Transcript Highlights:

• It is drilled after June 30, 2013.
• Or not even the advent, because horizontal drilling was certainly around before 2013.
• I remember Continental Resources drilled the first successful horizontal well in the Bakken in 2004,
• into new areas... ...to incentivize drilling into new areas, applying new technology, new techniques
• With wells drilled initially for the first time, you see that depletion rate, you know, perhaps these

Summary: The committee met to receive updates from the Tax Commissioner’s office on property tax relief programs and related compliance work. Commissioner Brian Croshys reviewed the Homestead Property Tax Credit, Disabled Veteran Credit, and Primary Residence Credit, noting that the Homestead program expanded significantly after HB 1158, that some households are “adjusting out” of eligibility as incomes rise, and that the committee may want to consider indexing income thresholds. Members asked for additional data on bracket breakdowns, possible costs of eliminating income limits for seniors, and how many households are zeroed out by the combined programs. Croshys also discussed the simpler administration of the disabled veteran credit, the growth in participation, and the heavy workload and auditing safeguards built into the new primary residence credit system. He said the department found no material compliance findings and that the program is designed to be digital-first, with county auditors and the Tax Commissioner’s office both involved in review and notification. The committee recessed for lunch and later reconvened, with the chair noting that more detailed PRC information would likely be available at a September meeting. Shelly Myers then presented the statewide property tax increase, or “zero growth,” report and the 2025 statistical report. She explained how county auditors report levy and valuation data, how increases and decreases are counted, and which jurisdictions showed the largest percentage changes in countywide, citywide, school district, and park district levies. In the statistical report, she summarized recent trends in assessed values: agricultural values remained relatively flat, while residential, commercial, and centrally assessed property values increased over the past five years. She also reviewed statewide tax levies by property class and clarified that centrally assessed growth figures were annual averages. Members discussed how shifts in land use and annexation can make it appear that tax burdens are moving from ag to residential/commercial property. Myers then summarized the interim study on the 3% levy limitation under HB 1176, saying most counties complied without budget changes, while some used hiring freezes, deferred purchases, or reserve funds; 23% of counties had to reduce levies, and the affected funds were mainly general, road and bridge, and weed control. She said 12 counties reported zero new growth in the data and that 35 counties reported not using all of their cap. The committee also received an oil tax presentation from Croshys on the stripper well extraction tax exemption. He outlined the number of active stripper wells, the production and revenue implications of the exemption, and projections for future biennia under different tax scenarios. He said the exemption represents substantial savings to operators but also corresponds to production tax revenue that would otherwise be collected, and he emphasized that future outcomes depend on oil prices, well counts, and technology such as CO2 enhanced oil recovery. Nathan Anderson of the Department of Mineral Resources briefly answered a question about why Red River wells have a different production threshold than Bakken wells, explaining it was tied to completion costs and lateral length. The committee then heard from Charlie Gorecki of the EERC, who presented an analysis of typical Bakken well decline curves and argued that most oil is produced before a well reaches stripper status, but that keeping wells open and investing in refracturing or other interventions can recover additional production. No votes were taken during this portion of the meeting; the main actions were receiving reports, asking for follow-up data, and scheduling further discussion for a later meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Third, it creates an exception for an annual drill.
• You've had a real drill, right?
• And it will be drilled and pre-planned and designated area.
• If truth be known, it's like get to your bathtub in a tornado drill. It's here.
• Where did you do duck-and-cover drills? I know that the president...

Summary: The Senate opened with a quorum call, invocation, and approval of the previous day’s journal, then observed a moment of silence after Senator Eckhardt referenced a mass shooting in Austin. The chamber also agreed to postpone reading and referral of bills until later in the day. Early procedural business included a motion not to print Senate Bill 3, which was adopted without objection. Later, Senator Mendez raised a parliamentary inquiry about moving flood relief bills to the top of the calendar, but the presiding officer said the order of business was up to the chair. The main floor action centered on Senate Bill 4, the congressional redistricting bill. Senator King laid out the bill, describing it as the companion to the House version, based on 2020 census data, and arguing it was legal, race-blind, more compact, and likely to elect more Republicans. Senators asked extensive questions about the process, public hearings, and the map’s effects on districts and communities. The Senate voted to suspend the regular order of business and the three-day rule, then passed SB 4 to engrossment and finally passed it, with the recorded votes showing 19 yeas and 2 nays. The Senate also took up Senate Bill 6, relating to abortion and civil liability for the manufacture and provision of abortion-inducing drugs. Senator Hughes argued the bill was needed to stop illegal abortion pills being mailed into Texas and harming women and unborn children. The Senate suspended the regular order of business and the three-day rule, passed the bill to engrossment, and then finally passed it, with the recorded votes showing 18 yeas, 10 nays, and one present not voting. A lengthy discussion followed on the committee substitute for Senate Bill 14, which would standardize law enforcement personnel and departmental files statewide. Senator King said the bill codifies a TCOLE model policy and limits public access to personnel files to substantiated misconduct, commendations, and evaluations, while keeping other records available through other legal processes. Senators Eckhardt, West, Hinojosa, and others questioned how the bill would affect transparency, meet-and-confer agreements, civilian review boards, and access to unsubstantiated complaints. An amendment by Senator Hinojosa of Dallas to narrow the bill to unfounded complaints failed, and SB 14 was then passed to engrossment on a vote of 18 yeas and 10 nays. The final major item was Senate Bill 1, the natural disaster omnibus bill responding to the July flooding. Senator Perry said the bill addresses camp and RV park safety, evacuation plans, emergency rooftop access, lines of succession for local emergency management, annual drills, volunteer management, drone restrictions over disaster areas, small-business recovery loans, and a statewide data hub for flood and weather monitoring. Senators Menendez, Eckhardt, and Kolkhorst asked about autopsies, volunteer background checks, liability, warning systems, floodplain mitigation, and coordination with FEMA and local governments. Perry said the bill focuses on preparation, response, and recovery, while broader prevention and mitigation issues may be addressed later. The transcript ends during this extended discussion, before final action on SB 1 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• As mentioned, the key point is that E&P spending to raise domestic drilling and production levels for
• In order to get to that sweet oil, we need to drill more, which means investment will be much higher.
• To access that sweet oil, we need to drill more.
• And what happens to the revenue stream if oil and gas drilling slows?
• , to go drill more wells, to hire more people, to wake up, Decision to drill, to go drill more wells,

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Ryer: So back to the drill core library—the $11.1 million, is that something you need
• Quite a few of these members on our committee do not exactly know what the drill core is for or used
• Quite a few of these members on our committee do not exactly know what the drill core is for or used
• Quite a few of these members on our committee do not exactly know what the drill core is for or used
• We would have to drill deeper, and that would need to be cash.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Would this reduce or discourage new drilling and production?
• If the OCD determines that that lease needs to be part Of this drilling track, it will be put into it
• I'm going to assume that drilling is going to cost, let's just say, two million dollars.
• It seems like North or South Dakota; they actually have an incentive program to drill horizontal wells
• To come up with a clean barrel of oil, I'm sure you have numbers that cost me this much to drill; it

Transcript Highlights:

• The types of geothermal historically has been The types of geothermal historically has been drilling
• As technology advances, the fact that Louisiana has an extremely long history of drilling capabilities
• and borehole technologies and Drilling capabilities and borehole technologies, and advanced drilling
• techniques such as fracking, horizontal drilling, and things like that, utilizing all of that to also
• Whatever the localized situation at the depth in these hotter-than-usual warm spots where we drill into

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And those are just wells that have been drilled since 2003. We really don’t know the total.
• And those are just wells that have been drilled since 2003. We really don't know the total.
• They had to lease mineral rights just like the operators drilling wells in rural Hill County where I'm
• You can either protect yourself by drilling your own well and using self-help or you need to get in a
• I mean, they're the ones that are limiting, restricting your rights to drill your well and to produce

Bills: HB24, HB27

Keywords: groundwater, conservation, water permits, sustainability, resource management

Summary: The committee met to hear House Bills 27 and 24 on groundwater issues in East Texas, with members and witnesses focusing on a proposed large-volume groundwater export project and the need for more science before major permitting decisions are made. HB 27, which was within the special session call, would direct the Texas Water Development Board to conduct a hydrogeologic study of the aquifers in the affected area and temporarily pause new export permits while the study is underway. HB 24, a separate bill that would limit certain production and export permits to 5% of modeled available groundwater, was laid out but the chair said it would not be moved out of committee. Testimony on HB 27 was largely supportive, though some witnesses were neutral. Supporters, including representatives from a water supply corporation, the Trinity River Authority, Environmental Defense Fund, and the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, said the region lacks enough hydrologic data, that the proposed pumping could affect private wells, surface water, and local economies, and that the state needs better information on sustainable yield and groundwater-surface water interaction. Several witnesses emphasized that groundwater conservation districts need clearer tools and better data, while also noting concerns about property rights and the rule of capture. Committee members discussed the scale of the proposed project, the absence of a groundwater conservation district in Houston County, and the possibility that the study should examine desired future conditions and maximum sustainable pumping rather than only modeled available groundwater. The committee adopted the committee substitute for HB 27 and voted it out favorably to the full House with a recommendation that it do pass, be printed, and be sent to the Committee on Calendars. The roll call was unanimous, 11 ayes and 0 nays. After the vote, members briefly reflected on the complexity of the issue and the need to continue working on broader groundwater policy in the interim and next session. HB 24 was discussed later in the meeting, but no final action on that bill was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you would introduce yourself for the record, you know the drill. Thank you, Mr. Chair, members.
• <00:03:05.560> thank for the record you know the drill thank for the record you know the drill
• So back in 2021, there was a law passed restricting drilling new wells into this Mount Simon aquifer.
• The way the law currently reads, we can only drill a new well for homes for drinking water and not at
• that they have that ability to to drill that they have that ability to<00:41:12.720> work<00:

Bills: HF647, HF2824, HF1249, HF623, HF820

Keywords: water appropriation, aquifer management, potable water, water conservation, environmental policy, fishing regulation, angling, sustainability, biodiversity, game fish, Carley State Park, Minnesota state parks, state lands, park boundary expansion, Wabasha County, Department of Natural Resources, DNR, public lands, land acquisition, park addition

Transcript Highlights:

• We’re not going to drill into the different steps in the supply chain, but we could look at value at
• And then actually, if we drill down a little bit deeper into the data and just look at quarterly changes
• And then actually, if we drill down a little bit deeper into the data and just look at quarterly changes
• What we're not drilling down to is looking at an individual business.
• I just want to drill down and focus on the matter that my colleague, Ms.

Summary: The joint informational hearing focused on the Department of Cannabis Control’s report on the condition and health of California’s cannabis industry. Department staff reviewed the evolution of state cannabis law, the creation of the current regulatory framework, licensing and compliance efforts, and enforcement against illicit cannabis and hemp-derived intoxicating cannabinoids. The department said the licensed market has grown in production and retail units sold, while active licenses and retail sales value have declined, and that the illicit market remains a major competitive factor. The department also highlighted consumer education efforts, product testing and recalls, and coordination through the state enforcement task force and other agencies. The department’s economist said the data show continued growth in licensed production and a rising share of consumption through the licensed market, but falling wholesale and retail prices have reduced overall industry value. He identified major headwinds as taxes and fees, illicit-market competition, local prohibitions that limit retail access, regulatory costs, and broader business pressures, while noting opportunities in product innovation and possible hemp-market changes. Committee members pressed the department on enforcement, public health concerns, equity ownership and employment, delays in grant administration, pesticide testing, and whether the legal market is truly viable for small businesses and farmers. Several members argued that stronger enforcement and lower costs are needed, while one member raised concerns about cannabis-related health harms and said the hearing focused too narrowly on supply-side issues. Public commenters from industry groups and advocacy organizations largely echoed concerns about high taxes, regulatory burdens, limited retail access, and the size of the illicit market. Many urged the Legislature not to let the excise tax rise from 15% to 19% and called for tax relief, compliance reform, more enforcement, and broader retail access. Some speakers said the report was too optimistic and did not reflect business failures, debt, and closures, while others emphasized the need to protect small farmers, address wildfire insurance, and support equity businesses. No votes or formal actions were taken; the hearing was informational only.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so when you build... that, are you not going to have to drill piers into the bedrock to hold that
• I talked about construction and drilling into bedrock.
• Obviously, drilling way down, making an airbrake is not feasible; it will collapse on itself.
• I mean, that's where they stopped drilling. They said, no, we can't drill anymore.
• We've done a pretty fair amount of borehole drilling and geology work.

Bills: SB1757, SB1758, SB1898, SB2050

Keywords: rock crushing, permits, air quality, environmental monitoring, aggregate production, seismicity, public meeting, land use, SB 1758, cement kiln, portland cement, aggregate production operation, aggregate quarry, semiconductor wafer manufacturing, chip fabrication, semiconductor plant, vibration, seismic disturbance, liability limitation, TCEQ

Transcript Highlights:

• So, probably one of the reasons you have so many protests is because all these illegals coming in drilling
• You believe that in my area, where they're doing the mega chicken houses, they're drilling water too
• No one's gone down there to tell him he's got to re-drill. Yeah, I'm not sure. We'll check on that.
• have a couple of people again to this request to cover the entire state and complaints and well drilling
• lot of development, so We're doing the best we can with what we have to make sure those wells are drilled

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• > fire<00:09:55.520> drills,<00:09:55.920> lockdown delineate between fire drills
• , lockdown delineate between fire drills, lockdown drills,<00:09:56.800> shelter<00:09:57.120>
• in place drills, and drills, shelter in place drills, and active<00:09:58.440> shooter<00:09:
• 58.760> drills.
• active shooter drills. active shooter drills.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A k through 12 lockdown drills didn't have to wasn't a thing.
• How many of you did drills when you were a U.S. student, right?
• How many did fire drills when your kids and you did fire drills? Okay, just a few fire drills.
• How many of you did drills when you are U.S. student for right?
• How maybe did fire drills when your kids and you did fire drills. Okay. Just a few fire drills.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't have the drill-down on where they went to high...
• to share with you a much more drilled to share with you a much more drilled Down<00:04:30.800>
• down fashion for weeks in a more drilled down fashion for you<00:07:50.919> to<00:07:51.120><
• right we'll get you a much more drilled right we'll get you a much more drilled Down<00:09:28.279
• I think that’s what we’re trying to drill down here too.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• out later it was drilled in the 40s.
• So most of these wells were drilled in the 20s and 30s.
• My family drilled and operated oil and gas wells in the Panhandle from the early 20s to the 90s.
• We also still... in drilling prospects. Obviously, I'm pro-oil and gas.
• Importantly, HB 2766 provides a preference for wells drilled more than 25 years ago and 15 years.

Bills: HB2766, HB2891, HB3334, HB3791, HB3911, HB4021, HB4041, HB4042, HB4384, HB4426

Keywords: inactive wells, oil and gas regulation, environmental protection, Railroad Commission of Texas, well plugging, Railroad Commission, penalties, violations, pipeline safety, civil penalties, criminal penalties, wildfire prevention, oil and gas, safety inspections, administrative penalties, excavation, notification, utilities, underground facilities, regulatory compliance

Transcript Highlights:

• And you know the drill. committee. And you know the drill.
• We should measure progress through training completed, drills practiced, and both communication systems
• We should measure progress through training completed, drills practiced, and both communication systems
• school on the day of a lockdown drill. school on the day of a lockdown drill.
• This law focuses on things like cardiac emergencies, tornadoes, fire drills, and school lockdown drills

Bills: HF3492, HF3493, HF3494, HF3495, HF3602

Keywords: school safety, grants, education funding, Northern Lights Express, security improvements, rural schools, safe schools, charter schools, nonpublic schools, Tribal education, funding increase, safe schools aid, school security, mental health support, Tribal schools, cybersecurity, funding, mental health, evidence-based plans, public safety

Transcript Highlights:

• propose pit dewatering a mere 200 feet from the river, a process that includes a plan to blast and drill
• A hole is drilled. A blasting agent is put in there, and you see a puff.
• , baby, drill.
• It actually goes to my roots where, just FYI, when you drill an oil or drill a geothermal well, it's
• almost identical to how you drill an oil well.

Summary: The committee heard several climate, environmental, and housing bills. AB 1425, dealing with pit dewatering near the San Joaquin River Parkway, drew extensive testimony. The author and supporters argued the bill was needed to protect the river, groundwater, floodplain conditions, tribal and cultural resources, and public access from a proposed mining project near the river. Opponents, including Cemex, labor representatives, and industry groups, said the bill would bypass the CEQA process before it was complete, threaten jobs, and create uncertainty for an existing operation. Members questioned both sides about hydrology, blasting, dewatering, and the adequacy of the ongoing environmental review. The bill was moved, but several members expressed concern about preempting CEQA and some did not vote or voted no. AB 881, which would allow California to move forward with carbon capture and sequestration pipelines, was presented as a way to advance state climate goals and capture federal funding. Supporters, including SMUD, labor, and industry groups, said the bill would help deploy carbon capture safely and preserve jobs. Environmental justice opponents supported stronger safety direction and warned that CO2 pipelines pose serious risks and that the state should not move ahead without clearer standards. The bill received a due-pass recommendation to Appropriations. AB 1207, on the cap-and-trade allowance price ceiling and the social cost of carbon, was presented as a science-based update to California’s climate policy. The author and EDF said the bill would keep the program aligned with current economic and climate data and protect it from federal political interference. It received broad support and a due-pass recommendation. AB 1106, creating a coordinated network of air quality incident response centers, was also approved after testimony about wildfire smoke, toxic emissions, and the need for better real-time monitoring during disasters. AB 28, the Landfill Fire Safety Act, focused on the Chiquita Canyon landfill fire and related health impacts in Castaic and Val Verde; residents described serious illnesses and contamination concerns, while landfill and county representatives warned about costs and asked for more study. The committee nonetheless advanced the bill with a due-pass recommendation. The committee also heard AB 357, which would speed Coastal Commission review of student and faculty housing projects, with supporters citing student homelessness and opponents urging caution but acknowledging the need for more housing; the bill was presented and discussed, with the committee emphasizing the need to balance housing production and coastal oversight.

Transcript Highlights:

• I was shocked. when I talk to my drill baby drill neighbors from Odessa and Midland, like they're doing
• Instead, landowners who drilled their shallower waterways Wells decades ago, would be the first to suffer
• Well, but what we've seen is a tremendous number. of new wells drilled on an annual basis.
• We're from number three to number five in the state, number of wells drilled every year. 90% of those
• Because as the number of wells drilled increases, the production... rate from those wells fall, right

Bills: HB1520, HB1525, HB1530, HB1535, HB2068, HB2091, HB2347, HB2372, HB2805, HB2815, HB2867, HB3154, HB3482, HB3483, HB3663, HB3781, HB3901, HB3915, HB4135, HB4153, HB4158, HB4329, HB4331

Keywords: Angelina and Neches River Authority, river authority, Sunset Advisory Commission, Texas Sunset Act, Special District Local Laws Code, local government, natural resources, board of directors, director training, board governance, public testimony, open meetings, public information, conflict of interest, ethics, complaint system, general manager, board president, staggered terms, removal of director

Transcript Highlights:

• "the drilling for or production of an oil glass."
• Stuff that comes out of the drilling fluids, et cetera.
• Fluid, drilling mud, what this bill does simply is.
• I've drilled wells and had cows die from drinking water that's only 130 feet deep.
• They can drill a well and use our fresh water to produce that well in Texas.

Bills: HB48, HB49, HB 1169, HB1971, HB2584, HB2663, HB2890, HB48, HB49

Keywords: HB 48, oilfield theft, organized theft, petroleum products, oil and gas equipment, DPS, Department of Public Safety, Texas, Railroad Commission, criminal justice, energy resources, theft prevention, organized crime, border region, El Paso, law enforcement task force, asset recovery, pipeline theft, drilling equipment, equipment theft

Transcript Highlights:

• We've had evacuation drills. And so it's something that does... ...lockdown drills.
• We've had evacuation drills. And so it's something that does rest on our mind.
• We've had evacuation drills. And so it's something that does... lockdowns drills.
• We've had evacuation drills. And so it's something that does rest on our mind.
• And I wanted to drill down on that very same issue.

Bills: HR249, HR251, HB395, HB902, SB83, SB132, SB157, SB338, SB450, SB484, SB501, SB507

Keywords: artificial intelligence, AI, BESE, State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, content standards, K-12 education, public schools, curriculum, digital literacy, computer science, STEM, technology education, student privacy, ethical AI, workforce development, future-ready workforce, instructional resources, education policy, school standards, Louisiana education