Transcript Highlights:

• Following that, the Rules and Ethics Committee will convene at 7:15 p.m. today.

Summary: The House convened in special session with 96 members present, establishing a quorum. The meeting opened with prayer by Representative Andrade and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Representative Valdez. The clerk then read Governor Ron DeSantis’s proclamation calling the Legislature into special session from June 1 to June 3, 2026. No bills, resolutions, committee reports, messages from the Senate, or other legislative items were on the desk. The Speaker announced the schedule for the special session, saying the State Affairs Committee would meet that afternoon to consider a property tax bill and related policy, followed by the Rules and Ethics Committee later in the evening. The House planned to return to the floor the next morning to take up both measures. Representative Garrison moved that the House receive reports and adjourn for committee and other House business, reconvening Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at 9 a.m. or upon call of the Chair. The motion was approved, and the House adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Following that, the Rules and Ethics Committee will convene at 7:15 p.m. today.

Transcript Highlights:

• It violates longstanding traditions, ethics, and decorum of the Texas Senate.

Bills: SB 2 , SB 5 , SB 9 , SB 7 , SB 17 , SB 4 , HB4 , HB1 , HB3 , HB20 , HB22 , SB9 , SB7 , SB17 , SB4 , HB4 , SB2 , SB5

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 269, Maryland Public Ethics Law, Financial Disclosure Statements, State Officials and Candidates
• 22:22.000><c> 269,</c><00:22:22.840><c> Maryland</c><00:22:23.280><c> Public</c><00:22:23.720><c> Ethics
• </c> &gt;&gt; House Bill 269, Maryland Public Ethics &gt;&gt; House Bill 269, Maryland Public Ethics
• The Government Operations and Ethics Subcommittee will meet at noon. The link is your email.
• </c><01:42:40.280><c> will</c> Operations and Ethics Subcommittee will Operations and Ethics Subcommittee

Summary: The House convened with 124 members present, offered a prayer, and recognized foster youth visiting the chamber. Members then adopted two House resolutions honoring Dr. Sonja Santelises for 10 years as CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools and recognizing Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated, for 104 years of service, scholarship, and sisterhood. The House also received Senate bills and began taking up committee reports. Several bills were reported favorably and advanced to third reading, including measures on higher education grants, public safety pay restrictions, retirement and pension system work group extensions and cost-of-living adjustments, synthetic turf and aquaculture studies, rail crew requirements, Howard County speed limits, election address confidentiality, IT investment fund uses, ethics financial disclosures, Public Information Act divorce records, aging-in-place grants, judicial assignments, clerk and register salaries, and firearm literature distribution. House Bill 428, concerning temporary assignment of former judges, was special ordered until the next day after the minority whip requested time for an amendment. The chamber also considered and adopted amendments on several bills. House Bill 437, the Transportation and Climate Alignment Act of 2026, was amended to exempt the Chesapeake Bay Bridge project and then special ordered after questions about greenhouse gas impacts on major highway expansion projects. House Bill 457 on menstrual hygiene products at higher education institutions, House Bill 538 on student enrollment disclosures, House Bill 561 on child care credential funding, House Bill 720 on a veterans scholarship, and House Bill 212 on out-of-state vehicle registration all received amendments and favorable reports as amended. HB 212 drew extended debate about Maryland residents using out-of-state tags, with supporters saying it would help enforce registration laws and opponents raising concerns about legislative вмешательство in vehicle regulation and enforcement discretion.

Transcript Highlights:

• and in synthesizing and sharing accuracy and in synthesizing and sharing findings<00:09:35.200><c> ethically
• </c> findings ethically. findings ethically.
• We teach students about the ethical use of intellectual property and to understand the impact of technology
• 00:19:22.640><c> students</c><00:19:23.360><c> about</c><00:19:23.600><c> the</c><00:19:23.919><c> ethical
• about the ethical use of intellectual<00:19:25.600><c> property</c><00:19:26.000><c> and</c><00:19:26.240

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:31:58.399><c> effect</c><00:31:58.720><c> to</c><00:31:58.960><c> our</c> give practical ethic
• effect to our give practical ethic effect to our constitutional<00:31:59.760><c> rights.
• in is that they, because they do not hold the same standard of free speech, have it within their ethics
• </c><01:19:51.440><c> that</c><01:19:52.239><c> their</c> have it within their ethics that their have
• it within their ethics that their government<01:19:53.040><c> can</c><01:19:54.400><c> attempt</c><01

Bills: HB0103 , HB0070 , HB0091

Committee: House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• So I learned my work ethic from the family business that helped put me through college and law school
• from the family business that ethic from the family business that helped<00:26:18.000><c> put</c><00
• It did impart a strong work ethic, which, as you know, as chief judge, you're going to need to do.
• It did impart a strong work ethic, which, as you know, as chief judge, you're going to need to do.
• It did impart a strong work ethic, which, as you know, as chief judge, you're going to need to do.

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard Governor’s Message 790, the nomination of Karen T. Nakasone to serve as chief judge of the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals for a 10-year term. The chair announced that no vote would be taken that day and that the committee would vote on Thursday. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive, with the chair reading that there were 103 supporters, zero opposed, and one comment. Supporters included current and retired judges, public defenders, bar association representatives, former elected officials, and community members. They described Nakasone as intelligent, fair, hardworking, well respected, and a strong leader with deep legal experience. Several speakers emphasized her judicial temperament, her work as an advocate and judge, and her community involvement, including leadership in civic and civil rights organizations. One pro se litigant also testified that she had been treated kindly and respectfully by Nakasone in prior interactions. The Hawaii State Bar Association reported that it had conducted an interview and review process and found her qualified for the position. In her own remarks, Nakasone introduced family and colleagues, described her 30-year legal career, and said her first job after law school was as an ICA law clerk. She highlighted the court’s backlog reduction efforts under Acting Chief Judge Katherine Leonard, saying the number of older pending appeals had dropped significantly through team-based reforms, and stated that she would continue that work if confirmed. The hearing ended without questions from the committee and with the nomination held for a later vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• hours of approved continuing professional education courses per year and a minimum of four hours of ethics
• 40.320><c> of</c> per year and a minimum of four hours of per year and a minimum of four hours of ethics
• </c> ethics training for each renewal period. ethics training for each renewal period.
• Their wealth of experience, coupled with their commitment to ethical practice, safeguards public trust
• </c><01:41:51.280><c> practice,</c> commitment to ethical practice, commitment to ethical practice, safeguards

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• We provide hands-on care, we advocate for our patients, and we work diligently to ensure safe and ethical
• We provide hands-on care, we advocate for our patients, and we work diligently to ensure safe and ethical
• We ask that you stand with us in looking at public policy to ensure AI is used responsibly, ethically
• complies with current state law and best practices around security, accessibility, and the code of ethics
• for the state workers uh State ethics for the state workers uh State work<01:13:55.080><c> work</c><

Committee: Senate Labor

Transcript Highlights:

• imposes no new requirements and it makes civil enforcement under the Attorney General instead of the Ethics

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill is referred to Ethics. Next is S. 646.

Committee: Senate Investigations And Government Operations

Summary: The Committee on Investigations and Government Operations met on March 24, 2026 and took up a ten-bill agenda. Most of the measures were advanced by motion and second with little debate, and several were referred onward to other committees, including Finance, Local Government, Ethics, and Labor. Bills discussed included S.334 on publishing records of public interest, S.348 and S.3836 on Alcoholic Beverage Control Law changes, S.407 on the Executive Law, S.1572, S.3145, and S.7880A on the Tax Law, and S.7990 on the Executive Law and County Law. S.646 was reported, while S.334, S.348, S.407, S.1572, S.3145, S.4693, S.7880A, and S.7990 were referred to other committees as noted. A notable discussion occurred on S.4693, the Taxpayer Access to Publicly Funded Research Act. Members asked how public access would work and whether posting research online could affect scholarly journals that rely on subscriptions. Staff explained that the bill would require publicly funded research to be posted on agency websites and that the intent was to make taxpayer-supported findings available to the public without additional advertising or special access mechanisms. The sponsor’s rationale was that taxpayers should be able to access research they helped fund, though concerns about the impact on journals were acknowledged. Votes were generally favorable, with a few recorded objections or abstentions. S.348, S.1572, and S.7880A each had at least one nay, and several bills had one without-recommendation vote. The committee ultimately reported S.646 and S.3836, while the other measures were referred to the appropriate committees for further consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• As you can see, one of the most glaring examples when I was going through this is that the Ethics Commission
• As you can see, one of the most glaring examples when I was going through this is that the Ethics Commission
• Because when I look at your screen and it says that an Ethics Commission attorney with five years legal

Summary: The committee met to review the Attorney General’s budget and related agency operations, beginning with Legislative Council staff walking members through compliance reports and a blue-sheet base budget document. Staff highlighted current-biennium items such as FTE changes, one-time appropriations, litigation funding, opioid settlement receipts, continuing appropriations, and major special and federal funds. Members asked for clarification on items including the Missing Indigenous People Grant Fund, the Internet Crimes Investigation Fund, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit grant funding. Assistant Attorney General Clare Ness then gave an overview of the office’s structure, staffing, and budget pressures. She emphasized the office’s broad statutory duties, the value of its legal services to state and local government, and concerns about attorney pay lagging behind other agencies. Members discussed whether attorney compensation should be benchmarked more consistently across state government and whether some legal work could be consolidated within the AG’s office. Ness also addressed questions about AG opinion turnaround times, boards-and-commissions training, the new-and-vacant FTE pool, operating expense cuts, office leases, and the state’s criminal justice information systems. The crime lab presentation drew significant attention. Director Jennifer Penner described severe space, safety, and infrastructure problems at the current lab, including cramped work areas, glycol leaks, outdated fire and burglar alarms, air-handling limits, and equipment failures that have delayed toxicology work. She said the 2024 study projected a much larger facility would be needed and that the preferred location would be near the current health department site, but in a new building. Members asked about possible evidence risks, backlog status, and whether the proposed building would solve the current problems; Penner said it would and noted backlogs have improved overall, though some delays remain. The committee also heard from the new Medicaid Fraud Control Unit director, who described the unit’s civil and criminal work, federal-state funding split, and examples of fraud such as billing for services not provided or upcoding. The gaming division reported continued growth in charitable gaming and e-tabs, with members expressing concern about large trust-account balances, site competition, and possible misuse of proceeds. Finally, BCI outlined its caseload, cybercrime work, missing Indigenous persons task force, and the surge in CSAM cyber tips; members asked about AI-generated CSAM, and the AG’s office noted that last session’s law increased penalties and expressly allowed AI-generated CSAM to be prosecuted like other CSAM. No formal votes or actions were taken beyond approval of the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• saying the clerk can as well, and I'll have an amendment shortly that also includes the Board of Ethics
• Representative Bacala: "The amendment, as I said earlier, just allows the Board of Ethics to also follow
• expect to be published about public individuals with the clerk, with the Secretary of State, and ethics

Bills: HR112 , HR113 , HR114 , HCR51 , HCR52 , HR94 , HR95 , HR96 , HR97 , HR98 , HR99 , HR100 , HR103 , HR104 , HR105 , HR106 , HR107 , HR108 , HR109 , HR110 , HR111 , HCR46 , HCR47 , HCR48 , HCR49 , HCR50 , SCR25 , SB17 , SB300 , HCR35 , HB51 , HB82 , HB143 , HB145 , HB160 , HB180 , HB192 , HB393 , HB430 , HB445 , HB506 , HB515 , HB521 , HB565 , HB590 , HB614 , HB638 , HB647 , HB670 , HB672 , HB685 , HB692 , HB752 , HB773 , HB781 , HB799 , HB839 , HB860 , HB873 , HB874 , HB887 , HB917 , HB937 , HB956 , HB965 , HB972 , HB977 , HB982 , HB1006 , HB1010 , HB1044 , HB1072 , HB1088 , HB1157 , HB1179 , HB1200 , HR15 , HR20 , HCR14 , HCR6 , HCR19 , HCR10 , HR74 , HCR26 , HCR45 , HB54 , HB67 , HB73 , HB125 , HB133 , HB158 , HB168 , HB169 , HB191 , HB195 , HB245 , HB280 , HB283 , HB296 , HB319 , HB339 , HB399 , HB407 , HB448 , HB550 , HB591 , HB826 , HB995 , HB1085 , HB1086 , HB98 , HB108 , HB131 , HB151 , HB161 , HB288 , HB294 , HB305 , HB310 , HB320 , HB336 , HB380 , HB392 , HB403 , HB420 , HB459 , HB476 , HB540 , HB615 , HB631 , HB637 , HB648 , HB665 , HB682 , HB789 , HB813 , HB815 , HB835 , HB870 , HB905 , HB915 , HB933 , HB938 , HB987 , HB1040 , HB827 , HB953 , HB796 , HB352 , HB463 , HB735 , HB780 , HB882 , HB81 , HB400 , HB140 , HB750 , HB911 , HB961 , HB401 , HB901 , HB9 , HB52 , HB58 , HB154 , HB193 , HB284 , HB410 , HB570 , HB577 , HB582 , HB605 , HB733 , HB868 , HB952

Keywords: commendation, community service, religious leadership, New Orleans, anniversary, Martha's Vineyard, African-American Film Festival, Black excellence, cinema, cultural celebration, Black voices, film industry, Hannuh Ray, Louisiana, youth development, pageant, leadership, community, recognition, compensation

Transcript Highlights:

• consistent schedule that meets the medical needs of the student and complies with the provider's ethical
• consistent schedule that meets the medical needs of the student and complies with the provider's ethical
• code of conduct. and needs of the student and complies with the provider's ethical code of conduct.

Bills: HCR14 , HB201 , HB218 , HB352 , HB626 , HB636 , HB738 , HB749

Committee: House Education

Keywords: Department of Education, federal overreach, education policy, Tenth Amendment, local control, fine arts, high school diploma, arts education, capstone project, academic achievement, student recognition, Louisiana education, food insecurity, hunger, student hunger, school meals, free lunch, community eligibility provision, McKinney-Vento, homeless students

Transcript Highlights:

• All board members have their required ethics training, and the board has ruled on over 100 inter-district
• All board members have their required ethics training, and the board has ruled on over 100 inter-district
• here with a school district in Riverside that has a laundry list of corruption and mismanagement and ethics

Summary: The committee met as a subcommittee because quorum was initially lacking, and the state auditor gave an update on his office’s workload, including several JALAC audits in progress, other statutory audits, staffing growth, and capacity to begin additional audits. Members also announced that one audit request on Prop. 28 was being held and that the PUC request would be moved off consent for presentation. After quorum was later established, the committee took up and approved several audit requests, including the DMV license revocation audit on consent, the CPUC utility interconnection timeliness audit, and the Caltrans SR 710 extension project audit. The fusion centers audit was approved on call, while the Orange County Board of Education audit was still being discussed when the transcript ended. Senator Cervantes presented the fusion centers audit request, arguing that California’s fusion centers operate with little public oversight and may collect, share, and retain sensitive information without adequate legal authority, privacy protections, or accountability. Supporters, including former FBI agent Mike German and an ACLU representative, said the centers function as opaque intelligence-sharing hubs and have a history of inaccurate or biased reporting. The state auditor said the audit would examine the State Threat Assessment Center and two local fusion centers, focusing on oversight, legal authority, data quality, disclosure controls, use of private vendors, funding, and performance metrics, while noting possible access and public disclosure limits because of intelligence-related information. The request drew sharp criticism from one member, who called it politicized and unnecessary, but it ultimately advanced on call. Senator Allen’s CPUC audit request focused on the commission’s enforcement of Rule 21 interconnection timelines for customer-sited solar and storage projects. Supporters said utilities routinely miss deadlines, causing delays and added costs for schools, nonprofits, businesses, and homeowners, while CPUC staff said the commission has public reporting, workshops, and an active proceeding to address the issue. The auditor said the review would examine CPUC monitoring, enforcement tools, and data on why utilities struggle to comply, estimating about 3,500 hours of work. The committee approved the request after discussion about whether an audit or legislative oversight would be the best tool. Senator Perez and Assembly Member Fong presented the Caltrans 710 corridor audit request, describing tenant complaints about mold, pests, deferred maintenance, inconsistent pricing, unclear communications, and delays in the affordable sales program created under the Roberti Act. Caltrans said it had completed many sales, was moving additional properties, and remained committed to transparency and compliance. The auditor said the review would examine whether Caltrans is complying with the Roberti Act, how it sets affordable prices, appraisal and appeal practices, communications with buyers, rent accounting, property maintenance, and follow-up on prior audit recommendations. The committee also heard Senator Umberg’s request to audit the Orange County Board of Education over transparency, contracting, litigation spending, charter oversight, and whistleblower issues; supporters argued the board’s actions warranted scrutiny, while board representatives said there was no factual basis for an audit and that complaints, enforcement actions, and legal challenges were minimal or absent.

Transcript Highlights:

• The right to voluntary consent is a foundational principle of medical ethics.
• While the rationale behind public health is important, it should not be used to override core ethical
• I am here as a constituent in Meridian, and I am representing Mormon Women for Ethical Government, or

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• I teach business communications and ethics. I teach business communications and ethics.
• I mentioned I teach business communications and ethics.

Committee: House Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism

Summary: Assembly Member Chris Ward and Senator Akela Weber Pearson convened an informational hearing at KPBS and San Diego State University on the impact of the federal rescission of Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding on California public media. Opening remarks emphasized public media’s role in education, local news, arts and culture, emergency alerts, and service to rural and underserved communities, with local officials from San Diego and La Mesa voicing support. Panelists from PBS SoCal, KCRW, and Rebuild Local News described major operational and content impacts from the funding loss, including layoffs, reduced staff and programming, threatened children’s and educational content, and pressure on smaller stations that rely heavily on CPB support. They also discussed public media’s role in disaster response, local arts coverage, and the shrinking local news ecosystem, while noting possible responses such as shared services, philanthropy, corporate partnerships, and state policy support. A second panel focused on labor and production perspectives. NPR veteran Jack Speer and filmmaker Nate Dappen said the cuts threaten journalism jobs, documentary production, and science programming, and warned that fewer resources mean less fact-checking, less on-the-ground reporting, and weaker public understanding of science and technology. They urged continued support for public media as a trusted, noncommercial source of information. The final panel featured KPBS, Radio Bilingüe, and KVPR. KPBS said federal funding made up 12% of its budget and that reserves have only delayed possible future reorganization; Radio Bilingüe reported losses to both CPB and FEMA-related infrastructure funding affecting Spanish- and indigenous-language service; and KVPR said it lost CPB and FEMA grants but offset the loss through an emergency fundraising drive. No formal votes were taken; the hearing was informational and ended with questions about state policy options and future support.

Transcript Highlights:

• once you file for office, this part of the chapter is suspended, so nobody's getting tagged with ethics
• Members, HB 18 is being peddled as a bill about ethics and integrity, but integrity isn't what this bill
• It doesn't make anything more ethical. The only outside influence it blocks is ordinary people.

Bills: HB18 , SB 54 , SB 10 , HR76 , HR77 , HR78 , HR82 , HR83 , HR88 , HR89 , HR93 , HR94 , HR95 , HR98 , HR101 , HR102 , HR104 , HR105 , HR107 , HR108 , HR109 , HR110 , HR111 , HR112 , HR113 , HR123 , HR125 , HR79 , HR80 , HR81 , HR84 , HR85 , HR86 , HR87 , HR90 , HR91 , HR92 , HR96 , HR97 , HR100 , HR103 , HR106 , HR114 , HR115 , HR116 , HR117 , HR118 , HR119 , HR120 , HR121 , HR122 , HR124 , HB18 , SB54 , SB10 , HB8

Transcript Highlights:

• For those who don't know, Chair Silver was the Assembly Ethics Council, I think was your title.
• Assembly Ethics Council for most of my time in the assembly.
• I just want to emphasize again that I think, you know, We all strive to act in the most ethical manner

Committee: House Elections

Transcript Highlights:

• While there are benefits, these tools can also bring up legal and ethical implications not considered
• Senator Parker has been leading on this issue, balancing ethics and innovation in AI for years now.
• Second, the bill establishes a comprehensive AI code of ethics.

Bills: SB231 , SB584 , SB600 , SB668 , SB841 , SB986 , SB1003 , SB1244 , SB1625 , SB1960 , SB1963 , SB1964 , SB2026 , SB2056 , SB2368

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce