Transcript Highlights:

• Drill. >> Mr.
• </c><00:29:43.120><c> Drill.</c><00:29:44.480><c> So,</c> &gt;&gt; Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Mr.
• Drill. So, &gt;&gt; Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Drill.
• Um, the Southern Industrial Complex, which hosts Leair, Wami Machinery, cycling drilling, and about two
• ,</c><00:37:50.960><c> and</c> Machinery, uh, cycling drilling, and Machinery, uh, cycling drilling,

Bills: HB0150

Committee: House Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• over 29,000 people without homes, and that's what Hawaiian Homeland should be used for, not for drilling
• Is it required to do the initial work, like the slimhole drilling and the various testing?
• There's one in particular that I'm drilling down on: the wildfire education programming priority, as
• down on the Wildfire education drilling down on the Wildfire education programming<02:49:06.640><c>
• On page 3, line 13, the term Fire Protection equipment is not used in the new part, so I think we need

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Summary: The committee heard three House bills related to the Department of Hawaiian Homelands. HB 606 would extend the Act 279 special fund to June 30, 2028, continue deposits and appropriations to help eliminate the DHHL waitlist, and require a strategic plan and annual reporting. DHHL strongly supported the measure, saying most of the initial $600 million had been used and that the need remains large, with more than 29,000 people on the waitlist. Public testimony also supported the bill, emphasizing its importance to Native Hawaiian families and concerns about Hawaiians leaving the islands because of housing costs. A member noted the bill is a priority and that the committee will keep working on how to fund another $600 million. HB 1086 would exempt DHHL homestead lot and housing development from general excise and use taxes. DHHL supported the bill, saying any tax savings would reduce the eventual cost of housing for low-income beneficiaries. The Department of Taxation said it could administer the measure and noted it is already being implemented under the governor’s emergency proclamation, with a proposed effective date of January 1, 2026. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii offered technical comments and urged the committee to weigh existing benefits already received by DHHL beneficiaries. HB 1307 would appropriate funds for DHHL water well development and geothermal exploration on Hawaiian homelands. DHHL said the bill is a follow-up to prior study funding and would support slim-hole drilling, site evaluation, and consultant work to identify viable geothermal resources, especially on Hawaiʻi Island. Several testifiers opposed the bill, arguing there had been inadequate beneficiary consultation, raising environmental, cultural, and safety concerns, and objecting to using $20 million for geothermal rather than housing. In response to committee questions, DHHL staff explained that the goal is to gather information for a future public-private partnership to develop geothermal electricity, and that a Chapter 343 environmental review would be required later in the process. No votes were taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Brassfield, you know the drill.
• You also know the drill. Please state your name for the record and then go ahead. Thank you.

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Rules

Transcript Highlights:

• Gives you the opportunity to ask the next questions, allowing opportunities further to drill down into
• Uh, we're not going to drill down doing a lot of into a lot of minutia, but basic things like design

Transcript Highlights:

• Please, you know the drill: state your name for the record and then tell us about Senate Bill 1232.
• Senator Foreman, you also are very familiar with the drill.
• Lair, you also know the drill.

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Rules

Transcript Highlights:

• The one in Reno kind of hits the high notes, and while that's very important, we're able to drill down
• For 30 years, blah, blah, blah, and that's where we drill in and we say, 'Well, let me tell you why that's
• To create with you to have more questions as they arise and maybe drill down onto some of these to get

Committee: House A&B Judiciary Subcommittee

Transcript Highlights:

• is really kind of following oil in New Mexico because the natural gas is present when the oil is drilled
• Slide 19 has specific data drilling into the gross receipts tax base in Eddy and Lea counties, which
• reflects the drilling activity in the Permian.

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• In recent statements by Continental, certainly there won't be any new drilling for a while in the price
• In recent statements by Continental, certainly there won't be any new drilling for a while in the price
• Yeah, I'd like to move a Representative Porter's bill on the equipment purchases or the, okay, firearms

Summary: The committee opened with roll call and a review of special-session procedure: bills would be heard in filing order, with related school-lunch bills grouped together, and any bill advancing would require a motion, second, and majority vote to be introduced. Members also discussed that the committee was functioning much like a delayed-bills committee, with final referral to either Appropriations or Policy depending on the bill’s fiscal impact. The first major proposal was Senator Schibley’s bill to create a narrow, statewide Bank of North Dakota bridge-loan program for struggling nonprofit medical facilities, prompted by Jacobson Memorial Hospital’s financial crisis. He argued the hospital and surrounding EMS services could close without short-term help, while committee members questioned the added language, the population cap, the $10 million fund with $5 million per applicant limit, and whether the program could open the door to future requests. Representative Headland then presented two cleanup bills from the prior property-tax session: one to fix notice and tax-certification issues for local taxing districts, and another to correct how the primary residence credit is applied so taxpayers receive the full benefit rather than counties retaining part of the reimbursement. Members asked about township hearing timing, the estimated $10–15 million annual impact, and whether the credit issue could be fixed retroactively; Headland said the bill was intended to correct the problem going forward. Three school-lunch bills drew extensive discussion. Representative Vetter proposed a small administrative appropriation to add an FTE to help eligible families enroll in the existing free/reduced lunch program, saying the goal was to ensure needy children are signed up and that the state should not subsidize meals for wealthy families. Representative Nathe offered a broader bill mirroring the pending initiated measure but placing the program in statute instead of the Constitution, moving implementation up a year, and funding it with a one-time $65 million from the strategic investment fund; he said this would preserve legislative flexibility and avoid constitutional entrenchment. Representative Dressler proposed raising the state-funded eligibility threshold from 225% to 300% of poverty, arguing it would expand access while still preserving federal reimbursements and encouraging better enrollment systems. Members debated costs, future budget pressure, whether the bills set a precedent for responding to ballot measures, and whether the program should include breakfast and other operational details. Other proposals included Senator Powers’ bill to create a hyperbaric oxygen board and support rural access to hyperbaric chambers for wounds, concussions, PTSD, and other conditions; Representative Tolman’s reporting-requirements bill to force new or expanded programs to justify purpose, alternatives, evaluation methods, and full implementation costs; Representative Frelich’s bill addressing the ongoing redistricting litigation and what happens if the Supreme Court or lower courts alter the current map; and a bill requested by the Public Service Commission and ITD for FERC litigation support and ADA website/document compliance. The committee also heard a rural-health eligibility bill from Representative Twait aimed at steering federal rural health dollars toward rural providers, with questions focused on whether the mileage limits would exclude some communities. One Holocaust education item was deferred until the sponsor could be located.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill incentivizes districts to prioritize college and career readiness. programming that equips
• heard testimony earlier about teachers, but teachers without high quality instruction and material. drills
• And Zenobia, I know you know the drill, just your name, position on the bill and.

Bills: SB451 , SB762 , SB1490 , SB1262 , SB1459 , SB1750 , SB1962 , SB2252 , SB2253 , SB2365

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Education K-16

Transcript Highlights:

• And so your equipment, and your capital equipment—I mean, you've got overtime for your men, and we talk
• But you talk about your equipment has a replacement schedule.
• Which is why that important is equipment—your equipment is important.
• So the right training, the right equipment, and focused on it, So the right training, the right equipment
• Seven is capital equipment.

Bills: SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee heard a presentation from the Legislative Budget Board on the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Article 5 budget. LBB recommended $3.7 billion in all funds for 2026-27, a 5.2 percent decrease from the base, while FTEs would rise by 856.7. Major items included funding for driver license services, DPS facilities, troopers and recruit schools, crime labs, vehicle and aircraft operations, border security, and rider changes. The committee also reviewed DPS exceptional items not included in the recommendation, including additional staffing, technology, and facility requests. Members focused heavily on driver license operations, criticizing long wait times, call abandonment, and repeated staffing increases without clear process improvements. LBB said the agency’s call-answer rate was about 9 percent in fiscal 2024, with average hold times around 34 minutes, later reduced to roughly 22-25 minutes. Senators questioned whether more FTEs alone would solve the problem and urged a broader efficiency study and better use of technology. DPS officials said they were pursuing process changes, including appointment-system upgrades, online pre-population of forms, and remote issuance options, while noting that Real ID requirements and population growth continue to drive demand. DPS leadership then outlined the agency’s priorities: completion of the Williamson County training academy, recruitment and retention of troopers, capital needs for vehicles and aircraft, and expanded responsibilities at the Capitol complex and the Alamo. Officials said the new trooper funding would help address staffing shortages, public safety, and border operations, and that overtime and deployment patterns had been adjusted to reduce burnout and improve flexibility. They also discussed Operation Lone Star, saying DPS spending is largely overtime, travel, and fuel, and that the agency continues to coordinate with federal partners while awaiting clarity on possible federal reimbursement for border security costs. Senators also raised concerns about oilfield theft, cartel activity, high-speed pursuits, bilingual pay, and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, and DPS said it would follow up on some of those issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know the drill. You'll have four minutes once you begin to speak.
• And you know the drill, but between the two of you, you'll have four minutes to address the committee
• definitions around commercial use for small businesses that employ mixed personal and commercial equipment
• And if the equipment that is being used to kill people is the actual vehicle, then it's the vehicle that

Committee: House Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• It says, "Let's drill down on those projects early enough in the planning phase so that we can plan those
• We're doing it at the state level, but the state is not able to drill down to 24 different jurisdictions
• We're doing it at the state level, but the state is not able to drill down to 24 different jurisdictions
• To explain my vote, I am just wanting to echo a lot of what we heard, but drill down on the fact that
• down on the fact that this is but drill down on the fact that this is the<02:53:39.360><c> economy</

Transcript Highlights:

• serious about affordability, truly serious, we must ask a different question: not how much can we drill
• ,</c><03:02:26.560><c> but</c> question. not how much can we drill, but question. not how much can we
• drill, but rather<03:02:27.279><c> how</c><03:02:27.520><c> do</c><03:02:27.680><c> we</c><03:02:27.840
• the things the President said last night is that he's doing so much to lower energy costs through drill
• , baby, drill and through all the other actions he's taken.

Bills: HB4758

Keywords: home electrification, taxpayer subsidies, energy efficiency, rebate programs, public law repeal

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 243 by Senator Kleinpeter, vessel safety, boarding, vessel operation equipment, provide for
• Senate Bill 243 by Senator Kleinpeter, vessel safety, boarding, vessel operation equipment, provide for
• Operation Equipment, provide for safety, a person's property, law enforcement. Natural Resources.

Bills: HR58 , HR59 , HR60 , HR61 , HR62 , HR63 , HR64 , HCR32 , HB43 , HB447 , HB573 , HB1000 , HB1001 , HB1002 , HB1003 , HB1004 , HB1005 , HR46 , HR48 , HR50 , HR51 , HR52 , HR53 , HR54 , HR55 , HR56 , HR57 , HCR31 , HB20 , HB21 , HB166 , HB494 , HB710 , HB795 , HB985 , HB986 , HB987 , HB988 , HB989 , HB990 , HB991 , HB992 , HB993 , HB994 , HB995 , HB996 , HB997 , HB998 , SB128 , SB149 , SB174 , SB191 , SB205 , SB213 , SB218 , SB220 , SB229 , SB238 , SB243 , SB375 , SB379 , HB8 , HB9 , HB10 , HB15 , HB16 , HB17 , HB18 , HB19 , HB22 , HB33 , HB34 , HB35 , HB44 , HB46 , HB47 , HB48 , HB61 , HB101 , HB126 , HB135 , HB142 , HB164 , HB185 , HB215 , HB226 , HB232 , HB233 , HB242 , HB284 , HB292 , HB297 , HB301 , HB334 , HB436 , HB468 , HB548 , HB571 , HB582 , HB593 , HB594 , HB609 , HB613 , HB712 , HB722 , HB732 , HB746 , HB781 , HB827 , HB845 , HB848 , HB921 , HB923 , HB951 , HB953 , HB999 , HB129 , HB130 , HB287 , HB489 , HB545 , HB553 , HB555 , HB570 , HB854 , HB952 , HB28 , HB36 , HB50 , HB52 , HB56 , HB62 , HB68 , HB92 , HB110 , HB117 , HB119 , HB124 , HB140 , HB147 , HB171 , HB182 , HB193 , HB196 , HB203 , HB228 , HB234 , HB260 , HB268 , HB271 , HB285 , HB289 , HB351 , HB400 , HB413 , HB469 , HB534 , HB551 , HB552 , HB574 , HB576 , HB634 , HB649 , HB677 , HB735 , HB739 , HB779 , HB784 , HB796 , HB842 , HB850 , HB919 , HB149 , HB733 , HB875 , HB868 , HB901

Keywords: waterfowl conservation, wetlands preservation, Ducks Unlimited, environmental stewardship, Louisiana, tennis, athlete recognition, family legacy, sports achievements, coaching, student parents, higher education, academic support, family stability, workforce equity, Homeland Security, federal funding, public safety, emergency services, TSA

Transcript Highlights:

• You know the drill.
• You know the drill.
• </c><00:20:29.679><c> to</c> from fencing and equipment to from fencing and equipment to replacement<
• So now in order to secure the equipment.
• So whole bunch of specialized equipment.

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Transcript Highlights:

• Now it's over a thousand feet deep and cost him over a million dollars to drill a water well.
• We've drilled out a majority of the prime spots.
• If we continue business as usual, just producing under primary production, continuing to drill out those
• Could we maintain conformance and keep it in the drill spacing unit, as an example?
• Our team was out there doing some engineering analysis, drilled a well, pulled core samples, and was

Committee: Joint Energy Development and Transmission Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Now it's over a thousand feet deep and cost him over a million dollars to drill a water well.
• We've drilled out a majority of the prime spots.
• If we continue business as usual, just producing under primary production, continuing to drill out those
• Could we maintain conformance and keep it in the drill spacing unit as an example?
• work on salt cavern characterization, so our team was out there doing some engineering analysis, drilled

Summary: The committee met in Grand Forks, approved the February 26 minutes by voice vote, and recessed for a tour of Minnkota Power Cooperative before hearing presentations on large energy consumers and related infrastructure issues. The first presentation, from the North Dakota Transmission Authority, focused on the need for better local decision-making tools for counties, townships, and planning and zoning boards facing major projects such as transmission lines, pipelines, data centers, wind, solar, and large-scale agriculture. The speaker urged more objective, data-driven analysis, noted that local officials often have limited time and resources, and said the state should support training and tools through groups like the League of Cities and the Association of Counties. Members asked about proactive outreach, data center ordinances, and how to avoid subsidizing large loads or causing reliability problems. The Division of Air Quality then discussed environmental oversight of data centers, emphasizing that North Dakota’s air remains among the cleanest in the country and that the agency’s role is limited to air, water discharge, stormwater, and waste—not zoning or water use. The presentation explained that data centers generally have low direct emissions but may rely on diesel backup generators when the grid is unavailable, which creates air-quality concerns; the department said it is requiring air monitors at some projects to collect real-world data and guide future decisions. Members asked about generator emissions, misinformation, monitoring costs, and staffing succession, and the agency said permit applicants pay for the monitors while the state handles some QA work. The Department of Water Resources followed with an overview of North Dakota water law and data center water use. The director explained the state’s prior-appropriation system, the public-interest review for permits, and the large overall water supply available from groundwater and the Missouri River. He said most proposed data centers use closed-loop cooling systems and generally request relatively small amounts of water compared with other uses such as power plants, irrigation, and oilfield operations, and that even a worst-case data center scenario would use only a tiny fraction of Missouri River flow. Questions focused on downstream impacts and comparisons to fracking water use, and the director said the state’s use is too small to materially affect downstream users. Later, McLean County State’s Attorney Ladd-Erickson testified online about data center zoning and permitting. He asked the committee to have Legislative Council gather information on how other states handle data center permitting and to keep the topic on the interim agenda. He argued that local zoning should remain local, but said counties lack the technical and legal resources to manage complex reclamation or bonding requirements and that state-level enabling legislation may be more appropriate. He also recommended eliminating tax incentives for data centers. The committee chair said staff would prepare a document on other states’ zoning and permitting approaches. After a lunch recess, the committee reconvened at the EERC, where CEO Charles Gorecki gave an overview of the center’s 75 years of work and its role in oil and gas, carbon management, and other energy technologies, highlighting enhanced oil recovery and carbon dioxide utilization as major opportunities for future production and tax revenue.

Transcript Highlights:

• It exempts the first $5,000 of drill pay earned by members of the Alabama National Guard from Alabama
• updates in existing tax code language, and that basically this is for the traditional guardsman that drills
• c><00:26:20.080><c> first</c><00:26:20.480><c> $5,000</c><00:26:21.360><c> of</c><00:26:21.520><c> drill
• </c><00:26:21.919><c> pay</c> It exempts the first $5,000 of drill pay It exempts the first $5,000 of
• drill pay earned<00:26:22.480><c> by</c><00:26:22.640><c> members</c><00:26:22.960><c> of</c><00:26:

Transcript Highlights:

• Can we just drill down on that and let me know who they are?
• Representative Jones, unfortunately, it is difficult to drill down on that data, and I'm not sure if
• There is not a specific way that I know of that we can drill down onto the practitioner databank to look
• Geography, you can drill down into specific counties, zip codes. Diagnosis and disease.
• So, the user can really start drilling down into those specific categories with that public data.

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• could measure the AQI in the area where they were so that they knew what was the proper protective equipment
• How are we also getting that critical equipment out in a fast way so that workers and homeowners, honestly
• So I think if we can, when we hear from the Army Corps of Engineers, I think we should really drill down
• In addition to that, obviously our impact is enhanced workforce collaborations that equip residents with
• You could have someone using very dangerous equipment and materials right next to a government project

Summary: The joint Senate and Assembly labor committees held a hearing on the Los Angeles wildfires and their impact on workers, employers, and recovery efforts. Chairs and members emphasized that rebuilding should prioritize worker safety, equity, local hiring, and strong labor standards rather than simply moving quickly or relying on the lowest bidder. They also stressed the need to learn from past disasters and to create a more coordinated state response for future emergencies. Worker advocates described how domestic workers, day laborers, firefighters, and other frontline workers were affected by the fires. Testimony focused on workers being trapped in evacuation zones, lacking timely information in Spanish, losing jobs and income, and facing exposure to toxic debris without adequate PPE. Speakers called for expanded outreach and education, stronger Cal/OSHA enforcement, broader occupational safety coverage for domestic workers and day laborers, recall and transfer rights, childcare and transportation support, and a centralized disaster relief system that can quickly deliver cash aid and equipment regardless of immigration status. Firefighter Derek Irwin said California firefighters face serious carcinogenic exposure and urged continued funding for the firefighter cancer prevention and research program, along with a long-term state health monitoring and research effort similar to the World Trade Center Health Program. Building trades and labor representatives argued that cleanup and rebuilding should be done through community workforce agreements, prevailing wage, apprenticeship requirements, and local hire provisions, and said the state already has trained workers available. They also said federal debris-removal work through the Army Corps has limited the state’s ability to impose some standards, but that state and local funding or subsidies should trigger labor requirements. Employer and business representatives described major losses to property, inventory, revenue, and jobs, especially in Altadena and nearby areas. The Altadena Chamber said it is coordinating recovery resources, while a construction business owner said small local firms are being shut out of disaster contracts and proposed a more accessible procurement process for local and minority businesses. LAEDC presented preliminary estimates of billions in property damage and business disruption, tens of thousands of potential job losses, and a recovery timeline of five to ten years, warning that low-income communities will be disproportionately affected and that workforce retraining and upskilling will be needed alongside the broader economic recovery.