Transcript Highlights:

• Isn't that current code?
• In current code, when you are fined in a traffic violation in the work zone, fines are doubled.
• Isn't that current code?
• The bill also makes technical corrections to existing code. Mr. President, I urge passage.
• The bill also makes technical corrections to existing code. Mr. President, I urge passage.

Summary: The Senate met on March 11, 2026, with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, journal approval, and numerous guest and page introductions, including school groups, prayer caucus visitors, and advocates for Home Family Education Day and Women in Blue Day. The chamber then took up committee reports and a large number of House bills, most of them on third reading, along with several resolutions and referrals. Senate Resolution 62, designating March 12, 2026, as West Virginia Athletic Trainers Day, was adopted after remarks emphasizing the value of athletic trainers in preventing injuries and tragedies in school sports. Several other resolutions and concurrent resolutions were referred to the Committee on Rules or laid over under the rules. The Senate passed a wide range of bills addressing economic development, public safety, health, licensing, and state administration. Measures approved included bills on the West Virginia Collaboratory at Marshall University, the Business Ready Sites program, volunteer fire company spending authority, the Load Forecast Accountability Act, funeral service licensure, work zone fines, biennial business reporting, correctional officer retirement law, the Right to Try Act, quick claim deed tax exemptions, an ibogaine drug-development grant program, aggravated vehicular homicide sentencing, 529 savings plan definitions, opportunity zones, barber apprenticeship, municipal and county hotel occupancy fund uses, criminal-record licensing standards, intimate image disclosure remedies, executor training materials, contempt penalties, PEIA treatment flexibility, PANS/PANDAS information, the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact, capitation rate review expansions, convention and visitors bureau board membership, peer support services, cosmetology licensure compacts, natural resource police retirement, DNR fee indexing, ALS care services, the Neighborhood Investment Program, oil and gas well plugging and carbon capture-related provisions, DUI technical changes, abuse intervention program terminology, and a youth summer employment and career readiness program. Most bills passed overwhelmingly, with a few closer votes, including the Load Forecast Accountability Act and the DNR fee-indexing bill. Several bills were amended on the floor, including title amendments and strike-and-insert changes. The Senate also debated the work zone penalty bill, with supporters citing worker safety and fatalities and opponents arguing the bill increased fines too much without requiring removal of outdated work-zone signs. On the energy-related load forecast bill, senators discussed the inclusion of provisions from Senate Bill 420 and concerns about coal plant utilization and utility impacts. After debate, the Senate adopted amendments and passed the bill. In most cases, after passage the Senate ordered the bills communicated to the House, and for a few measures it also adopted title amendments or made bills effective from passage or on a specified date.

Transcript Highlights:

• in other have been sweeping changes made in other states,<00:22:42.480><c> say</c><00:22:42.760><c> Iowa
• </c><00:22:43.200><c> example,</c><00:22:43.960><c> that</c><00:22:44.080><c> have</c> states, say Iowa
• for example, that have states, say Iowa for example, that have had<00:22:44.400><c> serious</c><00:22
• And I think that's the program that they have implemented in Iowa.
• </c> they have implemented in Iowa. they have implemented in Iowa.

Committee: Joint Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, I can recall a snowy night in Iowa.
• Members, I can recall a snowy night in Iowa.
• Members, I can recall a snowy night in Iowa, where I think I was one of the few members in this body
• In 1779, Thomas Jefferson proposed revisions to the Code of Virginia, limiting executions to capital

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the journal, and adoption of the special order calendar for the day. The chamber then took up House Bill 1B on immigration, along with discussion of anticipated Senate changes. The sponsor described the bill as creating a chief immigration officer housed in the Department of Agriculture, establishing an Office of State Immigration Enforcement, expanding cooperation with federal immigration authorities, increasing criminal penalties for certain offenses by unauthorized aliens, ending undocumented-student fee waivers, and providing substantial appropriations for enforcement and related programs. Members also questioned the Senate version’s proposed mandatory death penalty provision for certain capital offenses involving unauthorized aliens, as well as pretrial detention, 287(g) participation, DMV reporting requirements, and the bill’s effects on schools, teachers, social workers, and local agencies. The sponsor and supporting members repeatedly said the bill required broad cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and that existing federal law would control where conflicts arose. A major portion of the debate focused on whether the bill would allow or require immigration enforcement in schools and other sensitive settings, and whether teachers, school resource officers, and social workers could be placed in conflict with federal privacy or professional obligations. Members also raised concerns about detention based on suspected status, the standard of proof for immigration-status determinations, prison and jail impacts, workforce shortages, and the fiscal effects on counties and state agencies. The sponsor said the bill did not provide DMV funding, that the state would need to study some implementation questions, and that the appropriations included $25 million for a local law enforcement participation incentive program and up to $350 million for broader implementation and coordination. Several amendments were offered and failed. Representative Chambliss proposed protecting schools, churches, and places of worship from enforcement activity; Representative Escamani offered amendments to preserve in-state tuition for Dreamers and to grandfather currently eligible students; Representative Woodson offered a similar Dreamer-related amendment; and Representative Bartleman proposed barring local law enforcement from entering schools during school hours to detain children solely for immigration status. Supporters of these amendments argued they would protect children, preserve educational access, and prevent trauma in schools and houses of worship. The House rejected each amendment by voice vote, and the transcript ends during debate on the Bartleman school-safety amendment before final disposition is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Twenty-one other states have already enacted similar laws, including our neighboring Iowa, Arkansas,
• Twenty-one other states have already enacted similar laws, including our neighboring Iowa, Arkansas,
• Many other states have already enacted similar laws, including our neighboring Iowa, Arkansas, Kentucky

Transcript Highlights:

• have been nice, you know, to go out and have a conversation with him, whether it was in Madison or in Iowa
• </c><00:21:45.480><c> Madison</c><00:21:46.000><c> or</c><00:21:46.679><c> in</c><00:21:47.159><c> Iowa
• /c><00:21:47.559><c> or</c><00:21:47.720><c> wherever</c><00:21:48.559><c> uh</c> In Madison or in Iowa

Transcript Highlights:

• But does Iowa and Wisconsin—are they not competitive in the same ways?
• I am not familiar with Wisconsin or Iowa specifically, although it's possible that they are.
• But does Iowa and Wisconsin—are they not competitive in the same ways?
• I am not familiar with Wisconsin or Iowa specifically, although it's possible that they are. >> [clears
• </c> I'm not familiar with Wisconsin or Iowa I'm not familiar with Wisconsin or Iowa specifically,<00

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• Maybe Iowa and a couple more.
• Maybe Iowa and a couple more.
• Maybe Iowa and a couple more.
• Maybe Iowa and a couple more.
• Maybe Iowa and a couple more.

Bills: SB2444 , SB2446 , SB2450 , SB2453 , SB2461 , SB2457 , SB2462 , SB2313 , SB2528 , SB2532 , SB2571 , SB2678 , SB2529

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard testimony on several bills. SB 2444 would raise the real property exemption amount for attachment or execution, which the Attorney General said could create vague retroactivity language and litigation risk; the committee noted the exemption had last been adjusted around 1978. SB 2446 would add a seventh associate judge to the Intermediate Court of Appeals. Judiciary staff testified in opposition, saying recent internal restructuring and a pending vacancy had improved output and that it would be prudent to wait and see the effect before adding another judge. The Public Defender supported the goal of faster appellate resolution but said it would defer to the court’s assessment and had no objection to revisiting the issue later. The committee also discussed current appellate timelines, with staff saying at least 225 days is built into the process before a case reaches a merit panel, and that a two-year delay from panel assignment was realistic under the current structure. The committee then heard SB 2450, which would establish a presidential preference primary for the 2028 cycle. The Chief Election Officer said the election would cost about $4 million, less if combined with the regular primary. Several opponents argued the bill would add bureaucracy, duplicate or undermine party-run processes, and waste taxpayer money; one speaker estimated the total cost could be closer to $6 million when county costs are included. Supporters and committee members discussed that the measure would not require parties to use the results and that Hawaii remains one of the few states still using caucuses. The committee also asked whether counties could staff the election and whether the results would be useful given Hawaii’s current primary timing. SB 2453 would require the Office of Elections to include a notice with each ballot that a digital and printed voter information guide is available, with the notice in 32-point font as a separate insert. The Chief Election Officer said the insert would cost about $90,000 and asked for an effective date of January 1, 2027 because mailing preparations for the primary would already be underway. The Disability and Communications Access Board, League of Women Voters, National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii, and others supported the bill. The committee also began hearing SB 2461, which would have the Office of Elections prepare a questionnaire for candidates and publish responses online and in the voter guide; the Chief Election Officer said the office did not think it should be the agency to shape campaign questions, though he said it could work if the questions were specified in statute. Finally, the committee heard SB 2457, which would require a criminal conviction before seized property could be forfeited. The Attorney General and Honolulu Police Department opposed the bill, arguing it would prolong cases, increase storage costs, and make forfeiture less effective against crime, especially where owners flee, die, or hide assets through shell companies. The Public Defender strongly supported the measure, saying forfeiture should be tied to convictions and that people challenging forfeiture often lack counsel. The Honolulu Prosecutor also opposed the bill, but said it supported transparency, due process, and even a right to counsel; it argued conviction-only forfeiture would fail in cases involving fugitives, deceased suspects, or hidden ownership structures. The committee questioned what would happen to property if an owner could not be found, and the prosecutor said the outcome would depend on the type of property and could involve abandonment or interpleader proceedings.

Transcript Highlights:

• , fire codes.
• </c><00:24:34.080><c> Uh</c><00:24:34.400><c> if</c> are building codes, fire codes.
• Uh if are building codes, fire codes.
• Amending the state building code to allow, or to reduce costs associated with high building code mandates
• </c> with that except to send out the code with that except to send out the code enforcer.<01:01:29.280

Summary: The committee approved the minutes from its June 4, 2025 meeting and then heard a series of presentations focused largely on housing and land-use policy. Senator Robbie Mills and Representative Josh Bray discussed two 2025 housing measures: Senate Bill 50, which would create residential infrastructure development districts to help local governments finance infrastructure for new housing developments through special assessments and local debt, and House Bill 7, which would let local governments identify development areas and rebate new property tax revenue to developers as an incentive for housing growth. They said Kentucky faces a statewide housing shortage of roughly 210,000 units, projected to grow if building patterns do not change, and argued that regulatory relief and financing tools are needed to increase supply. Representative Rebecca Rymer presented House Bill 371, which would require local permitting when an industry’s residual waste landfill is located in a different county from the industry itself. She said current law lets such landfills bypass local review, leaving host counties with no say despite road impacts and other local burdens. She said the bill would preserve the existing exemption when the landfill and industry are co-located, and noted support from KLC and KO. Representative Steve Doan also described House Bill 806, a statewide backyard chicken bill that would allow domesticated hens, prohibit roosters, set a minimum of six hens that local governments could not go below, and preserve local authority over setbacks, sanitation, maintenance standards, and egg sales. He said it would override outright local bans but not HOA restrictions, and cited a current Northern Kentucky dispute and ADA litigation as reasons for the proposal. The committee then heard a broader discussion on housing and land use from Charlie Gardner of the Mercatus Center and Nolan Gray of California YIMBY and the Bluegrass Institute. They outlined categories of land-use regulation, described the recent growth of state-level housing reforms nationwide, and cited examples such as ADU legalization, smaller lot sizes, reduced parking minimums, streamlined permitting, and single-stair or other building-code reforms. They argued that housing shortages are a statewide concern, that localities often have incentives to block growth, and that state intervention can reduce costs and uncertainty without compromising health and safety. Members asked about the housing shortage estimate, the effect of red tape on safety and local authority, and how state reforms could be phased in; the presenters said reforms often include lead time, can be targeted to larger jurisdictions, and should focus on reducing time and cost while maintaining basic standards.

Transcript Highlights:

• So can a farmer buy treated seed in Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and bring it into the state, or does
• So can I can a farmer buy treated seed So can I can a farmer buy treated seed and<00:36:54.480><c> Iowa
• ,</c> and Iowa, and Iowa, Wisconsin,<00:36:57.599><c> South</c><00:36:57.839><c> Dakota</c><00:36:58.960

Transcript Highlights:

• filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October of 2024, leaving 1.3 million broiler chickens across 14 Iowa
• farms and more across Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
• farms</c><00:03:21.680><c> and</c><00:03:21.800><c> more</c><00:03:22.240><c> across</c> across 14 Iowa
• farms and more across across 14 Iowa farms and more across Iowa<00:03:23.360><c> Minnesota</c><00:03
• </c> Iowa Minnesota and Wisconsin. Iowa Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Bills: HF4740 , HF3940

Committee: House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• I went to a private school in Iowa, Drake University, that has a Board of Trustees that is primarily
• I went to a private school in Iowa, Drake University, that has a Board of Trustees that is primarily
• I went to a private school in Iowa, Drake University, that has a Board of Trustees that is primarily
• I went to a private school in Iowa, Drake University, that has a Board of Trustees that is primarily
• I went to a private school in Iowa, Drake University, that has a Board of Trustees that is primarily

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, Chair Davids, would you like to move the amendment coded A25-000075?
• Next, we will move the author's amendment coded A1.
• Uh, Chair Davids, would you like to move the amendment coded A1? So move, Chair Norris.
• Iowa has no limit on their refundability. We're hoping that the 25% stays in.
• Uh Iowa has no limit on their 25%.

Bills: HF2730 , HF2257 , HF2768 , HF1932 , HF2437

Committee: House Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• this is really a bill I passed either last year or the year before last, making sure that the exit codes
• Instead of saying changing an exit code assigned to a student in a school system, I'm putting assigning
• an exit code to a student that differs from the exit code assigned.
• I've had to deal with some exit code issues in the past.
• So can you give me an example of what kind of code someone may need to have reassigned or corrected?

Bills: HR175 , HCR81 , SB105 , SB290 , SB304 , SB374 , SB522

Committee: House Education

Keywords: TOPS, education funding, workforce development, postsecondary education, Louisiana Works, tech training, declining enrollment, public schools, school districts, Louisiana Department of Education, state superintendent, school closures, budget cuts, teacher layoffs, school consolidation, education policy, enrollment decline, birth rates, migration, private schools

Transcript Highlights:

• And so they have a hefty code enforcement folks at the city hall.
• We're writing code violations because nobody's mowing it.
• </c> And so they have a hefty code And so they have a hefty code enforcement enforcement enforcement
• We're writing code on this property.
• all day truck writing code enforcements all day long. long. long.

Bills: SB32 , HB404 , SB105 , SB32 , HB404 , SB105

Committee: House County and Municipal Government

Keywords: machinegun, enhanced sentencing, homicide, manslaughter, assault, public safety, HB404, Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering, cosmetology, barbering, makeup artist, makeup application, lash artist, brow artist, lash/brow permit, esthetician, salon licensing, studio licensing, mobile salon, mobile studio

Transcript Highlights:

• So, when my dad gets a verification code texted to his phone, he starts yelling the number out over and
• Meanwhile, the button to autofill the code is sitting right there on the same screen, quietly judging
• We do have an amendment, our code 380980, which is functionally a strike-all.
• Last year the bill just updated the federal reference to the federal tax code from January 1, 2024 to
• Bar code 802316 by Senator Grail. Senator Bruterman? Senator Broder. Senator Burtman?

Bills: S0006 , S0026 , S0206 , S0532 , S0576 , S1012 , S1110 , S1178 , S1192 , S1758 , S1760 , S7046 , S7048

Committee: Senate Appropriations

Keywords: child welfare, negligence, settlement, injury compensation, Department of Children and Families, motorcycle accident, compensation, Department of Transportation, legal claim, autism, autism spectrum disorder, ASD, special education, exceptional student education, ESE, teacher preparation, educator certification, micro-credential, loan forgiveness, student loan repayment

Bills: SB1636 , SB1584 , SB1730 , SB1255 , SB1627 , SB137 , SB2062 , SB1470 , SB1284

Committee: Senate Public Safety

Keywords: cold case, unsolved homicide, violent crime, case file review, law enforcement, police records, victim family, immediate family member, designated person, forensic testing, witness reinterview, investigative leads, cold case unit, unsolved murder, public safety, Title 21, Oklahoma statutes, sexual assault, evidence kits, DNA testing

Bills: HB4260 , HB2981 , HB3695 , HB2960 , HB3967 , HB3968 , HB4339 , HB4341 , HB4342 , HB2940 , HB4295 , HB4196 , HB3134 , HB1016

Committee: House Civil Judiciary

Keywords: workers' compensation, first responders, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, health presumption, emergency services, firefighters, peace officers, emergency medical technicians, open meetings, school boards, transparency, public access, education governance, HB3695, Oklahoma, motor vehicles, personal injury accident, traffic offense, DUI

Transcript Highlights:

• subcategory of the unincorporated nonprofit associations in Alabama business and nonprofit entities code
• 22:54.880><c> and</c><00:22:55.120><c> nonprofit</c><00:22:55.600><c> entities</c><00:22:56.080><c> code
• </c><00:22:56.880><c> and</c> business and nonprofit entities code and business and nonprofit entities
• code and securities<00:22:57.760><c> commission</c><00:22:58.159><c> and</c><00:22:58.320><c> secretary

Bills: HB168 , HB220 , SB187 , SB270 , SB265 , SB220 , SB242 , SB277

Committee: Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development

Keywords: loitering, mask policies, school safety, crime prevention, public health, board appointments, governor authority, multi-member boards, state governance, legislative authority, Alabama Business and Nonprofit Entities Code, Title 10A, corporate governance, nonprofit governance, business corporations, nonprofit corporations, LLC, limited liability company, partnership, limited partnership

Bills: HB187 , HB98 , HB360 , HB394 , HB398 , HB388 , HB187 , HB98 , HB360 , HB394 , HB398 , HB388

Committee: House Ways and Means Education

Keywords: school safety, emergency response, training, public safety, Alyssa's Law, law enforcement, scholarship, tuition assistance, dependent education, Alabama, blackout license plate, HB360, Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday, sales tax holiday, firearms, guns, ammunition, bullets, primers, gun accessories

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill also makes technical updates to existing tax code language.
• The bill also makes technical updates to existing tax code language.

Bills: HB187 , HB341 , HB4 , HB175 , HB326 , HB187 , HB341 , HB4 , HB175 , HB326

Committee: House Ways and Means Education

Keywords: HB187, court fees, docket fee, sheriff's fund, sheriff's office, jail operations, law enforcement, county sheriff, court filing fees, Alabama Code 12-19-312, solicitor's fund, clerk's fund, forensic services trust fund, budget flexibility, public safety, municipal court, district court, circuit court, cosmetology, makeup application