Transcript Highlights:

• The costs of this drug and other drugs from the cartels are in the, I'd say, hundreds of millions, perhaps
• The other side, the cartel side, is very well funded. They've got lots of money at their disposal.
• comes through our section of the southern border the costs of this drug and other drugs from the cartels
• The other side, the cartel side, is very well funded. They've got lots of money at their disposal.

Summary: The committee heard several public safety measures, beginning with HCR 2059, a resolution reaffirming support for county sheriffs and recognizing their constitutional authority in their jurisdictions. Supporters said it was a tribute to sheriffs’ work, especially in rural areas, while some members objected to language describing sheriffs as having “supreme constitutional authority,” calling it overly broad or tied to fringe legal theories. The resolution received a due-pass recommendation on an 8-3 vote. Members then considered HB 2811, which expands obstructing governmental operations to cover interference with a lawful arrest when violence or force is used. The sponsor said the bill closes a gap and should make such conduct a felony, while an opposing attorney argued existing statutes already cover much of the conduct and that the bill was duplicative and confusing. Despite concerns about the drafting and interaction of subsections, the bill received a do-pass recommendation. The committee also heard HB 4129, a proposed DPS-run mental health and wellness program for law enforcement funded with $15 million; the sponsor described it as confidential counseling and support for officers, but several members said it duplicated existing services and was too costly, and the sponsor ultimately withdrew the bill before a vote. The committee next took up HB 2270, which would expand protections for county seals and office insignia to include logos and other identifiers, and give sheriffs exclusive rights over posse names and dissolution. Sheriffs and county representatives said the bill was needed to prevent misuse of official names and to avoid litigation after disputes over posse identities; some members raised First Amendment and vagueness concerns about broad language such as “could imply” affiliation. The bill passed 12-1. HB 2416, a $20 million appropriation for border-related law enforcement support, drew strong support from sheriffs and county law enforcement groups who said the funds help with drug interdiction and border-related crime, and strong opposition from speakers who argued the money should go to schools, housing, health care, and other needs; it passed 7-5. Finally, the committee heard HB 4018, a strike-everything amendment clarifying sheriffs’ authority over volunteer posses and reserve organizations. MCSO and county officials said it was meant to clarify existing authority and protect public safety operations, while an opponent warned it could expand posse use into immigration enforcement and increase militarization. The committee adopted the strike-everything amendment and gave the bill a do-pass recommendation. HB 2253, barring retaliation against employees who testify in law enforcement disciplinary appeal proceedings, also passed after a chairman’s amendment removed one voiding provision. The transcript ends as the committee begins hearing HB 4044, which would create a Public Safety Parity Fund funded by forfeited digital assets and redirected investment deposits.

Transcript Highlights:

• Ultimately, that search warrant identified 98 individuals linked to a Mexican cartel organization believed
• by fellow peers and athletes at my school, but little to the school administrator's knowledge that cartel
• We have to remove gangs, we have to remove cartels.

Transcript Highlights:

• Turin found that this sort of bidding setup led to, or at least facilitated, the creation of bidding cartels
• Turin found that this sort of bidding setup led to, or at least facilitated, the creation of bidding cartels

Bills: HR275, HR282, HCR112, SCR62, SCR64, SB513

Keywords: highway maintenance, signage, transportation safety, DOTD, infrastructure, public safety, federal grants, job creation, Utility Terrain Vehicles, UTVs, safety regulations, transportation, Louisiana, task force, vehicle operation, legislation, accidents, HCR112, House Concurrent Resolution 112, Louisiana Highway 1

Summary: The House Transportation Committee met on May 26 with a quorum present and took up several resolutions and one Senate bill. SCR 64 created a task force to study construction management at risk (CMAR) in Louisiana public works; an amendment added representatives from the Louisiana Associated General Contractors and Associated Builders and Contractors, and the resolution was reported with amendments. HR 282 created a task force to study utility terrain vehicles with state agencies; an amendment added the State Fire Marshal, and it was also reported with amendments. The committee then considered SB 513 on public works project delivery methods. The bill originally included an average-bid award method for certain pilot projects, along with airport design-build provisions. Testimony from a Reason Foundation analyst and from the Louisiana Associated General Contractors raised concerns that average-bid contracting could encourage collusion, raise costs, and lacked supporting data or use by U.S. transportation departments, while airport design-build was supported. The committee adopted an amendment in concept to strike the average-bid provisions, leaving the airport-related design-build language in place, and SB 513 was reported with amendments by a vote of 11 yeas and 4 nays. The committee also reported SCR 62 favorably, which urges DOTD to evaluate school zones on state highways in response to safety concerns and near misses, including a fatal incident referenced by the author. HCR 112 was reported favorably to study flooding on Louisiana Highway 1 in Shreveport, and HR 275 was reported favorably to study an interstate highway signage maintenance and reporting program. The meeting concluded after all items were disposed of and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, we're faced with a scourge of organized thefts by criminal gangs and cartels that's costing Texas
• laws to crack down on an epidemic of theft involving organized retail crime by criminal gangs and cartels
• South Texas to get a call, many times from supposedly cartel people, tell them that they kidnapped your

Bills: SB1281, SB1300, SB1379, SB1451, SB1497, SB1498, SB1499

Keywords: mail theft, postal theft, package theft, identity theft, negotiable instrument, check theft, mail receptacle key, mailbox lock, postal key, delivery service, courier, USPS, United States Postal Service, fraud, property crime, elderly victims, disabled victims, identity information, rebuttable presumption, felony enhancement

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c><02:28:35.280><c> traffickers,</c> from criminals, cartels, traffickers, from criminals, cartels
• The cartels haven't disappeared. Human traffickers have not disappeared.
• Cartel activity has been disrupted.
• </c><03:13:31.920><c> reach</c> cartel linked fentanyl trafficking reach cartel linked fentanyl trafficking
• ><c> had</c><06:19:00.638><c> better</c> Mexican cartels have never had better Mexican cartels have never

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• District 37, also cartels getting engaged, stealing cars, sending them in.
• On the other side, between rival cartels, battling over territory is very dangerous. It is.
• And they're trained by the cartel, they're working with the cartel, they're collaborating for financial
• They are working with the cartels.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Texas is dealing with an increasingly autocratic narco state where cartels and elements of the Mexican
• and illegal immigration at the southern border while largely ignoring the vast criminal marketplace cartels
• These cartels exercise territorial control, corrupt institutions, capture political systems, and have
• The screwworm outbreak has been mapped, and the patterns mirror smuggling cartel trafficking routes,
• So therefore, no matter what policies or protocols are put in place, if these cartel trafficking pipelines

Summary: During the meeting, legislative members discussed the practice of municipalities diverting water and sewer revenues to their general funds, which impacts infrastructure maintenance and project delays. Vice Chair Sparks proposed limiting public testimony to two minutes, which was adopted without objection. The committee heard from various witnesses, including Perry Fowler from the Texas Water Infrastructure Network, who emphasized that utility revenues should primarily support water services and that transfers should be transparent and justified. He noted that many utilities face financial pressures that could hinder infrastructure projects. Larry French from the Texas Public Policy Foundation highlighted the significant financial impact of water loss and general fund transfers, estimating the annual loss at $1.5 billion. He argued that these transfers can create disincentives for municipalities to address water loss issues. Brian Butcher, Assistant City Manager of Sugar Land, defended the city's cost allocation model for general fund transfers, asserting that they are necessary for equitable service provision and operational efficiency. The committee also discussed the implications of rising construction costs and the need for better procurement processes to ensure effective use of taxpayer dollars. The second part of the meeting focused on the New World Screwworm and the state's preparedness to manage potential infestations. Dudley Hoskins from the USDA outlined the federal response efforts and the importance of collaboration with state agencies. He emphasized the need for ongoing surveillance and the production of sterile flies to combat the pest. Dr. Philip Kaufman from Texas A&M discussed the historical context of the screwworm and the challenges posed by its potential reintroduction, urging proactive management strategies among livestock producers. The committee acknowledged the need for increased resources and research to effectively address the threat of the screwworm.

Transcript Highlights:

• This includes tremendous efforts placed on in-depth and long-term investigations into prominent drug cartels
• Unfortunately, we do have the cartels in Minnesota, very, very established.
• we're using now that we haven't used in the past, just to level the playing field with the different cartels
• c><00:21:52.240><c> that</c><00:21:52.360><c> are</c><00:21:52.640><c> out</c> with the different cartels
• that are out with the different cartels that are out there<00:21:53.279><c> operating</c><00:21:53.760

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Everyone who profits from fentanyl and opiates or illegal opiates right now are either foreign drug cartels
• dollar that someone spends on a 7-hydroxy product instead of an opiate is money right out of the drug cartels
• where they will possibly die from fentanyl or illegal opiates, and we'll fund more money into drug cartels
• where they will possibly die from fentanyl or illegal opiates, and we'll fund more money into drug cartels

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing covered a wide range of Judiciary Committee bills, with much of the testimony focused on criminal justice, public safety, and civil asset forfeiture reform. Several lawmakers and advocates supported bills to increase penalties or create new offenses related to assaults on sports officials, assaults on transit workers, reckless discharge of firearms, fires and explosives, pill press machines, and drug-induced homicide. Testifiers described rising harassment and violence against youth sports officials and transit workers, as well as the fentanyl overdose crisis and the need for stronger tools to prosecute dealers whose conduct leads to death. Supporters of the sports-official and transit-worker bills emphasized declining referee availability and repeated assaults on commuter rail and MBTA workers. District attorneys also backed bills on reckless firearm discharge and fires/explosives, saying current law does not adequately address dangerous conduct that endangers bystanders. The committee also heard testimony on several proposals related to youth diversion and prison mitigation. Supporters of the youth court justice fund bill said youth courts are peer-led diversion programs with strong compliance and low recidivism, and argued for a stable funding source rather than annual earmarks. A representative from Bridgewater supported a prison mitigation fund for municipalities that host state prisons, saying the costs of public safety and emergency services are not fully covered. On gun policy, testimony split between supporters of a bill to ban in-state manufacture of assault-style rifles for civilian sale and opponents or skeptics of other firearm-related measures, including a bill on collateralizing firearms and a bill to increase penalties for drug trafficking combined with illegal firearm offenses. A major portion of the hearing was devoted to civil asset forfeiture reform. Advocates from the ACLU, CPCS, the Boston Bar Association, the Institute for Justice, and others supported bills to increase the burden of proof, improve transparency and reporting, require counsel, and limit or eliminate the current practice of directing forfeiture proceeds to law enforcement. They argued the current system creates perverse incentives, lacks adequate due process, and is insufficiently transparent. District Attorney Paul Tucker defended current forfeiture practices, saying his office has reporting and oversight, uses the funds for investigations and community programs, and warned that reducing forfeiture revenue would hinder crime fighting. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the hearing; the chairs repeatedly thanked witnesses and indicated the bills would remain under consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• testimony expressing concern over the increase in criminal activity involving motor fuel, Mexican cartels
• testimony expressing concern over the increase in criminal activity involving motor fuel, Mexican cartels
• According to DPS, truckers are departing the designated permanent route to pay lesser fees to cartels
• Members, Texas has faced an unprecedented rise of cartels and other organized criminal gangs throughout

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, received the House message that HB 35 had passed, and heard a gubernatorial message submitting Trinity River Authority board appointments for Senate confirmation. The chamber also adopted a slate of Senate resolutions by voice vote and later postponed reading and referral of bills and resolutions until the end of the calendar. Several members introduced bills with brief explanations before the Senate took them up under suspension of the regular order. The body then considered and passed a series of measures, often by wide margins, including SB 2846 on wildlife disease control and quarantine authority; CS SB 1224 requiring school superintendents or directors to report certain employee misconduct to local law enforcement; CS SB 2310 on transparency for degree and transfer requirements at public colleges; SB 1502 limiting school districts’ ability to exceed voter-approval tax rates after a failed TRE; CS SB 1141 on notice requirements before full adversary hearings in child-protection cases; CS SB 2568 exempting certain flood-control reservoirs from TCEQ permitting; SB 1524 on confidentiality of information about weapons in foster homes; CS SB 2925 creating a task force on modernizing manufacturing; CS SB 2269 on dispute resolution and enforcement for long-term care facilities; CS SB 1266 on Medicaid provider enrollment and disenrollment notices; SB 243 on migrant labor housing standards; SB 2200 on overweight vehicles transporting hazardous materials; CS SB 2480 on the Texas Physician Health Program; CS SB 1585 restricting government contracts with companies tied to foreign adversaries; CS SB 2357 establishing maternal health training; and SB 1551 requiring accessible AED placement in public schools. The Senate also debated more contested bills. CS SB 2019, which would extend vaccine exemption rules to medical and veterinary students, advanced only partway after a divided vote. CS SB 1442, directing a study on veterinary telemedicine relationships, and CS SB 1241, which would allow the Higher Education Coordinating Board to study alternative college entrance exams, prompted extended questioning about agency authority and whether changes should return to the legislature before taking effect. CS SB 2753, which would integrate early voting and election day voting into a single in-person voting period, was amended and passed to engrossment despite opposition. CS SB 2201, dealing with gang and foreign terrorist organization intelligence databases, and CS SB 2514, creating a DPS hostile foreign adversaries unit, drew detailed debate over civil liberties and national security. CS SB 2422, aimed at limiting Texas Medical Board discipline related to COVID-19 treatments and practices, also advanced after lengthy discussion and a close vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Mexican drug cartels primarily that manufacture these lethal drugs, but it's chemicals coming straight
• from China to these cartels that are manufacturing the drugs.
• remains the single largest provider of these deadly chemicals, we call them precursors, that the cartels

Keywords: committee meeting, bill discussions, nomination, David Perdue, Monica Crawley, U.S.-China relations, foreign policy

Summary: The meeting of the committee was marked by significant discussions regarding various bills, including HB22 and SB5. A notable moment was the introduction of nominees Senator David Perdue and Ms. Monica Crawley, which led to discussions on the implications of their roles, particularly in relation to U.S.-China relations and foreign policy. Members exchanged views on the nominees' qualifications, emphasizing the importance of leadership in foreign diplomacy. Additionally, the committee heard testimonies from several witnesses both supporting and opposing certain bills, showcasing the diverse perspectives present.

Transcript Highlights:

• The cartels control the southern border. Nobody crosses that border without the cartel permission.
• across our southern they're cartel across our southern border?
• The<03:51:02.960><c> cartels</c><03:51:03.520><c> control</c><03:51:03.840><c> the</c><03:51:04.080><
• </c> The cartels control the southern border. The cartels control the southern border.
• Something he said earlier, we have cartels in this state. It's actually not true anymore.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• investigative fact that a lot of these cash transfers going out of the country are going to drug cartels
• It doesn't help clean up or rid... the state of the issue of money laundering to the cartel.

Bills: HB297

Keywords: cash transactions, money transmission, regulatory compliance, criminal penalties, Alabama Securities Commission, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Taking away a safe, legal avenue for Texans to purchase hemp products will only empower cartels and street
• But where I would really... not want to see that pushed into black market funding for cartel funding
• The cartel and the black market will take over and that is going to make more people sick, more people
• Instead, it will create a vacuum that the black market, including cartels and other criminal elements
• It will create a vacuum that the black market, including cartels and other criminal elements, will not

Bills: HB 28, SB 3

Keywords: hemp regulation, consumable products, cannabinoids, state health, youth protection, licensing fees, criminal offenses, HB28, public testimony, committee decorum, bill substitute, legislative process

Summary: The meeting featured significant discussions regarding HB28, where the chair outlined the plans to bring forward a substitute for the bill. The chair emphasized the importance of maintaining order and decorum during the proceedings. Members engaged in deliberations, and a number of public witnesses were invited to testify, thereby enriching the discussion around the bill. This interaction provided valuable insights into public sentiment regarding the issues at hand.

Transcript Highlights:

• representative, and you guys should know what to do because I don’t know how you can prevent the cartel
• , Jalisco Cartel, Trago Cartel, KGB, and stuff from infiltrating your space when you’re just going to
• representative, and you guys should know what to do because I don’t know how you can prevent the cartel
• , Jalisco Cartel, Trago Cartel, KGB, and stuff from infiltrating your space when you’re just going to
• I don’t know how you can prevent the Cártel Jalisco, Trago Cartel, KGB, and stuff from infiltrating your

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The hearing began on SP 547, which would create incentives for graywater recycling systems and atmospheric water generators through an income tax credit, a Department of Health rebate program, and building code standards. The Department of Health and Department of Taxation offered written comments; Taxation said it had seven proposed amendments to improve administration. Testimony was largely supportive, with advocates and local users describing water-supply benefits, emergency use during the Maui fires, and potential help for drought conditions and Red Hill concerns. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii suggested only the rebate program should move forward for clearer cost transparency, and the Department of Health said it needed more time to study the bill. Members questioned the fiscal impact and whether combining a tax credit and rebate was typical, but staff did not have cost estimates. Decision-making on SP 547 was deferred to February 12, 2025. The committee then took up SP 242 on foreign ownership of agricultural lands. The chair recommended passage with amendments, including deleting a reference to the Attorney General in one section and changing the effective date to July 1, 2050. Supporters argued the bill was a first step to limit foreign ownership of farmland, citing other states with similar restrictions, while several members said they supported the intent but had reservations about possible unintended harm to farmers and agriculture investment. After discussion, the measure passed with amendments on a 5-0 vote, with some members voting with reservations. The committee also discussed SP 1633, which would create a green building tax credit for structures using at least 30% Hawaii-grown hemp material. The chair said the bill was close but needed more work, and decision-making was deferred to February 12, 2025. Later, the committee heard several environmental measures: SB 683, which would ban intentionally added PFAS in certain products starting in 2028; SB 1109, which would replace the “finding of no significant impact” with a “finding of completion of environmental disclosure process”; SB 391, which would expand recycling requirements to certain lithium-ion batteries; and SB 12, which would classify neonic pesticides as restricted-use pesticides and limit certain seed treatments. Testimony on these bills included support from environmental and advocacy groups, comments from state agencies, and requests for amendments or further study, but no final votes were taken on those measures in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then how many of these kinds of crimes are tied to cartel activity, to gangs, et cetera, from at
• ve all reported on these violent criminal offenders, and a lot of the time they are being used by cartel
• understand where they’re getting their representation, because I’m not sure if it sounds to me like the cartel
• So how would that change that portion of the law when it comes to a cartel, a gang using a kid to peddle
• And, Madam Chair, Representative, I'm not talking about the cartel, but if, like, they went and killed

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Texas is dealing with an increasingly autocratic narco-state, where cartels and elements of the Mexican
• He said Texas is dealing with an increasingly autocratic narco-state, where cartels and elements of the
• illegal immigration at the southern border, while largely ignoring the vast criminal marketplace cartels
• These cartels exercise territorial control, corrupt institutions, capture political systems, and have
• The screwworm outbreak has been mapped, and the pattern mirrors smuggling and cartel trafficking routes

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• them new jobs, taking them off of sometimes their extremely serious work of trying to track down cartels
• of trying to extremely serious work of trying to track<01:00:28.640><c> down</c><01:00:28.880><c> cartels
• </c><01:00:29.440><c> and</c><01:00:29.680><c> now</c><01:00:29.839><c> they're</c> track down cartels
• and now they're track down cartels and now they're working<01:00:30.799><c> to</c><01:00:31.040><c>
• So Homeland Security Investigations, their job, you know, they were supposed to be investigating cartels

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Judiciary Committee held an informational briefing on the impact and legality of federal immigration enforcement efforts in Hawaii, with Chair Carl Rhodes framing it as the sixth and final interim briefing in a series on the rule of law and local effects of federal actions. He said the discussion would focus on due process concerns, questioning and detention of citizens and lawful immigrants, free speech issues, and pressure on state and local law enforcement, and noted the issues may be revisited in the 2026 regular session. There was no public testimony or committee vote; only invited speakers presented. Dr. Amy Agayani opened by arguing that immigrants are integral to Hawaii’s history, economy, and communities, and contrasted that with what she described as harmful narratives portraying immigrants as criminals. She cited figures that one in five Hawaii residents is foreign-born, that immigrants make up about 20% of the labor force and over 27% of entrepreneurs, and that roughly 40,000 people in Hawaii are undocumented, many of whom may have pathways to legal status but face language, information, and court barriers. She also said federal enforcement has expanded beyond undocumented immigrants to include citizens and lawful residents, and warned that attacks on birthright citizenship and visa categories could affect many families. Matina Mock of the legal clinic emphasized the complexity of immigration law and the severe lack of legal representation, noting a nationwide backlog of 11.3 million immigration-related applications and 3.4 million court cases, plus about 1,400 pending immigration cases in Honolulu with only two immigration judges. She said Hawaii has only six or seven nonprofit immigration legal service providers, and that represented clients are far more likely to obtain relief. Mock described a recent case involving a lawful student visa holder who was transferred among multiple federal facilities before being brought to Honolulu without clear notice, which she said illustrated due process violations. She also said ICE activity in Hawaii has sharply increased, with about 150 arrests from January to July 2025, a 380% increase over the same period in 2024, and that many detainees have no criminal record. Stephanie Haro Sevilla and another clinic fellow described 2025 enforcement as a major shift driven by a January executive order, the end of prior limits on arrests in sensitive locations, and arrest quotas they said require 3,000 arrests per day nationwide. They said this has led to arrests without warrants or probable cause, broader targeting of people with minor offenses or no criminal history, and the use of resources from other federal agencies and local law enforcement for civilian immigration enforcement. They also said the federal detention center in Honolulu is holding roughly 40 to 80 civilian detainees on any given day, often in conditions they characterized as prison-like, and warned that the current escalation could eventually affect lawful permanent residents and naturalized citizens. The speakers urged the public to support immigrant-rights advocates and local protective policies and funding measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• These are members of cartels that are killing people, Americans across the country and in other parts
• c><00:31:19.360><c> are</c><00:31:19.600><c> members</c><00:31:19.919><c> of</c><00:31:20.159><c> cartels
• </c><00:31:21.200><c> that</c> are these are members of cartels that are these are members of cartels

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now we have drug cartels testing the board, looking for our defense systems.
• Thanks to President Trump, these cartels are classified and designated as a terrorist organization.
• We don't have dictators, we don't deal with cartel bosses, we don't put up with human trafficking.
• I wish I could say these are isolated tragedies, But they are a direct result of cartels exploiting weaknesses