Transcript Highlights:

• I spent about four months, or more than 100 hours, compiling and refining my own portfolio.
• I spent about four months, or more than 100 hours, compiling and refining my own portfolio.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Expanding statutory definitions or imposing mandates without clarity of purpose risks overregulation

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , and you will have data, right, that results from every individual patient that then is sort of compiled
• These changes will clean up some of the statutory loose ends to make the new law easier for innovators
• loose ends to make some of the statutory loose ends to make the<02:08:34.639> new<02:08:34.800
• I'm just asking if what this bill refers back to, which isn't explicitly in the bill, it's by statutory
• reference, is a disease or by statutory reference, is a disease or condition<02:53:35.040> that

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• not to repeat any of Ben's excellent presentation because I took a lot from the ADL's website and compiled

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Special Commission on Anti-Semitism met to focus on the role of law enforcement in responding to anti-Semitic incidents. After approving amended minutes, the chair opened with remarks emphasizing that the Commission would confront anti-Semitism from any political direction and outlined the day’s agenda: extremist activity trends, hate-crime statutes, intergovernmental coordination, and security funding. The first presentation came from Ben Pott of the ADL Center on Extremism, who described rising extremist propaganda and anti-Semitic incidents nationally and in Massachusetts, highlighting groups such as NSC-131, GDL, and Patriot Front. He said these groups increasingly use anti-Zionist language, public disruptions, and online platforms to spread hate, and recommended prosecution where possible, civil litigation, education about symbols and tactics, and community reporting to law enforcement and ADL. Assistant District Attorney David Solvin then reviewed federal and Massachusetts hate-crime laws, including federal civil-rights and hate-crime statutes and state provisions for civil-rights violations, assault and battery to intimidate, religious vandalism, terroristic threats, and criminal harassment. He explained that many of these laws enhance penalties based on bias motivation, but some do not create standalone offenses or qualify as dangerousness predicates under current law. Commissioners pressed him on hypothetical fact patterns involving anti-Semitic slurs, symbols, and attacks, as well as on the limits of existing law for pretrial detention and the need for better data collection. Solvin said more training, better reporting, and possible legislative updates could improve enforcement, and he noted pending bills that would require more regular hate-crime reporting and expand protected classes. Detective Lieutenant Ryan Cepiel of the State Police Anti-Terrorism Unit and HART described the unit’s creation in 2023, its role in implementing prior hate-crime task force recommendations, and its work with local, state, federal, and community partners. He said HART has trained civil-rights officers, developed recruit and in-service curricula, created resource pamphlets and a Teams page, and is building a GIS-based reporting portal to improve tracking and victim support. Cepiel reported a year-over-year rise in reported anti-Semitic hate crimes in Massachusetts, while noting that current numbers are incomplete because reporting is inconsistent and there is no mandate for local departments to notify HART. Commissioners discussed underreporting, rural versus eastern Massachusetts coverage, the need for more officers and training, and the importance of making victims feel safe coming forward. The meeting ended with agreement that better data, training, and coordination are needed to address the rise in anti-Semitic hate and bias incidents.

Transcript Highlights:

• these pro se claimants to be able— How are we going to expect these pro se claimants to be able to compile

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up Senate Bill 408 by Senator Myers, a workers’ compensation overhaul creating an all-claims medical database, requiring electronic reporting and billing, and setting up confidentiality, rulemaking, and penalties. Senator Myers said the bill was meant to modernize a paper-based system, speed injured workers back to care and work, reduce disputes through a more predictable fee schedule, address outliers and abuse, and generate reliable data for future fee-schedule decisions. Representative Melarine then offered a large amendment package combining portions of House Bills 780 and 1101 into SB 408, adding preliminary-determination procedures, changes to benefit durations, fraud language, and a deadline for the department to establish a fee schedule if no agreement is reached. Supporters said the package would create a more complete reform; opponents argued the additions were rushed, not germane, and would harm injured workers, especially those without lawyers, by adding technical filing burdens and stricter fraud consequences. After debate, the committee adopted the amendment package, then adopted a follow-up amendment removing the word “potential” from a fines provision and deleting the fraud section, and finally reported SB 408 with amendments on a divided vote. Testimony on SB 408 was sharply split. Proponents, including Alton Ashy and Trey Mustian, argued the bill’s transparency and data-collection provisions were the most important part, that the system needs a modern fee schedule, and that the added reforms would help control costs and speed payment. Opponents, including Shannon Lindsay and another injured-worker advocate, said the original bill was a good compromise but the added provisions changed its character and would disadvantage pro se claimants, remove materiality from fraud law, and reduce benefits for seriously injured workers. Committee members also questioned the timeline for the database and fee schedule, the effect of historical data gaps, and whether the reforms would help employers and injured workers alike. The committee ultimately agreed the bill still contained its core goals of faster care, predictable fees, anti-abuse measures, and modernization. The committee then moved to House Bill 585 by Representative Chasson, a workplace-violence/safety measure for small-box discount retailers. Chasson explained that the bill had been narrowed to require retailers to submit an existing written workforce safety plan, or develop one if they do not already have one, with no penalties attached. The committee adopted a substitute bill incorporating prior amendments. Representative Glorioso noted continuing concerns about civil-liability implications and the duty to protect against third-party criminal acts, but the bill was advanced from committee after the substitute was adopted.

Transcript Highlights:

• want to thank this team, which has put in a significant amount of hours over the last two months to compile

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair Black asked for what sort of guardrails are you seeing out at other states or systems, and compiled

Summary: The committee met at Dakota College at Bottineau, approved the January 15, 2026 minutes, and heard an extensive campus update from Dean Corey Gorder and other DCB leaders. Gorder described the college’s affiliation with Minot State and its growing use of shared services, including business office functions, HR, institutional research, Title IX, printing, financial aid support through UND, and payroll support through NDSU. He said the arrangement lets DCB focus on its core mission while relying on system partners for specialized administrative work, and noted that accreditation concerns were not believed to limit those shared-service arrangements. He also highlighted DCB’s mission, enrollment growth, dual-credit reach across rural schools, and the college’s emphasis on nursing, dental, paramedic, farm management, and other workforce-oriented programs. Committee members asked detailed questions about dual credit, program delivery, and whether DCB’s partnerships were exclusive. Gorder said the relationships are generally collaborative rather than exclusive, that schools can choose other providers, and that many partnerships began through personal outreach and ongoing relationships with rural schools. Lisa Johnson of the university system added that transfer complaints are rare and that dual credit generally transfers well within North Dakota, though highly selective out-of-state institutions may treat credits differently. Members also asked about stipends for high school instructors, the share of K-12 versus DCB instructors, and the capacity limits in dental hygiene and other programs. Gorder said dental hygiene is capped by space and staffing, that there were more applicants than seats, and that expansion is being considered; he also said he would provide follow-up information on the paramedic program and instructor breakdowns. Gorder closed by identifying long-term challenges, including aging residence halls, recruiting faculty and staff, and the need to review low-enrollment programs. He said DCB should consider expanding into more high-demand trades such as welding, HVAC, and electrical work, and should streamline dual credit and strengthen its Minot programming. The committee then heard from the North Dakota Student Association, whose leaders outlined student priorities from the last session and the interim. Their main concerns included campus housing quality and affordability, food insecurity and food pantries, mental and physical health resources, student-led research funding, academic and career readiness, internships, and campus collaboration. They also discussed dual credit, saying it is valuable but uneven across the state, and raised questions about how to better retain students in North Dakota through the system. Members asked follow-up questions about housing, transferability of dual credit, and whether incentives could be used to encourage students to stay in-state for higher education.

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, our first cohort compiled and completed research in order to figure out what students needed in

Bills: SB342, HB379, HB326, HB233, HB388, SB342, HB379, HB326, HB233, HB388

Keywords: land bank, land bank authority, local land bank authority, Alabama Land Bank Authority, tax delinquent property, tax sale, tax lien, redemption period, quiet title, blight remediation, vacant property, foreclosure, ad valorem tax, property tax exemption, intergovernmental agreement, county government, municipal government, redevelopment, brownfields, floodplain management

Transcript Highlights:

• policies and procedures, to adopt and promulgate rules for the OCA office, operate a toll-free hotline, compile

Transcript Highlights:

• prior authorization exemption activity by insurer, provider type, and service, and directs TDI to compile

Bills: SB227, SB269, SB407, SB463, SB527, SB547, SB1283, SB1380, SB1383, SB1511, SB1640, SB1784, SB2069

Keywords: school funding, education reform, state budget, property taxes, equity in education, healthcare policy, vaccines, exemptions, religious beliefs, public health, workplace violence, healthcare facilities, definition expansion, safety regulations, health and safety code, health insurance, anesthesia, pediatric dental services, coverage, medical necessity

Summary: The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services met with several members initially absent, then later established a quorum. The committee heard multiple bills, with most testimony focusing on access to care, insurance practices, senior safety, and health care worker protections. Several bills were laid out with committee substitutes, and public testimony was limited to two minutes per witness. Most bills were left pending after testimony, with no final votes taken in the portion provided. Senate Bill 2069 would create a work group to study the feasibility of a statewide acute psychiatric bed registry; the substitute shifts appointment authority to the Health and Human Services Commissioner and extends reporting and sunset dates. Senate Bill 463 would expand workplace violence protections to additional hospice, home and community support, intermediate care, and state-supported living center settings. Senate Bill 1283 would require background checks and transparency measures for senior retirement communities after testimony about the Dallas-area serial killings of elderly residents. Senate Bill 1784 would require 60 days’ written notice before medical debt is sent to collections. Senate Bill 527 would require medical insurance coverage for general anesthesia for medically necessary pediatric dental procedures for children under 13 with qualifying conditions; pediatric dentists testified that denials delay needed care. A major portion of the meeting centered on prior authorization. Senate Bill 1380 would eliminate prior authorization for a broad list of services, including emergency, primary, mental health, substance use, chemotherapy, preventive, pediatric hospice, and certain chronic-condition care. Physicians and hospice advocates supported the bill, describing delays, administrative burden, and patient harm, while health plans opposed blanket exemptions and argued prior authorization helps prevent unnecessary care and control costs. Relatedly, Senate Bill 547 would require insurers to report gold-card prior authorization exemptions to TDI and create a centralized database and annual report; TMA supported better tracking, while health plans warned of duplicative reporting and administrative cost. Senate Bill 407 would require health care facilities to honor conscience- and religion-based vaccine exemptions for employees, with testimony from a physician and vaccine-choice advocate supporting the bill. The committee also heard Senate Bill 1383, which would regulate senior living referral agencies, allow more flexible compensation structures, and add disclosure and consumer protections; an out-of-state referral company and A Place for Mom supported it. Senate Bill 1511 would allow freestanding emergency centers to provide outpatient services in addition to emergency care, with consumer protections such as estimates, limits on facility fees, and restrictions on balance billing. The chair repeatedly announced that bills were being left pending after testimony, and no final committee action or recorded votes were taken in the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• I tried compiling a list of every complication and side effect that I had. ...experienced due to gender-related

Bills: HB778, HB 1266, HB1576, HB2213, HB2517, HB2518, HB2841, HB3306, HB3320, HB3388, HB3508, HB3520, HB3689

Keywords: credentialing, healthcare, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, managed care, hurricane, windstorm, loss mitigation, grants, insurance discounts, property retrofitting, insurance, Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, board composition, coastal counties, property insurance, taxation, Texas FAIR Plan Association, premium taxes, maintenance taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• other procedures for conservancy district elections, defining terms, and providing procedures for compiling

Transcript Highlights:

• And it looks like it was compiled from that.
• <00:48:39.840> like<00:48:40.280> it<00:48:40.400> was<00:48:40.520> compiled
• <00:48:41.080> from And it looks like it was compiled from And it looks like it was compiled

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• maintenance management system, otherwise known as a CMMS, which is going to allow us to be able to compile
• to<02:24:11.359> be<02:24:11.520> able<02:24:11.680> to<02:24:11.840> compile
• <02:24:12.399> all<02:24:12.720> of<02:24:12.880> the us to be able to compile
• all of the us to be able to compile all of the information<02:24:13.600> on<02:24:14.080>

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm going to come in with some tracking sheets just to kind of compile everything you've kind of heard
• just<05:13:04.480> to<05:13:04.638> kind<05:13:04.718> of<05:13:05.000> compile
• sheets just to kind of compile sheets just to kind of compile everything<05:13:05.680> you've

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Finance Division II committee heard a Department of Education budget presentation from Commissioner Frank Edelblut and CFO Tammy Valen-cour. The department outlined its organizational structure and emphasized that it functions largely as a flow-through agency for school funding. The commissioner reviewed general fund and Education Trust Fund items, including state aid, dropout prevention, special education, building aid, lease aid, charter schools, Education Freedom Accounts, and the district adequacy calculation. He also highlighted the public school infrastructure fund, saying the state has invested well over $50 million in school safety since 2018 for measures such as access controls, locks, and window film, and argued that safety spending should be ongoing rather than reactive. Members asked about the variability in the school infrastructure line, special education aid, and the Discovery Education learning platform. Edelblut explained that some safety funding had come from one-time surplus appropriations rather than the agency line, and said special education aid was underappropriated because districts submitted more invoices than expected; he said the governor added $16 million to address the shortfall. He also described CTE renovation funding, noting four projects were initially proposed but only Jaffrey and Milford were still moving forward, with local votes required and the state covering 75% of costs. He said Milford’s project was omitted from the governor’s budget by oversight. The department also reviewed enrollment trends, noting public school enrollment has fallen from about 230,000 students in 2002 to about 185,000 today. Edelblut clarified that charter students are not eligible for Education Freedom Accounts, while EFA students attending non-public schools are counted as EFA students. He described several one-time surplus-funded initiatives, including Student Clearinghouse, MTSSB work, civics curriculum development, computer science education, and adult education. He also discussed a $4 million CTE tuition and transportation grant, saying it was kept as a competitive grant rather than a formula grant to avoid creating an ongoing maintenance-of-effort commitment that could jeopardize federal Perkins funding. In the final portion, Edelblut identified prioritized needs in the department’s budget, especially funding for a state administrator for assessment to support the legislatively required civics assessment, and additional support for the Discovery Education platform. He said every school in the state is using the platform and cited more than 1.5 million educator engagements, while a member raised concerns about mixed reviews and uneven district awareness of the program. No votes or formal actions were taken during the presentation and question period.

Transcript Highlights:

• do them again for the next six because then you don't have to go and print them one at a time and compile
• at<00:25:41.399> a<00:25:41.559> time<00:25:41.760> and<00:25:42.080> compile
• print them one at a time and compile print them one at a time and compile them<00:25:42.880>

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting was an orientation for the Resources, Recreation and Development Committee, led by Chair Bob Harb. He reviewed committee procedures, including pink cards for witnesses, blue sheets for counts, use of drawers in the committee room, scheduling practices, and how bills would be posted and distributed. Members briefly introduced themselves and explained why they wanted to serve on the committee, with several citing interests in conservation, water quality, outdoor recreation, land use, and related local issues. The committee then opened a hearing on HB 1113, relative to OHRV operation on certain highways within the town of Windsor. Representative Ré Colcombe, the sponsor, explained that the bill would allow local OHV/UTV access across a short section of state road in Windsor so residents on divided portions of town could travel legally between areas. He said the town selectmen were already allowing OHRV use on town roads, the route was paved, traffic impacts were expected to be minimal, and local police had no objections. He also said the town would hold public hearings and notify abutters as required, and that if the select board ultimately opposed the proposal he would recommend killing the bill. Members asked about the legal authority for the change, speed limits, traffic volume, winter maintenance, and whether the Department of Transportation or select board had to approve the route. Colcombe said the town must hold a public hearing and that the change would need to be incorporated into RSA 258:10, section 4. He said the road is maintained by the town in winter and by the state in summer. An opponent, Anne Davis, testified that she opposed the bill, saying ATV use should be treated as a tool for forest management rather than recreation, that law enforcement capacity in Windsor was a concern, and that she believed affected residents should be fully notified before any approval. No vote or final action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• seems to me that on line 11 and subsequent mentions of protected class, there should be some sort of statutory
• I have a question about whether or not, through survey data you may have compiled over the years, do
• I have a question about whether or not, through survey data you may have compiled over the years, do

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up HB 662, which would require discussion of abortion procedures and the viewing of certain videos in public school health education. Members argued the bill went too far by naming specific videos and involving the Attorney General in enforcement, and they said curriculum decisions should be left to educators. The committee voted ITL on HB 662 by a unanimous 18-0. The committee then considered HCR 6, a resolution calling for the removal of the superintendent of District 67. Members said the resolution targeted an individual and that the underlying dispute was already in court, so the matter should be left to the legal process. The motion to ITL passed 18-0. Next, HR 9, urging the Department of Education to emphasize STEM education, received broad support as a nonpartisan statement of priorities, and it also passed 18-0. HB 440, concerning educator licensing and shortages in Career and Technical Education, was amended to clarify that the bill applies to initial licensure only. After discussion about whether the amendment was necessary, the committee adopted Amendment 0188 unanimously and then voted OTPA on the bill as amended, 18-0. HB 222, which repealed the requirement for an MOU between charter schools and districts on services for students with disabilities, drew testimony that districts already provide substantial oversight through IEP processes and that the MOU requirement was burdensome and largely unenforced; the committee voted OTP 18-0. The committee then took up HB 719, which would repeal the right of first refusal for charter schools to purchase or lease unused district facilities. Supporters said the existing law had not generated complaints and could impede charter expansion, while opponents said the issue had not proven to be a problem and local control should be preserved. The committee voted ITL 17-1, with one member opposed and no minority report. The chair then postponed HB 184, a study committee bill on school start times, because it was scheduled for the next day, and the committee moved into a work session on bullying-related bills, discussing HB 108, HB 384, and HB 673 without taking final action in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• register to testify neutrally, as the purpose of these meetings is to gather information in order to compile
• I did want to mention that that may require a statutory change.
• to deal with that challenge of what do you do when a campus changes, that may actually require a statutory
• So I just wanted to flag for you that Texas currently has no statutory requirements for class size limits

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• 05:29.600> economic<00:05:30.160> entities The first area is the economic entities statutory
• It offers a review of the statutory authority, purposes, and duties of those entities.
• Number two is Nebraska's statutory requirement that mandates a performance review of the Nebraska Department
• So it's almost it's really kind of useless and we're just carrying around statutory language.
• we're just carrying around statutory we're just carrying around statutory language.<01:15:50.480

Keywords: 916, all