Transcript Highlights:

• might just make one comment that I haven’t made yet, which is it could seem like the path of least resistance
• The response was that there had been some resistance, not just opposition.

Summary: The hearing focused on the governor’s May Revision proposals for transportation, natural resources, climate, and related programs, with the Department of Finance and the LAO presenting competing views on the state’s fiscal condition. Finance said the budget remains balanced over two years, with major climate-bond, water, parks, transportation, DMV, and agriculture proposals, while the LAO argued the state still has a structural deficit and should reject or defer many new discretionary spending items, preserve reserves, and be cautious about ongoing commitments. The LAO specifically questioned the timing and scale of new spending for programs such as Clean California, Healthy Rivers and Landscapes, and the Golden Gate Fields acquisition, and urged more clarity on future obligations and revenue scenarios, including for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. A major portion of the hearing was devoted to the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes proposal for Bay-Delta water quality implementation. Secretary Wade Crowfoot and Finance described it as an enforceable, science-based alternative to a more traditional regulatory approach, with the state’s $25 million request intended to support early implementation, monitoring, habitat restoration, and environmental flows. The LAO countered that the Water Board has not yet adopted the updated Bay-Delta plan, that the proposal may be premature, and that the Legislature should wait for more information on the state’s total funding commitment and the program’s long-term costs. Several members expressed support for the program as a way to reduce conflict and protect water reliability, while others echoed concerns about timing and fiscal exposure. The committee also examined the proposed $125 million Proposition 4 contribution toward acquiring the Golden Gate Fields property for a shoreline park and habitat project. State officials said the acquisition is a time-sensitive, once-in-a-generation opportunity, with an appraised value of $175 million and additional philanthropic and local funding expected to close the gap. Members questioned whether the project had gone through the usual competitive process, whether the site is the best use of scarce park bond dollars, and how public access, habitat, and disadvantaged-community priorities would be protected. The discussion ended without a vote, and the committee moved on to transportation items including Clean California litter abatement, the Games Route Network, homeless encampment coordinators, and DMV modernization and field office proposals, with LAO recommending rejection or delay on several of those requests as well.

Transcript Highlights:

• There’s not a lot more, and it’s not that you couldn’t possibly resist it, right, if you wanted to, but
• There's not a lot more, and it's not that you couldn't possibly resist it, right, if you wanted to, but

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee first heard two bills. AB 1665 by Assemblymember Pacheco would require school sports coaches to complete approved mental health training. Supporters said coaches are trusted adults who are often first to notice student-athlete distress, and a witness described personal experience with body image and disordered eating pressures in athletics. There was no opposition, and the bill was moved out of committee on a due pass as amended motion to Appropriations, ultimately passing 9-0 after add-on votes. AB 2316 by Assemblymember Hoover would allow charter schools to apply for the same financial hardship relief in the state school facilities program that traditional districts can seek. Supporters argued this would improve parity and help smaller and low-income charter schools access permanent facilities; some initially opposed agencies said their concerns were addressed by amendments. The bill also passed unanimously, 9-0, to Appropriations. The committee then took up a consent calendar containing 12 additional measures, including bills on education funding, facilities, and other school-related matters, plus a resolution. Those items were approved on a 7-0 vote, with the roll left open for add-on votes. After the bill hearing portion was recessed and later reconvened, additional members added votes to AB 1665, AB 2316, and the consent calendar, bringing each to 9-0. The committee then held an informational hearing on state-level education governance, centered on Governor Newsom’s proposal to restructure the California Department of Education and the role of the elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, with AB 2117 serving as a policy vehicle carrying the same language and no action to be taken. Testimony came from the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the Education Commission of the States, and former CDE chief deputy Richard Zager. Witnesses reviewed the history of California’s governance structure, compared it with other states, and discussed accountability, legislative oversight, and the role of the superintendent under the proposal. Committee members raised concerns about preserving checks and balances, the fiscal implementation plan, county-office relationships, and whether the superintendent’s role would be reduced too far; no vote was taken at the informational hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I think that's some of the resistance to thinking of going back to fixed funding.
• And I think that's some of the resistance to thinking of going back to the fixed funding.

Summary: The Higher Ed Funding Committee met to review how North Dakota might identify and address low-producing academic programs and to discuss draft funding formulas for the university system. Lisa Johnson of the NDUS explained that the State Board of Higher Education is already developing a system-wide policy, using models from other states such as Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, and Connecticut. She described how low-producing programs are typically flagged by multi-year enrollment or completion thresholds, then reviewed for workforce demand, mission fit, cost, accreditation, and regional need before any action is taken. Committee members asked about what counts as a program, how costs are analyzed, whether certificates are included, how exemptions work for mission-critical or high-demand fields, and whether the board or legislature should set the rules. Johnson said the board is the appropriate body to lead the process, but legislators could use funding leverage if they wanted to encourage action; the chair asked the board to bring a detailed proposal to the June meeting. The committee then heard a Legislative Council presentation on a draft formula for UND and NDSU. The proposal uses fall census FTE enrollment, with a placeholder undergraduate rate of $7,000 per FTE and a graduate/professional rate of $10,500, plus incentives for completions in in-demand fields and research productivity. Alex from Legislative Council walked through the projected funding effects, noting that the model would increase funding for NDSU and reduce it for UND in the current biennium, with different results in the next biennium as enrollment changes are recognized. Members questioned the use of the placeholder rates, the definition of in-demand programs, the treatment of research funding, and the exclusion of state-appropriated dollars from the external grants calculation. The chair emphasized that the numbers were illustrative and that appropriators would set the actual dollar amounts later. A second draft formula for the other nine institutions was also reviewed. That model uses fall census FTE without a weighted economic factor, applies a higher undergraduate rate, and adds completion incentives for in-demand credentials and all other completions. Members noted that the formula would benefit some institutions, such as Bismarck State College, while reducing funding for others, such as Mayville State, and discussed whether the nine institutions should be treated more uniformly or split into smaller groups because of their different missions and sizes. Committee members and staff repeatedly stressed that the formulas are still being refined and that some institutions would likely need hold-harmless adjustments or other transition measures. The meeting ended with the chair directing the committee to continue the discussion later and to expect further work on both the low-producing program policy and the funding formulas.

Transcript Highlights:

• At the outset, this new union faced severe resistance.
• Now, despite this, they gathered nearly 3,000 signatures and qualified for the ballot, yet resistance

Summary: The committee took up a long agenda of bills, beginning with several measures that were amended and reported favorably, including a strike-all to SB 4 on child protective investigations and specific medical diagnoses, SB 1570 restoring a statewide missing-persons project for individuals with special needs, and SB 182 creating a teacher training and mentoring program for schools needing improvement. Members also advanced SB 794 on APD background screening and support coordination standards, SB 1168 on background screening for athletic coaches and related entities, and SB 214 to let rural special districts pay verified invoices directly for state- and federally funded work. Supporters emphasized improved child welfare investigations, help for families of vulnerable individuals, teacher retention, and better administrative efficiency; the APD bill drew especially strong testimony from waiver clients and providers about the importance of competent support coordinators and stable services. The committee also favorably reported SB 1376 on grants for genetic counseling education, SB 1574 requiring newborn screening for biliary atresia, SB 1510 as the DEP agency package with environmental, septic, water quality, solar, and permitting changes, and SB 598 updating funeral and cemetery licensing and consumer protections. SB 688, after a delete-all amendment, would create licensure for naturopathic doctors and a board of naturopathic medicine; it drew strong support from naturopathic advocates and sharp opposition from a critic who argued the bill would authorize diagnosis and treatment beyond appropriate limits. SB 1318 made a technical change to scholarship account reversion language, with senators clarifying that remaining funds would return to the scholarship funding organization for future use rather than to the state. Later, the committee approved SB 682 on domestic violence and protective injunctions, SB 130 on workforce training for current and former inmates, and SB 1548, the latest Live Local Act iteration expanding affordable housing options and limiting local barriers. It also reported favorably SB 536 on criminal gang membership criteria after extensive debate about constitutional issues and modern gang activity, SB 762 allowing cross-jurisdiction assignment of capital cases among regional conflict counsel offices, SB 1332 strengthening career offender registration requirements, SB 1742 creating a new offense for indecent exposure of sexual organs to a minor, and SB 1750 increasing penalties for serious sex offenses and child sexual abuse material crimes. The most contentious discussion came on SB 1226, which would overhaul Public Employee Relations Commission rules, require majority support for union certification, and impose new limits on union activities and dues-related practices; members debated constitutional concerns, differences between first responders and other public employees, and the bill’s impact on union representation and public-sector labor rights. Most bills were reported favorably by roll call, with SB 536 drawing several no votes and SB 1226 still under active debate at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• And my own resistance in my house is on days that they're sleeping in after their party, I'm burning
• And my own resistance in my house is on days that they're sleeping in after their party, I'm burning

Summary: The committee heard and acted on several bills dealing with elections, juvenile representation, paternity, and campaign finance. SB 1489 would require paid petition circulators to disclose their name, residence, and paid status, wear a badge, register in some local petition efforts, and subject local initiatives to stricter compliance and fiscal disclosure rules. Supporters said it would standardize rules and improve transparency; opponents, including the ACLU, argued it would chill core political speech and compel identification. The bill received a do-pass recommendation by a 4-3 vote. SB 1609, an emergency measure restricting political party names from using terms like “independent” or “unaffiliated,” drew support from county election officials who said it would reduce voter confusion, and opposition from the Arizona Independent Party, which called it retroactive and anti-competitive. The committee adopted an amendment and then passed the bill 7-0. SCR 1040, which would raise the mandatory retirement age for judges from 70 to 75 subject to voter approval, was supported as reflecting longer life expectancy and retaining experienced judges, but opposed by some who favored age limits; it passed 5-2. The committee then took up SB 1234, which would change juvenile court representation by requiring a guardian ad litem in dependency and termination cases and allowing, rather than requiring, separate child counsel in some circumstances. Sponsor Senator Werner said the bill was part of a broader child-safety package and was informed by cases involving children who died after alleged system failures. Child welfare attorneys and advocates opposed the bill, warning it would weaken attorney-client privilege and take away children’s independent voice, while DCS said the bill was intended to clarify the GAL role and could work alongside child counsel. The committee adopted an amendment and passed the bill 5-2. SB 1661, allowing child support obligations to be terminated when genetic testing shows a presumed father is not the biological father, received broad support from the sponsor, a fathers’ advocacy group, and a family representative, and passed 6-0. Later, the committee considered election-administration and campaign-finance measures. SB 1392 would give governing bodies canvassing elections access to election-material locations to observe procedures and review records, while protecting privacy and security; county officials supported access but raised concerns about the term “agent,” and the bill passed 4-3. SB 1634 would require ADOT to provide county recorders with applicants’ handwritten signatures collected during voter registration; county officials said it would improve signature verification, and the bill passed 5-2 after some members noted amendment concerns. SB 1743 would redact donors’ employer street addresses and residence addresses from campaign finance reports; supporters framed it as a privacy measure, while opponents said employer information is important for transparency and identifying influence. It passed 5-2. SB 1099, a strike-everything amendment defining defamation standards for public and private figures, was presented as narrowing and clarifying defamation law and passed 4-3. After a recess, the committee heard SB 1535, which would make paying for sexual conduct a prostitution offense and add a $200 assessment to fund anti-human-trafficking services. Survivors, law enforcement, and neighborhood advocates supported stronger penalties aimed at buyers and demand reduction, while criminal-defense and victim-advocacy groups said the bill needed a rebuttable-presumption amendment to better protect trafficking victims. The transcript cuts off before the committee’s final action on SB 1535.

Transcript Highlights:

• And my own resistance in my house is on days that they're sleeping in after their party, I'm burning
• And my own resistance in my house is on days that they're sleeping in after their party, I'm burning

Bills: SB1012 , SB1099 , SB1234 , SB1392 , SB1489 , SB1535 , SB1570 , SB1609 , SB1627 , SB1634 , SB1661 , SB1709 , SB1723 , SB1725 , SB1743 , SB1829 , SCR1027 , SCR1040 , SCR1048

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Elections

Keywords: concealed carry, firearms, restaurants, liquor licensing, public safety, defamation, private figure, public concern, statute of limitations, internet defamation, juvenile court, legal representation, appointed attorney, guardian ad litem, child welfare, election canvass, canvassing board, governing body, election inspection, election access

Transcript Highlights:

• requires that the increase in just value attributable to improvements made to increase the property's resistance
• ...that the increase in just value attributable to improvements made to increase the property's resistance

Summary: The Senate convened with an opening prayer, pledge, and a series of member and guest introductions recognizing visitors, local delegations, and honorees. The chamber then took up a report from the Committee on Ethics and Elections on 42 executive appointments; the report was adopted and the appointments were confirmed by a 36-0 vote. The Senate also adopted a resolution honoring the Ripple Project for childhood cancer awareness and fundraising. The body then moved through a long special-order calendar of bills, largely focused on public records exemptions, public safety, education, agriculture, health care, and licensing. Measures passed included bills to extend or consolidate exemptions for aquaculture records, trade secrets, and cybersecurity information; a child-abuse reporting statute-of-limitations bill; regulation of commercial driving schools; human trafficking training for nursing graduates; a new injunction for protection against serious violence by a known person and its companion public-records bill; nature-based coastal resiliency and mangrove infrastructure; chiropractic patient trust funds; specialty license plates; waiver of late financial disclosure fines; public school personnel compensation; the Florida Farm Bill/Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services package; homestead exemption clarification for long-term leases; disability presumption clarifications for first responders; reinsurance intermediary manager conformity; patriotic displays in public schools; ADS-B aviation fee restrictions; autism-related law enforcement training and the Blue Envelope program; campus safety policy transparency at public colleges and universities; and veterinary prescription disclosure. Several bills drew debate or amendments. The Farm Bill received amendments protecting Everglades restoration lands from surplus sale and clarifying biosolids timing, and it passed 38-0 after extensive discussion. The HCSM/nonprofit religious organizations bill prompted debate over whether allowing licensed insurance agents to market faith-based health care sharing ministries would create consumer confusion or free-speech concerns; it passed 32-5. The patriotic displays bill also drew discussion and passed 36-2. The athletics bill allowing coaches to provide good-faith support to student-athletes, prompted by the Teddy Bridgewater situation, passed 38-0. The affordable housing bill clarifying Live Local Act definitions to exclude farms from certain commercial/mixed-use/industrial categories passed 38-0 after a technical amendment. Several other measures were temporarily postponed, and the session concluded with the Senate continuing through the remaining calendar.

Transcript Highlights:

• requires that the increase in just value attributable to improvements made to increase the property's resistance
• That the increase in just value attributable to improvements made to increase the property's resistance

Transcript Highlights:

• President, I will resist [music] [laughter] when we gave in today, when we gave in today, um<00:12:50.880
• 00:13:25.040><c> President,</c><00:13:25.680><c> I</c><00:13:25.839><c> will</c><00:13:26.160><c> resist

Transcript Highlights:

• Teachers tend to resist the idea of merit pay because they like to cooperate with each other rather than
• Now we have trusted adults normalizing this behavior, resulting in reduced resistance by children to

Committees: House Education , House House Education Committee of Reference

Transcript Highlights:

• Secretary, because as we've gone through this, you find it in everything, especially like in water-resistant
• Boy Furniture, Ashley Furniture, if you go to a big furniture Denver Mattress, don't get the stain-resistant

Committee: House Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• a role because when the paramedics arrived, he was one of the ones involved in the code and had resisted
• I don't know of any resistance from the physicians in terms of shedding some light on that.

Bills: HB35 , HB4490 , HB4454 , HB2188 , HB3078 , HB4743 , HB2556 , HB46 , HB5342 , HB4783 , HB3785 , HB5278 , HB1639 , HB2581 , HB4224 , HB4070 , HB4099 , HB4882 , HB3794 , HB46

Committee: House Public Health

Keywords: peer support, first responders, mental health, confidentiality, emergency services, disclosure, next of kin, public information, deceased persons, privacy rights, patient solicitation, marketing practices, healthcare regulation, task force, deceptive advertising, nurse aide, certification, Texas Board of Nursing, healthcare workforce, nursing standards

Transcript Highlights:

• insulin over time, the receptor is like a keyhole. is going in and out, in and out, they become resistant
• It's what's called insulin-resistant diabetes, and so it is a part of a so-called metabolic syndrome,

Bills: HB5 , HJR3 , HB155 , HB513 , HB5 , HB155

Committee: House Public Health

Keywords: dementia, research, health care, Texas Institute, grants, medical breakthroughs, oversight, prevention, funding, healthcare, Texas, autopsy, confidentiality, public records, medical examiner, law enforcement, HB 513, surgical smoke, surgical plume, smoke evacuation

Transcript Highlights:

• I know we've all heard from our towns as we try to expand housing in our state that there's a resistance
• </c><01:37:17.040><c> a</c> in in our state that uh there's a in in our state that uh there's a resistance
• 19.119><c> um</c><01:37:19.440><c> precisely</c><01:37:20.080><c> for</c><01:37:20.400><c> this</c> resistance
• to that um precisely for this resistance to that um precisely for this reason<01:37:21.280><c> of</c

Committee: House Education Policy and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• We must resist unfounded, fear-based policymaking.
• We must resist unfounded, fear-based policymaking.
• We must resist unfounded, fear-based policymaking.
• We must resist unfounded, fear-based policymaking.
• We must resist unfounded, fear-based policymaking.

Committee: House State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs

Summary: The committee first continued its hearing on HB 1287, which concerns the definition of “veteran.” Representative Manion explained that the amendment would adopt the federal-style definition by including a general discharge under honorable conditions, while restoring documentation requirements such as a DD214 and removing a problematic reference to World War II allied veterans. The chair said the committee would close the hearing and take the bill up later in executive session. The committee then moved to HCR 13, a resolution calling for an Article V convention limited to proposing a constitutional amendment imposing term limits on members of Congress. Representative Joe Alexander, the prime sponsor, said the measure is narrowly focused on congressional term limits, that 12 states have already passed similar resolutions, and that broad public support in New Hampshire justifies action. Members asked whether the effort would prompt Congress to act on its own, whether the resolution should also cover Supreme Court justices, and how many states are needed; Alexander said the goal is to pressure Congress, that the Constitution already treats Supreme Court justices differently, and that 34 states are required. Testimony in support came from former Representative Linda Masamela, who gave a history-based argument for Article V conventions as a constitutional check, and from Deborah Childs and Aaron Ducet of U.S. Term Limits. Childs said New Hampshire voters strongly support term limits and argued they would open seats to younger, more diverse candidates. Ducet said the application is single-topic and would allow only one amendment, described Article V applications as historically common, and argued that state pressure can force Congress to act. No vote was taken in the portion provided; the chair continued hearing testimony on HCR 13.

Committee: House Housing

Transcript Highlights:

• But for a job, it becomes really hard to resist the temptations of things that are in the past.
• they do, their level of effort has to rise to the level of effort that is being opposed to them and resisting
• So there's no... ...to the level of effort that is being opposed to them and resisting them.

Summary: The committee began without a quorum and heard several bills in subcommittee format. AB 1546, which would increase penalties for repeat DUI offenders by allowing a third DUI within 10 years to be charged as a wobbler, requiring a fifth DUI to be a felony, and lengthening ignition interlock and license revocation periods, drew strong support from law enforcement and district attorney groups and opposition from public defenders and reform advocates who argued the bill would further criminalize substance use and mental health issues. No vote was taken because there was no quorum at the time. AB 1595, aimed at standardizing post-conviction procedures for wrongful conviction claims and clarifying courts’ authority to consider new evidence, was supported by innocence and public defender organizations and opposed by district attorneys, who said existing habeas law is already clear and that the bill would add complexity and burden courts. AB 292, which would impose mandatory jail time for repeat felony domestic violence offenders within seven years, was supported by sheriffs, prosecutors, probation officers, and local governments, but opposed by domestic violence survivor advocates and public defender groups who warned it would not deter abuse and could criminalize survivors and divert resources from services. AB 1816, allowing courts to extend probation up to one additional year for sex offenders who have not completed required treatment, drew support from probation and law enforcement groups and opposition from public defenders and civil liberties advocates concerned about longer supervision, technical violations, and barriers such as poverty and treatment access; the committee later took a roll call and passed the bill 3-1, with one member not voting, sending it to Appropriations. After quorum was established, the committee also passed AB 1627, which would bar people with misconduct in immigration enforcement from becoming California peace officers, and AB 1927, which would create a misdemeanor for falsely impersonating a bail agent to solicit bail, both on due pass motions to Judiciary/Appropriations as amended. AB 1854, a shield-law measure expanding protections for reproductive and gender-affirming health care providers, patients, and related businesses from out-of-state legal process, was supported by the Attorney General’s office and reproductive rights groups and opposed by anti-abortion and family policy organizations; it was moved on a due pass motion to Judiciary. The committee then heard AB 1872, which would make repeat adult swatting offenses a felony/wobbler and require restitution for property damage, with support from law enforcement, prosecutors, and civil liberties advocates and opposition from public defenders and justice reform groups who argued the bill would not deter conduct and could disproportionately affect people with mental illness or undocumented status. A motion to advance AB 1872 was made, but the transcript cuts off before any final vote on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• But for a job, it becomes really hard to resist the temptations of things that are in the past.
• they do, their level of effort has to rise to the level of effort that is being opposed to them and resisting
• So there's no... ...to the level of effort that is being opposed to them and resisting them.

Committee: Senate Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• with the heat pump program is it is an opportunity, particularly for folks who either use electric resistance
• :10:57.640><c> electric</c> for folks who either use electric for folks who either use electric resistance
• ><c> and</c><00:11:00.160><c> or</c><00:11:00.400><c> use</c><00:11:00.760><c> delivered</c> ...resistance

Bills: HF4560 , HF4559 , HF2317 , HF3179 , HF4880 , HF2862 , HF4374

Committee: House Energy Finance and Policy