with the offender, including a co-worker assault and an assault involving an unhoused survivor.
Lisa Curtis, a survivor and founder of Safe Haven Ballet, gave emotional testimony in support, describing her own sexual assault and the difficulty of seeking protection and justice. She said survivors need safety to recover and that the bill would better align the justice system with trauma-informed support. Janet Carroll, a sexual assault nurse examiner and advisory board co-chair, testified that the bill’s evidence-kit provisions reflect federal changes and existing tracking practices. She explained that New Hampshire uses a kit tracking system that lets patients and professionals follow kits through the process, and said the bill would codify the right to be informed of a kit’s status and location. No vote was taken during the hearing.
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
House State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs (01/31/2025)
State-federal Relations and Veterans Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- repeatedly stated that when petitioning repeatedly stated that when petitioning the<00:06:44.599
- the federal government once the petition the federal government once the petition is<00:06:47.080
- <00:08:06.560>
for <00:08:06.759>a declared that a petition for a declared that a petition - petitions to has never reported the petitions to Congress<00:12:10.200>
you <00:12:10.639> - petitions.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Session Jun 21st, 2026 at 11:00 am
Massachusetts Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- committee on Rules of the two branches, acting concurrently, to whom was referred several Senate petitions
- The Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight, to whom was referred the petition accompanied
- Papers from the House: Several petitions come from the House under suspension of Joint Rule 12, referred
Summary:
The Senate session opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and the adoption of several congratulatory and commemorative resolutions, including recognition of Fire Chief Brian C. Hickey’s retirement, the Bourne Fire Department’s 150th anniversary, New England Friends of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s observance of Bosnian Remembrance Day, and Mayor Robert Bob Hedlund’s retirement from the office of mayor of Weymouth. All of the resolutions were adopted.
The chamber then acted on multiple procedural matters. The Senate suspended Joint Rule 12 for several Senate and House petitions, referring them to the appropriate committees. The Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight reported favorably on Senate bill 2128, authorizing the Commission of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to convey certain land in Brookfield, and the Senate suspended the rules to order the bill to a third reading.
The Senate also adopted two special orders placing bills on the Orders of the Day for second reading and immediate consideration: Senate bill 1052, concerning the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, and Senate bill 2537, concerning fairness and debt collection, both with Ways and Means new drafts pending. Finally, the Senate adopted an order setting the next meeting for Monday at 11:00 a.m., dispensing with the printing of a calendar, and then adjourned.
MO
Missouri 2026 Regular Session
2026 Legislative Session - Day Seventy - Thursday, May 14 - Afternoon Session
Missouri House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- was a privilege to be here last year and finally fix an issue with cotton trailers that have been circulating
Summary:
The House first established a quorum after a brief call of the board and then moved through messages from the Senate and committee reports. The chamber received a Senate refusal to concur on House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 994 and later voted to send the bill to conference. Members also reconsidered earlier actions on Senate Bill 1019, then adopted a substitute amendment that narrowed the bill to a smaller set of provisions, including a health-related addition on Lyme disease and alpha-gal, before third reading and passage by a vote of 105-32.
The House then took up House Bill 1740, known as Melanie’s Law, a drunk-driving prevention measure. Supporters described the bill as a long-negotiated effort to strengthen penalties and ignition interlock requirements while preserving affordability protections for low-income drivers. Family members of Melanie Wonkham were recognized, and several members spoke in favor of the bill as a response to impaired-driving fatalities. The Senate substitute was adopted 143-2, and the bill was finally passed 144-2.
Members also passed Senate Bill 1033, which combined Department of Natural Resources funding language with agriculture-related changes, including exemptions for certain farm trucks and cotton gin permitting and air-dispersion modeling requirements. Supporters said it would help keep state environmental programs solvent and better align Missouri rules with neighboring states, while some members raised concerns about future budget pressure and environmental impacts. The Senate substitute passed 134-9. The House then passed Senate Bill 916, which limits when contractors can be required to indemnify the state before or after work on public projects, with supporters saying it protects contractors from premature lawsuits while preserving liability for negligence; it passed 133-1.
Finally, the House adopted and finally passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 21, which promotes Missouri participation in America 250 celebrations in 2026, and then adopted a conference committee report and finally passed Senate Bill 975 after brief debate. The chamber also announced upcoming committee meetings and then recessed, with plans to return later for additional Senate bills and conference reports.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Senate Health and Human Services (05/06/2026)
Health and Human Services
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
House - Commerce and Economic Development Feb 13th, 2026 at 05:24 pm
House Commerce & Economic Development Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- Our revenues, our investment funds that we've been circulating and increasing throughout the years.
Keywords:
public utility, certificate of public convenience and necessity, certificate of need, Public Regulation Commission, PRC, utility regulation, ratemaking, energy storage, battery storage, grid reliability, renewable energy, transmission, distribution, generation plant, utility expansion, service territory, mutual domestic water consumer association, economic development department, clean energy, fossil fuel reduction
AZ
Arizona 2026 Regular Session
01/27/2026 - Senate Appropriations, Transportation and Technology
Appropriations, Transportation and Technology
Transcript Highlights:
- Sky, Jack, and Circulation.
Keywords:
appropriation, transportation, safety improvements, Route 70, infrastructure, housing, zoning, middle housing, urban development, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, historic preservation, Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park, special license plate, special plate, license plate, vanity plate
Summary:
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard and advanced six measures. SB 1118, as amended, appropriates $3 million to the Department of Health Services for grants to rural hospitals to install radiation protection systems in cardiac catheterization rooms; testimony focused on protecting health care workers from ionizing radiation, with the amendment narrowing the bill from an unspecified appropriation to a specific amount and room type. The committee also approved SB 1154, a $500,000 General Fund appropriation for an ADOT traffic and safety study on SR 64 between Williams and the Grand Canyon, after testimony from local officials, law enforcement, and fire personnel describing heavy tourism traffic, crashes, and fatalities. SB 1063, which appropriates $10.4 million for safety improvements on U.S. Route 70, also received a do-pass recommendation after testimony from the San Carlos Apache Tribe, sheriffs, and tribal law enforcement describing a high number of fatalities and dangerous roadway conditions.
The committee then passed SB 1153, which creates a Grand Canyon National Park specialty license plate and fund; the Grand Canyon Conservancy testified that proceeds would support park conservation, research, education, and preservation work. SCM 1001, as amended, urging the renaming of State Route 260 as the Donald J. Trump Highway, was approved after a contentious debate over the symbolism of the memorial. Finally, SB 1209, which exempts people without a residence address or whose address is a homeless shelter from non-operating ID license fees and extends the validity period for those IDs, received a do-pass recommendation after testimony from homeless services providers that IDs are essential for housing, employment, and access to services. Votes were 10-0 for SB 1118, 6-4 for SB 1154, 6-4 for SB 1063, 10-0 for SB 1153, 6-4 for SCM 1001, and 9-0 with one not voting for SB 1209.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- So while I know there was a flyer circulated in the Senate that claimed this bill was adding all these
Keywords:
living expenses, higher education, student support, homeless students, financial aid, grant program, baccalaureate degrees, junior colleges, workforce development, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, competency-based education, baccalaureate degree, cost of attendance, dual credit, computer science, course credit, foreign language requirement, curriculum review, governing board, faculty council
FL
Transcript Highlights:
- statute under which U.S. citizens have been indicted, tried, convicted, and sent to prison for circulating
Summary:
The committee first took up SB 794, as amended by a late-filed strike-all, which would require a human being to make insurance claim denial decisions and prohibit artificial intelligence from being the sole basis for a denial. The sponsor said the bill was intended to preserve human oversight while allowing innovation in claims processing. Public testimony included support from the Florida Insurance Consumer Advocate and the Florida Medical Association, along with one speaker urging additional protections for homeowners. The committee adopted the strike-all and reported SB 794 favorably with committee substitutes.
Members then heard SB 134, which removes the $500 threshold on the sales tax exemption for bullion, making sales of gold, silver, and platinum bullion fully exempt and eliminating certain dealer documentation requirements. Supporters argued the change would reduce a regressive tax and help consumers preserve savings; the sponsor estimated a revenue impact of about $300,000. The bill was reported favorably. The committee also adopted a strike-all on SB 888, which directs the Office of Insurance Regulation to create a more consumer-friendly homeowners insurance website with premium comparison information, market data, rate filing access, and educational resources. The sponsor and Leader Boyd said the goal was to improve transparency and help consumers navigate a stabilizing market. SB 888 was reported favorably with committee substitutes.
The final bill heard was SB 1578, covering mammograms and supplemental breast cancer screenings. The sponsor said it would expand coverage requirements in ACA plans and private insurance policies, including annual mammograms for women ages 40 to 50 and supplemental screening coverage, while noting Medicaid already provides these services. The Florida Insurance Consumer Advocate waived in support, and the bill was reported favorably. After the bills, the committee held a lengthy panel discussion on gold and silver as legal tender and transactional money, with testimony from officials from Utah and Florida, industry representatives, and advocacy groups. Panelists discussed constitutional authority, consumer protections, depository oversight, taxation issues, and possible transactional platforms for precious metals. No further action was taken after the discussion, and the committee adjourned.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 6 on Public Safety Mar 24th, 2025
FL
Transcript Highlights:
- This is the 21st century, and somehow our newspapers in general circulation aren't quite what they were
Summary:
The Judiciary Committee considered a long agenda of claims bills, housing and business measures, and court-administration legislation. It reported favorably several claims bills, including SB 20 for J.N., a minor, SB 14 for the estate of Pennial Janvier, SB 10 for Sidney Holmes, SB 8 for Marcus Button, SB 22 for Eric and Jennifer Miles, and SB 26 for Kristen and Leah McIntosh. Members also approved SB 520 on curators of estates, SB 386 on self-storage lien-sale notices, SB 362 on reusable tenant screening reports, SB 316 creating series LLCs in Florida, and SB 1650 and SB 1652 on vexatious litigants and related public-records issues. SB 248, expanding eligibility for private school and homeschool students to participate in FHSAA sports at public schools, also passed after amendment.
Most of the claims bills were described as settled cases with amounts above sovereign-immunity limits, and several senators spoke in support of compensating victims of catastrophic injury or wrongful conviction. SB 10 drew comments about the 34 years Sidney Holmes spent incarcerated after a wrongful conviction, and SB 8 prompted discussion about the long delay in resolving Marcus Button’s injuries from a 2006 school-bus crash. SB 26 was presented as an uncontested claim arising from a DACS employee’s fatal crash that severely injured two teenage girls, and the committee adopted an amendment placing funds for the minor claimant into trust.
The policy bills drew more substantive debate. SB 386 would let self-storage operators use websites instead of newspaper ads for lien-sale notices, with newspaper representatives opposing the change and storage-industry witnesses supporting modernization and lower costs. SB 362 would let renters reuse tenant screening reports for 30 days, with the sponsor saying it would reduce repeated application fees. SB 316 would authorize series LLCs while adding record-keeping protections, and SB 1650/1652 would broaden Florida’s vexatious-litigant rules and create a public-records exemption for certain stricken filings. SB 248 passed over concerns from private-school and public-education witnesses about instructional time, funding, and fairness in athletic participation. All measures were reported favorably, with recorded votes ranging from 7-2 on SB 248 to unanimous or near-unanimous support on the other bills.
AL
Transcript Highlights:
- As most of you have probably seen circulating in the news, I was called for jury duty while exclusively
Keywords:
jury duty, nursing mothers, exemption, legal rights, parental responsibilities, sexual extortion, criminal law, felony, threat, blackmail, SB116, machine gun conversion devices, switches, pistol conversion device, auto sear, firearm accessories, machine gun, automatic weapon, semiautomatic pistol, gun control
US
US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session
Hearings to examine the VA's Community Care Program. Jan 28th, 2025 at 09:30 am
Senate Veterans' Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- I'm going to be circulating a letter to my colleagues that would, in fact, protest to the president the
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Session Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Massachusetts Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- committee on rules of the two branches, acting concurrently, to whom was referred several Senate petitions
- Papers from the House: Several petitions come from the House under the suspension of Joint Rule 12 and
- The rule is suspended, and the petitions will be referred to their respective committees.
Summary:
The Senate opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and then took up several routine matters. It adopted a resolution commending the New England chapter of the National Kidney Foundation for recognizing March 2026 as National Kidney Month and March 12, 2026 as World Kidney Day. The Senate also passed to be enacted House 4272, authorizing the town of Hudson to grant an additional off-premises wine and malt beverages license; the bill was ordered signed by the President and laid before the Governor.
The chamber then considered multiple procedural reports from the Committee on Rules of the Two Branches. It suspended Senate Rule 36 and Joint Rule 12 to allow several Senate petitions and House papers to be referred to the appropriate committees. The Senate adopted orders extending the reporting deadlines for the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development until March 3, 2026, and for the Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight until February 28, 2026.
Later, the Senate took up House 4701, authorizing the town of Orange to increase the membership of its Board of Selectmen. The bill was ordered to a third reading and then passed to be engrossed. At the end of the session, the Senate agreed to meet again the next day at 11:00 a.m. in formal session and then adjourned.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Session Jun 21st, 2026 at 11:00 am
Massachusetts Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Report of a committee: The Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, to whom was referred the petition
- The Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, to whom was referred the petition accompanied by resolutions
- Article 5 Constitutional Convention applications, recommends that the resolutions accompanying said petition
Summary:
The Senate opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and adopted a resolution commending the Transgender Day of Remembrance Planning Committee for its observance of Transgender Day of Remembrance. The chamber then took up several Ways and Means reports on local bills, including legislation authorizing Westford to release agricultural preservation restrictions on land owned by Westford Gateway LLC and authorizing the Commissioner of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to convey a parcel of land in Wellesley. In both cases, the rules were suspended, the committee amendments were adopted, and each bill was ordered to a third reading.
The Senate also considered a Veterans and Federal Affairs report on a petition by Senators Creem and Peisch to rescind all prior Article 5 Constitutional Convention applications. The committee recommended approval, but Senator Durant moved to postpone the matter until the next session, and it was postponed without objection. Another House bill authorizing Dartmouth to grant an additional off-premises alcohol license was taken up under suspension of the rules and ordered to a third reading.
Later, the Senate passed two bills to be enacted: House No. 2016, as amended, concerning affordable care rentals, and House No. 3912, increasing the membership of the Marblehead Board of Health from three to five members. The Senate also adopted an order to reconvene the following Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. in full formal session with the calendar, and then adjourned.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Informal House Session 123 Jun 21st, 2026 at 11:00 am
Massachusetts House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Branches, acting concurrently, report recommending that Joint Rule 12 be suspended on the following petitions
- : a joint petition of John Barrett III and Lindsay N.
- Petition of Jim Durkin for legislation to establish a sick leave bank for William Blaylock, an employee
Summary:
The House convened, recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and first took up procedural matters. It suspended Joint Rule 12 to allow consideration of two petitions: one concerning the sale of nitrous oxides and another establishing a sick leave bank for a Suffolk County Sheriff's Office employee. The House also suspended Rule 7A to advance several bills reported by the Steering, Policy and Scheduling Committee.
The bills ordered to a third reading included legislation protecting employees’ right to rebuttal of personnel records, and local bills waiving the maximum age requirement for two Boston police officer applicants and establishing Lobular Breast Cancer Awareness Day. The House then passed two bills to enactment: one authorizing Scituate to issue four additional on-premises liquor licenses and another amending the charter of Aquinnah.
Later, the House engrossed a Hull parking fines bill and considered a Randolph charter bill. On motion, the Randolph bill was amended by substitution with a related bill addressing compensation for town council and school committee members and meetings of multiple-member bodies, and then passed to engrossment as amended. The session concluded with adjournment, with notice that the House would meet in informal session on Wednesday.
HI
Transcript Highlights:
- For that one, a key measure of success there is the number of petitions that are filed.
- Our truancy-type initiative last year, they engaged with 37 families, and 32 of the 37, no petition was
- 58.600>
courts <00:29:59.320>so <00:29:59.519>that's <00:29:59.640>a petition - filed in our courts so that's a petition filed in our courts so that's a big<00:30:00.039>
deal <00:30:13.840>was of for 32 of the 37 no petition was of for 32 of the 37 no petition was
Summary:
The Joint Committee on Labor and Judiciary heard the Judiciary’s budget presentation from Brandon Kimura and other court administrators. The Judiciary outlined its mission and access-to-justice programs, including specialty courts, self-help centers, online small claims dispute resolution, and e-reminders. It requested an operating budget of $6.17 million in FY 2026 and $6.25 million in FY 2027, along with 17 permanent and one temporary position, and described a series of staffing and program requests tied to specialty courts, district court operations, technology, and public guardianship.
Major program requests included making women’s court permanent by converting seven temporary positions to permanent and adding a substance use counselor; expanding truancy court and the Early Education Intervention Program on Oahu; and making the driving while impaired court permanent. The Judiciary also sought staffing and funding for the new Wahiawa District Court, including security, janitorial, IT, clerical, bailiff, and social worker support, plus an additional district court judge and staff in Kona. Technology requests included cybersecurity tools and a cybersecurity unit, enhanced email protection, and replacement of aging network switches. Other operating requests included continued funding for the Criminal Justice Research Institute, restoration of 12 positions cut during the pandemic, and added support for the Office of the Public Guardian.
For capital improvement projects, the Judiciary’s top priorities were $4 million to design a new South Kohala District Court, $900,000 to replace an aging AC chiller on Kauai, and $5 million for lump-sum facility preservation work. Members asked questions about purchase-of-service contract rates, implementation of court-appointed fee increases, federal grant dependence, specialty court effectiveness, truancy court outcomes, and the condition of the Ewa District Court site. Judiciary witnesses said they were working to raise provider rates through contracts and a separate bill, cited low recidivism and reduced petitions as evidence that specialty courts and truancy efforts are working, and said the Ewa site has significant foundation issues that may require further assessment or a different location.
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
Senate Legislative Session, Day 4 (1-9-26)
Kentucky Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Next order of business is motions, petitions, communications, resolutions, and announcements.
- Still in the same order of business, motions, petitions, resolutions, communications, and announcements
- same order of business, >> Still in the same order of business, motions,<00:17:42.320>
petitions - ,<00:17:42.880>
resolutions, motions, petitions, resolutions, motions, petitions, resolutions
Summary:
The Senate convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then the clerk called the roll and a quorum was declared with 34 members present. The journal from Thursday, January 8, 2026 was approved without objection, and there were no committee reports or second-reading bills on the calendar at that point. The clerk then introduced new measures, including Senate Bills 51 through 56 on topics such as property tax exemptions, permitting and licensing practices, planning and zoning, short-term rentals, water fluoridation, and Medicaid utilization controls for nonopioid analgesics, along with Senate Resolutions 31 and 32 honoring cancer patients and Tatum Elizabeth Dale.
The committee on committees later reported Senate Resolutions 15 and 24 to the floor and announced a committee assignment change: Senator Chambers Armstrong was removed from the transportation committee and Senator Clemens was added. Both memorial resolutions were then adopted by voice vote: Senate Resolution 15 honoring Joyce Leverne Johnson and Senate Resolution 24 honoring Myra Friend Ellis.
During announcements, senators discussed the upcoming schedule, including the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday closure and a return to the floor on Tuesday, January 20 at 4:00 p.m., with committee meetings still possible that day. Senator McCracken also filed and described a bill on nuclear energy development, creating a Nuclear Reactor Site Readiness Pilot Program within the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority; he said it would support at least three sites through public-private partnerships and funding contributions from the state, utilities, and industry. The session ended with remarks recognizing Law Enforcement Appreciation Day and an adjournment motion adopted without objection, adjourning the Senate until 4:00 p.m. Monday, January 12, 2026.
ND
North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Government and Veterans Affairs Apr 9th, 2025 at 11:01 am
Government and Veterans Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- relates to measure committees, may incorporate a reference as it relates to initiative and referendum petitions
- For the purpose of supporting or opposing an initiative or referendum petition.
- The petition language was added in there, which is not in current law. Referendum petition.
- And initiative petition. Because it moves straight right in.
Bills:
SB2156
Keywords:
campaign finance, disclosure, political contributions, election transparency, North Dakota Century Code, 908, all
Summary:
The subcommittee met to review HB 2156, which reorganizes North Dakota campaign finance disclosure law by repealing Chapter 16.1 and moving the provisions into a new Chapter 16.2 with mostly technical cross-reference updates. Legislative Council and the Secretary of State’s office walked through the bill section by section, explaining that most language is carried over from current law, with some cleanup to definitions, reporting requirements, public access rules, and filing procedures. The committee discussed how the new chapter would apply to candidates, candidate committees, political committees, political parties, ballot measure groups, and conduits.
Several substantive issues were raised and adjusted during the discussion. Members questioned the open-records language for expenditures and contributions over $250, the use of “deposit” versus “receipt” as the reporting trigger, and whether the 48-hour supplemental reporting deadline should be changed to three calendar days; the group ultimately favored keeping 48 hours and using “deposit” consistently. They also clarified reporting dates, including changing one special-election deadline from 40 days to 39 days, and confirmed that balances of campaign funds would be reported but not made publicly available. The Secretary of State’s office also explained that the bill would make late fees public and that the chapter-wide penalty for willful violations remains a Class A misdemeanor.
The main policy change debated at length was the late-filing fee schedule. Members expressed concern that the existing penalties were too low to deter intentional non-filers, and after discussion the committee agreed to increase the final late fee from $100 to $500 while keeping the new public posting of delinquent filers. The committee also reviewed an inflation-adjustment provision for reporting thresholds and the “ultimate true source of funds” language, which was described as existing law being carried into the new chapter. The meeting ended with the understanding that additional drafting changes would be made and that the bill would be ready for further committee action later in the week.