Transcript Highlights:

• to property tax programs, creating special notices, updating materials, and providing guidance for counties
• A number of taxing districts may impose an EMS levy, including cities, counties, and fire protection
• I'm from Clark County Fire Rescue in Clark County and in Cowlitz County.
• Part of it is that first-class cities and charter counties have constitutional taxing power under Article
• Under HB 2100, this will introduce a new 5% payroll excise tax on wages and remunerations.

Summary: The committee held public hearings on several bills. HB 2140 would exempt land sold or transferred to a governmental entity from additional tax when removed from open space classification in certain circumstances. Staff explained the current use property tax system and said the bill would likely have minimal but indeterminate revenue effects, with about $30,000 in one-time Department of Revenue costs. Representative Lowe said the bill was intended to fix a niche problem where a farmer loses a small frontage strip to a county and is then charged back taxes despite no change in land use. FutureWise testified in support of the bill’s intent but asked for small language changes to ensure transferred land remains compatible with agricultural or open space use. The public hearing on HB 2140 was then closed. HB 2326 would allow a fire protection district that is partially overlapped by another district’s EMS levy to impose its own levy on the portion not already covered, subject to voter approval in the affected area. Staff said the bill would have no state general fund impact and about $28,000 in one-time Department of Revenue costs. Fire district and fire chief representatives testified in support, describing situations in Clark County and Kittitas County where most residents cannot vote on an EMS levy because a small overlapping area already has one. Opponents, including Washington Citizens Against Unfair Taxes, argued the bill would add to property tax burdens. The hearing on HB 2326 then closed. HB 2334 would require rounding of cash transactions to the nearest five cents as pennies are phased out of circulation, while leaving non-cash payments unchanged. Staff said the bill would apply to the final total after taxes and fees, with an indeterminate but minimal state revenue impact and significant Department of Revenue implementation costs. The prime sponsor said the bill was needed because the federal government ended penny production without giving states guidance. Retail and grocery groups generally supported the concept but requested amendments for clarity, consumer protection, SNAP compliance, and flexibility while pennies remain in circulation; one witness opposed the bill as another tax burden. The hearing on HB 2334 was then closed. The committee then heard HB 2100, a proposed statewide payroll expense tax on large operating companies to fund a new Well Washington Fund for higher education, health care, cash assistance, energy, and housing. Staff said the proposed substitute would apply to employers with at least 250 employees and $7 million in annual payroll, exclude certain public and health care entities, and generate substantial revenue, with the fiscal note estimating about $7.6 billion to the general fund and $4.2 billion to the new fund in the 2027–29 biennium under the revised threshold. Supporters, including poverty, housing, labor, education, disability, and faith advocates, said the bill would help offset federal cuts and protect vulnerable residents. Business, retail, hospitality, construction, and technology groups opposed it, warning of job losses, higher costs, reduced competitiveness, and broader impacts on consumers and employers. The prime sponsor said the bill was a response to federal divestment and that the state needed a progressive revenue source now; no vote was taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• I see a lot of opportunity for abuse, and if there's no obligation, we have county deputies in our county
• </c><00:10:02.240><c> law</c> enforcement and works for a county law enforcement and works for a county
• </c> authorization or with the county authorization or with the county departments.<00:14:51.279><c>
• county county uh<00:20:17.440><c> sheriff's</c><00:20:17.919><c> departments</c><00:20:18.400><c> of
• </c> leave the county to the county deputies leave the county to the county deputies the<00:21:22.240

Bills: HB450 , HB469 , SB298 , HB450 , HB638 , HB469 , SB298

Committee: House Public Safety and Homeland Security

Keywords: HB450, judges, judicial office, constitutional amendment, Alabama Constitution, age limit, mandatory retirement, judicial eligibility, supernumerary judge, judicial retirement, state judicial retirement benefits, election law, appointment, voter approval, ballot measure, Judiciary Committee, ambulance services, balance billing, health insurance, emergency transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• So Pinal County and Apache County are precinct-based voting counties, I believe they've always been.
• And so the difference between, in your example, Apache County and Navajo County: Apache County has precincts
• ..and the overall success heavily lies within Coconino and Navajo County, whereas Apache County would
• And then when we ask for more sites, we get denied by the counties, especially in Apache County.
• And so that's how we operate in Apache County. So... And so that's how we operate in Apache County.

Bills: HB2006 , HB2085 , HB2109 , HB2167 , HB2205 , HB2410 , HCR2016

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Elections

Keywords: sample ballots, elections, primary election, general election, mailing deadline, ballot mailing, county election officials, board of supervisors, secretary of state, early voting list, election administration, voter information, postal service, USPS processing center, city elections, town elections, special district elections, Arizona election law, ballot proofing, party chair

Transcript Highlights:

• trying to do is one motivate all of our state agencies to be proactively looking for efficiencies and tax
• comes with a cost-saving idea that they give it the proper adjudication and consideration so that those tax

Bills: SB1415 , SB1714 , SB1962 , SB26 , SB172

Committee: Senate Retirement and Government Resources

Keywords: nondisclosure agreements, state employment, employee rights, transparency, government accountability, employee suggestions, cost savings, state agencies, incentives, performance awards, efficiency, Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act, state procurement, state purchasing, State Purchasing Director, Office of Management and Enterprise Services, OMES, exempt entities, purchasing exemptions, state contracts

Transcript Highlights:

• It allows certain juveniles to serve fewer than 30 days of remaining confinement time in a county detention

Bills: HB2230 , HB2364 , HB2389 , HB2429

Committee: House Early Learning & Human Services

Keywords: community oversight, residential services, regulation, service providers, monitoring, poverty, task force, legislative, executive, social programs, juvenile justice, youth sentencing, juvenile rehabilitation, DCYF, Department of Children Youth and Families, community supervision, community transition services, suspended disposition, less restrictive alternative, sentencing grid

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2019 and 2020, respectively, the University of Washington and the King County Department of Public
• I have the honor of representing the 33rd Legislative District in South King County.
• The 2025 King County Strategic Climate Action Plan The 2025 King County Strategic Climate Action Plan
• The 2025 King County Strategic Climate Act, points that have not been made.
• all greenhouse gas emissions in King County.

Bills: SB6124 , SB5652

Committee: Senate Environment, Energy & Technology

Keywords: appliance affordability, cost index, energy efficiency, consumer protection, Washington state, aviation, airport noise, air pollution, environmental justice, health disparities, public health, ultrafine particulate matter, black carbon, nitrogen dioxide, volatile organic compounds, asthma, heart disease, cancer, sleep disruption, hypertension

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't have data for administrative orders by county, but we have polluting facilities by county.
• They attract rodents, present fire hazards, and are costly for counties to deal with, leading to county
• Most counties do supersede it, but there are about 17 counties in the state with more than 40,000 people
• Calhoun County in 2012 recovered $50 million. Dallas County recovered $560,020.
• In 2021, Orange County recovered $3.1 million. In 2022, Brazoria County recovered $118 million.

Bills: HB456 , HB482 , HB1463 , HB1682 , HB1949 , HB5549 , SB763

Committee: House Environmental Regulation

Keywords: translation, environmental quality, complaints, accessibility, multilingual, TCEQ, environmental justice, environmental complaints, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, language access, public information, Texas Commission, multilingual access, administrative actions, environmental regulations, state representatives, state senators, penalty notice, Water Code, legislative notification

Transcript Highlights:

• This time we're going to call up Colt Christensen, county judge, Walker County. Good morning, sir.
• We show you registered as Colt Christensen, county judge, Walker County, and you're for the... ...Bill
• I talked to the counties and the counties say it's a hundred dollars or two hundred dollars a day. ..
• So we're asking for property tax relief in this bill so we can reimburse our counties for those costs
• Dallas is not doing it yet, Harris County is, but most of your population counties.

Bills: HB153 , HB1410 , HB1461 , HB1760 , HB1762 , HB3261 , HB3773 , HB153

Committee: House Corrections

Keywords: education, funding, student resources, technology access, equal opportunity, veterans treatment court, mental health, criminal justice, rehabilitation, eligibility criteria, veterans, treatment court, military service, legislation, private prisons, inmate confinement, criminal justice reform, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, government contracts, inmate housing

Transcript Highlights:

• So this bill is tailored just for Harris County.
• And the Harris County Commissioner's Court, again, this is only a local bill for Harris County.
• Are there more than one such county in the... State?
• Further, many counties, such as Harris County, are facing overworked... pocket.
• You're clearly in Dallas County because we're in a House County Court, and we will represent every single

Bills: HB303 , HB 1107 , HB 1063 , HB1517 , HB1991 , HB2464 , HB3509 , HB3527 , HB303

Committee: House Intergovernmental Affairs

Keywords: municipality, local government, Type A, Type B, Type C, change authority, emergency medical services, civil service status, municipal government, public safety, local government code, school funding, education, state budget, local control, equity, tenant legal services, eviction, low-income tenants, disability rights

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're surrounded by Fort Bend County, Harris County, and Montgomery County.
• Jimmy Granberry from Nueces County, Texas. I'm the Nueces County District Attorney.
• of Texas, or County and the Sheriff Lubbock County of Texas.
• Lowest taxing entities.
• Um, in these rural counties.

Bills: HB467 , HB318 , HB503 , HB198 , HB318 , HB198

Committee: House S/C on County & Regional Government

Keywords: hospital district, Cedar Creek, scholarship, dissolution, county judges, healthcare funding, grant program, rural counties, law enforcement, sheriff's departments, funding, public safety, deputy shortages, sheriff, prosecutor, salary assistance, HB 198, Wade Cannon Act, firefighter cancer screening, occupational cancer screening

Transcript Highlights:

• The Shelby County sewer systems are owned by a parent company that owns additional unregulated sewer
• systems in other counties, and that's what prompted this legislation.
• So the one in Shelby County is regulated, but the others are not? That's right. Okay, thank you.
• Baggot to come up from the counties, if he's here, to explain some discrepancies with filing.

Bills: SB137 , SB164 , SB165 , SB49

Committee: Senate State Governmental Affairs

Keywords: sewer, wastewater, public service commission, PSC, utility regulation, private utility, regulated utility, affiliated system, consolidation, rate jurisdiction, rate setting, wastewater management entity, common ownership, control, Jefferson County Board of Health, local constitutional amendment, public utilities, Alabama Code Title 37, Alabama Code Title 22, certification

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2021, we passed a local Constitutional Amendment, thanks to Shelby County that put under certain..
• So that's the reason this is a general bill; it's not a Shelby County bill.
• It affects those pieces of that water company that are in other counties.
• In this situation, it would be beneficial to the people of Shelby County, as well as Jefferson County
• What this does is modernize counties' authority to coordinate emergency aid resources.

Bills: HB68 , HB140 , HB168

Committee: House Urban and Rural Development

Keywords: foreign investment, agriculture, property rights, critical infrastructure, sanctions, HB140, private sewer systems, wastewater utilities, Public Service Commission, PSC jurisdiction, utility regulation, rate setting, rate consolidation, affiliated systems, common ownership, private utilities, sewer rates, wastewater management, Alabama utilities, Jefferson County Board of Health

Transcript Highlights:

• A tax credit is available for taxes owed under the bill for any B&O tax or a public utility tax paid
• taxes.
• tax.
• tax.
• Our reliance on excise taxes makes it so that Washingtonians with lower incomes pay proportionally more

Committee: House Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Those lands were owned by counties because the previous owners of the land defaulted on their taxes.
• Jewell talk about, which came to Clallam County through tax foreclosures.
• That was surrendered due to tax title foreclosure because they hadn't paid taxes.
• Additionally, through their license fees and excise taxes, like the Pittman-Robertson Act, which comprises
• , King County, Pierce County, and will probably apply for a Thurston County grant this year.

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 5838, which would add a federally recognized tribal representative to the State Board of Natural Resources. The Department of Natural Resources commissioner and tribal leaders said the change would bring Indigenous knowledge and a voting voice to decisions on trust lands, while preserving existing tribal consultation. Some county and economic interests said they were not opposed to tribal participation but stressed the board’s fiduciary duty to trust beneficiaries and asked for more review of the board’s purpose; one witness questioned whether the beneficiaries had been consulted. The prime sponsor, Senator Claudia Kaufman, said the bill is about inclusion and equity and indicated openness to an amendment adding both eastside and westside tribal representation. The hearing closed with 142 written comments reported: 33 pro, 107 con, and 2 other. The committee then heard Senate Bill 5960, which would require Fish and Wildlife to designate at-risk ungulate populations and take predator mitigation actions when populations fall below specified benchmarks. Senator Shelley Short said the bill responds to declining deer and elk numbers and a lack of management, especially in northeast Washington. Supporters argued the bill would codify existing agency plans and restore balance in wildlife management, while opponents—including conservation groups, the Sierra Club, and several scientists and advocates—said the state’s predator-prey study found wolves were not the main driver of ungulate declines, pointing instead to habitat, forage, weather, disease, and vehicle collisions. Ranching and farm groups supported the overall goal but objected to the bill’s in-state wolf translocation provisions. The Department of Fish and Wildlife said it recognized the bill’s intent but opposed it because some directives were impractical, costly, or would require legislative approval. The hearing closed with 1,197 written comments reported: 843 pro, 352 con, and 2 other. The committee then held a work session on Lake Washington salmon predation. Larry Phillips and Muckleshoot Fisheries Director Jason Schaffler described a coalition effort to reduce predation on juvenile salmon in the Lake Washington system, saying invasive and predatory fish such as walleye, rock bass, American shad, northern pike, yellow perch, and smallmouth bass are harming sockeye and Chinook recovery. They said sockeye returns have fallen from hundreds of thousands to about 18,000 in recent years, ending tribal and sport fisheries, and argued that targeted predator removal, supported by prior state and county funding, could help restore runs. Senators asked about the methods and funding, and the presenters said fishing and netting are being used to suppress larger predatory fish and that more sustained investment is needed. Finally, the committee began public hearing on Senate Bill 1697, which would make federally recognized tribes eligible recipients for county conservation futures funds. Testifiers from the Washington Farmland Trust and the Tulalip Tribe said the bill would expand voluntary conservation partnerships, help tribes steward farmland and habitat, and make it easier to leverage county funds with other grants. They described past projects where tribal participation improved conservation outcomes but said tribes could not directly access conservation futures dollars under current law.

Transcript Highlights:

• Will this in any way, in your opinion, limit those property taxes, excise taxes that are owed on these
• intent of this bill is not to allow these airplane owners in Oklahoma to avoid paying those property taxes
• appreciate the author’s willingness to address this to the satisfaction of where we’re not evading taxes

Bills: SB1966 , SB175 , SB1475 , SB1950 , SB2049 , SB2052

Committee: Senate Aeronautics and Transportation

Summary: The Senate Aeronautics and Transportation Committee met during deadline week and heard several Senate bills. Senate Bill 1966, naming a bridge after Clyde and Grace Cook, was briefly explained by Senator Bullard and advanced unanimously. Senate Bill 1475, designating the I-35 and Indian Hills Road interchange as the Toby Keith Memorial Interchange, also advanced after members confirmed the family’s support and clarified it was separate from a prior turnpike naming resolution. The committee spent substantial time on Senate Bill 175, which creates an uninsured commercial vehicle recovery reimbursement fund to pay wreckers for cleaning up abandoned uninsured commercial vehicles. Members questioned the use of existing fee revenue, possible overlap with prior weigh station funding, and the $10,000 per-vehicle cap. Despite concerns, the bill advanced on an 8-3 vote. Senate Bill 1950, as amended, would prohibit using ADS-B aircraft tracking data to calculate or collect fees from aircraft owners or operators; the author said the goal was to preserve state registration revenue while preventing private third parties from using the data for fee collection. The bill advanced unanimously. Senate Bill 2049, as amended, would require the Transportation Commission rather than staff or the Attorney General to approve the decision to call a contractor’s bond on ODOT projects. Supporters said it adds oversight and protects staff, while opponents argued it is unnecessary and could delay action; it advanced 10-1. Senate Bill 2052 would update DPS commercial motor vehicle enforcement provisions, increase fines, and route appeals through the administrative process and then district court; members discussed fine levels, appeals, and related weigh station funding. It advanced 9-2, and the meeting adjourned afterward.

Transcript Highlights:

• Tax credits that are targeted to support low-income earners like the working families tax credit are
• fairness in our tax system.
• Chair, I've been fighting for $25 million to be kept in the excise tax fund and going to programs.
• Most states exempt health care from sales tax or gross receipts tax altogether.
• make the necessary changes in tax.

Committee: House House Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• fairness in our tax system.
• I've been fighting for $25 million to be kept in the excise tax fund and going to programs.
• Most states exempt health care from sales tax or gross receipts tax altogether.
• Most states exempt health care from sales tax or gross receipts tax altogether.
• the necessary changes in Tax.

Summary: The committee first took up HB 195, as amended by committee substitute, which would protect the personal assets of individual medical providers from medical malpractice judgments when they carry appropriate insurance or participate in the Patient Compensation Fund. The sponsor said the bill was intended to address providers’ fear of losing homes and other personal property, while opponents argued it could exempt a class of people from civil justice. Supporters said it was a reasonable compromise that preserved patient access to justice while helping recruit and retain providers. The committee adopted the substitute and advanced it on a do pass vote. The committee then heard HB 295, a revised version of the Accessibility Act, which would create a centralized office for accessibility reporting, technical assistance, and annual reporting on barriers in state buildings and websites. Supporters said the bill would improve coordination, data collection, and compliance with existing ADA requirements; opponents argued it duplicated existing law and would create another government office without enforcement power. Members debated whether the Governor’s Commission on Disability should handle the work instead, but the sponsors said the commission lacked capacity and the Department of Health was a better fit. The committee adopted the substitute and advanced it 8-1. Next, HB 296 proposed doubling the working families tax credit. The sponsor and supporters described it as an anti-poverty measure that would benefit more than 200,000 families and strengthen work incentives, while committee members asked about the fiscal impact, administration, and interaction with other tax credits. The bill was quickly advanced on a do pass vote. The committee then heard HB 338, which would extend the gross receipts tax deduction for health care providers through 2031 and add co-insurance payments. Health care advocates supported it, but city and municipal representatives warned it would reduce local revenue unless a full hold harmless was added. After extended discussion, the committee rejected a motion to table and instead advanced the bill 9-0 with no recommendation, with several members saying they would not support it on the floor unless local governments were made whole. Finally, the committee heard HB 259, which would create an optional actuarial review process for proposed health insurance legislation through the Legislative Finance Committee. Supporters said it would give lawmakers better data on premium, utilization, and spending impacts before voting on coverage mandates; opponents and some members raised concerns about cost, staffing, data access, and whether the process would be too limited to be useful. After discussion, the committee advanced the bill on a do pass vote. HB 279 was rolled at the sponsor’s request, and the committee adjourned after reminding members about the evening dinner.

Transcript Highlights:

• The district where we live and love to call home is Madison County.
• My husband and I deliberately chose to move into the community where we live in Madison County because
• I, and over 150 parents like me in the Madison County District, would like the same opportunities for
• We in Slair County actually worked with a church in our county to adopt a program respectfully.
• And I might note that in Jefferson County, the superintendent of the year for the nation, Dr.

Bills: SB13 , SB278 , SB13

Committee: House State Government

Keywords: education, national anthem, patriotism, school policy, constitutional amendment, SB278, released time, religious instruction, elective credit, public schools, K-12 education, Alabama Released Time Credit Act, church-state separation, First Amendment, school choice, parental consent, elective course, off-campus instruction, private religious entity, State Board of Education

Transcript Highlights:

• gas tax?
• In Nevada, motor vehicle excise taxes were redirected from the general fund to transportation, and local
• fuel taxes in Washoe County, which is where Reno is, and Clark County, which is where Las Vegas is,
• In Washoe County, in fact, they have the highest fuel tax rate in the nation because of this local indexing
• In Washoe County, in fact, they have the highest fuel tax rate in the nation because of this local indexing

Bills: HB2109 , HB2139 , HB2192

Committee: House Transportation

Keywords: vehicle loads, public highways, transportation, road safety, infrastructure, HB2139, snowmobile registration, snowmobile fee, vehicle license fee, registration fee, Department of Licensing, RCW, vehicle registration, winter recreation, off-road vehicle, moped, motorcycle, trailer, recreational vehicle, vintage snowmobile

Transcript Highlights:

• question that I had for you: Are we going to look at all or Require these any new requirements for all tax
• And I'm mostly curious about the parental choice tax credit.
• it's been a year working with the auditor to try to plug some of these holes to protect the people's tax
• Representative, would you agree that with the companies leaving That we need to save tax dollars.

Bills: HB3620 , HB3942 , HB3279 , HB3378 , HB3383 , HB3413 , HB3414 , HB3415 , HB3420 , HB3130

Committee: House General Government

Keywords: 2030 census, complete count committee, census outreach, decennial census, enumeration, population count, hard-to-count populations, hard-to-enumerate areas, State Data Center, Oklahoma Census, multilingual campaign, public outreach, school-based outreach, community organizations, minority groups, ethnic minorities, language minorities, self-response rate, census awareness, federal census