Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 1102 ensures that early learning centers have both the resources and training necessary to
• It allows for the analysis of those who have completed training in early detection and have completed
• This one does allow them to use private sector resources to analyze that information.
• I was running out of options, but I've always been resourceful.
• Resourceful, something foster care taught me to be.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I also sent a letter to the administration urging immediate action to maximize resources to protect
• AND I ALSO SENT A LETTER TO THE ADMINISTRATION URGING IMMEDIATE ACTION TO MAXIMIZE RESOURCES TO PROTECT
• Madam Speaker, H.R. 5764 will give small businesses the AI resources and tools directly for the SBDCs
• Madam Speaker, H.R. 5764 will give small businesses the AI resources and tools directly for the SBDCs
• Madam Speaker, H.R. 5764 will give small businesses the AI resources and tools directly for the SBDCs

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• > excludes Uh the analysis conducted excludes Uh the analysis conducted excludes federal<00:39
• <00:56:51.520> that case, h has there been an analysis that case, h has there been an analysis
• referring to to numerical analysis? referring to to numerical analysis?
• Quilty's analysis, [clears throat] we Quilty's analysis, [clears throat] we consume<01:55:23.760>
• <02:37:33.359> in essentially 50% for other resources in essentially 50% for other resources

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• state where there have been challenges in integrating the fire department, getting the training and resources
• I'm accepting the committee amendments that were offered, and it's noted in the analysis.
• As we were reviewing the analysis, one data point really stood out to us: only about 16.8% of eligible
• If we can deal with $286 billion we're spending on health care, that means more resources for everyone
• I would at ...by another year of analysis in its consideration.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard several bills focused on access to care, public health, and oversight. SB 989 would streamline Care Court referrals by allowing first responders to ask county behavioral health agencies to review and file petitions; supporters, including firefighters and mental health advocates, said it would reduce barriers, while opponents argued Care Court is coercive, costly, and not yet proven effective. SB 1089, as amended, would direct CalRx/HHS to help distribute GLP-1 medications more affordably; the author described personal experience with the drugs and supporters emphasized prevention and chronic disease management, while members asked about distribution, liability, and age limits. SB 1309 would eliminate cost sharing for medically necessary lung cancer follow-up care after abnormal screenings; cancer survivors and clinicians strongly supported it, while health plans and insurers opposed it, saying the bill could raise premiums and did not address low initial screening rates. The committee also heard SB 1284, which would require DHCS to publish an annual report identifying large employers with workers enrolled in Medi-Cal and estimating taxpayer costs; supporters framed it as transparency and corporate accountability, while the chair and others linked it to broader budget and fairness concerns. SCR 7, urging permanent standard time, was presented as a public health measure to reduce sleep disruption and related harms, and it passed with support from the California Medical Association. The committee also took up SB 995, which would create a statewide inspection and enforcement framework for large involuntary residential facilities, including private immigration detention centers and some youth facilities; supporters cited unsafe and inhumane conditions, while probation officials objected to overlap with existing oversight for secure youth treatment facilities. The committee approved the measures it heard, with roll calls showing SB 989, SB 1089, SB 1309, SB 1284, SCR 7, and SB 995 all advancing out of committee, along with consent items and add-on votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• out, as you know, the branch has many representatives on the subcommittees, so it is somewhat of a resource
• And you're right, resources from agencies are very, very...
• Right, resources from agencies are very, very scarce, and we don't want to cause any problems in any
• ... ...the Judicial Branch's Court Support Services Division, there's going to be an analysis of statewide
• you know, we're very grateful that DOC is able to provide this, but we want to see also a trend analysis

Keywords: 962, all

Summary: The Juvenile Justice Policy and Oversight Committee (JJPOC) met for administrative updates, approved the April meeting minutes, and discussed a proposed shift from monthly full committee meetings to a quarterly schedule beginning later this year. Members generally supported the change, saying it would reduce strain on agency and committee resources and allow more time for work groups to complete implementation tasks. Several members also asked for more flexible agendas and a clearer way to add issues between meetings, with staff suggesting a standardized form for submitting topics in advance. Work group updates covered cross-agency data sharing, diversion, education, incarceration, and community expertise. The data-sharing group reported continued work on the Equity Dashboard 2.0, a statewide expulsions analysis, municipal-level data collaboration with UConn’s IMRP, and a cross-system analysis of crossover youth. The diversion group described work on POST curriculum revisions for juvenile law, a youth-focused law enforcement interaction training, a community-police relationship toolkit, expansion of youth diversion teams, and pre-arrest diversion policy. The education group is reviewing implementation of the law creating educational oversight in juvenile facilities, along with a free public transportation pilot for high school students and truancy cleanup legislation. The incarceration group is tracking conditions of confinement, DOC restraint and chemical agent reports, the DOJ settlement monitoring process, the reentry success plan, and gender-responsive programming. The community expertise group emphasized elevating lived experience, youth voice, prevention, and conditions of confinement, with members urging the committee to focus on stability, infrastructure, and meaningful use of lived-experience perspectives. A major presentation from OPM outlined Connecticut’s effort to re-enter the federal Title II juvenile justice formula grant program. OPM explained the program’s core compliance requirements, including deinstitutionalization of status offenders, adult jail and lockup removal, sight-and-sound separation, and addressing racial and ethnic disparities. Staff said Connecticut is currently not fully compliant because of issues including youth being held in adult facilities and the state’s six-hour detention rule, and that Title II funding is on hold while OPM works toward compliance. OPM is developing a monitoring manual, identifying facilities to be monitored, and forming a state advisory group (SAG) to support the application and compliance process. Members questioned why a separate SAG is needed, whether JJPOC or the community expertise group could serve that role, and how lived-experience members would be selected; OPM said federal rules require the SAG to include youth or parents with lived experience and that the group cannot be composed of state or government employees in the key leadership roles. The committee agreed to circulate the federal parameters and ask members to suggest candidates for the SAG and to help move compliance work forward over the summer.

Transcript Highlights:

• be looking for new tools and resources be looking for new tools and resources for<00:03:13.720><
• The award-winning document, published by the non-partisan Senate Counsel, Research and Fiscal Analysis
• <00:09:20.040> Office,<00:09:20.839> plays<00:09:21.200> an Fiscal Analysis
• Office, plays an Fiscal Analysis Office, plays an important<00:09:22.040> role<00:09:22.480>
• It's on the Senate Counsel, Research and Fiscal Analysis page under publications.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: This episode of Senate Spotlight focused on several nonpartisan Senate offices and programs that help lawmakers and the public understand the legislative process. It highlighted the Civility Caucus, where Republican Sen. Zach Duckworth and DFL Sen. Grant Hauschild work to build relationships across party lines, especially important in a closely divided Senate and during a bonding year that requires a two-thirds vote for infrastructure spending. Speakers emphasized that the caucus is about civility, empathy, and laying groundwork for future bipartisan work rather than guaranteeing agreement on specific bills. The program also explained how Minnesotans can track legislative activity through the Senate Journal and the fiscal review. Staff described the Journal as a public record of votes, amendments, roll calls, and other actions, useful for checking how senators voted on bills that passed or failed. The fiscal review was presented as a nonpartisan, award-winning summary of the enacted budget, with examples of how readers can find spending details by page and a discussion of plans to make the document more interactive and web-based. Viewers were also directed to the Senate website to look up senators’ contact information and to the Legislature’s bill-tracking system. Another segment covered Senate File 901, a bipartisan bill by Sen. Eric Pratt that funded an equine-assisted therapy program for first responders dealing with trauma. Testimony described how the program has helped police, firefighters, dispatchers, and correctional officers stay on the job and recover mentally, with lawmakers noting its strong support and practical benefits. The episode also featured Senate pages and interns, who described their behind-the-scenes work supporting committee meetings and learning the legislative process, and concluded with a segment on Capitol art and a new public gallery meant to inspire good government and showcase Minnesota artists.

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, some residents have limited resources, but they're ineligible for federal SNAP benefits.
• Very thankful to have that resource here in the city of Alameda.
• Around the same time frame, visits to our food resource website increased tenfold.
• Food insecurity is getting worse, and continued resources and collaboration remain essential.
• These are resources that they desire. They are always consistently asking their caseworkers for.

Summary: The joint informational hearing focused on CalFresh enrollment, food insecurity in California, the recent federal shutdown’s disruption of SNAP benefits, and the long-term effects of H.R. 1 on eligibility, benefits, and state and county costs. Opening remarks emphasized that millions of Californians rely on CalFresh, that the shutdown briefly delayed benefits for the first time in the program’s history, and that state and local governments, including Alameda County, stepped in with emergency food aid and funding. Members also framed the issue as both a hunger and affordability problem, with several noting that California’s agricultural abundance contrasts sharply with persistent food insecurity. The first panel presented research and advocacy perspectives on food hardship. PPIC’s Tess Thorman described food insecurity rates, disparities affecting households with children and Black and Latino households, and the role of nutrition programs in reducing poverty. Nourish California’s Betzabel Estudio argued that hunger is a policy choice and highlighted campaigns to expand state-funded food assistance for immigrants, support reentry populations, and continue the CalFresh fruit-and-vegetable incentive program. The California Association of Food Banks’ Josh Wright said food banks are seeing sustained high demand, lower federal food supplies, and cannot replace CalFresh, while urging more state support for food purchasing, school meals, and SunBucks. The second panel reviewed CalFresh operations and participation. The California Department of Social Services reported that CalFresh participation has risen over the past decade, with the state closing much of the participation gap through outreach, simplified applications, and demonstration projects such as the Elderly Simplified Application Project and a minimum nutrition benefit pilot. Alameda County Social Services described local caseloads, application trends, and emergency food distributions during the shutdown, while also warning that H.R. 1’s work requirements, immigrant eligibility restrictions, and possible cost-sharing could reduce enrollment. A student CalFresh ambassador testified about the burdensome application and recertification process and urged more funding for campus basic-needs centers and outreach to reduce stigma and administrative friction. In the final panel, county, food bank, and policy witnesses described the shutdown response and the expected impact of H.R. 1. Alameda County Community Food Bank and the County Welfare Directors Association said counties, food banks, and community partners mobilized emergency funds, pop-up pantries, and food purchasing to bridge the shutdown gap, but warned that hundreds of thousands of Californians could lose benefits under the new federal rules. The California Budget and Policy Center began outlining the scale of federal cuts, noting that H.R. 1 will significantly reduce SNAP funding and shift costs to states. No votes or formal committee actions were taken; the hearing was informational and concluded with discussion of possible state responses, including backfilling benefits, preserving outreach funding, and improving administrative systems to protect enrollment.

Transcript Highlights:

• balances, and this underspending suggests a structural capacity issue to fully deploy available resources
• As a baseline to the analysis, that official validated data from our department is missing.
• Now I'm going to dive into an enrollment analysis on page six.
• I feel like every single institution looks a little bit different, and so part of my analysis is that
• But these resources need to be there. The funding needs to be allocated. I don't think it is.

Transcript Highlights:

• HUMAN RESOURCES. MAILROOM, ALL THAT KIND OF BACK ROOM STUFF THAT GOES ON.
• ANOTHER AREA IS, IN ADDITION TO WILDFIRE, CLAIMS IS ALSO WILDFIRE ANALYSIS PRIOR TO LOSSES OCCURRING.
• ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS BEING ANALYSIS PRIOR TO LOSSES OCCURRING.
• Martin: WE WOULD START WITH OFFERING THE INSURANCE REGULATION TO DO AN ANALYSIS AND SEE IF THERE ARE
• WE WOULD ENCOURAGE THE DEPARTMENT TO DO ITS ANALYSIS AND MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO YOU AND PROBABLY TAKE

Transcript Highlights:

• On our next slide here, it provides an overview of how the governor's budget leverages federal resources
• makes targeted reductions and resources makes targeted reductions and adds<00:02:25.720> modest
• The agency contracted with Management Analysis and Development, as I said.
• actually give the counties the resources actually give the counties the resources to<01:35:46.719
• and and you know knowing about resources and and you know knowing about resources and<01:43:06.119

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Health and Human Services committee heard a presentation from Department of Children, Youth, and Families Commissioner Tiki Brown on the department’s 2025 budget and transition plans. Brown said the governor’s budget pairs targeted reductions with modest investments, resulting in net general fund savings, while preserving core safety-net programs. Major proposals included funding for program integrity, modernization of the child welfare SSIS system, compliance changes for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), operating adjustments, and a transition account reallocation as the new department continues moving programs from other agencies through July 1, 2025. A large portion of the discussion focused on CCAP fraud prevention and oversight. Brown and Assistant Commissioner Diane Hy explained that the proposed statewide electronic attendance recordkeeping system would replace retroactive paper-based attendance reporting with more timely data, making it harder to falsify attendance and claim payments improperly. Brown also said the department is working with the Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General and other partners on compliance and fraud controls. Senators pressed for more detail on current enforcement, whether payments can be withheld for violations, and whether recent media reports showed gaps in oversight; Brown said payments can be stopped for false attendance records, suspended or revoked licenses, or fraud allegations, but not for health and safety violations alone. The committee also reviewed other budget-neutral policy changes, including expanding permanency support services for relative foster care and tribal equivalents, strengthening tribal child welfare grants, updating TEACH scholarship rules for early childhood educators, and adjusting the Great Start Compensation Support Payment Program to create a special revenue fund and extend a 10% payment increase to tribally licensed programs and programs on tribal reservation land. Brown also described a $1.5 million annual reduction to restorative practices grants, leaving a smaller ongoing base. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the changes that happen to that statute, they clarify and note that a cost-benefit analysis only has
• to be appended to a... ...clarify and note that a cost-benefit analysis only has to be appended to a
• So hopefully we're looking at adding kind of an additional topic bar to that main resources page.
• Legislators, more services, more resources, have people down in the standing committees.
• So please feel free to utilize your resources amongst us as well. All righty. Okay, then.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• everything, just as many market-rate developers are, but in affordable housing, we have limited resources
• I'm the California Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
• I'm the California Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
• I'm the California Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
• There was a comment in the analysis that talks about, I think it was from the opposition maybe about,

Summary: The committee heard a series of housing and wildfire-recovery bills, with members repeatedly framing the package as a response to the Los Angeles fires and the state’s broader housing affordability crisis. AB 306, by Assembly Member Schultz, would place a six-year moratorium on new residential building-code updates and local code modifications except for health-and-safety emergencies. Supporters argued it would reduce costs and provide certainty for rebuilding and new housing production, while opponents from environmental, clean-energy, and labor groups warned it would freeze beneficial code improvements, delay innovation, and limit local control. Despite those concerns, several members said they would support the bill while seeking amendments, and the committee voted it out on a due pass recommendation to Appropriations. The committee also approved AB 301, which would require state agencies to follow shot-clock style deadlines for reviewing building permits, and AB 253, which would allow licensed third-party professionals to conduct certain post-entitlement permit reviews if local departments take more than 30 days. Supporters said both bills would reduce delays, lower costs, and speed rebuilding and housing production; some members emphasized that safety reviews must remain intact. AB 301 passed on a due pass vote to Appropriations, and AB 253 passed 8-0 to Local Government. AB 462, by Assembly Member Lowenthal, would exempt accessory dwelling units in Los Angeles County’s coastal zone from coastal development permit requirements, with the goal of speeding ADU construction for disaster recovery and housing supply. Supporters said ADUs are a proven tool and that the bill would help displaced residents and future coastal disaster areas; one member of the public opposed the bill, arguing ADU proliferation can change neighborhood conditions. The committee sent AB 462 to Appropriations on an 8-0 vote. The final bill discussed, AB 299, would let disaster-displaced families stay in hotels, motels, and short-term rentals for more than 30 days without triggering landlord-tenant rules, mirroring an earlier homelessness-related law; the transcript ended as the author began presenting the bill and its support.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is also regarding data collection and analysis of the individuals that are enrolled in this program
• It allows us to collect more data, research those outcomes, and then we can do a cost-benefit analysis
• <00:40:53.520> of<00:40:53.760> the collection and analysis of the collection and analysis
• costbenefit analysis on the program. costbenefit analysis on the program.
• serve as economic cultural resources serve as economic drivers,<01:02:36.400> strengthen<01:02

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Senate convened with an invocation and pledge, established a quorum, excused absent members, and approved the journal. During second reading, several bills and a joint resolution were reported to the Rules Committee, including measures on trauma center provider coverage, cremation, public library trustees, local occupational license fees and taxes, and a food-is-medicine resolution. The House also communicated passage of House Bills 176, 178, and 280 and requested concurrence. Committee reports advanced Senate Bill 39, Senate Bill 181 with a committee substitute, Senate Bill 17 with a committee substitute and title amendment, and Senate Bill 34. The chamber then took up and passed Senate Bill 13, which would allow military installations to have ex officio representation on nearby planning and zoning bodies to improve communication about land use near bases. It passed 37-0. Senate Bill 46, concerning school transportation, was amended by committee substitute to require background checks and drug testing for drivers of school vans and to extend van use to 10-passenger vehicles; it passed 37-0 after a brief clarification about the amendment’s display in the system. Senate Bill 22, expanding the dual credit scholarship program to support a teacher apprenticeship pathway, was amended to require a 2.75 GPA and then passed 36-1 after questions about employment status and liability; the sponsor explained it would help address teacher shortages and reduce student debt. The Senate also passed Senate Bill 90, which extends the behavioral health conditional dismissal pilot program from 2027 to 2031 to continue offering treatment-based alternatives to incarceration for eligible low-level offenders; it passed 37-0. Senate Bill 51, a proposed constitutional change to freeze property tax assessment increases for homeowners age 65 and older on their primary residence, also passed 37-0. Senate Bill 30 was passed over but retained its place in the orders of the day. The rules committee later posted Senate Bills 27, 40, and 76 for the next day, and the Committee on Committees referred Senate Bill 109 to Licensing and Occupations, Senate Bill 68 to State and Local Government, and Senate Resolutions 45 and 46 to the Senate floor.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman, on the Natural Resources subcommittee, we've got those minutes here.
• Committee Chair: Can Committee Chair: we have a motion to adopt the Natural Resources Subcommittee minutes
• We've found over many years of analysis on the capital outlay system that we're consistently funding
• Demographic analysis shows that 60% of the Santa Fe population will be retiring in 5 years.
• So we're getting a structural analysis, on board right now. We're in the process of doing that.

Transcript Highlights:

• At 2:02, the House Committee on Energy Resources will come to order. The clerk will call the roll.
• It typically involves some sort of life cycle analysis.
• We can drill faster, we can drill deeper, and we can really utilize the resource.
• We are sitting on a pretty good amount of resource.
• And so it's a matter of tapping into that resource.

Bills: HB1647, HB2612, HB3125, HB3158, HB3240, HB3506, HB3516, HB3707

Keywords: carbon sequestration, environmental policy, Texas, energy, climate change, regulatory council, geothermal energy, workforce development, education and training, energy industry, apprenticeship, energy production, energy policy, renewable energy, state council, administrative law, public information, transparency, government accountability, judicial process

Transcript Highlights:

• do not have any prepared litigation updates for you today, but as always, our office is here as a resource
• With that in mind, the results of any new analysis that we prepare this summer could change later in
• Maybe you could kind of break down that Ice Miller letter to us a little bit, and then any new analysis
• Those will be addressed in an updated actuarial analysis component in the final study.
• So the analysis that we did, if those bills were to move forward next session, we would update those

Summary: The Select Committee on Pension Policy Executive Committee approved the June minutes and received a brief update from Assistant Attorney General Jesse Yoder, who had no litigation updates but offered to answer questions. Actuary Michael Harbour then previewed the September full committee meeting, which will include a report on the financial condition of the DRS-administered pension plans and the state actuary’s recommended economic assumptions. He also cautioned that any actuarial pricing done over the summer could change if assumptions are updated, and suggested taking votes on potential legislation later in the interim, possibly in November or December. A discussion followed about the Left 1 benefit improvement and where the funding came from. Harbour said the benefit tied to SSB 5791 (2022) was paid from the Left 1 trust fund, while a separate Left 2 benefit improvement was in SHB 1701, and he agreed to double-check the issue with DRS after members raised conflicting information. Members then discussed the broader Left 1 study, including whether IRS approval is a key barrier and whether options are limited to merger or closure. Several members asked to hear from Ice Miller, which has been advising on the tax issues, and staff said the committee should receive a written response in the next couple of weeks and could have Ice Miller appear in October. The committee reviewed and adjusted its interim work plan. September will include the actuarial presentations, a more detailed Left 1 study update, and a presentation on PERS and TERS Plan 1 COLAs, including a recap of the bill recommended this year and initial considerations for an ad hoc COLA. October is expected to include DRS administrative and performance updates, with November reserved for the State Investment Board update and a final Left 1 study update, and December may include an educational presentation on excess compensation. Members also requested a future briefing on the month-of-death benefit discussion. The September agenda was adopted, correspondence materials were noted, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• keep these resources in our classrooms. keep these resources in our classrooms.
• > some<01:25:47.320> students It's taken resources from some students It's taken resources
• , additional resources to schools effectively based on student needs.
• ,<01:34:30.240> additional<01:34:30.680> resources<01:34:31.240> to resources, additional
• resources to resources, additional resources to schools<01:34:31.680> effectively<01:34:32.560

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So thank there's no meaningful analysis.
• We we don't land resources management.
• <00:31:22.640> to say a lot but some DOI resources to say a lot but some DOI resources to
• Those are resources management permits.
• committee and not the resources committee and not the resources committee,<01:23:23.679> right

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House Bill 74, which would require agencies issuing certain real-property-related permits to track and report how many permits they issue and how long the process takes. Representative Carol McGuire introduced the bill and said the goal is to gather data on permit timing and fees, especially for DES and DOT permits involving wetlands, alteration of terrain, driveway permits, and similar approvals. Supporters argued the state needs better visibility into permitting delays and whether statutory deadlines are realistic; they also noted the bill had passed the House on a voice vote with no debate. Adam Crapo of the Department of Environmental Services said DES is generally supportive of the reporting concept but warned that the agency’s data are spread across many separate, partly manual databases. He said DES can already do this for some land resources permits through its new system, but not across all of its more than 90 permit types without additional help. DES estimated it would need two part-time positions to compile the reports, especially for waste management and water programs, and said otherwise existing permitting staff would have to do the work, potentially slowing permit processing. He also said the agency is already working to simplify rules and move more permits onto a new online platform, but could not meet the bill’s 2026 reporting deadline with current staffing and systems. Committee members questioned whether delays are often caused by incomplete applications rather than agency inaction, and Crapo said that is frequently the case. He said DES already tracks timelines to some extent for management and statutory compliance, but not at the individual-permit detail the bill would require. He also said some letters and records are captured in One Stop, but not all are. Members expressed support for the bill’s transparency goals while also worrying about added workload and possible slowdowns. The discussion then moved to DOT, where Susan Clawson said DOT is neutral on the bill because it recently implemented Salesforce and now has good data for reporting; DOT’s fiscal note reflects software-related costs, but the agency can already track the required information in its system.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so having these additional resources is crucial.
• We don't have the resources.
• So we see the disparity in resources and staffing.
• We don't have resources to do that.
• outreach, economic analysis.

Bills: SB1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Summary: The committee heard a Legislative Budget Board presentation and then testimony from the Department of Public Safety on the Article 5 public safety budget. LBB said DPS’s 2026-27 recommendation totals $3.7 billion, down from the prior base, while FTEs rise by 856.7. Major items included increased funding for driver license services and customer support, new trooper funding and recruit schools, crime lab operations, border security, and reductions tied to one-time facility, vehicle, and aircraft spending. The committee also discussed new riders, including one to lapse unused trooper funds and require reporting after recruit schools. Members focused heavily on driver license operations, questioning why prior staffing increases and a prior efficiency study had not solved long wait times, high call abandonment, and appointment delays. DPS and LBB said the agency receives about 22,000 calls per day, answers only about 9 percent, and is seeking more staff plus technology upgrades such as automation, kiosks, and better online processing. Senators also raised concerns about rural access, REAL ID document requirements, and whether the department should rethink its processes rather than simply add employees. DPS leadership then described needs for the Williamson County training academy, additional troopers, Capitol and Alamo security, border operations, aircraft and vehicle replacement, and regional headquarters in El Paso and San Antonio. Members asked about Operation Lone Star costs, overtime, pursuit safety, border crime, oilfield theft, and sexual assault kit and toxicology backlogs. DPS said border deployments remain focused on criminal threats, that overtime is partly driven by deployments and staffing shortages, and that the sexual assault kit backlog is down to 118 cases with a goal of zero by April. The committee later recessed and began the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission budget presentation, where LBB outlined a $115.1 million recommendation and noted ongoing costs for the AIMS technology project.

Transcript Highlights:

• One of our legislative analysts have recently used AI to prepare an initial outline for a bill analysis
• The end result was a more organized analysis completed in less time.
• We don't have the resources necessary to that.
• I think that's a strategic conversation based on what a resource to do. >> Vice Chair Steele, you're
• Fleet is another good example, right in which that we're able to utilize some of the resources.