Transcript Highlights:

• It's called the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act. It is a comprehensive legislative package.
• You know, once with the growth of the internet and social networks and YouTube and all these things and
• They can access the internet. They can basically get things done for you.
• I'm shocked at that slide because I've read on the Internet multiple times over the past five or six
• As you test me against the knowledge that I get from the Internet, when we are a net exporter of electricity

Summary: The committee held its first meeting on artificial intelligence and data centers, establishing its purpose as a study and policy-development body rather than one aimed at producing many bills. Majority Leader Hogue urged members to move quickly, focus on federal and other states’ AI laws, consider possible federal preemption, child protections, and the siting and economic impacts of data centers. Committee leadership echoed that the goal is practical, balanced governance that protects North Dakota while allowing innovation to continue. Legislative Council staff provided a background memo and NCSL presented a detailed overview of AI concepts and the current state legislative landscape. The presentations distinguished narrow AI, generative AI, agentic AI, and theoretical AGI/ASI, and summarized major state policy themes: comprehensive AI laws in states such as Utah, Colorado, Texas, California, and Illinois; targeted laws on deepfakes, chatbots, health, education, notifications, and digital likeness; and growing use of appropriations and agency inventories. Members asked about Colorado’s repeal and reenactment, Texas’s sandbox and training provisions, oversight structures, and whether AI regulation is bipartisan; presenters said most issues cut across party lines, with broad agreement on child safety and deepfakes but more division on broader regulatory approaches. The federal update focused on executive orders, preemption, and congressional activity. NCSL described a White House framework favoring a single federal standard, a DOJ litigation task force, Commerce Department review of state laws, and possible funding conditions tied to state AI policy, though no formal state-law challenge had yet occurred. The presentation also covered a recent executive order creating a voluntary federal vetting process for advanced frontier models after safety concerns, and congressional proposals including a failed 10-year state moratorium, Senator Blackburn’s child-safety bills, the Kids Online Safety Act, a House-passed children’s digital safety package, a Senate data center moratorium proposal, and a House ratepayer/data-center bill. The committee took no formal action beyond receiving testimony and asking questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• I was at the UN Internet Technology Conference and had the opportunity to speak with some legislators
• is known as the pen-register and trap-and-trace section and was enacted in 1967, way before the internet
• Herewith, on behalf of Internet Works and our 30-plus member companies, some of whom have been really
• Herewith, on behalf of Internet Works and our 30-plus member companies, some of whom have been really
• to record sound or record video and was connected in some way transferable to another device or internet

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on artificial intelligence, child safety, mental health, and privacy. SB 574 by Senator Umberg would require transparency and human oversight when attorneys, judges, and court neutrals use AI; it drew support from privacy advocates and committee members, with no opposition. SB 1276, the End Child Exploitation Act, would update child sexual exploitation laws to cover live-streamed and AI-generated abuse material and clarify that viewing such content can be criminally punishable; prosecutors, child advocacy groups, and others supported it, while no one appeared in opposition despite opposition on file. SB 813 would create a California AI standards and safety commission and a voluntary two-tier certification framework for AI safety standards; supporters said it would create scalable, independent oversight, while TechNet and CalChamber opposed it as duplicative, under-defined, and likely to create a de facto mandate. The committee discussed market pressure, federal preemption concerns, and the role of voluntary standards, but no final vote was taken in the excerpt. Senator Padilla also presented SB 300, which would strengthen protections for minors from sexually explicit chatbot content by moving from a reasonableness standard to an affirmative duty to prevent such exposure and to prohibit facilitation. Supporters said new evidence showed greater risks and that companies can and should build stronger safeguards; opponents, including TechNet and CCIA, argued the bill was premature because SB 243 had only recently taken effect and warned it could create strict-liability-like exposure. Padilla then presented SB 903, which would bar AI chatbots from being advertised as therapists, require licensed clinician oversight and informed consent for AI use in psychotherapy, and protect patient confidentiality; it received broad support from mental health professionals and labor groups, while industry and health associations were opposed unless amended over triage and crisis-detection language. The committee members emphasized the need for human judgment in mental health care and noted ongoing negotiations on amendments. The committee also heard SB 1119, a companion to AB 2020, which would require annual risk assessments, crisis-response protocols, default child settings, parental controls, limits on data use, public incident reporting, and third-party audits for chatbots used by children. Supporters argued the bill would address documented harms and improve transparency, while industry groups objected to ambiguous standards, liability exposure, and the private right of action. A roll call vote was taken on SB 1119 after quorum was established; the motion to pass to Appropriations succeeded on a 5-1 vote, with one no vote and the measure left on call for absent members. Finally, SB 354, a privacy bill for insurance consumers, would modernize outdated insurance privacy rules, bar sale of personal information, and expand consumer rights to know, correct, and delete data. Supporters said it would implement Proposition 24’s privacy mandate, while a large coalition of insurers, agents, brokers, and related businesses opposed unless amended, mainly seeking a small-business exemption and narrower treatment of publicly available information; members and the author said negotiations were ongoing and the bill had already been substantially revised.

Transcript Highlights:

• was left to carry the trauma, the shame, and the burden of trying to remove her own abuse from the internet
• Since the onset of the COVID pandemic, we have entered into a new era of internet-enabled crime that
• According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, Californians lost $3 billion last year from online
• analysis, transnational criminal organizations are targeting California residents with sophisticated internet
• analysis, transnational criminal organizations are targeting California residents with sophisticated internet

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The committee met without a quorum and operated as a subcommittee while hearing a long agenda of public safety bills. Early announcements covered consent calendar items, a pulled bill (SB 906), testimony limits, and a recess for lunch. Several measures were heard in special order and file order, with votes deferred until quorum was established. The committee also accepted or discussed amendments on multiple bills during presentation. SB 1446, by the committee, would change parole en banc review procedures by giving commissioners more discretion, making en banc votes public, and allowing CDCR referrals for sexually violent predator evaluations in certain cases. Support came from the California District Attorneys Association, while opposition came from Uncommon Law, the Ella Baker Center, and public defender and youth justice groups, who argued it would add confusion, raise constitutional concerns, and duplicate existing safeguards. SB 1278, by Senator Nilo, would exclude certain sex offenses from elderly parole eligibility; the author and district attorney supporters cited high-profile cases and victim trauma, while opponents said the current process is already rigorous, low-risk, and evidence-based. SB 1354, by Senator Archuleta, would prohibit out-of-state military or law enforcement personnel from entering California to perform such functions without the Governor’s permission; the committee amendment removed a criminal penalty, and the bill drew support from the California Public Defenders Association and allied groups, with no opposition heard. SB 926, by Senator Strickland, would fund implementation of Proposition 36 through a public safety services support fund; supporters said local agencies need resources for treatment, probation, and accountability, while opponents argued the bill was fiscally reckless, lacked guardrails, and prioritized incarceration over community-based treatment. The chair and author discussed amendments removing a fixed appropriation and shifting funding decisions to the budget process. SB 874, by Senator Weber Pearsons, would strengthen oversight of Medi-Cal behavioral health treatment services, especially ABA services, by requiring background checks for certain unlicensed providers, creating a stakeholder workgroup, and directing DHCS to issue guidance and report to the Legislature. Supporters said the bill would improve patient safety and program integrity, and no opposition testified. SB 1210, also by Senator Weber Pearsons, would extend CalGang oversight and due-process protections to local gang databases; supporters described privacy harms and inaccurate labeling, while law enforcement opposition said local investigative databases need flexibility and that the bill could significantly expand regulation. SB 1019, by Senator Grove, would create a California Cargo Thief Task Force in the Attorney General’s Office to combat organized cargo theft; it drew broad support from rail, trucking, shipping, and port interests, with testimony describing organized, dangerous theft rings and supply-chain disruption, and no opposition was heard. SB 1217, the non-consensual intimate image clearinghouse bill, was introduced at the end of the transcript after committee and privacy amendments were summarized, but its testimony and any action were not included in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Internet, extractive industries, entertainment, hotels, and supporting events are on the list of systemic
• Internet, extractive industries, entertainment, hotels, and supporting events are on the list of systemic
• and our relatives, and even our young and our relatives, and even our young boys.<01:04:01.880> Internet
• Internet, extractive industries, boys.
• Internet, extractive industries, entertainment,<01:04:04.320> hotels,<01:04:04.800> and

Bills: HF4234, HF3697, HF1183, HF4738

Keywords: HF4234, Minnesota private activity bonds, tax-exempt bonds, bond cap, aggregate bond limitation, residential rental projects, multifamily housing, affordable housing finance, housing bonds, public finance, bond allocation, private activity bond cap, Minnesota Statutes 474A.02, tax committee, tax refund, Minnesota Statutes, time limit, claims, tax overpayment, taxation

Summary: The committee first adopted the April 14, 2026 minutes as amended, correcting a misspelling in the reference to Chair Davids. It then heard House File 4234, a tax-exempt bonding/affordable housing bill from Representative Rey Rower, and adopted a technical A1 amendment before laying the bill over for possible inclusion in the 2026 tax bill. The bill would conform Minnesota law to recent federal changes to low-income housing tax credit rules by lowering the amount of tax-exempt bonds needed for projects to qualify, with the stated goal of spreading bond allocations across more projects and increasing affordable housing production without additional state funds. Testimony in support came from the bill author, the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, and Mary Tingerthal, who said the change would increase efficiency in the use of federal bond authority and could raise the number of funded housing projects from about 16 to 25 per year, bringing in roughly $120 million more annually for housing. Members discussed where the benefits would be felt statewide, including greater Minnesota and larger metro areas, and the author said the bill would help address shortages in affordable and senior housing. The committee took no final vote on the bill, instead laying it over. The committee next heard House File 3697 from Vice Chair Norris, which would change Minnesota’s tax refund claim timelines to better align with federal law and most other states. The author and a tax attorney testifier said the bill would reduce confusion and help taxpayers, especially vulnerable individuals who may overpay or be overassessed and then miss the current deadline to seek refunds. The Department of Revenue said it had no concerns with the language and did not oppose the bill, and the committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion in the 2026 tax bill. Finally, the committee began hearing House File 4738 from Representative Keeler, a Safe Harbor funding proposal for victims of sex trafficking and sexually exploited youth. The author described Safe Harbor as a statewide program serving youth across Minnesota and said the committee should consider creative funding options, but Chair Davids stated the proposed funding source would not work because it would take money from women’s sports scholarships. Testifiers from Lake House in Duluth and a former Safe Harbor youth described the program’s impact on homeless and trafficked youth, including shelter, mental health services, education, and transition to adulthood. The hearing continued with testimony, but no action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• we have a lot of uh make America healthy again and there's a lot of information out there on the internet
• And to what extent do you have the right to kind of claim your images off the internet once they've been
• your images the right to kind of claim your images off<01:19:29.600> the<01:19:29.840> internet
• once<01:19:30.400> they've<01:19:30.719> been<01:19:30.960> out off the internet
• once they've been out off the internet once they've been out there?

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the prior meeting minutes, and then heard testimony on the use of artificial intelligence in therapy and mental health settings. Representative Lisa Willner and Brenda Rosen of NASW Kentucky argued for “guard rails” on AI chatbots so they cannot present themselves as licensed therapists or replace school counselors, psychologists, or social workers. They said AI can support licensed professionals, but warned that chatbots cannot reliably recognize nonverbal cues, escalate crises, or provide accountable care, and they cited examples of harmful chatbot interactions, including a suicide case and a chatbot telling a user to “Please die.” The witnesses also raised concerns about data privacy, commercialization of sensitive mental health conversations, and the use of personal clinical content to train AI models. They said minors should require parental consent and suggested transparency about how a chatbot is trained and who created it. They distinguished between unvetted consumer chatbots and AI tools that have been scientifically validated or approved as digital therapeutics, noting that some evidence-based tools may be useful for specific conditions such as depression, anxiety, or eating disorders. Committee members asked whether regulation should be handled by the legislature or by professional boards, and whether a multi-state model would be preferable to 50 different state approaches. The witnesses generally favored expert-led standards and said a board or panel of experts could review and approve mental health chatbots, but members cautioned that boards can become too restrictive and that legislation should preserve flexibility and avoid discouraging children from seeking help. The discussion ended with a request for the witnesses to restate their proposed policy ideas, including privacy protections, bans on commercialization, limits on training AI with clinical content, transparency requirements, and informed consent.

Transcript Highlights:

• if there is an outage anywhere they can redirect because they obviously, we all fall apart if our internet
• if there is an outage anywhere they can redirect because they obviously, we all fall apart if our internet
• fall<01:15:47.560> apart<01:15:47.920> if<01:15:48.000> our<01:15:48.159> internet
• <01:15:48.520> doesn't<01:15:48.760> work fall apart if our internet doesn't work fall
• apart if our internet doesn't work as<01:15:49.520> you<01:15:49.719> just<01:15:49.880

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• photographing is not allowed unless you have press credentials, you can live stream and pull clips from the internet

Bills: SB1332, SB1378, SB1525, SB1771, SB1919, SB1998, SB2018, SB260, SB264

Keywords: housing, infrastructure, water projects, Oklahoma Water Resources Board, economic development, zero-interest loans, clawback provision, local contractors, Olympics, funding, Oklahoma Department of Commerce, local businesses, revolving fund, event hosting, SB1525, tourism, recreation, conference, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission

Transcript Highlights:

• for craft food operations to $100,000 and authorizes sales transactions by telephone or via the Internet

Keywords: 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment that was made in this bill was to take the service providers that provide our internet
• c> satellite<00:09:54.080> to<00:09:54.320> our<00:09:54.480> homes our internet
• or satellite to our homes our internet or satellite to our homes and<00:09:55.200> make<00:09
• You can go pull those off the internet right now.
• You can go pull those off the internet right now.

Bills: HB0083, HB0102, HB0178

Keywords: subpoena, legislative authority, penalty, compliance, law enforcement, artificial intelligence, synthetic sexual material, child protection, self-harm, criminal liability, public employment, labor organization, dues withdrawal, collective bargaining, public funding, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As a parent who taught internet safety and etiquette to her child, my child was still harmed.
• As a parent who taught internet safety and etiquette to her child, my child was still harmed.
• 27.520> through industry, on the streets, and through industry, on the streets, and through internet
• c> including<01:23:28.639> social<01:23:28.880> media<01:23:29.040> and internet
• , including social media and internet, including social media and online<01:23:29.719> advertisements

Bills: HF2779, HF1645, HF1885, HF1289, HF1534, HF2707, HF1675, HF3046

Keywords: health care transparency, ownership disclosure, control reporting, health care consolidation, private equity, management services organization, MSO, provider organization, health insurer, pharmacy benefit manager, hospital system, affiliate reporting, financial disclosure, public reporting, market concentration, horizontal consolidation, vertical consolidation, health care ownership, corporate practice, health care regulation

Transcript Highlights:

• There is no need for a connection to the internet in order to present your mobile ID.
• You can present your ID without any sort of data going out to the internet or being available outside
• is no uh need for a connection<01:20:20.239> to<01:20:20.400> the<01:20:20.560> internet
• /c><01:20:20.920> in<01:20:21.040> order<01:20:21.280> to connection to the internet
• in order to connection to the internet in order to present<01:20:21.840> your<01:20:22.040>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• whole bunch of stuff, including in this bill cable lines and things owned by corporations that bring internet
• that's a whole bunch of stuff, including cable lines and things owned by corporations that bring internet
• that's a whole bunch of stuff, including cable lines and things owned by corporations that bring internet
• ><01:23:14.600> to<01:23:14.840> people<01:23:15.639> $20,000 uh that bring internet
• to people $20,000 uh that bring internet to people $20,000 means<01:23:16.920> an<01:23:17.080

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: At the joint hearing on SB 951 SD2, the committees heard testimony on a child protection measure requiring mandatory child abuse and neglect reports to include military status and to improve communication between DHS and the Department of Defense. The U.S. Department of Defense testified in support and described its coordinated community response process for abuse reports, saying the bill would help ensure child safety and better coordination with DHS. DHS was initially absent, later appeared, and said it supported the measure but was still working with DOD on implementation details and staff training. Members asked about how DHS becomes involved and whether there were gaps in the current process. The chair recommended passage with technical amendments, including changing the effective date to 7/1/25 and conforming related language, and both committees adopted the recommendation by vote. The Public Safety committee then heard SB 1377 SD2, which would create a Veterans Cemeteries Board within the Office of Veterans Services in the Department of Defense to provide guidance, education, and technical assistance to state veteran cemeteries. DOD supported the bill and explained that county-run cemeteries must meet National Cemetery Administration standards to remain eligible for federal reimbursements and grants; witnesses described past compliance problems at several cemeteries, including one still not compliant in Hilo, and said the board would help counties prepare for future site visits and improve oversight without taking over operations. Members asked about costs, reimbursement amounts, and whether the state would assume cemetery operations; DOD said the current reimbursement process runs through the state to the counties and that direct takeover would be costly. The committee adopted the chair’s recommendation to pass the bill with amendments. The committee also heard SB 1382, which would make intentionally or knowingly causing bodily injury to a National Guard member performing duty a class C felony. The Hawaii National Guard and HPD supported the bill, citing incidents during the Maui response where Guard members encountered noncompliant and sometimes physically confrontational individuals while assisting police and protecting impacted areas. Testimony emphasized that Guard members are often unarmed and should receive protections similar to first responders. One witness opposed the bill, but the committee moved forward and adopted the chair’s recommendation to pass with amendments. Finally, the committee took up SB 1379 SD2 on emergency preparedness and Community Readiness Centers. Hawaii Emergency Management supported the bill, and supporters said it would create a statewide framework for resilience hubs that can provide supplies, action plans, and refuge during disasters. Testimony highlighted recent hurricanes, wildfires, and other hazards, and argued the measure would complement existing county efforts rather than replace them. County of Hawaii testimony opposed the bill, raising concerns about overlap and cost, while members asked about estimated expenses and implementation. The discussion ended with questions about planning and whether the bill would enhance existing programs; no final vote was captured in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please note that the House is not responsible for any bad internet connections on the testifiers, and
• responsible for that the house is not responsible for any<00:06:10.199> bad<00:06:10.680> internet
• <00:06:11.120> connections<00:06:11.759> on<00:06:12.000> the any bad internet
• connections on the any bad internet connections on the testifiers<00:06:13.039> and<00:06:13.919
• Um, so when, um, like somebody’s going to go on a fishing tour and it’s advertised on the internet for

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Water and Land heard testimony on several measures, beginning with HB 347 relating to goats. The Department of Land and Natural Resources offered comments and said its Division of Forestry and Wildlife was available to answer questions. Testimony on the bill was largely opposed, with speakers arguing it would amount to a “free-for-all” rather than game management and urging deferral. DLNR responded that bag limits can be adjusted by area and game management unit under adaptive management rules, and that hunters typically take out their catch. No vote was taken in the portion provided. The committee then took up HB 1278, on which DLNR testified in support. The record in the excerpt does not include discussion of the bill’s substance beyond the department’s support, and no action or vote is shown. A substantial portion of the hearing focused on HB 144, relating to the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority and proposed exemptions from Sunshine Law requirements during the transition period. The authority’s vice chair testified that the body is a startup agency with a complex transition from the University and needs to be able to discuss strategic planning, operational formation, and other day-to-day matters with more than two members present. Opponents, including the Public First Law Center, Hawaiʻi Environmental Alliance, and community members, argued the bill would cut the public out of the deliberative process, allow decisions to be hashed out in private, and set a poor transparency precedent. One testifier also raised cultural and environmental concerns about Mauna Kea. Committee members questioned whether existing law and narrower guardrails could address the authority’s concerns, and the authority said it had already proposed a narrower alternative but the bill returned in similar form. The excerpt ends before any final committee action on HB 144 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• kind of giving power and voices to all these cool stories that we can do with the resources of an internet
• A $20 disposable cell phone and a connection to the internet.
• , so there's an easy framework to communicate with kids, like this is a level one assignment, no internet
• like this is a level one assignment kids like this is a level one assignment no<01:34:25.320> internet
• I just want to test your no internet I just want to test your meat<01:34:27.199> popsicle<01:

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's for our iLottery or internet sales contract as well at $17 million.
• ><00:29:44.559> sales<00:29:45.039> contract<00:29:45.520> as for our IO or internet
• sales contract as for our IO or internet sales contract as well<00:29:45.919> at<00:29:46.399
• /c><00:30:17.279> I<00:30:17.520> lottery<00:30:17.840> or<00:30:18.080> internet
• contract, the I lottery or internet contract, the I lottery or internet sales<00:30:19.200> 17

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and first approved the minutes from its May 13 meeting. Members then reviewed a deferred contract with the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy for the Kentucky Pharmacist Recovery Network (KYPRN), a program that provides monitoring and support for pharmacists and pharmacy interns with substance abuse or mental health issues. Board representatives explained that the contract is a long-running arrangement, renewed periodically, with an option for two additional two-year renewals. Senators asked about the program’s structure, participation trends, follow-up, and consequences for noncompliance. The board said enrollment has remained fairly consistent at about 52 participants, with roughly 500 participants over the life of the program, weekly and monthly check-ins during the five-year typical enrollment period, and possible additional sanctions if participants fail to meet obligations. The committee then approved the contract. The committee next considered a group of economic development contracts, including items from the Cabinet for Economic Development. Secretary Jeff Null and general counsel Matt Wingate testified about contracts tied to regional innovation and entrepreneurship hubs. Members focused on the large differences in funding between regions and pressed for more support for rural and eastern Kentucky. Null said the cabinet is working on a more tailored, non-one-size-fits-all approach, including possible changes to capital support, build-to-suit options, and additional resources for rural areas. He said the hubs have helped 193 startups over the last two years and helped attract nearly $350 million in private capital, and he agreed to provide a written report by hub district on startup viability. The committee approved the economic development contracts. The Kentucky Lottery Corporation then presented its contracts with vendor IGT for retail and internet sales systems. Lottery officials said the contracts are mission-critical, cover both the traditional retail system and iLottery, and are structured as a percentage of sales so no payment is made until revenue is earned. They described planned equipment upgrades, including refreshed terminals, new ticket checkers, cashless vending and bill acceptors, and connected-play features that would link retail and online wallets. Officials said keeping the same vendor reduces the risk of business disruption and that the arrangement has already produced cost savings. They also said the lottery continues to see year-over-year growth and expects to meet its annual contribution target of $360 million for scholarships and grants. The committee approved the lottery contract after discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• One, you know, clear example are the cellular Internet of Things modules that are going going into a
• Agencies can operate drones without connecting to the Internet, preventing unauthorized data transmission
• The Skydio X10, for example, is an internet of things. It has a G.
• And there are pipelines and internet infrastructures everywhere.
• I'm an internet student. I study.

Bills: HB17, HB34, HB41, HB 118, HB 119, HB 127, HB 128, HB 129, HB 130, HB132, HB133, HB17, HB41, HB118, HB119, HB127, HB128, HB129, HB130, HB132, HB133

Keywords: foreign ownership, real estate, national security, designated countries, Texas property law, lobbying, foreign adversaries, compensation prohibition, transparency, civil penalties, higher education, foreign adversary, research security, trade secrets, academic partnerships, HB 128, sister city, sister-city agreement, international exchange, municipal diplomacy

Transcript Highlights:

• municipal authorized requirements, including local regulations. a person or a company highspeed internet
• a person or a company highspeed internet and<02:22:16.439> removes<02:22:17.439> references
• Everyone in this room understands that reliable high-speed internet has become an essential service in
• Other states are looking for ways to keep internet access more affordable.
• Minnesota is the only state looking to increase the cost of internet service.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we still have elderly patients and people with mental health issues that can't do the internet
• And so we still have elderly patients and people with mental health issues that can't do the internet
• And so we still have elderly patients and people with mental health issues that can't do the internet
• And so we still have elderly patients and people with mental health issues that can't do the internet
• And so we still have elderly patients and people with mental health issues that can't do the internet

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Washington, Public Service Commission Broadband and Voice Over Internet Protocol Service Oversight, favorable
• <00:19:39.840> Protocol<00:19:40.320> Service Voice Over Internet Protocol Service
• Voice Over Internet Protocol Service Oversight,<00:19:41.440> favorable<00:19:42.000> two
• scope, structure, and implementation of commission oversight for broadband service and voice over internet
• <00:20:02.799> protocol service and voice over internet protocol service and voice over internet

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 960, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened, established a quorum, and handled several ceremonial and introductory matters before moving into committee reports. The chamber welcomed the doctor of the day, recognized an intern and a guest in the gallery, extended birthday wishes to Senator Chris West, and received remarks from the Romanian Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Andre Moraru, who emphasized Romania’s strategic partnership with the United States, NATO cooperation, investment ties, energy projects, and support for Ukraine. Senators also briefly noted Maryland’s military and diplomatic ties to Romania. The ambassador’s remarks were journalized, and members were given time to meet with him off the floor. The Senate then took up a series of second-reading bills, mostly from the Finance Committee, adopting committee amendments and favorable reports without objection. Among the measures advanced were Senate Bill 39 on behavioral health reimbursement rate methodology and a work group for certified community behavioral health clinics and outpatient mental health centers; Senate Bill 605 directing the Public Service Commission to study broadband and VoIP oversight; Senate Bill 721, Ralph’s Act, providing expedited DDA/Medicaid eligibility for certain recently relocated individuals; and Senate Bill 891 on perinatal mental health screening, coverage, training, and reporting. Each was amended in committee and ordered printed for third reading. The Senate also advanced several House bills, including House Bill 427 extending the task force on responsible use of natural psychedelic substances and adding an HBCU representative; House Bill 480 requiring transportation network companies to maintain written deactivation policies; House Bill 532 requiring overtime pay for firefighters employed by governmental units after 168 hours in a 28-day period; House Bill 816 reducing the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund assessment cap from 3% to 1% and authorizing an affordability program; House Bill 829 requiring human trafficking awareness training for certain for-hire and rideshare drivers; House Bill 862 requiring a two-person crew for certain freight rail operations in shared corridors, contingent on similar action in neighboring states; and House Bill 999 revising Class 9 limited distillery license rules and production limits. Most of these bills were reported favorably, with no objections, and were ordered to third reading or passed for third reading as applicable.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then we also have people using our libraries for internet.
• We had over 473,000 uses of the internet last year and over 161,000 uses of Wi-Fi.
• . uh we had over libraries for internet. uh we had over 473,000 473,000 473,000 uses<00:47:23.040>
• of<00:47:23.599> the<00:47:23.920> um<00:47:24.160> internet<00:47:24.960><
• c> last<00:47:25.280> year<00:47:25.920> and uses of the um internet last year and

Keywords: 910, house, all