Transcript Highlights:

• The DPS labs are not able to keep up because they have to do a quantitative test, not a test for mere
• We're testing the product for the total THC. They want to apply testing.
• We tested both gas and liquid.
• They're not even testing because they don't have the money, as our labs can't... ...test.
• They tested our flour, they tested our gummies, they tested for meth. Pesticides.

Bills: SB5 , SB11 , SB12 , SB 5 , SB 11 , SB 12

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• And so, you know, we have tested so far. If you look at testing, we do 10 samples per week.
• around $400 per test.
• around $400 per test.
• Versus now, we can do DNA testing, but it is not something that, if they fail the DNA testing, that we
• So with the bridges and concrete testing and asphalt testing, like, how was that kind of working?

Committee: House Appropriations

Summary: The committee first heard the House Fiscal Division’s FY 2027 budget presentations for the State Treasury, Public Service Commission, Department of Civil Service, and Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Treasury’s recommended budget was about $15 million with 74 positions, funded largely by self-generated revenue. Treasury staff highlighted strong investment returns, record unclaimed property recoveries, a new ACH option to speed and reduce the cost of payments, a School Transparency portal that helped uncover questionable school spending, and a new online portal that has sped up processing of cooperative endeavor agreements and related payments. Members praised the transparency work and faster payments, and asked about bond ratings, CEA oversight, and the public accessibility of the transparency site. The Public Service Commission’s FY 2027 budget was presented at $11.5 million, entirely self-generated, with most spending on personnel; commissioners said salary and market adjustments were needed to address heavy attorney and auditor turnover. Civil Service’s FY 2027 budget was presented at $28.7 million, with major funding from interagency transfers and general fund, and officials explained recent pay-plan and special entrance rate changes intended to improve recruitment and retention across state agencies. Members asked how those compensation changes were developed and whether market studies supported them. The Agriculture and Forestry budget was presented at $91.4 million, with major funding from statutory dedications, general fund, and federal dollars, and the commissioner described severe pressure on farmers from low commodity prices, drought, freezes, wildfires, storm damage, and labor shortages. The Agriculture and Forestry discussion was the longest and most detailed. The commissioner said the state is working to expand markets, reduce costs, and help farmers through federal assistance, while also seeking more equipment and fuel for wildfire response after a severe fire weekend and ongoing drought conditions. Members raised concerns about storm-damaged timber, soil and water conservation funding, and the loss of federal dollars that depend on local technicians. The commissioner explained the wildfire suppression subfund, the role of severance taxes, and the limits of current firefighting equipment and staffing. He also discussed the seafood sector, especially shrimp and crawfish, saying imported seafood, currency changes, tariffs, and H-2B worker shortages are hurting Louisiana producers and processors. He said the department is testing imported seafood for antibiotics, wants more authority to hold contaminated product, and is pursuing legislation to support seafood promotion and testing. Members also asked about wood chips, rail transport, timber severance reporting, and incentives for wood pellet use, and the commissioner said the department is exploring new markets, including overseas buyers for wood and agricultural products. No formal votes or bill actions were taken in the portion provided; the meeting consisted of budget presentations, agency testimony, and member questions and comments. The tone throughout was supportive of the agencies’ work, with repeated praise for Treasury’s transparency efforts, Civil Service’s compensation reforms, and Agriculture and Forestry’s advocacy for farmers, foresters, and seafood producers.

Transcript Highlights:

• AND SOMETIMES THAT EDUCATION IS BUILT ON PASSING THE TEST.
• A LOT OF OUR SCHOOLS, OUR DISTRICTS HAVE GONE TO JUST TEACHING TOWARDS THE TEST BECAUSE THE TEST BECOMES
• WE MISSED THE STUDENT SITTING IN THAT TEST.
• THAT HAS TO DETERMINE WHAT AM I GOING TO DO IF I CAN'T PASS THIS TEST?
• ONE AND PM TWO, WE SHOW THERE CAN BE SOME ADVANCEMENT IN THOSE TESTS BUT JUST NOT THIS TEST.

Transcript Highlights:

• , even though it's a census test.
• Do you talk more about the 2026 test? What was done, and what was the test about?
• The 2026 test was supposed to be a test of operations leading up to the 2030 census.
• There is no testing happening on tribal reservations. There is no group quarters testing happening.
• It's a test, but more of a systems test, and then you have the census.

Committee: Senate Senate Committee on the Census

Transcript Highlights:

• This year, we implemented online written testing.
• meet the written test requirement.
• We created study materials for the written tests, practice tests, and FAQs to establish a first-time
• It's really around CDL testing.
• to the written test to everything.

Transcript Highlights:

• We do preliminary testing, then we do confirmatory testing.
• So we do preliminary testing, then we do confirmatory testing.
• Is Louisiana better at testing what's coming in? Do we test more than 1% here in Louisiana?
• We test packets of seafood. Now, if we find it in a particular company, We test packets of seafood.
• We don't test at the ports. We test at the retail location.

Committees: House Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture & Rural Development , House Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development

Summary: The House Committee on Agriculture met with a quorum, adopted the prior meeting minutes, and heard a series of agriculture-related bills, most of them sponsored by Representative Domain or Chairwoman Butler. The first major bill, HB 121, would expand the Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s authority over imported seafood by allowing its inspectors, in addition to the Department of Health, to seize and destroy adulterated seafood already under stop order. Representative Domain and Commissioner Strain framed the bill as a seafood-safety and anti-fraud measure aimed at protecting Louisiana shrimpers from tainted imports and bad actors. Members asked about cost, testing rates, countries of origin, and whether the bill would affect imported shrimp prices; the commissioner said it would not raise consumer prices and that Louisiana’s testing is focused at retail rather than ports. HB 121 was reported favorably with no objections. The committee then considered HB 725, which requires restaurants/retailers to retain invoices from imported seafood vendors for six months. After a technical amendment changing the bill’s one-liner from “restaurants” to “retailers,” the bill was explained as a recordkeeping tool to help auditors verify country-of-origin and labeling compliance without costly product testing. It was reported favorably with amendments. The committee also heard a bill reducing the required number of annual meetings for the Agriculture Finance Authority from four to two; Commissioner Strain said the change would streamline operations when there is no business to conduct, and it was reported favorably. Next, the committee took up HB 344 and HB 370 dealing with the Grain and Cotton Indemnity Fund. HB 344 raises the fund’s balance thresholds for suspending and restarting assessments, while HB 370 increases the assessment rate on agricultural commodities to replenish the fund more quickly. Commissioner Strain described recent large losses from grain broker bankruptcies, including Hansen-Mueller, and explained that the fund has been paying farmers but needs a larger balance to handle future defaults. Members discussed the risks posed by brokers, the adequacy of bonding, and the need to protect farmers and rural communities; both bills were reported favorably. The committee also advanced HB 367, aligning Structural Pest Control Commission hearing notices with the Administrative Procedure Act, and HB 847, which modernizes Soil and Water Conservation district supervisor elections by shifting administration to the Secretary of State and updating petition and ballot procedures after a crowded, ballot-short election. Finally, HB 505 streamlined certification and renewal rules for commercial applicators, pesticide salespersons, and agricultural consultants, including a technical amendment to keep unexpended pesticide-fund money in the fund; it too was reported favorably with amendments. After the bills, Commissioner Strain gave a lengthy update on the state of agriculture, forestry, and aquaculture. He highlighted continued pressure on shrimp from low-cost imports, currency shifts, and inadequate domestic marketing and cold storage, as well as ongoing seafood labeling enforcement and testing. He also discussed feral swine damage, drought and wildfire concerns, fertilizer and diesel cost increases, crop acreage trends, and export efforts for rice and timber, including Louisiana wood pellets used in the United Kingdom. LSU Ag Center Dean Matt Lee followed with a presentation on the center’s research and extension work, emphasizing its statewide network, high research ranking, and the economic return from agricultural science, especially in sugarcane variety development. He said LSU Ag Center research has helped Louisiana maintain strong sugar production and supports producers across the state.

Transcript Highlights:

• Instead of just test scores, accountability for the happiness of kids.
• Accountability to demonstrate learning instead of just passing tests.
• But when she shows up to game day, to the test, she gets 100%.
• And so we end up being stuck with just test scores.
• He said, no, I just have to pass the test, and I can do that.

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• The second line of work is to perform a penetration test of their key applications and their network
• Moving on to the penetration testing results, across the seven state agencies, we identified a total
• practices to the Center for Internet Security version 8, and number two, performing a penetration test
• Moving to the penetration testing results across the seven local governments, Across the seven local
• These audits not only identified vulnerabilities through penetration testing,...

Committee: Joint JLARC I-900 Subcommittee for SAO Performance Audits

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee held a public hearing on the State Auditor’s Office cybersecurity performance audits for fiscal year 2025, covering both state agencies and local governments. SAO staff explained that the audits are conducted independently under Initiative 900 and are kept confidential at the entity level, with detailed findings shared directly with the audited organizations. They reported that state agency audits found nearly one-third of assessed safeguards fully implemented on all systems and 227 vulnerabilities across seven agencies, including three critical and 21 high-severity issues. For seven local government cybersecurity audits, nearly a quarter of safeguards were fully implemented on all systems, and auditors identified nearly 300 vulnerabilities, including nine critical and 47 high-severity issues. SAO also summarized its ransomware resiliency audits and critical infrastructure audits for local governments. In six ransomware audits, a little over 35% of assessed safeguards were not in place, while about 60% were at least partially in place. In 39 critical infrastructure audits, focused largely on water and sewer providers, auditors found over 260 vulnerabilities and said more than 10% were critical or high. Staff highlighted that these audits have led to improvements, including one vendor making security changes after SAO testing that were later echoed in a federal advisory. They also described related services such as cybersecurity checkups, policy guidance, and other cyber-related work by the office. Washington Technology Solutions’ state chief information security officer, Ralph Johnson, praised the audits and said they help protect essential public services. He cited a sharp national rise in ransomware incidents against governments and said Washington has used more than $11 million in federal and state cybersecurity grant funds for over 200 projects. In response to questions from Representative Scott, SAO and WOTEC discussed options for addressing urgent vulnerabilities, including compensating controls, grant funding, and low-cost mitigation steps. The committee also discussed how Washington’s program compares nationally, with Johnson saying Initiative 900 is unusually comprehensive and that local governments often seek audits voluntarily. No votes were taken, and the hearing adjourned after public testimony was offered but none was given.

Transcript Highlights:

• And what are we testing for specifically?
• Specifically, what are we testing for?
• Testing that before it goes in?
• Does science allow you to actually test that?
• Testing methods. Okay. I know it costs a lot to test water.

Bills: SB1169 , SB1285 , SB1583 , SB1611 , SB1898 , SB1976 , SB2160 , SB2161 , SB2658 , SB2661 , SB2662 , SB2692 , SB1055 , SB1359 , SB2660

Committee: Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• It gets a predicted test score based on how other kids that look like that kid do on the test.
• So we can choose which class we want to test. And there were times I'm going to test...
• test scores are going to go up.
• test scores are going to go up.
• Prioritize standardized tests, then standardized test scores are going to go up.

Committee: House Elementary and Secondary Education

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 2710, which would require the State Board of Education to create a simple A-through-F report card for every public school, charter school, and district, based on academic achievement, growth, and college/career readiness measures. Sponsor Rep. Dane Deal said the bill is intended to improve transparency for parents, keep the current testing system intact, and create a reward program for high-performing schools. Committee members raised concerns about the bill’s “moving target” provisions, the constitutionality and administration of performance bonuses, whether the grading system would oversimplify school quality, and how poverty, school size, and other demographics would be accounted for. Deal said he was open to revising timelines, bonus language, and other details with DESE and the committee. Supporters included a Louisiana education board member, who said Louisiana’s A-through-F system helped make school performance more understandable to families and was associated with major gains in NAEP rankings and reductions in the share of D/F schools. A researcher from the University of Missouri explained the state’s growth model and said growth measures are statistically designed to compare students to similar peers and are publicly available through DESE. Parent and advocacy witnesses from Missouri said families want a clear, digestible rating and that growth should be emphasized. They argued the bill would help parents make decisions and hold schools accountable. Some supporters also said the bill should be refined to ensure the letter grade is prominent and to better explain the underlying metrics. Opponents, including the Missouri State Teachers Association and other witnesses, argued that a single letter grade would oversimplify school performance, ignore factors such as poverty and staffing shortages, and create a punitive “moving target” by raising standards automatically as schools improve. They warned it could narrow curriculum, increase burnout, and lead to more administrative burden and possible litigation. Several witnesses said parents need a broader dashboard of information rather than one grade, and some questioned whether the system would fairly compare schools with very different student populations. No vote was taken on the bill during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair. 3716 is a bill that requires coverage of follow-up diagnostic tests after an abnormal Pap test
• testing or a multi-gene testing.
• testing or a multi-gene testing.
• </c><01:04:38.480><c> Genetic</c> alone is genetic testing. Genetic alone is genetic testing.
• </c> panel testing or a multi-gene testing. panel testing or a multi-gene testing.

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• Testing and pilots is really important.
• prior to beginning their testing activities.
• Six manufacturers are authorized to test in the second permit, which is testing without a safety driver
• from driverless testing to deployment.
• So for AV testing and operations in Arizona.

Summary: The committee held a work session on autonomous vehicles, beginning with an overview from the Washington State Transportation Commission on the state’s five-year AV work group. The commission described its 2018 legislative mandate, the 35-member executive committee and seven subcommittees, and the resulting 29 recommendations and “roadmap to the future.” The presentation emphasized six policy “building blocks” for Washington: agency readiness, public outreach, equity, safety, testing and pilots, and a path to deployment. It also noted current Washington law requires AV testing companies to self-certify with the Department of Licensing, carry $5 million in liability insurance, report collisions and violations, and notify local law enforcement before testing; three companies are currently certified. State regulators from California and Arizona then outlined their AV frameworks. California described its long-running permit system for testing with and without a safety driver and for commercial deployment, its current rulemaking to expand use cases to heavy-duty trucks and passenger shuttles, and new requirements for mileage, operational assessments, and more detailed crash and incident reporting. California also said it is creating a new enforcement tool allowing citations to be issued to manufacturers for moving violations by AVs. Arizona described its executive-order-based approach, later codified by statute, which allows testing and driverless operations through self-certification, law enforcement interaction plans, quarterly meetings with companies, and reporting of crashes or near misses; Arizona also said it tracks crashes monthly and has not recorded fatalities attributed to AVs. Industry representatives from Waymo, Zoox, and the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association argued that AVs can improve safety, accessibility, and mobility while creating jobs. They described extensive sensor systems, community outreach, first-responder engagement, and current operations in multiple cities. Waymo cited more than 127 million rider-only miles and said its data show large reductions in injury-causing and pedestrian crashes; Zoox said it operates in Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Seattle and stressed its purpose-built electric robotaxi and local jobs; AVIA said its members have driven more than 145 million autonomous miles and that 26 states now expressly authorize driverless operations. Members asked about public education, crash and fatality tracking, enforcement, weather, school zones, first-responder interactions, and labor impacts. Labor and public-safety witnesses from the Teamsters, firefighters, and driver unions opposed commercial AV deployment without stronger safeguards. They argued Washington should not be an unregulated testing ground, especially for heavy trucks and hazardous materials, and warned of job losses for drivers, taxi and rideshare workers, and related occupations. Firefighters and driver representatives raised concerns about AVs interfering with emergency scenes, blocking responders, and creating risks in dynamic roadway incidents. Committee members also asked for comparisons to human-driven vehicles, data on citations and crashes, and more information on how AVs interact with pedestrians, first responders, and workers.

Transcript Highlights:

• And you get that sample, what are you testing for?
• That warrant is specifically for testing an individual's blood for an illegal substance.
• You just see that the person is off balance and they're not passing field sobriety tests.
• We can specifically test for that being inside blood.
• We do not, we're not waiting 365 days to test any evidence.

Committee: Senate Criminal Justice

Summary: The committee convened with a quorum present and heard a presentation from FDLE Deputy Commissioner Vaden Pollard on homicide investigations, blood evidence, toxicology, medical records, and mental health records. Pollard explained that autopsy toxicology and medical examiner records are often critical in death investigations, but access to hospital blood tests, medical records, Baker Act records, and substance abuse treatment records is restricted by Florida law, HIPAA, and 42 CFR Part 2, usually requiring subpoenas, court orders, or consent. He also noted that autopsy reports are generally public, while photographs are confidential, and that medical examiners can access relevant prior medical history of decedents. Members questioned Pollard about what toxicology panels include, whether medications can be tested for, and whether medical examiner reviews can help determine if a deceased person had stopped taking prescribed psychiatric medication. Pollard said toxicology can include alcohol, drugs, and specific medications when relevant, but routine access to living suspects’ medical information is limited. He also discussed FDLE’s behavioral threat assessment work and said investigators may follow leads involving mental health treatment or facility releases when relevant to a case, though he could not speak to regulatory follow-up. The committee also discussed risk protection orders, with Pollard saying FDLE has used them effectively and that they can help prevent violence and connect individuals to services. The discussion then shifted to FDLE laboratory turnaround times and public safety impacts. Pollard said the average DNA turnaround time was 208 days for some cases, while sex assault kits are prioritized and generally remain under 90 days, with rush cases sometimes completed within 24 hours. He said backlog is tied to staffing and analyst capacity, and that faster processing is especially important in unsolved violent and sexual assault cases because delays can leave offenders on the street. The committee also noted that increased toxicology demands would affect toxicology staffing and workload, though not DNA processing. No votes were taken, and the meeting adjourned after the presentation and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill will cut the testing time in half for Washoe County students.
• This bill will cut the testing time in half for Washoe County students.
• and test prep.
• When is the State Board going to choose the test?
• We have MAPS testing. We have i-Ready testing in Washoe County. We have SBAC testing.

Bills: AB386

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• CLUSTERING AND TESTING.
• THAT HAS BEEN WHAT HAS BROUGHT THE TEST SCORES UP.
• IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT TESTS.
• THAT IS AN INCENTIVE TO TAKE A TEST.
• THAT GRADUATE NURSE WILL TAKE THE TEST.

Transcript Highlights:

• But the way that test runs now, we have test windows, and so it generally opens up around the beginning
• ,</c><00:30:11.520><c> we</c> of the impact to the state test, we of the impact to the state test, we
• . test. test.
• Uh, students do take a test.
• And this is a way to the testing.

Committee: House Education Policy and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> pregnancy testing is also a technique. pregnancy testing is also a technique.
• Blood test is how we all the tests.
• </c> break test their cows. break test their cows.
• </c> testing than I do for PE testing. testing than I do for PE testing.
• Sir, further<03:35:38.479><c> test.</c> further test. further test. Go<03:35:41.040><c> ahead.

Committee: Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• , then you don’t really... test um the granite state test is it's test um the granite state test is it's
• tests.
• used prior to the Granite State test as our primary test.
• So the Total Resource Cost test, the test that was used prior to the Granite State test, includes participant
• across the test.

Committee: House Science, Technology and Energy

Transcript Highlights:

• WE ALSO CERTIFIED EIGHT MARIJUANA TESTING LABORATORIES.
• CERTIFIED MARIJUANA TESTING LABORATORIES ANALYZE THE PROJECTS WITHIN THE TREATMENT CENTERR AND ISSUE
• AND THEN THE TESTING LABORATORY INSPECTIONS FOCUS ON THE USE OF INAPPROPRIATE TESTING METHODS AND THC
• WE WORK WITH THE VENDOR, THE TREATMENT CENTERS, AND THE TESTING LABORATORIES.
• FOR THE MMTC, THE TREATMENT CENTERS IN THE TESTING LABORATORIES I AM NOT SURE.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, where you can utilize this and the testing for the testing and training of, of laboratory technicians
• , and also we need, I think we need additional people that are gonna be doing those testing, that testing
• and so they have to prioritize testing as well.
• Um, all the testing that is done is, is paid for through.
• They, um, the, the, the testing, they are not, um, it's predominantly we use Body lab for that testing

Committee: House Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee