Transcript Highlights:

• But my close was actually an article—it's an old article from March of '23, so I must have pulled it
• But my close was actually an article, it's an old article from March of '23, so I must have pulled it

Bills: SB1226 , SB1456 , SB1462 , SB1463 , SB1980 , SB1479 , SB1608 , SB1923

Committee: Senate Public Safety

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 1226 by Senator Rader, which would add property damage to the state’s leaving-the-scene statute so a driver who damages property and leaves would be treated similarly to a vehicle accident. After brief questions about whether the driver would need to wait for law enforcement or the property owner, the bill advanced unanimously, 6-0. Several sunset-extension bills from Senator Burstrom were then considered. Senate Bill 1456 would extend the Board of Tests for Alcohol and Drug Influence to 2036 and passed 6-1. Senate Bill 1462 would extend the Oklahoma Organized Retail Crime Task Force to 2036; members questioned whether a task force created in 2023 needed such a long extension, but it still passed 6-2. Senate Bill 1463 would extend the Polygraph Examiners Board to 2036 and passed 8-1, with some members again objecting to the 10-year sunset length. The committee also advanced Senate Bill 1980 by Senator Logan, which updates larceny and forgery language to cover gift cards, gift certificates, and redemption information when possessed or used with intent to defraud. Members pressed the author on whether the offense would be a misdemeanor or felony and on the bill’s scope, but the measure passed 7-2. Senate Bill 1479 by Senator Stewart, dealing with release of crime- and collision-scene information by first responders, was amended to strike the title after concerns about scope and private entities; it then passed 6-2. Senate Bill 1608 by Senator Frick, as amended, would make school location and employer information searchable in sex offender and violent offender registries, and it passed 6-2. Finally, Senate Bill 1923 by Senator Murdoch would prohibit inmates from accessing social media, prompted by a constituent’s concerns about inmates contacting victims’ families through contraband cell phones. Members questioned whether the bill was necessary given existing DOC policies and whether it should address tablets as well; an amendment was withdrawn, and the bill passed 7-1. The committee also laid over Senate Bill 1612 and concluded its Public Safety agenda for the week.

Transcript Highlights:

• used in the agreement for the Shoshone-Bannock Water Bank and is referenced in the definitions under Article
• 4 and within their authority under Article 7.3.
• All of the Article 4s are definitions listed in the 1990 Fort Hall Settlement Agreement.
• Article 7.3 relates to the Shoshone-Bannock stored water and the water bank, and 18.1 are events for

Committee: Senate Resources and Environment

Transcript Highlights:

• state that is sufficient to allow the bank to issue debt with a competitive rating; and second, articles
• The bank itself is formed when articles of activation are approved.”
• “The bank itself is formed when articles of activation are approved by legislative authorities and local
• under which the bank is created and the compositions and powers, it does not explicitly provide when articles

Summary: The committee first received a JLARC work session on the 2025 tax preference performance reviews, covering nine tax preferences and recommending legislative action on eight. JLARC reviewed natural gas transportation fuel preferences, travel agent and tour operator B&O rates, a property tax exemption for nonprofit low-income housing developers, and several shorter reviews including senior center property tax relief, a disabled veteran adapted housing remittance, trade convention nexus treatment, wholesale sales of fertilizer/pesticides/seed, a hazardous substance tax exemption for pesticides stored for out-of-state shipment, and three energy-related preferences for a silicon smelter. JLARC generally recommended continuing preferences that met stated or inferred objectives, modifying some to improve reporting or performance metrics, and allowing the unused silicon smelter preferences to expire. The Citizen Commission endorsed JLARC’s recommendations, and committee members asked a few clarifying questions, including about trends in travel agent/tour operator beneficiaries and the housing exemption’s performance metric and data issues. The committee then heard a work session and public hearing on Senate Bill 5754, which would create a Washington State public bank. A presentation from California public banking advocates and the Bank of North Dakota described public banks as government-owned financial institutions intended to keep public funds working locally, support lending for housing, infrastructure, and community development, and partner with community banks and credit unions. Committee questions focused on leverage, liquidity, constitutional issues, and how the model would interact with existing state investment and debt structures. Staff summarized the bill’s structure, including activation conditions, governance, powers, and fiscal impacts, noting the fiscal note was largely indeterminate and startup costs could be significant. Public testimony on SB 5754 was divided. Supporters included statewide elected officials, county and city officials, labor, educators, community advocates, and residents, who argued the bank could lower borrowing costs, improve access to capital, keep public money in Washington, and help finance infrastructure, housing, and disaster resilience. Opponents included community bankers and county treasurers, who warned about risks to safety and liquidity of public funds, questioned the need for a new institution given existing programs, and argued the proposal lacked a proven track record in Washington. The hearing concluded with no vote taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, so NCSL actually has a really good article on electioneering laws across the states, and they show
• He explained that the bill arose from a news article describing a scheme in which a candidate solicited
• He said the article described a scheme used by a candidate in the state, and he invoked the Baltimore
• He cited an article about an individual who spent over a year trying to cancel the contribution and eventually

Committees: House Elections , House Local Government, Elections and Pensions

Transcript Highlights:

• And one of the things that one of the representatives mentioned was there was an article in the Joplin
• We have, by the way, in Article 1 of our Missouri... ...language.
• We have, by the way, in Article 1 of our Missouri Constitution, Section 34, English is the official language
• “And just recently, there was an article I read in Colorado, and the one person thought the officer was

Committees: House Transportation , House Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Joint Resolution 17, a joint resolution applying for an Article V convention to propose an amendment
• Resolution<00:27:36.640><c> applying</c><00:27:37.039><c> for</c><00:27:37.279><c> an</c><00:27:37.440><c> article
• </c><00:27:38.080><c> five</c> Resolution applying for an article five Resolution applying for an article

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2003, Time Magazine articles on Indian gaming noted that we have made significant progress in economic
• without falling victim to the ills. and sensationalized accusations of the recent Time Magazine articles
• I would like to mention, and I'm not sure if you're aware, that Reuters put out an article several, I
• about a year ago, about the issues that Alamo suffers with fentanyl abuse, and it was an excellent article

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Those today we know as Article 1, the general provisions, and Article 2.
• majority of the counties recognizing that as being exempt under the state constitution, specifically Article
• Article 5, Section 8, I believe, provides for the exemption of property taxes for units of government

Committee: House House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, I noticed in the Albuquerque Journal, this article, which I passed out that, uh, Senator Munoz, um
• So I'm gonna start with and, and thank you for whomever included this um article because in the article
• , um, this one in our packet, in the article, um, I believe, uh, Greg Trujil, um, was quoted.

Committee: House Investments & Pensions Oversight Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• The Federal Constitution, under Article I, Section 19, has the equivalent due course of law in Texas.
• Article 10.5 is now threatened. I could be fined, censured, or even lose the ability to...
• There has been no violation of the Code of Ethics anti-discrimination article because they exercised
• One of the most important articles in our code prohibits discrimination against a person based on their

Bills: SB1361 , SB2105 , SB2690 , SB2713 , SCR38 , SB2637 , SB2881

Committee: House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development

Keywords: SB 1361, Texas disaster recovery loan, small business loan, micro-business loan, community development financial institution, CDFI, economic disaster assistance, post-disaster financing, business recovery fund, Texas Economic Development Bank, zero-interest loan, working capital, payroll support, health benefits, job retention, declared disaster, small business relief, microenterprise, franchise exclusion, private equity-backed business

Transcript Highlights:

• ARTICLE 3 OF THE STATE CONSTITUTION. THE READING OF THE MESSAGE.
• ARTICLE 3 OF THE STATE CONSTITUTION.
• EXTENDING THE 2025 REGULAR SESSION OF THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF SECTION 3-D, ARTICLE
• LEGISLATURE, WHICH IS EXTENDED UNTIL 11:59 PM ON JUNE 6, 2025, UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF SECTION 3-D OF ARTICLE

Transcript Highlights:

• And why is there only one article link that says, 'Mobilize your faith community to be the hands...'?
• ...there, and why is there only one article link that says, 'Mobilize your faith community to be the
• Let me make sure I am telling you this correctly. there and why is there only one article link says mobilize
• There is an article out today about failure to do a tax return, failure to about failure to do a tax

Committee: Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability

Summary: The Committee on Governmental Oversight and Accountability met with a quorum present and took up a full agenda of bills, many involving public records exemptions and government operations. Several measures were reported favorably, including SB 342 on an Agency for Health Care Administration public records exemption for employees facing threats; SB 7018 preserving a public records exemption tied to parental consent/judicial bypass records for minors seeking abortions; SB 626 lowering quorum requirements and allowing remote participation for the Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys; SB 710 protecting personal information of Crime Stoppers employees, board members, volunteers, and their families; SB 300 extending clerk personal-information protections to appellate court clerks; and SB 302 creating a similar exemption for Judicial Qualifications Commission employees. The committee also approved SB 7010 and SB 7008, which preserve and narrow public records exemptions related to the Department of Financial Services as receiver for insolvent insurers and the financial technology sandbox, respectively. The committee also heard and advanced several policy bills. SB 820 codifies the Office of Faith and Community in the Executive Office of the Governor; Senator Polsky questioned whether the office was duplicative of existing services and raised concerns about religion in state governance, while supporters argued it complements existing networks and helps connect Floridians to services. SB 1144 codifies the Hope Florida program, with supporters describing it as a connector to community resources and critics again raising concerns about overlap, private donations, and accountability; both SB 820 and SB 1144 passed on largely party-line votes with Senator Polsky voting no. SB 804 would redesignate the SS American Victory as the state flagship, but Senator Rodriguez opposed giving up the current flagship designation for the Key West schooner, though the bill still passed favorably. SB 214 designates August 21 as Fentanyl Awareness and Education Day and passed without opposition. SB 1088 requires certain state customer-service phone lines to offer callback features, and SB 576 makes technical fixes to service-of-process law; both were reported favorably. Additional bills included SB 1524, a broad Department of State measure with a strike-all amendment that revises grant-review procedures, adds an America 250 funding focus, and changes commission-fee and oath requirements; Senator Arrington and Senator Polsky expressed concerns about reviewer qualifications, grant criteria, and the impact on arts and cultural programs, and both voted no while the bill still passed. SB 1640, on confidentiality of lethality assessment forms in domestic violence cases, was amended to allow disclosure to domestic violence centers while barring disclosure to state attorneys, and it passed favorably. SB 1160 expands health insurance premium benefits for certain officers catastrophically injured or killed in the line of duty; supporters from the Fraternal Order of Police appeared in support, and the bill passed unanimously. The committee also confirmed eight appointments to the Florida Commission on Community Service, the Investment Advisory Council, the Public Employees Relations Commission, and the State Retirement Commission. At the end of the meeting, senators requested to be recorded on specific bills, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The title of the article is, Western officials say Russia is behind a campaign of sabotage across Europe
• Senator, I haven't seen that specific article, but I can confirm that we assess Russia's attempts to
• And in the article, the implication was that somehow that was... improper. That was not the case.
• respect to the communications that were related as to me, there was no classified information. the article

Committee: Senate Intelligence (Select) Committee

Keywords: national security, cyber threats, civil liberties, transnational crime, FISA Section 702, public-private partnership, intelligence community, Annual Threats Hearing

Summary: The Senate Intelligence Committee convened for a significant meeting focused on the Annual Worldwide Threats Hearing. Prominent officials from various intelligence agencies presented their insights on emerging national security threats, including concerns over increasing cyber threats, particularly from China and non-state actors. A major discussion point included the balance between national security and civil liberties, as evidenced by conversations surrounding Section 702 of FISA and its implications for privacy protection. The challenges posed by cartels and transnational criminal organizations, especially related to narcotics trafficking, were emphasized as pressing issues necessitating coordinated responses from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. This meeting underscored the necessity of public-private partnerships to tackle these multifaceted threats effectively.

Transcript Highlights:

• I just think the point of the article...
• I'll find it for you, Senatee, but the point of the article is there's no better place in the state of
• According to a KXAN article, which is local news, public in July 2024, the Austin Police Department continued
• World News, as well as local articles, House Bill 470 seeks to expand the boundaries of the Capitol complex

Bills: HB 13 , HB143 , HB144 , HB145 , HB366 , HB470 , HB805 , HB912 , HB13 , HB143 , HB144 , HB145

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: emergency communication, infrastructure, first responders, grant program, interoperability, Texas Interoperability Council, local governments, HB 143, Texas Railroad Commission, Public Utility Commission of Texas, Natural Resources Code, oil and gas, well site, surface facility, electrical power line, National Electrical Code, NEC, electrical safety, utility disconnect, service disconnection

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm here to address Senate Bill 1497, a one-sentence amendment to Article 18. 0.0215 of the Code of Criminal
• Article 18 requires a search warrant to access cellular phones or other wireless devices. devices, but
• It amends Chapter 38 of the Code of Criminal Procedure by adding Article 38. which provides definition
• It was an article April of. 24 and it reported and researched across the United States the impact to

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

Committee: Senate Criminal Justice

Transcript Highlights:

• Then, what we have is that in January 2nd of 2025, the Minnesota Reformer released an article that noted
• released<00:07:09.840><c> a</c><00:07:10.039><c> report</c><00:07:10.560><c> an</c><00:07:10.759><c> article
• </c><00:07:11.240><c> that</c><00:07:11.360><c> noted</c> released a report an article that noted released
• a report an article that noted that<00:07:11.840><c> murders</c><00:07:12.319><c> plummeted</c> that

Transcript Highlights:

• The House Appropriations Subcommittees on Articles 6, 7, and 8 will come to order.
• As you all know, we will be hearing from our Article 6 Natural Resources agencies.
• And all the ones that you're going to be seeing for Article 6, for sure, You'll be seeing a line item
• I'm glad you still want to be on this article. So thank you. Absolutely.

Committee: House Appropriations - S/C on Articles VI, VII, & VIII

Summary: The committee met with a quorum present to hear Article VI Natural Resources agency budget recommendations, beginning with the Railroad Commission. LBB staff summarized the commission’s 2026-27 base recommendation at $458.7 million, down from the prior biennium, with an increased FTE cap. The presentation highlighted reduced federal IIJA funding, volatility in oil and gas regulation account 5155, continued support for IT modernization, and rider changes. The commission’s major exceptional items were then presented, including requests for produced water and injection data reporting, an authorized pit registration system, regulatory filing/permitting upgrades, an underground injection well investigation team, site remediation support, and especially $100 million for orphan well plugging. Members asked about biennium-to-biennium comparisons, salary biennialization, the scale of orphan well risks, federal funding delays, bonding, and whether the state should rely more on industry or general revenue for plugging costs. Commission leadership explained that orphan wells can threaten water and public safety, that plugging costs have risen sharply, and that current funding is insufficient to keep up with emergency wells and the backlog; they also said the agency is moving to cloud-based systems with cybersecurity protections and that the proposed performance measure may need adjustment if funding does not increase. The Railroad Commission testimony was followed by LBB and agency testimony for the Texas Animal Health Commission. LBB described a $42 million recommendation for 2026-27, an increase overall, but with a reduced FTE cap due to turnover and salary reallocation. The recommendation maintained funding for cattle fever tick work, chronic wasting disease, lab testing through an MOU with Texas A&M’s veterinary diagnostic lab, and a new $5 million spay-and-neuter pilot program, while deleting a capital budget rider and adjusting riders tied to entry point inspection stations and clinical trials. Agency leadership then outlined the commission’s mission to protect livestock health and the state’s $22 billion animal industry, and described major disease threats including highly pathogenic avian influenza, cattle fever ticks, New World screwworm, and chronic wasting disease. Their exceptional items focused on recruiting and retaining veterinarians, replacing fleet vehicles, creating an ectoparasite identification lab, adding field staff and IT support, improving records and epidemiology reporting, strengthening central administration, supporting secure food supply planning, expanding chronic wasting disease work, and staffing the new spay-and-neuter program. Members asked about field identification of ticks, the use of disinfectants and PPE, fleet management, the scale of cattle fever tick risk, and chronic wasting disease; the agency explained its current inspection and lab-confirmation process, its reliance on field disinfecting and biosecurity, and the need for more staff and better data systems to keep pace with growing workloads and disease threats.

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, with that we will take up article one and we will call up the LBB who is already there of course
• Okay, with that we will take up article one and we will call up the LBB who's already there, of course
• Recommendations maintain article nine, section 708, which requires agencies to report HUB data in their
• And the behavioral health rider, which is a cross-article decision.

Bills: SB 1 , SB1

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Pursuant to Article 7, Section 2, subdivision E, this is a motion for committee consideration.
• This bill, incidentally, is also pursuant to Article 7, Section 2, subdivision E, of the Senate Rules

Committee: Senate Higher Education

Summary: The Senate Higher Education Committee met on May 5 and considered 12 bills, with most measures relating to higher education administration, student services, and professional licensing. The committee advanced a rural teacher loan repayment program for teachers serving underserved rural areas, a SUNY/CUNY mental health staffing requirement, a bill allowing SED access to patient or client records in professional misconduct cases, an AI-in-therapy regulation bill, cross-profession supervision for certain mental health professionals, an extension of limited permits for social workers, continuing education requirements for acupuncturists, and updated supervision rules for physical therapy assistants. One bill reorganizing SUNY police was held for further negotiations with SUNY, SUNY police, and stakeholders. Two Article 7, Section 2, subdivision E motions for committee consideration were taken up. Senator Rose’s bill to withhold financial aid from SUNY or CUNY institutions that permit organizations designated as terrorist organizations was defeated after several senators voted no or without recommendation. Senator Kanzanari Fitzpatrick’s bill requiring anti-Semitism awareness training, incident reporting, and compliance with state reporting rules for higher education institutions was approved and sent to the Codes Committee, with some senators voting without recommendation because they viewed the subject as already covered by existing law. The committee also reported Senator Rivera’s nurse practitioner conformity bill to the floor, and several other bills were reported either to the floor or to Finance depending on their fiscal impact. Most measures were approved without opposition, though some senators voted without recommendation on bills they said overlapped with existing statutes or prior legislation. The meeting adjourned at 10:52 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our case law has long established that Article 3 and Article 6, Sections 1 and 5, together give the Supreme

Committee: House Rules