Transcript Highlights:

• though some, like IDEA, enroll almost 90,000 students across Texas and other states.
• In the 23 school year alone, the state paid nearly $1 billion in Texas tax dollars. to D and F rated
• So, state agencies... and Texas universities that receive state funds must justify their budgets to you
• All states are trying to get better, as is Texas.
• So why is Texas, relative to other states, raising questions in our mind?

Bills: HB1540, HB3837, HB5571, SB370, SB2425

Keywords: government review, Texas Sunset Act, regulatory oversight, agencies, sunset provisions, autonomous vehicles, regulation, safety, criminal offense, Autonomous Vehicle Commission, registration, regulations, Level 4 automation, Level 5 automation, self-driving technology, traffic laws, permit system, collision reporting, safety standards, Automated Vehicle Commission

Transcript Highlights:

• For a number of years now, the state of Texas...
• In line with its promise to private landowners, the state of Texas has not used eminent domain to place
• We're trying and continuing to... make Texas the most business-friendly state in the United States and
• Governor Abbott talked about making Texas the financial capital of America doing his state-of-the-state
• Texas as a financial capital, not only in the United States, but hopefully over the long term. in the

Bills: HB195, HB247, HB255, HJR2, HJR4, HJR6, HJR31, HJR34, HB195, HB247, HB255, HJR6, HJR31, HJR34

Keywords: school district, ad valorem tax, local revenue, tax collection, education funding, border security, tax exemption, ad valorem, real property, infrastructure, Texas-Mexico border, ad valorem taxation, farm products, livestock, timber, death tax, inheritance tax, estate tax, property transfer, constitutional amendment

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 2440 also required the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to establish a form and
• In our district, we've seen more private water wells drilled than anywhere else in the state over the
• where I reside, has drilled more groundwater wells in the last 20 years than any other county in the state
• are conservation districts or other soil and water type districts, uh, governmental entities of the state
• Uh, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has been very cooperative working with these districts

Bills: SB 612, SB 1855, SB 2568, SB 3058

Keywords: SB 612, Texas Water Code, Section 49.2127, conservation and reclamation district, water district, reclamation district, developer fees, pipeline construction, water pipeline, sewer pipeline, associated infrastructure, subdivision infrastructure, cost recovery, fee cap, actual reasonable documented costs, engineering fees, legal fees, inspection fees, infrastructure relocation, utility connections

Transcript Highlights:

• So today, we produce more hydrogen in the state of Texas than almost all 49 other states combined.
• Three of those are in the state of Texas.
• There's 1,100 miles under that in the state of Texas.
• The very largest mineral owner in the state of Texas is the state of Texas. Texas.
• The state of Texas has an immunity from liability.

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'm from South Texas.
• it all over the state.
• But professionally, my organization owns interest in 3,100 wells in 44 counties in the state of Texas
• , 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 serve as the Peer Policy Fellow of NAMI Texas, the state affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental
• Texas, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas famously conceded that our state was uncommonly silly and
• So in the state of Texas, from limited sources of what we've been able to find out in the last couple
• It's all done electronically here in the state of Texas.
• Peace Council Association of Texas, the largest association of elected officials in the state.

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:

• Familial divisions are protected by state statute and have been.
• So this was a bill that the Texas Association of Builders and...
• Okay, that's by state law. That's by state law.
• I'm a policy analyst with the Texas Public Policy Foundation. ...the Texas Public Policy Foundation,
• I'm a local developer, land broker here in Austin, Texas.

Bills: SB1708, SB2523, SB1450

Keywords: county platting, subdivision platting, Local Government Code Chapter 232, Section 232.022, Section 232.0014, model subdivision rules, Water Code Section 16.343, Texas county subdivision law, residential subdivision, land conveyance, gift deed, family transfer, consanguinity, affinity, third degree relative, five acres or less, county land use, platting exemption, rural land division, property subdivision

Transcript Highlights:

• Committee on State Affairs will come to order.
• This bill harmonizes disparate sections of the state election code.
• I'm here with the Texas Secretary of State's Office.
• This bill is the one missing piece of our Texas judicial security laws. 34 states and Congress have passed
• Please state your name, position. You have two minutes. Yes, Dr.

Bills: HB223

Keywords: municipal budget, county budget, local government finance, spending cap, expenditure limit, inflation plus population growth, taxpayer impact statement, budget transparency, property tax, fees, Legislative Budget Board, voter approval, disaster spending, fiscal restraint, Texas Local Government Code, city budget, county expenditures

Summary: The Committee on State Affairs heard several House bills, with most measures left pending after testimony and later taken up in a batch of votes. Early in the meeting, HB 5624 on liability protections for motocross/off-road vehicle tracks, HB 223 on requiring competitive procurement for municipal lobbying contracts, HB 3709 on post-election audit procedures, and HB 5081 on protecting personal information of judicial officers and court staff were all discussed and left pending after testimony. Witnesses on HB 223 supported greater transparency in municipal lobbying contracts. HB 3709 drew sharp opposition from an election integrity advocate who argued the bill would reduce precinct-level granularity and make it harder to detect ballot errors, while a Secretary of State resource witness said the bill would simplify and standardize the audit process by location. HB 5081 received strong support from court administration and a district judge who described prior threats and an attack tied to publicly available personal information. The committee also heard HB 3546 on allowing school districts to move elections to November, HB 493 on barring certain felony offenders from serving as poll watchers, HB 5115 on increasing penalties for election fraud and related conduct, HB 4081 on trade secret filing procedures, HB 3909 on limiting restrictions on wireless devices at polling places, HB 2702 on limiting gubernatorial closure authority for certain veterans organizations during pandemics, HB 119 on foreign adversary lobbying, and HB 5138 on the Attorney General’s authority to prosecute election crimes. Several of these bills were explained with committee substitutes and then left pending before final action. Testimony on HB 493 and HB 5115 came from an election integrity advocate who supported both bills, saying the poll watcher restriction was appropriately narrowed and that the election fraud bill would help address invalid votes and refusal to count valid votes. Later, the committee took up pending business and voted out a large number of bills, generally along party lines or with broad support. HB 186 on minors’ social media use, HB 229, HB 2885, HB 3909 as substituted, HB 4285, HB 1661, HB 2820, HB 3181, HB 4157, HB 223, HB 521, HB 640, HB 1234, HB 2253, HB 2294, HB 3053, HB 3697 as substituted, HB 4281, HB 4463, HB 4995, HB 5081 as substituted, HB 5624 as substituted, HB 119 as substituted, HB 3225, HB 5138 as substituted, HB 5115, HB 481 as substituted, HB 3546, HB 493, and HB 4145 were reported favorably to the full Senate, with several also placed on the local and uncontested calendar. The committee also adopted committee substitutes for multiple bills, including HB 3909, HB 5081, HB 5624, HB 119, HB 5138, and HB 481. At the end, the chair noted another committee meeting would likely be needed before deadlines, possibly on a weekend, and recessed the committee subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're the State Geological Survey of Texas and our director holds the title of state geologist.
• Seismicity in the state of Texas has increased since 2009.
• for the state of Texas.
• Texas 811's damage prevention managers, are field personnel employed by Texas 811 throughout the state
• Every excavator in the state of Texas is required to call.

Bills: HB206

Keywords: HB206, school district bonds, bond election, voter approval, Education Code, Chapter 45, Section 45.003, Section 45.0034, Texas schools, school finance, local tax election, bond referendum, school construction, capital improvements, election frequency, five-year waiting period, district bonds, public school funding

Transcript Highlights:

• Under Texas Local Government Code chapter 242001D2.
• Uh, as, uh, was just stated, I am here to testify, uh, for the bill.
• Maybe the, the fewest in the state. I don't know.
• of Texas.
• We're based in Houston, Texas, and we have communities throughout the state and in Georgia.

Bills: HB23

Keywords: property tax exemption, ad valorem tax, Texas Tax Code, nonprofit corporation, charitable organization, educational nonprofit, scientific nonprofit, agriculture support, youth programs, community education, county population threshold, large county, local government revenue, leasehold interest, possessory interest, county property tax, nonprofit-owned property

Transcript Highlights:

• Texas wine using grapes grown outside the state of Texas.
• So you're using a mix of Texas fruits and out-of-state fruits. Is it 100% or 50%?
• grapes by Texas wineries rather than importing from other states.
• Texas is the third-largest wine-consuming state. in the country, but only 3% of that wine is Texas grown
• Thank you for your time and your service to the state of Texas. Thank you.

Bills: HB223

Keywords: municipal budget, county budget, local government finance, spending cap, expenditure limit, inflation plus population growth, taxpayer impact statement, budget transparency, property tax, fees, Legislative Budget Board, voter approval, disaster spending, fiscal restraint, Texas Local Government Code, city budget, county expenditures, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill harmonizes disparate sections of the state election code.
• I'm here with the Texas Secretary of State's Office.
• Please state your name. Dr. Presley, please state your name and position. You have two minutes.
• Laura Presley with True Texas, and we really like this bill.
• Do I need to state it's 7 to 9 instead of 6? Okay.

Bills: HB223

Keywords: municipal budget, county budget, local government finance, spending cap, expenditure limit, inflation plus population growth, taxpayer impact statement, budget transparency, property tax, fees, Legislative Budget Board, voter approval, disaster spending, fiscal restraint, Texas Local Government Code, city budget, county expenditures, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That we have throughout the state.
• of Texas on bond for murder.
• Texas.
• United States.
• We have the most of any state in the country.

Bills: SB3073, SJR87

Keywords: Texas criminal procedure, magistrate, probable cause, written findings, arrest review, criminal justice, Article 15.17, pretrial release, judicial recordkeeping, court transparency, law enforcement, defendant rights, criminal proceedings, no probable cause, magistrate findings, bail reform, felony offenses, constitutional amendment, public safety, 1185

Transcript Highlights:

• I am Guy Herman, presiding statutory probate court judge here in the state of Texas, selected by my peers
• Probate court judges here in the state of Texas, some of them Republicans, some of them Democrat. 3 of
• The Texas Historical Commission has identified approximately 14,000 cemeteries across the state, and
• Every Texas county has at least one designated historic Texas cemetery.
• 5:00 p.m., the same hours as the Texas State Cemetery.

Bills: HB113

Keywords: HB 113, Texas, Government Code Chapter 1253, general obligation bonds, bond election, voter approval, political subdivision, local government, city bonds, county bonds, school district bonds, capital projects, public finance, bond referendum, ballot measure, five-year waiting period, rejected proposition, election law, municipal finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Three state senators down there. I'm the one that's got a reserve for it.

Bills: SB3038, SB3045, SB3065, SB3069, SB3071, HB2025, HB2149, HB3370, HB4205, HB4506, HB5424, HB5652, HB24, HB3687

Keywords: Fort Bend County, Municipal Utility District, MUD, special district, Rosenberg, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, TCEQ, ad valorem tax, bond issuance, assessments, fees, taxes, eminent domain, road district, storm drainage, infrastructure financing, development agreement, municipal consent, temporary directors, public utility district

Summary: The Senate Committee on Local Government met with a quorum and took up a series of pending bills, mostly local-government measures. Early action included final committee approval of Senate Bill 1633 and S.J.R. 60, followed by Senate Bill 3038 and Senate Bill 3045, both reported favorably and placed on the local and uncontested calendar. The committee also considered House Bill 24, adopted a committee substitute, and reported the substitute version favorably; House Bill 2025 was likewise reported favorably and sent to the local and uncontested calendar. Members then handled several companion and local bills, including House Bill 2713 as the companion to Senate Bill 1331, which was reported favorably and placed on the local and uncontested calendar. House Bill 3348, House Bill 3370, House Bill 3505, and House Bill 4506 were each reported favorably, with no objections to local-and-uncontested placement. House Bill 5424 passed on a 6-1 vote, and House Bill 5652 passed with one present-not-voting, both also sent to the local and uncontested calendar. The committee also adopted substitutes and reported House Bill 3687 and House Bill 4205, though both were later reconsidered because the wrong script had been read. After reconsideration, House Bill 3687 and House Bill 4205 were each re-voted and reported favorably to the full Senate, with both placed on the local and uncontested calendar. Senate Bill 3071 was also reported out on a 5-2 vote after adoption of a committee substitute. The meeting ended with no further business and the committee standing at recess subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• But if the state of Texas continues to allow this to occur, the standard we are providing...
• , that we need more data to fully understand the state of diabetes-related amputations in Texas.
• Texas has the second most number of nurses... homes in the United States, and unfortunately, we rank
• But your bill is going to apply to every nursing facility in the state of Texas.
• This is merely about protecting the privacy of firearm owners in the state of Texas.

Bills: SB397, SB481, SB596, SB760, SB855, SB1195, SB1196, SB1233, SB1257, SB1318, SB1368, SB1388, SB1398, SB1524, SB1558, SB1589, SB1677, SB1792, SB2034

Keywords: SB 397, telemedicine, telehealth, teledentistry, remote care, virtual care, consent documentation, patient consent, data collection, data sharing, audio-only telehealth, in-person examination, irreversible medical procedure, health professional regulation, Occupations Code, Texas Health and Human Services, medical records, provider compliance, data privacy, consumer rights

Transcript Highlights:

• Since babies are protected here in Texas, some doctors are recommending that families leave the state
• It is important to note that the Texas Health and Safety Code 142A states that any entity that claims
• While the Thriving Texas Families Program utilizes the appropriate agency... ...in our state, such as
• And so how we get there, because Texas, Graphically, it's about five states.
• West Texas, but across the state, even here in Austin.

Bills: SB397, SB481, SB596, SB760, SB855, SB1195, SB1196, SB1233, SB1257, SB1318, SB1368, SB1388, SB1398, SB1524, SB1558, SB1589, SB1677, SB1792, SB2034

Keywords: SB 397, telemedicine, telehealth, teledentistry, remote care, virtual care, consent documentation, patient consent, data collection, data sharing, audio-only telehealth, in-person examination, irreversible medical procedure, health professional regulation, Occupations Code, Texas Health and Human Services, medical records, provider compliance, data privacy, consumer rights

Transcript Highlights:

• even outside of Texas?
• Outside of the United States.
• And if the state can't do that, then it doesn't come in.
• So it's from the Texas legislative record, right?
• They may have moved to another state.

Bills: HB207, HB235, HB324, HB449, HB463, HB502, HB 1121, HB1445, HB1465, HB1778, HB1977, HB2000, HB2066, HB2596, HB207, HB235

Keywords: child protection, sexual offenses, obscenity laws, visual material, anatomically correct dolls, mannequins, robots, criminal offenses, sexually explicit material, minors, artificial intelligence, sexually explicit, doll, mannequin, robot, law enforcement, healthcare, insurance, affordable care, access

Bills: HB207, HB235, HB324, HB449, HB463, HB502, HB 1121, HB1445, HB1465, HB1778, HB1977, HB2000, HB2066, HB2596, HB207, HB235

Keywords: child protection, sexual offenses, obscenity laws, visual material, anatomically correct dolls, mannequins, robots, criminal offenses, sexually explicit material, minors, artificial intelligence, sexually explicit, doll, mannequin, robot, law enforcement, healthcare, insurance, affordable care, access

Transcript Highlights:

• Unfortunately, right now, a part of Texas law allows the state to terminate a parent's rights just because
• In his State of the Judiciary, Justice Blacklock pointed out that Texas already has laws in place to
• We've come a long way in the last 30 years, and now the state of Texas, through this legislature, has
• Unfortunately, Texas is among the leading states for terminating parental rights.
• Texas also terminates parental rights much more quickly than most other states.

Bills: HB809, HB 1193, HB1916, HB2558, HB1973, HB2350, HB2399, HB2340, HB 116, HB330, HB2496, HB116

Keywords: digitized signature, waiver of citation, marriage dissolution, electronic notarization, family law, HB 1193, informal marriage, common-law marriage, declaration of informal marriage, confidentiality, privacy, county clerk, vital statistics unit, Family Code, Health and Safety Code, marriage records, public records, personally identifying information, PII, legal representative