Transcript Highlights:

• to say I'm very concerned about unfettered access to private property.
• Also, I just wanted to say I'm very concerned about unfettered access to private property.
• There is a lot of talk about grid modernization.
• If you lose a co-op within a grid, you have a real problem within your grid.
• There is always risk related to access; right-of-way access is always an issue for us.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What does it mean for the future of a reliable electric grid?
• What does it mean for the future of a reliable electric grid?
• the PUC's plans for what the future grid the PUC's plans for what the future grid looks<02:29:37.359
• <02:30:24.240> should at what the future of our grid should at what the future of our grid
• To harden our grid, way going forward.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we not only have access to the equity market.
• So if the markets do well, our funds do well, but we also have access to the bond market.
• We've been very aggressive in developing a smarter grid.
• But in order for them to meet them, we're saying you can't access that. Thank you.
• But in order for them to meet them, we're saying you can't access that.

Bills: SM20, SM9, SJR6, HB124

Keywords: youth violence, violence prevention, violence intervention, community violence intervention, credible messengers, peer support, restorative justice, violence interrupters, juvenile justice, at-risk youth, high-risk youth, public safety, Department of Health, New Mexico, statewide summit, data collection, reporting, interagency coordination, community-based organizations, law enforcement

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't anticipate actually having access to any funds until March.
• But we do anticipate that we will have accessible funds in March at some point.
• And for that matter, the grid modernization, I'd like to learn more about all of it. Mr.
• And for that matter, the grid modernization, I'd like to learn more about all of it.
• And for that matter, the grid modernization. I'd like to learn more about all of it. Mr.

Bills: SB193, SB132, SB35, SB145

Keywords: SB193, acequia, community ditch, irrigation works construction fund, water infrastructure, ditch infrastructure, irrigation, New Mexico water law, agricultural water, farmers, Rio Grande, acequia association, forest land protection revolving fund, state fund transfer, irrigation projects, SB132, DOIT, Department of Information Technology, software replacement, equipment replacement

Transcript Highlights:

• For Pennsylvania, this means better access to care, especially in rural and underserved communities,
• Access to care, especially in rural and underserved communities, where providers are a real challenge
• amendment today would require data centers to bring their own generation and pay their own way for grid
• His Excellency, the governor came to this chamber, stood on the rostrum, and said, as part of his grid
• My amendment would ensure that projects seeking grid certification are not located on prime agricultural

Summary: The House convened, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, welcomed numerous guests and interns to the chamber, and established a quorum with 202 members voting on the master roll call. The House then received committee reports on several bills and a resolution, including measures from Consumer Protection, Finance, Communications and Technology, Rules, and Appropriations, and agreed to the reports. House Bill 1877 was reported as passed by the Senate without amendment and was signed by the Speaker for presentation to the Governor. The chamber adopted House Resolution 363, as amended, directing the Joint State Government Commission to study Pennsylvania’s early childhood education system, including the role of public and private equity in child care and recommendations to improve access and affordability. The House also advanced several bills on final passage, including House Bills 2551, 75, 76, 426, 1127, 2234, and 1585. These measures addressed issues such as banning government text-message collection of fees and tolls, medical licensing for physician assistants and physicians, native habitats at Commonwealth facilities, joining the dental and dental hygienist compact, a spent grain donation tax credit, and restrictions on mugshot removal fees. Most passed with broad support, though House Bill 1127 drew opposition over concerns about licensing standards and the compact structure. Members also considered House Bill 2650, creating the Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development Certification for data centers, and House Bill 2496, establishing a temporary pause on data center proposals while local ordinances are reviewed. Both bills were amended several times. Debate on HB 2650 focused on data center impacts on electricity costs, water use, noise, community benefit agreements, and farmland protection; one farmland-protection amendment was tabled, while other amendments on closed-loop cooling and enforceable local criteria were adopted. Debate on HB 2496 centered on preserving local control and home rule authority for municipalities, with amendments clarifying that local governments could continue curative amendment procedures and retain zoning powers. The House agreed to both bills as amended. The House also re-reported several bills from Appropriations and Rules, reconsidered and re-accepted a prior committee report on House Bill 2359, and announced caucus and committee meetings. At the end of the session, the House moved several bills to Appropriations, removed Senate Bill 1058 from the table calendar to the active calendar, and adjourned until Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 11 a.m., unless recalled sooner.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 3069 offers another tool to help ensure long-term cost savings for consumers, improved grid
• I represent the Access Transmission Project, which is a non-partisan, non-profit coalition of local,
• market, and install transmission components, as well as business groups directly impacted by current grid
• Nuclear energy offers a critical source of zero-emission, baseload power that enhances grid stability
• This increases market access. Mr.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Through grant making, loans, and advocacy, OHA has supported initiatives that increase access to land
• services and you're just off the grid. services and you're just off the grid.
• Um and we really<00:42:11.480> support<00:42:12.000> the<00:42:12.120> access<00
• the access of charging for<00:42:13.280> rural<00:42:14.200> folks<00:42:14.480> in
• For the charging associated the grid?

Bills: HB1736, HB1620, HB1695

Keywords: animal control, spay and neuter, pet overpopulation, sterilization, counties funding, tax designation, veterinary care, electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, energy policy, rebate program, environmental impact, renewable fuels, sustainable aviation fuel, tax credit, greenhouse gas emissions, local production, energy resilience, agricultural innovation, job creation

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 1737, which clarifies allowable uses in agricultural districts for farm dwellings and farm employee housing, and HB 1604 HD2, which creates an agricultural workforce housing working group within the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity. Testimony on HB 1737 was overwhelmingly supportive, with county agriculture officials, the Hawaii Farm Bureau, and Hawaii Farmers Union backing the measure; one witness asked for a definition of “affordable” to guard against misuse of farm housing. For HB 1604, the Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Housing Hawaii’s Future, Hawaii Farmers Union, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs supported the bill, with OHA requesting disaggregated data and a seat on the working group. Committee discussion focused on housing shortages, possible misuse, affordability, and whether innovative housing models such as modular, tiny, and container homes should be considered. The committee then took action on both measures. HB 1737 HD3 was recommended to pass with amendments that would limit farm employee housing to agricultural employees and their immediate family members actively engaged in the farm operation, add a grandfathering provision for existing permitted housing, preserve county zoning authority, clarify that ag tourism must be secondary and not occur in employee housing, delete a square-footage-per-acre ratio, and defer the effective date to July 1, 2050. HB 1604 HD2 was also recommended to pass with amendments adding OHA and a housing-shortage organization to the working group, expanding its scope to include modular, tiny, and container homes and permitting/zoning streamlining, and deferring the effective date to July 1, 2050. Both motions were adopted unanimously by the members present. The joint hearing then moved to HB 1736, which would establish a spay and neuter special fund and require sterilization and declaration provisions for cats, with some discussion of dogs. DLNR and the Hawaiian Humane Society supported the bill, while Pacific Pet Alliance objected to the broader requirements and the inclusion of dogs; the Hawaiian Humane Society and American Bird Conservancy supported cat-focused sterilization and the special fund, while some testifiers opposed mandatory sterilization as too costly or intrusive. Members raised questions about toxoplasmosis, trap-neuter-release, enforcement, neighbor-island access, and funding needs, and DLNR indicated additional funding and third-party contracting would likely be needed. The transcript then began HB 1620 HD2 on energy, which would increase the environmental response energy and food security tax and shift funds from the hydrogen fueling subaccount to EV charging infrastructure; state agencies generally stood on written testimony in support, while the Tax Foundation objected to special fund earmarks and noted the bill raises only one part of the barrel tax structure.

Transcript Highlights:

• <02:13:39.360> This accessible treatment option. This accessible treatment option.
• So it's grid modernization.
• So it's grid modernization.
• <03:24:01.120> overload ignores the potential grid overload ignores the potential grid overload
• <03:24:30.239> without possibly strain local grids without possibly strain local grids without

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill creates a clear and accessible pathway for students to build that knowledge.
• SB 868 is about expanding access to safe, clean, and low-cost energy while helping Californians lower
• That instability affects staffing, limits access to care, and ultimately impacts patients.
• It is not our intention to restrict defendants' rights to access evidence to prepare a defense.
• Geography should not determine whether a student has access to safety, support, and dignity.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That solar system back feeds into the grid in most circumstances, and that back feed occurs, and the
• Given our average price of 0.14 to 0.15 per kWh, power goes into that grid at around 0.02 to 0.025 per
• It does not limit the quality... of the CPAs that we are having, so it just makes this more accessible
• But we just want to make sure that when that power is put onto the grid, that it is ETA compliant.
• When changes of control occur, we must make sure that the availability, accessibility affordability,

Transcript Highlights:

• You wouldn't put that on the grid.
• I think some companies are finding small amounts or be able to access small amounts, but that's not an
• I think it comes back actually to the transmission system and the transmission grid.
• There are some parts of any grid where you can add 1,000 megawatts and the grid will operate fine.
• Other systems that have a much... ...the grid will operate fine.

Summary: The Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee met to review prior minutes and hear a series of presentations on advanced nuclear technology and state readiness. The committee approved the April 21, 2022 minutes. Nucleon’s William Bridge outlined the advanced nuclear landscape, distinguishing near-term light-water SMRs from more advanced Gen 4 reactors and microreactors, and emphasized that fuel supply, especially HALEU, remains a developing supply chain. He said light-water designs are the most deployable in the near term, while advanced reactors may be better suited for industrial heat applications and could face a 2- to 3-year delay from fuel availability. Representatives from NASEO described how other states are supporting advanced nuclear through task forces, roadmaps, pilot programs, financing tools, workforce and supply-chain efforts, and regional coordination. They highlighted the Advanced Nuclear First Mover Initiative and stressed that states are focusing early on emergency preparedness, community engagement, waste management, affordability, and consumer protections. They also noted that some states are creating nuclear-ready community programs and cost-recovery guardrails, while public utility commissions are examining long-term lifecycle costs and rate impacts. North Dakota agencies then outlined their potential roles. The Public Service Commission said it would likely be involved in public-interest review, siting, and rate regulation, but noted current statutes may not fully address long-term nuclear projects, co-location, or decommissioning. The Department of Environmental Quality said it would continue to regulate radioactive materials and likely support emergency planning, while fission reactor oversight remains federal. The Department of Emergency Services said it would serve as the lead off-site preparedness agency, needing a radiological emergency program, training, exercises, equipment, and possibly industry funding. The Department of Water Resources said North Dakota has sufficient surface water, especially from the Missouri River, but that water planning would be important; it did not recommend statutory or budget changes at this time. The committee recessed for lunch after these presentations, with no additional votes or actions taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill encourages those that have had that experience to get their licensure, have access to some
• Solar can provide really meaningful energy generation for the grid to help meet increased energy demand
• and dynamic grid through things like virtual power plants.
• As was mentioned previously, solar is an incredibly important part of New England's grid today, and it
• It shapes access, outcomes, and opportunities, especially for families of color and those using Section

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure heard testimony on several real estate, housing, and consumer protection bills. A major portion of the hearing focused on bills to create licensure for commercial interior designers (H.324/S.254), with supporters from the architecture and interior design fields arguing the measure would recognize a distinct profession, expand permitting authority for qualified designers, improve public safety, and remove barriers to firm ownership and public contracting. Witnesses said the proposal had been redrafted through collaboration among interior designers, architects, engineers, and building officials, and Senator Gomez said the Senate had passed the bill previously and hoped to advance it again. The committee also heard support for H.450 on solar customer protections, with solar companies backing standardized disclosures, a consumer brochure, a longer rescission period, and sales registration requirements as consumer safeguards that would not materially disrupt business operations. The committee then took testimony on H.431/S.245, a bill to end housing discrimination in the Commonwealth. Senator Gomez, fair housing advocates, and several renters described alleged discrimination against Black renters and voucher holders, citing testing data and personal experiences. They said the bill would strengthen enforcement by linking court findings to temporary license suspensions, require fair housing training, increase public reporting, and add board representation with fair housing or voucher-holder experience. A real estate appraisers representative also supported S.196, which would make appraisal licensure mandatory in Massachusetts, arguing that home valuation should be done by licensed professionals. A substantial part of the hearing addressed broker-fee and rental-timing bills, including H.335, H.336, H.374, H.224, and H.449. Supporters of the broker-fee changes argued that tenants should not be charged fees when the landlord hired the broker, while opponents warned the language could restrict tenant representation and harm small landlords, students, and the rental market. Several witnesses opposed the 90-day lease-signing window in H.336, saying it would compress the September rental cycle, worsen competition, and make it harder for students and out-of-state renters to secure housing. The chairs noted that broker fees had already been addressed in the state budget, and the hearing concluded with no votes on the bills, only the close of testimony and an announcement that the committee would not hold another hearing until later in the year.

Transcript Highlights:

• And how do you mention the grid this morning?
• How do we expand that grid to make the tremendous demands we have?
• And how do you, how do you mention the grid this morning?
• And how do you, how do you mention the grid this morning?
• It says accessibility of a child's IEP to the teacher and others.

Bills: HB2

Keywords: disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace, medical examiner, county judge, sheriff, mayor, emergency coordinator, emergency manager license, volunteer management system, volunteer registration, criminal history check, background check, Texas Division of Emergency Management

Summary: The committee continued public testimony on House Bill 2, which would make major changes to public school funding, teacher pay, special education, early learning, school safety, and related programs. Many superintendents and education advocates supported the bill’s overall direction but urged changes, especially a larger basic allotment and more flexible funding for rural and small districts. Witnesses from Paint Creek, West Hardin, Cushing, Blooming Grove, Mildred, Buffalo, Plano, and rural school groups said the bill’s targeted raises and new requirements would not fully cover inflation, TRS/Medicare costs, transportation, insurance, or support staff salaries, and several asked the committee to restore the House version’s higher basic allotment and small-school allotment. Charter school representatives supported the facilities funding changes and said charter schools need state help because they cannot levy taxes, while also noting the funding gap with ISDs. Fine arts advocates asked the committee to restore the fine arts allotment, arguing arts improve engagement, attendance, and academic outcomes, especially in rural and at-risk communities. Early learning and special education witnesses supported parts of the bill but raised concerns about pre-K restrictions, disability-related pre-K access, and the need to preserve or clarify special education provisions and mental health oversight language. Several witnesses praised the teacher pay raise, teacher incentive allotment expansion, and teacher preparation investments, saying they would help recruit and retain educators and improve student outcomes. Others, including counselors and support staff advocates, argued the bill should also include raises for counselors, nurses, librarians, bus drivers, custodians, aides, and other non-teaching employees who keep schools running. One witness from the Texas Counseling Association opposed the substitute because it removed a counselor pay provision, warning of counselor shortages and inequities. A parent and special education advocate said the bill’s structure creates too many strings attached and asked for a larger basic allotment instead of more targeted funding. Another witness from Mental Health America urged keeping the collaborative task force on public school mental health services through 2031, and a disability rights advocate said the committee substitute appears to omit some special education items that were in the House version. The committee also briefly took up House Bill 6, a school discipline bill. After questions about automatic mandatory expulsion for vape possession and concerns about younger students, the committee adopted the substitute and voted to report HB 6 favorably to the full Senate by a 9-1 vote, with Senator Menendez voting no and Senators West and Menendez expressing reservations but supporting further discussion. After that vote, testimony on HB 2 resumed. Senators used the hearing to ask about the bill’s cost, the difference between the basic allotment and the bill’s targeted funding buckets, and whether the permanent teacher pay increase shifts pressure off districts. The bill’s supporters emphasized that it represents an historic, roughly $8 billion investment and that many of the new funding streams are intended to be permanent or to address specific district needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• This grid resilience project includes right-of-way clearing, pole and line replacement, and replacement
• <00:36:53.640> resilience<00:36:54.400> project Parks this grid resilience project
• Parks this grid resilience project includes<00:36:55.839> RightWay<00:36:56.400> clearing
• electrical projects that coincide with electrical projects that coincide with the<00:48:20.559> grid
• resiliency Grant at Kentucky the grid resiliency Grant at Kentucky dam<00:48:24.160> Village<

Keywords: Reuploaded to restore full meeting 00:13 Call to Order and Roll Call 01:14 Approval of Minutes 01:40 Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet 27:44 Department of Parks 59:23 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The committee met for its second Budget Review on Economic Development, Public Protection, Tourism, and Energy and first approved the minutes from the prior meeting. Members then heard a presentation from the Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet and the Kentucky Department of Tourism on the 1% tourism marketing fund. Witnesses explained that the fund supports statewide tourism promotion, advertising, research, regional marketing, and matching grants to local tourism commissions, and that it cannot be used for capital construction. They reported that the General Assembly and governor increased appropriations in the 2024 session, adding $3 million in FY25 and $7 million in FY26, and set aside funding for the Kentucky Mountain Regional Recreation Authority, the National Quilt Museum, and the Southern Kentucky Tourism Initiative. Tourism officials emphasized that Kentucky tourism is a major economic driver, citing 2023 figures of $13.8 billion in economic impact, 79.3 million visitors, $9.7 billion in direct spending, more than 95,000 jobs supported, and nearly $1 billion in state and local tax revenue. They said the department now uses targeted digital and over-the-top advertising in selected domestic and international markets, with 62% of media placements digital and 80% of the budget spent out of state. Members asked about market selection, how the department measures return on investment, and what attracts visitors from places such as Dallas, Orlando, Toronto, and Washington, D.C.; officials said research shows a mix of family visits, outdoor recreation, and varied Kentucky offerings, and that 81% of overnight visitors are repeat visitors. They also discussed the potential impact of tariffs and trade tensions on bourbon-related tourism and international visitation, especially from Canada, and officials said they were monitoring the situation with U.S. Travel Association and Brand USA. The committee then heard from Kentucky State Parks officials on capital projects funded through HJR 76, HJR 56, and House Bill 6. They said they are providing quarterly project reports and have been meeting regularly with the Finance Cabinet’s engineering and contract staff. The presentation focused on campground utilities, broadband, and structural upgrades, including $40 million for campground improvements across the park system, with completed bathhouse renovations at Barren River and Nolin Lake and additional projects underway or in planning. Officials said the work is based on camper survey feedback, such as requests for better Wi-Fi, sewer and electric upgrades, frost-free spigots, and improved site layouts, and noted that the My Old Kentucky Home campground project is under construction and expected to be completed by spring 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• really puts a spotlight on uh grid really puts a spotlight on uh grid constraints<02:05:25.520><
• So we very well h may have access<02:32:09.359> to<02:32:10.000> firm<02:32:10.399>
• is 20. help protect the grid and neither is 20.
• transmission grid in the state?
• ability of the public to access ability of the public to access emergency<04:13:22.560> assistance

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Local governments built their grids and land use patterns decades ago, well before map apps, and have
• Local governments built their grids and land use patterns decades ago, well before map apps, and have
• Local governments built their grids and land use patterns decades ago, well before map apps, and have
• However, my office has been slowed in its effort to complete these reviews by a lack of access to job
• to this growing mode of accessible transportation.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 1054 explicitly tied wildfire fund access to executive compensation being linked to safety records
• If we do nothing, we face rising energy bills, declining grid reliability, and a shrinking safety net
• A financially distressed utility can't invest in safer operations, clean energy, or grid resilience,
• If we do nothing, we face rising energy bills, declining grid reliability, and a shrinking safety net
• A financially distressed utility can't invest in safer operations, clean energy, grid resilience, and

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , as well as try to access personal details of Americans at the Social Security Administration.
• There is seemingly unfettered access to sensitive information.
• When he designates someone as having access to it, they do have access to that.
• In the office that carries out the critical work to keep our electric grid reliable.
• for cybersecurity for the electric grid.

Keywords: national security, Department of Energy, foreign espionage, security protocols, Chinese Communist Party, national laboratories, research security

Summary: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee convened to address pressing issues related to research security risks at the Department of Energy, focusing specifically on foreign nationals' access to sensitive information. The meeting highlighted the increasing threats posed by espionage from the Chinese Communist Party, which has sought to infiltrate U.S. national laboratories and exploit American research for military purposes. Discussions included the importance of tightening security protocols to safeguard national interests and maintain technological advantages. Witnesses provided insight into historical contexts and current vulnerabilities, emphasizing that without proper measures, the gaps could jeopardize national security.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Concurrent Resolution 8, requesting the Joint Committee on Government and Finance study access
• stabilization plan, and to test the stability of West Virginia's energy grid.
• Stabilization Act, Gas and Natural Gas Liquids Development Act, the Comprehensive Grid Stabilization
• viable as any or all of the following: having access to a certified teacher, meeting workforce need,
• student interest and enrollment trends, access to appropriate and necessary funding, and access to appropriate

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The Senate considered and passed House Bill 4245, the Department of Revenue rules bundle covering 27 rules from six agencies. Members withdrew the committee amendment, adopted a floor amendment making changes to two lottery rules and one tax rule related to pre-need cemetery companies, then passed the bill 30-1. The Senate also adopted a title amendment and made the bill effective from passage by a 31-0 vote. Later, when the House rejected the Senate’s amendments, the Senate receded from its amendments and again passed the bill, making it effective from passage. The chamber also adopted several concurrent resolutions from the Rules Committee, including studies on school finance transparency, divorce grounds, the Southern West Virginia water crisis, athletic trainer access in public secondary schools, the eastern gray fox population, upland game bird stamp purchases, and the Public Service Commission. Senate Concurrent Resolution 50, calling for a study of the PSC, was also adopted. In addition, the Senate passed House Bill 5381, which expands the Office of Energy’s role to develop a comprehensive energy policy and grid stabilization plan, and House Bill 5412, the Future Ready Education Act, after amending it to require annual vocational and agriculture offerings unless not viable and to set science-of-reading training requirements for K-5 literacy teachers by 2028-29. The Senate passed House Bill 845, a supplemental appropriation to the Governor’s Office Civil Contingent Fund, after concurring in a House amendment that reappropriated federal match grant funds and increased the civil contingency surplus fund from $15 million to $25 million; it was made effective from passage. The chamber also concurred in House amendments to House Bill 4106 on constitutional carry for 18- to 20-year-olds, House Bill 4004 creating the Recharge West Virginia training reimbursement program, House Bill 5453 revising the school aid funding formula for special education weighting, and other measures including House Bill 4009 on portable benefits, Senate Bill 164 on substitute teacher definitions, and House Bill 4606 on pretrial release for certain felonies. A lengthy debate centered on House Bill 4198, the E-Verify Safe Harbor Act. The Judiciary Committee amendment would have required public and certain private employers to use E-Verify, while a further amendment from the Senator from Randolph would have limited the mandate to public employers and made E-Verify optional for private employers with liability protections for good-faith use. After extensive discussion about small business impacts, federal-state conflicts, and enforcement, the Senate adopted the Randolph amendment and then passed the bill 31-3, with a title amendment also adopted. The Senate later refused to concur in House amendments to House Bill 4010, concurred in House amendments to House Bill 5438, receded from amendments to House Bill 4765, and adjourned sine die.

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, I headroom uh in our grid capacity.
• some uh headroom in our grid capacity. some uh headroom in our grid capacity.
• So one of the during grid emergencies.
• procedures um should there be uh a grid procedures um should there be uh a grid emergency. emergency
• So a lot of it is planning, grid planning.

Keywords: 927, senate, all