Transcript Highlights:

• Make us mindful of our dependence on you and grateful for your watchful care. Amen. Amen.
• And this mental health awareness is something that's really important and affects a lot of dependent
• Members, I rise today to present AB 88, a bill that would ensure dependents of service members stationed
• Members arise today to present AB ADA, a bill that would ensure dependence of service members stationed
• However, their dependents do not currently qualify for Calran or the middle-class scholarship program

Summary: The Assembly convened with a quorum call, prayer, and Pledge of Allegiance, then moved through a long daily file of bills. Early procedural motions included a failed attempt to suspend the rules for AB 1219, followed by consideration of numerous measures on housing, veterans, education, elections, energy, wildfire prevention, public safety, and consumer affordability. Several bills drew bipartisan support and passed overwhelmingly, including AB 878 on safety accommodations for survivors of violence, AB 948 on school district facility maintenance, AB 81 and AB 88 on veterans’ mental health and student aid, AB 640 on school board fiscal training, AB 660 on housing permit timelines, AB 1048 on workers’ compensation billing disputes, AB 1119 on dual credentialing, AB 1172 on inhalable anti-seizure medication access, AB 1227 on wildfire prevention, AB 1285 and AB 696 on lithium-ion battery safety, AB 1417 on offshore wind transparency, AB 1530 on disaster recovery assistance, and AB 353 on affordable home internet. Some measures drew opposition or more divided votes, including AB 704 on sealing certain misdemeanor records, AB 1249 on early voting access, AB 1280 on thermal energy incentives, AB 1448 on offshore oil protections, AB 380 on price gouging, AB 402 on Cal Grant increases, AB 1074 on CalWORKs reunification, and AB 1084 on expedited gender-change and name-change court orders. The Assembly also granted reconsideration on AB 435, a child passenger safety bill, and passed it after debate on the five-step safety-seat standard. The floor debate featured recurring themes of affordability, housing, wildfire preparedness, election access, veterans’ services, and public safety. Supporters of the election bill AB 1249 argued it would simply add a Saturday early-voting option in non-VCA counties, while opponents raised concerns about verification and county staffing. AB 30, authorizing E15 gasoline in California, was presented as an urgency measure to lower fuel costs and passed unanimously on the urgency and the bill. AB 1466 on groundwater disputes was also taken up, with the author arguing it would reduce frivolous litigation and better represent all water users; the vote was 42 ayes and 17 noes. After completing the file, the Assembly recessed for lunch, later returned, and continued with additional file items, with many measures passing on strong bipartisan votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the percentage ones, of course, depending on how those revenues flow, the amount that's provided to
• Anyway so there's a range of things you can do depending on how much flexibility you want.
• to be focused on first, the first priority which is to make sure that the people who are transit dependent
• the formula is giving us the most appropriate allocations in terms of trying to keep the transit dependent
• If doing the same thing and losing money may not be the best thing for transit-dependent riders.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Cost-effective access to care is a big... ...bit of a unicorn depending on your perspective, I assume
• So it depends on... We have lots of different options, which kind of makes it wonderful for us.
• on the dollar amount; it depends on the level of the crime.
• It depends.
• But also, some don't charge a fee at all too, and so it really just depends on the practice.

Bills: HB1453, HB1718, HB2043, HB2207, HB2798

Keywords: local governments, anticipation notes, certificates of obligation, public works, flood control, financial management, local government, municipal financing, private activity bonds, closing definition, real estate finance, bond issuance, government regulation, bond election, general obligation bonds, GO bonds, political subdivision, city bonds, county bonds, school district bonds

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative, it depends on what unit you're working in. Thank you, Madam Chair.
• It depends on how sick the patients are and how much care they need. Thank you, Madam Chair.
• It depends on the type of patient, the setting, and it's one of those "it depends" questions.
• Madam Chair, Representative, there is, but it depends.
• That conversation differs a little bit depending on which way we go, but we're going to ask them.

Transcript Highlights:

• are interested, then we will work with them and set that up, which is why I say 40 to 60 schools depending
• 40<00:04:54.639><c> to</c><00:04:54.840><c> 60</c><00:04:55.160><c> schools</c><00:04:55.639><c> depending
• on how many 40 to 60 schools depending on how many are<00:04:56.960><c> interested</c><00:04:57.280>
• Okay, um, with regard to how much do you depend, how much does the Judiciary depend on federal funding
• How much should we depend on the feds for our direct funding, our direct grants from the feds?

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Labor and Judiciary heard the Judiciary’s budget presentation from Brandon Kimura and other court administrators. The Judiciary outlined its mission and access-to-justice programs, including specialty courts, self-help centers, online small claims dispute resolution, and e-reminders. It requested an operating budget of $6.17 million in FY 2026 and $6.25 million in FY 2027, along with 17 permanent and one temporary position, and described a series of staffing and program requests tied to specialty courts, district court operations, technology, and public guardianship. Major program requests included making women’s court permanent by converting seven temporary positions to permanent and adding a substance use counselor; expanding truancy court and the Early Education Intervention Program on Oahu; and making the driving while impaired court permanent. The Judiciary also sought staffing and funding for the new Wahiawa District Court, including security, janitorial, IT, clerical, bailiff, and social worker support, plus an additional district court judge and staff in Kona. Technology requests included cybersecurity tools and a cybersecurity unit, enhanced email protection, and replacement of aging network switches. Other operating requests included continued funding for the Criminal Justice Research Institute, restoration of 12 positions cut during the pandemic, and added support for the Office of the Public Guardian. For capital improvement projects, the Judiciary’s top priorities were $4 million to design a new South Kohala District Court, $900,000 to replace an aging AC chiller on Kauai, and $5 million for lump-sum facility preservation work. Members asked questions about purchase-of-service contract rates, implementation of court-appointed fee increases, federal grant dependence, specialty court effectiveness, truancy court outcomes, and the condition of the Ewa District Court site. Judiciary witnesses said they were working to raise provider rates through contracts and a separate bill, cited low recidivism and reduced petitions as evidence that specialty courts and truancy efforts are working, and said the Ewa site has significant foundation issues that may require further assessment or a different location.

Transcript Highlights:

• It depends on do have a property levy.
• So businesses are facing inconsistent treatment depending on where they go.
• </c> depending on where they go. depending on where they go.
• So the associated fees themselves are roughly $30 depending on what you do and where you do it.
• </c><01:21:40.800><c> on</c> themselves are roughly $30 depending on themselves are roughly $30 depending

Bills: HF4693

Keywords: transportation, license plates, validation stickers, replacement fees, government fees, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This is particularly burdensome when cities need to depend on personnel to be ready and available to
• on Personnel to be ready and depend on Personnel to be ready and available<00:29:41.360><c> to</c><00
• I'd say it's a combination of both depending on the size of the business, their internal operations.
• It's a combination of both, depending on the size of the business, their internal operations.
• Definitely a combination of both, depending on the nature of the business.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> coming out, and that's what we depend coming out, and that's what we depend on.<00:13:55.520><c>
• And ultimately the dependent wildlife.
• But, as a previous testifier pointed out, and rightfully so, it depends on where and it depends on when
• </c><01:29:08.680><c> on</c> it depends on where and it depends on it depends on where and it depends
• </c> with uh forestries in them that depend with uh forestries in them that depend on<01:36:56.040><c

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:05:51.599><c> on</c> vulnerable because they depend on vulnerable because they depend on time-sensitive
• So that means you're depending on the public to do your job.
• It's part of our bylaws, but it's highly dependent upon a person's integrity and honesty.
• Thank you so much for this opportunity. and cause dependency on this technology. and cause dependency
• </c><02:11:16.159><c> uh</c> depending on the posted speed limits. uh depending on the posted speed limits

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 1531, HD1, which would require the governor or county mayors to provide American Sign Language interpreters during official emergency announcements broadcast on television or the internet, ensure the interpreter is visible, and provide a primary pool feed with picture-in-picture so rebroadcasters would not need to add the feature themselves. Testimony from the Disability and Communication Access Board and the State Council on Developmental Disabilities strongly supported the bill, emphasizing effective communication for deaf and hard-of-hearing residents and noting that interpreter placement and size can make broadcasts inaccessible. The council requested an effective date of July 1, 2027 to allow implementation time. Members raised concerns about interpreter availability and emergency logistics on Hawaiʻi Island, but the chair moved to pass the bill with amendments reflecting the picture-in-picture recommendation and the later effective date. The committee adopted the motion, with several members voting aye and others voting with reservations. The committee then heard House Bill 1880, HD2, which would prohibit, beginning January 1, 2027, the use or application of pesticides containing 1,3-dichloropropene, such as Telone. The Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity explained that pesticides are already regulated at both the federal and state levels, with EPA risk assessments and state enforcement of label restrictions, reporting, and school-buffer requirements. The Hawaii Public Health Institute supported the bill, citing cancer and respiratory risks and arguing that safer alternatives exist. In opposition, Dole Food and the Hawaii Farm Bureau said Telone is important for controlling nematodes in pineapple production, that it is applied underground under EPA conditions, and that no comparable registered alternative exists for pineapple; they also said the bill’s 2027 start date is too short for growers to adjust. A representative from the Y Alliance for Progressive Action and Support supported the measure, citing statewide usage data and concerns about drift and chronic health impacts. Committee members questioned both sides about drift monitoring, groundwater impacts, alternative methods, and whether a transition period or research into resistant varieties could reduce reliance on the chemical.

Transcript Highlights:

• some cases, don't have the ability to be able to sustain themselves and their families, or are very dependent
• And when you go to those, it depends on which one you go to, depends on what services you get.
• allow for a consistent expectation of services that you can get with the regional variation needed, depending
• “So there's different levels to that question, depending on how much of a reform appetite you want to
• cost arrangements and service delivery arrangements in 14 different areas, or 10 different areas, depending

Summary: The committee met to hear consultants Mason Bishop and Cameron Christie discuss Arkansas’s “one door/no wrong door” workforce and social services modernization effort. Bishop argued that the current system is fragmented across multiple agencies, offices, and portals, making it hard for job seekers and employers to access services efficiently. He said the goal is to create a more integrated system that promotes upward mobility, longer labor force attachment, better employer access to talent, greater efficiency, and faster adaptation to changes such as AI and other economic disruptions. Bishop repeatedly pointed to Utah as a model, describing how that state combined workforce and public assistance functions into a single agency, used statewide cost allocation to blend funding streams, and improved customer service and outcomes after reform. He said Arkansas should consider integrating governance, service delivery, and financing, including possible waivers, a statewide cost allocation plan, and a benefits-cliff pilot. He also said Arkansas’s current local workforce board structure creates duplication and weak coordination, and that Launch is a useful tool but not a full service-delivery system. Committee members asked how the proposal would work in practice, including whether TANF could be used to cross-train DHS workers, how federal waivers might be obtained, how local boards would be affected, and how disabled clients would be handled. Bishop said TANF should be treated as part of a workforce strategy, that federal pilot authority for workforce reform nearly passed but did not, and that waivers are now the practical path. He also said Arkansas could either merge functions more fully or at minimum co-locate workforce staff in DHS offices statewide. No votes were taken; the meeting ended with plans to continue the discussion in August, including a focus on case management and whether the state is managing programs or people.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's been mentioned there's inconsistencies depending on which company you go to, and we've The front
• There are inconsistencies depending on which company you go to, and it should be standardized.
• the communities we serve, and a lived understanding that this job and this world look different depending
• our communities we serve, and a lived understanding that this job in this world looks different depending
• contamination and compromise entire batches of medicine that our communities and, in fact, the world depend

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think we should also remind ourselves that access to healthy and affordable food should not depend
• Every crop we depend on begins as a seed.
• As farmers stake their entire livelihoods on the knowledge that We depend on begins as a seed.
• Every crop we depend on begins as a seed.
• As farmers stake their entire livelihoods on the knowledge that we depend on begins as a seed.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The credit was established in 2007 at $3,000 and $5,000, depending on the type of provider that you are
• The credit was established in 2007 at $3,000 and $5,000, depending on the type of provider that you are
• Some contracts are year-round, some are standard for nine and a half, so it just depends on how the charter
• So it just depends on how the charter school, the school district operates.
• So it has to be worked out at a school or district level, depending. Okay, thank you very much.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But my question is, let's talk about municipalities and the services that our constituents depend on
• Depending on where you're from, it is like a different country.
• Miller: It depends on how it is defined in general law and some of those things will be clarified in
• South Florida Water Management District has a very narrow revenue source dependent on grants and a couple
• Alvarez: violence because they lost federal funds and it depends on us, on local government, and we say

Transcript Highlights:

• The way that we fund education depends on local taxes.
• Essentially what the state said at that time was we were going to depend on local taxpayers to fund the
• They depend on that local money to function. And so when we talk about that... ...to function.
• And depending on district, how much that local tax effort has on the funding of that district, that's
• So it's dependent on where you're at, but it's just they don't. They don't.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So this year we received the $98.9 million and that's all going to be dependent upon future years.
• redistribute the dollars to other states, and it will recalculate the scores that we have, and it's all dependent
• upon some of those, The scores that we have, and it's all dependent upon some of those policy pieces
• And, I mean, with 50 states, depending upon how people do projects.
• So, you know, are you... ...depending upon how people do projects.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Rural Health Transformation Committee met to receive an extensive briefing from the Department of Health and Human Services on North Dakota’s federal Rural Health Transformation award. HHS leaders Pat Traynor, Donna Auckland, Jonathan Ollum, and Krista Freming described the $198.9 million award, the tight federal timelines for obligating and liquidating funds, and the need for rapid procurement, CMS approval, and technical assistance. They outlined broad funding priorities including connect tech/data, care closer to home, workforce recruitment and retention, and a “Make North Dakota Healthy Again” prevention initiative focused on chronic disease, movement, nutrition, behavioral health, and community connection. They also emphasized that the program cannot fund new buildings or supplant existing funding, and that sustainability will be a key requirement for all projects. The department previewed likely first-round grant opportunities, including recruitment and retention incentives, technical assistance and equipment grants for rural providers, financial analysis support for rural hospitals, and exploration of a unified electronic health record option. Freming also reviewed four policy bills tied to the award: a presidential fitness test, nutrition continuing medical education, the Physician Assistant Compact, and pharmacist scope-of-practice changes, explaining that these policy actions affect future scoring and funding. HHS said it will work with tribes, local public health, hospitals, medical and pharmacy associations, and other partners, and will use a website, listserv, listening sessions, and committee updates to communicate opportunities. Committee members raised concerns about how the money will reach rural residents, whether newspapers and existing local communication networks will be used, how “rural” and “frontier” will be defined, how faith communities might participate in behavioral health efforts, and how HHS will avoid CMS delays and supplanting issues. HHS responded that the focus will be on where the patient lives and on rural community need, that local public health units and existing structures will be part of outreach, and that technical assistance and template applications will help speed approvals. The committee approved the December 4, 2025 minutes, then recessed into divisions for further work on the appropriations bill and the four policy bills, with the full committee set to reconvene the next morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• And the weight is, depending on how much LSD might be in that paper, like, could it be less LSD that
• And the weight is, depending on how much LSD might be in that paper, like, could it be less LSD that
• I mean, it depends on the court, right, and who's making those decisions, who they want to bring in to
• I mean, it depends on the court, right, and who's making those decisions, who they want to bring in to
• So the current statute of limitations for this crime is either two or three years, depending on whether

Summary: The Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence met with a quorum and heard a series of Senate bills, generally receiving sponsor explanations and, in most cases, no public testimony. SB 2595 would create a Class B misdemeanor for harassing, threatening, or intimidating someone while intentionally concealing identity with a mask, with broad affirmative defenses for legitimate mask use; SB 1980 would increase penalties for assaulting peace officers, parole officers, and community supervision officers and add related presumptions and interference protections; and SB 1896 would require magistrates to issue emergency protective orders in certain family violence, sexual assault, stalking, and aggravated cases, with law enforcement required to provide needed information. All three were left pending. The committee also heard SB 955, which increases trafficking of persons from a second-degree to a first-degree felony when the victim was recruited from a correctional facility, and SB 614, which would let the Texas Forensic Science Commission refer dismissed complaints to the Office of Capital and Forensic Writs when they reference a prior FSC report; both were left pending. Members then heard several forensic and criminal procedure bills. SB 1372 would resolve a discovery/access conflict involving the DPS crime lab portal by limiting portal access to defense attorneys rather than defendants directly, prompting questions from members about access for pro se defendants; DPS’s chief crime lab witness testified neutrally. SB 1936 would change the LSD “abuse unit” definition for unmarked/unperforated paper from a square-measurement method to a 10-milligram weight standard, and SB 1937 would require a subject matter expert from the testing lab to participate in pretrial meetings in capital cases involving biological evidence to help identify viable testing and conserve resources. SB 2580 would lower the population threshold for sheriff’s departments to independently use tracking equipment and access certain communications from 3.3 million to 500,000, expanding the authority beyond Harris County; it was described as a public safety and emergency response measure and left pending. The committee also considered SB 2798, which would extend the statute of limitations for certain financial crimes from three years to seven years, with testimony from a Montgomery County assistant district attorney supporting the change because fraud is often discovered late. SB 1099 would increase penalties for felony offenses committed by undocumented or unauthorized aliens, but drew strong opposition from the Texas Civil Rights Project, which argued immigration is a federal matter and that the bill would create difficult and potentially unfair status determinations for local courts; members raised concerns about the lack of an expert-testimony requirement. SB 1278 would create an affirmative defense to prostitution prosecution for trafficking victims compelled by their traffickers to commit the conduct, and testimony from advocates and a member’s personal account emphasized the coercive, traumatic nature of trafficking; members discussed whether the defense should be narrower or framed as mitigation, and the bill was left pending. Finally, SB 127 would extend the statute of limitations for failure to report or conceal child abuse, with members discussing mandatory reporting duties and the need to allow more time for delayed discovery of cover-ups; it too was left pending before the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• As was previously stated, currently, one can be on the program for a number of years depending on whether
• So, it ranges, depending on the vehicle.
• I do want to remind everybody that public safety is dependent upon a three-pronged approach: prevention
• It depends on who is doing the research.
• So there is a range depending on the expertise, and there's a range depending on the outputs associated

Bills: HF1354, HF1901, HF2124, HF2130, HF2260, HF2099, HF104, HF134, HF1769

Keywords: public safety, school safety, active shooter, active shooter drill, violence prevention, threat reporting, anonymous tip line, See It, Say It, Send It, Minnesota Fusion Center, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, BCA, officer-involved death, missing person, endangered missing person, criminal background check, national background check, FBI fingerprint check, adult entertainment license, massage license, correctional facilities

Transcript Highlights:

• Dependable and affordable water supplies as well as infrastructure that can carry the water to and from
• Our region's dependency on surface water leaves us Vulnerable and has encouraged us to look for alternative
• said, I do so to try to underscore the gravity of the importance of this. that makes Texas great is dependent
• Effective management depends on robust and reliable data.
• And second, this bill largely will benefit rural Texas. that completely depends on groundwater as its

Bills: HB 1089, HB 1163, HB 1177, HB 1238, HB1318, HB1400, HB1407, HB1532, HJR7, HJR7

Keywords: coastal protection, environmental management, Gulf Coast, storm risk management, funding, Texas General Land Office, healthcare, insurance reform, patient access, insurance regulation, affordable care, health insurance, consumer rights, coverage transparency, claims process, insurance regulations, aggregate production, environmental impact, financial responsibility, reclamation

Transcript Highlights:

• reviewing all of those rules underlying them because we think that the applicability of the objections depends
• So depending on which section, that would dictate where we got our rules from, what year we got them
• projects where maybe there has been a local approval for a large development, and those projects, again depending
• on the particular ratification language that was provided, would be And those projects, again, depending
• Depending where you were in the state and what water management district you were in, you essentially

Summary: The Joint Administrative Procedures Committee met on February 3, 2025, with a quorum present and took up three main items. First, the committee considered a large set of recommended objections to Agency for Health Care Administration rules, all centered on sunset provisions stating the rules would expire after five years. AHCA asked for another deferral while it reviewed the rules, arguing the sunset language was a form of self-restraint rather than an invalid exercise of rulemaking authority. Committee leadership disagreed that further delay would resolve the issue and moved to a single vote covering all objections. The motion passed by roll call, and the committee informed AHCA that an objection would be filed unless the agency amended the rules within 30 days. The committee then heard an informational briefing from the Department of Environmental Protection on its Outstanding Florida Springs rule and stormwater rule. DEP explained that it did not prepare a statement of estimated regulatory cost for the springs rule because the proposed standards largely mirror existing water management district rules and the Central Florida Water Initiative framework, so DEP said there was no new regulatory burden. Members asked about permit authority, costs, and whether the rules were functionally different from prior rules. DEP maintained the rules set minimum standards and did not add costs beyond what regulated parties were already doing. DEP also described implementation of the stormwater rule adopted under the 2020 Clean Waterways Act and later ratified by the Legislature in 2024. DEP said the rule was the product of years of workshops and technical advisory committee meetings, and that the final version included lower-cost alternatives, grandfathering, and phased implementation. DEP estimated the rule’s cost at about $2,600 per acre in the revised CERC, while industry witnesses said the real cost could be much higher, especially if land costs are included. A home builders representative argued the estimate understated impacts, while a stormwater engineer said the rule gives more flexible, performance-based tools and could become more cost-effective over time. Finally, Senator Graal presented proposed Chapter 120 changes in SB 108, aimed at tightening and modernizing rulemaking. The proposal would require five-year rule reviews, annual agency reporting, faster notice of proposed rulemaking after authorizing legislation, electronic filing, public access to incorporated materials, clearer tracking of technical changes, and limits on how long rules can remain pending ratification. Members discussed whether the Legislature should be more specific in statutes about rulemaking deadlines and whether agencies should be more accountable when rules stall. No formal action was taken on the Chapter 120 proposals, and the committee adjourned after discussion.