Transcript Highlights:

• Whether through road repairs, highway improvements, or ride services for seniors, students, and farm
• Repairs needed to keep our roads safe would be put on hold for who knows how long.
• When we talk about better roads, safe streets, it's easy to focus on miles of pavement, on dollars invested
• Measure C would leave a significant gap in local transportation funding beginning in 2027, affecting roads
• They are simply asking for the chance to vote and invest in safer roads, stronger transit, and greater

Committee: House Elections

Transcript Highlights:

• , just doing wear and tear on our roads without contributing to the road funds.
• So they will do road wear and tear.
• I would assume it's running a generator to assist it going down the road.
• They tear the roads up more, you get it? I mean, you know, we're not...
• We don't have enough money now to handle our roads and to give a break like this.

Bills: HB214 , HB217 , HB514 , HB593 , HB618 , HB732 , HB908 , HB961 , HB1010

Committee: Senate Revenue & Fiscal Affairs

Keywords: property tax, blighted properties, urban rehabilitation, tax exemption, local government, financial incentives, blighted property, derelict property, property tax exemption, local redevelopment plans, rehabilitation standards, ad valorem tax, community development, senior citizens, homestead exemption, Louisiana Constitution, motor vehicles, local fees, transaction fees, funding

Transcript Highlights:

• It may be the lives of older people like me who are on the road.
• , and that I'm safe on the roads.
• I'm the legislative coordinator for Freedom of Road Riders.
• I'm on the road a lot.
• I'm on the road with them. You're on the road with them. How did you get here? Usually you drove.

Committee: House Elementary and Secondary Education

Summary: The committee met in executive session first and took up House Bill 3239, adopting a Hurlbert amendment that capped the program at $4 million and then adopting the House Committee Substitute. The substitute bill passed 11-7. The committee then combined House Bill 2913 and House Bill 3228 into one substitute; members discussed that it would not cover student teachers and was intended to start with the current scope and broaden later. The combined substitute passed unanimously, 19-0. In open session, the committee heard House Bill 2195, which would create a Missouri Integrated Safe Driving Program to let DESE vet and distribute safe-driving lesson materials for voluntary use in existing courses starting in 2027-2028. Sponsor Representative Reedy said the bill is intended to improve teen driver safety without a fiscal note. Supporters included AAA Missouri, traffic-safety and motorcycle groups, MoDOT, and the Missouri Insurance Coalition, who cited teen crash and fatality data, the benefits of formal driver education, and the need to address distracted driving, traffic stops, and motorcycle awareness. No one testified in opposition. The committee also heard House Bill 2502, which would clarify how records from closed nonpublic schools and charter schools are transferred and stored so students can later obtain transcripts and graduation records. The sponsor said the bill responds to missing records from closed schools and would direct records to the appropriate public district; a technical correction was noted to avoid including homeschool records. Missouri NEA supported the bill and suggested charter-school performance contracts include compliance expectations. The committee then heard House Bill 2396, which would allow retired teachers to return to PSRS-covered teaching jobs without a time limit, similar to existing critical-shortage provisions. The sponsor argued it would help districts, especially smaller ones, and could benefit teachers and students without harming the retirement system. PSRS/PEERS testified that the bill could raise contribution rates by an estimated 1.44% to 2.45% and raised concerns about behavior changes and IRS qualification issues; Missouri NEA and the Missouri State Teachers Association opposed the bill, saying it would not solve recruitment and retention problems and could damage the retirement system. The Missouri Retired Teachers Association testified for informational purposes, warning that the bill could prompt many eligible teachers to retire sooner.

Transcript Highlights:

• As the infamous Belt and Road Initiative has come to Panama, China often engages in debt-trap diplomacy
• Panama became a member of the Belt and Road Initiative and ended its diplomatic relations with Taiwan
• So Panama was the very first Latin American country to join China's Belt and Road Initiative.
• It has been a part of their Belt and Road Strategy, whatever you want to call it, of the Maritime Silk
• Road for decades.

Committee: Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• So this is the road map for '24-'25.
• They’re in our road map.
• They’re in our road map.
• They’re in our road map.
• They’re in our road map.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• Maintenance of the roads and the streets and Elk County, we haven't seen that pop up to, I would say,
• Depending upon exactly what powers are there, but most template muds have road powers, so they not only
• They not only build those roads inside that subdivision, but they also maintain those roads inside the
• and then failed to maintain those roads.
• We got a road that's gonna be done before they get to phase.

Committee: House Intergovernmental Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• But the data really is, like, for us, for 911, we actually mark the center of the road so that we know
• when we place a structure on that road where exactly it is related to the road itself.
• So it's a point. ...on that road where exactly it is related to the road itself, so it's a point, double
• So if I know where the middle of the road is, I actually can tell you you can't go that way.

Committees: House Emerging Issues , House Emerging Issues and Professional Registration

Transcript Highlights:

• So that's why we're trying to focus... ...in place, roads and highways there.
• we've heard over the weekend of what this could do for our ability to continue to function for our road
• And so therefore, that will cost more and more for any road project or any right-of-way taking.
• Is the idea that we slow down so that we don't have as many road projects because we won't be able to
• That we slow down so that we don't have as many road projects because we won't be able to afford the

Committee: House A&B Transportation Subcommittee

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill makes a significant investment in our rural roads, both providing new funding for SCRAP and
• an updated arterial roads program, appropriately named the FARM program.
• Rural roads are vital to commerce.
• Rural roads are vital to commerce, whether it's moving goods to a port for international shipping or
• And increasing transportation funding and assisting in road improvements is going to do a whole lot in

Committee: Senate Community Affairs

Summary: The committee heard and advanced four bills. SB 110, by Senator Simon, proposed a broad rural communities package creating a state Office of Rural Prosperity, a Renaissance grant program for declining-population counties, higher SHIP housing allocations, new rural road funding, additional support for rural schools, and expanded rural health care resources. The bill drew extensive support from local officials, chambers of commerce, and rural advocates, with senators praising its local control and economic-development focus. It was reported favorably. The committee then considered SB 218, by Senator Arrington, which would increase the ad valorem tax exemption for disabled ex-service members or their surviving spouses from $5,000 to $10,000. An amendment was adopted clarifying that the change applies beginning with the 2026 tax roll. The bill, as amended, was reported favorably. Next, SB 384, by Senator Burton, would require written notice to each member of the local legislative delegation when a municipality annexes state-owned land, and it also clarified related annexation language. After a brief question about the amendment, the bill as amended was reported favorably. After a recess, the committee took up SB 68, presented by Senator Trumbull for Senator Martin. The bill would allow not-for-profit organizations such as hospitals to bond for debt service and related purposes, including construction and refinancing projects. With no amendments, no opposition, and no debate, SB 68 was reported favorably. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I would recommend, um, Chair, and it brought to mind the road that's in probably your district in West
• You remember when we needed to at least ask the military to open up that road along the mountainside.
• You remember when we needed to at least ask the military to open up that road along the mountainside.
• This bill is a needed bill as we're trying to make our roads that much safer.
• It clarifies the roads that much safer.

Bills: HB1752 , SB2053 , SB2494 , SB2851 , SB3073 , HB1678 , HB1721 , HB2475 , HB2246 , HB1667 , HB1516 , SB2532 , SB3131 , SB3154 , HB2297 , HB1737 , SB2143 , SB2398 , SB2623 , HB1740 , HB1920 , HB1682 , SB2153 , SB3140 , HB1515 , SB2835 , HB2282 , SB3083 , SB2031 , SB2519 , SB2667 , SB2140 , SB2544 , SB2069 , SB2697 , SB874 , SB2043 , SB888 , SB2721 , HB2152 , HB1334 , HB2385 , HB1643 , HB2314 , HB1688 , HB1692 , SB2568 , SB2983 , SB2108 , SB3136 , HB1959 , SB3156 , HB1511 , HB1753 , HB1824 , HB2137 , HB1810 , HB2279 , HB2309 , HB1548 , HB2078 , HB2293 , SB3262 , SB2169 , SB2607 , SB2964 , SB3255 , HB2576 , HB1481 , HB1864 , HB1550 , SB2818 , SB3067 , SB2061 , HB1728 , HB1881 , HB2361 , HB2395 , HB1823 , SB2050 , SB2397 , SB2876 , SB2175 , SB2852 , SB847 , SB3001

Transcript Highlights:

• If you're watching a rear camera and you're going down the road 70 miles an hour, I think that is the
• Furthermore, many of our roads remain unpaved, and when it rains or snows, they become impassable.
• We have elders that need to come out of the mud, the muddy roads, to get to locations.
• We have elders that need to come out of the mud, the muddy roads, to get to locations.
• And so when those Chinle, there was a line out the door down the road.

Summary: The Judiciary and Elections Committee approved the minutes from February 18, February 20, and March 4, 2026, then took up several measures while holding others in reserve. House Bill 2006, which would require counties without a USPS processing and distribution center to mail printed sample ballots 14 days before an election instead of 11, received support from the Association of Counties and passed on a 7-0 vote. House Bill 2167, which would impose liability on the Attorney General for certain public nuisance or consumer fraud actions that are dismissed or found meritless, drew opposition from some members who said it would interfere with the AG’s work, but it passed 4-3. The committee also discussed House Bill 2109, a hands-free driving bill that would increase penalties and expand the prohibition to watching or streaming video on a device; after extensive testimony and concerns about vagueness, dash cameras, CarPlay, navigation, and other in-car systems, the chair held the bill without prejudice for stakeholder discussions. The committee then heard House Concurrent Resolution 2016, which would send to voters a proposal to eliminate county vote centers and on-site early voting and require precinct-based polling places with a 2,500-voter cap per precinct. Testimony from voting rights groups, county officials, and rural and tribal representatives strongly opposed the measure, citing higher costs, more provisional ballots, longer lines, delayed results, and reduced access for voters in rural areas and on the Navajo Nation. County representatives asked for a delayed effective date, funding, a higher precinct cap, and a fallback option if precinct sites cannot be secured. After hearing the testimony, the chair announced the resolution would be held without prejudice until the following week to allow further stakeholder discussions with the sponsor.

Transcript Highlights:

• Has it changed any goals or anything that you want to do down the road?
• We've got some snow on the road, so we just say be careful, and we'll see you soon.
• All road cooperators and cost share partners were also notified by email.
• It has access to over 2,000 miles of roads and trails. It has 24 rentable rooms in it.
• It's a public road through it.

Committee: Senate Resources and Environment

Transcript Highlights:

• The crews, the Olympic crews, began constructing roads to the impacted areas to facilitate excavations
• And so trucks that normally you see going up and down the road normally have gas and diesel in them.
• So most of the tanker trucks on the road are in gas and diesel service, we would call it.
• They are our first responders when we close a road or have damage to a facility.
• We had the road open on January 7th, mainly just a stabilization effort.

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• The crews began constructing roads to the impacted areas to facilitate excavations and soil removal.
• We still are having access-related issues because we built all of the roads and had the matting to get
• So most of the tanker trucks on the road are in gas and diesel service, we would call it.
• They are our first responders when we close a road or have damage to a facility.
• We had the road open on January 7th, mainly just a stabilization effort.

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met on January 20, 2006, for two work sessions focused first on aircraft fuel pipeline resiliency and then on flooding impacts to the state highway system. On the fuel topic, BP and Olympic Pipeline described the pipeline system serving Washington and Oregon, its regulatory oversight, inspection and leak-detection programs, and the November 11 Mile Post 78 release near Everett. Witnesses said the leak was initially too small for the system to detect, was found by a farm worker, and led to shutdowns, excavation, soil removal, and repairs while the site later faced flooding that complicated access but did not stop both lines from remaining operational. Committee members questioned why the leak was not detected sooner, how much fuel was released, and what safeguards exist for future environmental protection. BP also described emergency response and recovery efforts, including trucked fuel deliveries to Sea-Tac and coordination with refineries and Canadian partners. The Port of Seattle and Alaska Airlines explained the airport response, including expanded truck offloading capacity, fire and police support, communication with airlines and other airports, reduced fuel use, and the impact on flights. Tim Zenk of Earth Finance argued that Washington’s fuel system lacks redundancy and that regional renewable fuels production and storage, including sustainable aviation fuel, could improve resilience; he suggested a regional goal of producing at least 33% of fuels locally. The committee then heard from WSDOT on the December flooding and storm damage. Emergency manager John Hemel and Olympic Regional Administrator Steve Rourke described statewide emergency operations, use of WebEOC tracking, and efforts to secure FEMA and FHWA funding. They said the state EOC was activated for 10 days, four regional EOCs were activated, and more than 100 sites were impacted. WSDOT reported roughly 50 emergency work sites, about 16 emergency contracts, and a preliminary damage estimate of $40 million to $50 million. They reviewed major repairs on US 2, I-90, SR 12, SR 410, SR 542, and US 101, noting that some roads reopened quickly with temporary fixes while others would require later permanent work and environmental permitting. Members asked about the 30-working-day emergency contracting authority, federal reimbursement, and whether emergency response contracting methods could be used to speed ordinary projects. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• , sort of a quasi-private road, and contiguous, bifurcated by that, to a parking lot right across the
• It's not sending our veterans down the road with a felony. They don't want to commit a crime.
• Our veterans down the road with a felony. They don't want to commit a crime. I know they don't.
• . ...and the substantial impact that would come to the cost shift and lower our ability to pay for road
• This is a work product that is the fourth year that we have been down this road and trying to make it

Committee: Senate Regulated Industries

Summary: The Committee on Regulated Industries heard and advanced several bills, with the most extensive discussion centered on condominium issues, gambling enforcement, and public safety. CS/SB 592 on the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program was amended to clarify the three-story eligibility threshold and to add sliding glass door wind-driven rain mitigation devices as an eligible improvement. A late-filed amendment to appropriate $500 million for the program failed on a 3-4 roll call vote, and the bill was then reported favorably. Members also took up CS/SB 1742, a broad condominium and cooperative association reform bill, which would give associations more flexibility on reserves after milestone inspections, require substitute budgets over certain spending increases, improve disclosure and conflict-of-interest rules, expand data collection, and extend some disclosure rescission periods; the committee adopted an amendment and reported the bill favorably. The committee also approved CS/SB 622 on pari-mutuel permit leasing, as amended to allow leasing to same-class permit holders or Hialeah permit holders and to make related wagering licenses discretionary rather than automatic. SB 1404 on illegal gambling was reported favorably after amendments allowing veterans organizations to seek declaratory rulings on machine compliance and adding ethics/revolving-door restrictions for Gaming Commission personnel; a late amendment concerning a Miami casino property was withdrawn. Testimony on that bill came from prosecutors, the Gaming Control Commission, veterans groups, and amusement machine operators, with supporters emphasizing organized crime enforcement and opponents seeking clearer definitions and compliance guidance. On public safety and infrastructure, SB 1682 to include 911 dispatchers in the definition of first responder was reported favorably with strong support from dispatchers and committee members. SB 818 on utility relocation and SB 1228 on spring restoration were also reported favorably, with counties opposing the utility bill as a taxpayer cost shift. SB 948 on flood disclosures for rental properties and condominium sales/rentals was reported favorably after support from environmental and flood advocacy groups. The committee also heard SB 604 on residential pool safety requirements, but the chair temporarily postponed it after concerns were raised about how the inspection requirement would work in cash transactions and whether it would require permits or delay closings.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know some of you drove in this morning, and I'm glad you're here safe because I heard the roads were
• That are tied to state funding, with roads being the most impacted.
• So the road levies Denell was referring to were approved by the voters two election cycles ago.
• We've got road funds, extension funds.
• I see some problems down the road with that, and I don't know what that Down the road with that, and

Summary: The committee met to continue its tax reform and relief study agenda, approved the December 3, 2025 minutes, and announced a new subcommittee to examine property tax statement issues with counties, auditors, and the tax office. Representative Headland was named chair, Senator Rummel vice chair, and Representatives Dressler and Dr. Dr. and Senator Patton were also assigned. The chair noted the group may need an additional meeting and thanked staff and attendees. A major portion of the meeting focused on economic development incentives. The Department of Commerce presented on the Renaissance Zone program and TIF districts, describing Renaissance Zones as locally tailored tools that combine local property tax relief with state income tax incentives. Commerce said the program has supported thousands of projects since 1999 and cited examples from Beach and Mandan showing increases in property and taxable value, business retention, housing, and downtown revitalization. Committee members raised concerns that smaller rural communities often lack the staff and expertise to apply, and Commerce said it provides outreach through conferences, office hours, and one-on-one assistance. League of Cities and local officials from Bismarck and Ellendale echoed the capacity issue, discussed how the programs have worked in their communities, and suggested possible reforms or more targeted support for small towns. Ellendale’s mayor also described two TIF districts, one for industrial infrastructure in Oaks and one for housing infrastructure tied to a data center project in Ellendale. The committee then turned to stripper oil taxation. The Tax Department gave a comparison of oil and gas tax structures in selected states, noting that most have some form of stripper or marginal well provision, while Alaska does not appear to have a specific stripper-well exemption. Members asked for more detail on definitions and North Dakota’s annual adjusted rate. The Department of Mineral Resources followed with a detailed presentation on North Dakota stripper wells, explaining the statutory thresholds, the 12-consecutive-month production test, and the fact that once a well qualifies it remains on stripper status even if production later rises. DMR said about 11,332 stripper wells are active, representing roughly 54% of wells and about 16% of state production, and emphasized that stripper status can extend well life, preserve tax revenue, and reduce orphaned wells. Committee members and industry witnesses discussed refracs, the economics of keeping marginal wells active, and the competitive disadvantage created by North Dakota’s oil price discount. No votes were taken on these informational items.

Transcript Highlights:

• I rise in support of HR 6644, the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, the 21st Century Road to Housing
• The 21st Century Road to Housing Act is...
• The 21st Century Road to Housing Act is an important step in that direction.
• Speaker, I rise in strong support of the 21st Century Road to Housing Act.
• And the 21st Century Road to Housing Act does exactly that.

Bills: HB2323 , HB6644 , SB629 , HB8882 , HB8881 , HB8880 , HB8879 , HB4238 , HR915 , HR826 , HB7401 , HB7396

Keywords: Big Bend National Park, land acquisition, boundary adjustment, Secretary of the Interior, conservation, housing, affordability, institutional investors, vacant properties, grants, homeownership, urban development, Holodomor, Ukraine famine, 1932-1933 famine, genocide recognition, Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, collectivization, grain confiscation

Transcript Highlights:

• You're going to be out there doing work on a road or bridge anyways.
• We're not talking about trains, roads, or something else right now.
• We're not talking about trains, roads, or something else right now.
• roads.
• really responded to the term 'fixing roads and bridges.'

Committee: Joint Joint Transportation Committee

Summary: The committee first heard a presentation from WSDOT on balancing uncertainty in capital program estimates and cash flow management. WSDOT explained the differences between design-bid-build and design-build delivery, its tiered risk-assessment process by project size, and how it uses base estimates, inflation, and risk modeling to set budgets. Staff said design-bid-build estimates are generally accurate within about 1% across the program, while design-build projects carry much wider uncertainty and are better communicated as ranges; they cited a P85 budget approach and noted that large, complex projects can be affected by market competition and long procurement timelines. Members asked about the Columbia River Bridge cost growth and about value engineering, and WSDOT said it uses value engineering but has limited scope to cut costs because of project requirements and policy mandates. Troy Swing also discussed cash flow, noting that a few large projects can significantly affect biennial funding needs, and said a risk pool would not reduce overall program risk but could help manage timing if paired with appropriation and cash-flow controls. The committee then received the final presentation in the WSDOT Project Delivery and Innovative Practices study from HKA Global. The consultant said WSDOT’s estimating practices are generally robust and recommended improving transparency by presenting budget authorizations as ranges or estimate classes, better tracking estimate growth over time, and adjusting advertisement timing to avoid competing lettings. The report also discussed surety bonding, suggesting the legislature consider restoring authority for reduced bonding on select large design-build projects or using phased bonding and alternative securities. On indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracting, the consultant said current job order contract rules are restrictive and recommended legislative changes to make such tools more usable, especially for smaller tasks and to help use unspent funds more flexibly. The committee also heard a follow-up presentation on transit-oriented development policy recommendations tied to HB 1491. The Urban Institute’s Yona Freemark said Washington has been a national leader on TOD but that housing construction, especially in the Puget Sound, has slowed sharply since 2022. He said rising construction costs, high financing costs, and local tax and rent conditions are making many TOD projects infeasible, and recommended that the state fill infrastructure funding gaps around stations, revisit MFTE affordability requirements, consider minimum rather than average density requirements near transit, and create a statewide system to track TOD outcomes such as affordability, gentrification, and transit access. Members questioned the study’s developer interviews, the role of rent control and crime, property tax assumptions, and parking needs; the presenter said the study included five private developers, that rent control was not part of the study scope, and that parking was included in the model assumptions. Finally, the committee began a presentation on regulating emissions from ocean-going vessels at berth. Staff and consultants described California-style at-berth rules, which require shore power or equivalent emissions controls so ships can shut off diesel auxiliary engines while docked. The study is examining vessel traffic, emissions reductions, implementation costs, labor and operational needs, and possible effects on port competitiveness and cargo diversion. No votes or formal actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Also, there's 75,000 acres of state land within 24 miles of roads.
• This road is covered with 3 feet of water every spring.
• This road is covered with 3 feet of water every spring.
• What do you think is going to happen when you raise 2 miles of road? There can be no channels.
• That can kill, and there is no camera under that road. I was on it the other day.

Committee: House Legacy Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• We want to clean this up and we want to build a road and get things moving.
• We just want to get rid of it, and we want to build a road on a solid foundation.
• Road on a solid foundation. It is that simple. Any further questions?
• And then finally up at five, the north terminus of the corridor at Lake Flora Road.
• Again, a double roundabout configuration at SR 3 and Lake Flora Road.

Bills: HB2495

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: vehicles, streetcar operation, public safety, urban regulation, transportation