Transcript Highlights:

• Money that Los Angeles, who's on fire in January, has desperately asked for in federal aid.
• Carol Gonzalez on behalf of ESPANAS, organized for political equality, and support. Thank you.
• We're looking to have covered durable medical equipment, fertility coverage, along with hearing aids
• And because we've embedded some flexibility for small, medium, independent, and... aids for everyone,
• You just heard my previous bill on adding hearing aids for children.

Summary: The Assembly Appropriations Committee met on August 20, 2025, and considered a large number of bills, with most of the discussion centered on election redistricting and several health, labor, environmental, and government-operations measures. The first major item was ACA 8, a constitutional amendment tied to a proposed November special election and temporary mid-decade congressional redistricting in response to partisan redistricting efforts in other states. Supporters, including Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, a 2020 redistricting commissioner, labor groups, and allies of the measure, argued it was necessary to defend democracy, protect representation, and respond to federal actions affecting California. Opponents, including Assemblymember Tom Lackey reading a statement for Assemblymember Gallagher and Assemblymember Dixon, argued the measure would undermine the independent redistricting commission, amount to a partisan power grab, and cost taxpayers roughly $230 million. Committee members also focused heavily on fiscal questions, including litigation costs and county election funding, and Department of Finance staff said counties would be made whole and funding would be advanced. The committee ultimately voted the measure out on a B roll call. The committee then heard SB 280, the implementing bill for the special election and related redistricting process. Supporters repeated the argument that California needed to respond to Texas and other states, while opponents again emphasized the cost, the strain on county budgets, and the state’s broader fiscal pressures. Department of Finance witnesses said the election funding would be provided in advance and that the state would work with counties and the Secretary of State. The bill was moved out on a roll call after extended debate. The committee also advanced several other bills, including SB 283 on battery storage safety standards, SB 470 extending remote participation and open-meeting flexibility for state boards and commissions, SB 697 modernizing stream adjudication procedures, SB 513 requiring more accessible employee training records, SB 30 restricting transfer of older diesel locomotives, SB 841 and SB 81 creating protections for vulnerable facilities and health care spaces from immigration enforcement, SB 358 revising traffic impact fee standards, and SB 630 streamlining state parks land acquisitions. Other measures discussed included SB 62 expanding health coverage benefits, SB 68 requiring restaurant allergen disclosures, and the committee heard both support and opposition on SB 68 from the California Restaurant Association and consumer advocates. Supporters of the health and immigrant-protection bills emphasized patient safety, reproductive health, immigrant rights, and access to care, while opponents on the restaurant bill warned of added mandates and litigation risk for small businesses. Across the hearing, committee members frequently returned to fiscal impacts, county implementation burdens, and whether the bills would save money, cost money, or shift costs to local governments. Several bills were reported out of committee, often on A or B roll calls, with some members not voting on particular measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Chair will alternate recognition between the parties, with the time equally allocated between the
• The Chair will alternate recognition between the parties, with the time equally allocated between the
• We are currently living through an equally troubling time in our country.
• counted against financial aid counted against financial aid eligibility<02:03:17.800> we<
• Constitution by ending our foreign aid Constitution by ending our foreign aid programs<04:45:32.280

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Monday, February 10, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, I think if you're speaking about the equal protection law, then this is... ...protection law,
• , the cost drivers in terms of pushing or driving people to an equally clinically appropriate drug on
• But also, I think, equally kind of looking at it from a clinically appropriate perspective, we think
• Does the state of California have to abide by the Equal Protection Clause in the federal Constitution
• Does the state of California have to abide by the Equal Protection Clause in the federal Constitution

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health held the first of several hearings on the Governor’s May Revision for health care, with opening remarks focused on the state’s projected $12 billion deficit, looming federal Medicaid changes, and the potential impact on Medi-Cal, public health, reproductive health, and safety-net providers. Several members criticized the proposal as balancing the budget on vulnerable Californians, while others defended the need for cost containment and questioned the administration’s assumptions. The chair set ground rules for respectful, focused questioning and outlined three topics: the Medi-Cal proposals, Proposition 35, and Proposition 56. DHCS Director Michelle Baas presented the May Revision’s Medi-Cal package, saying the department’s budget totals $200.6 billion overall, including $45.2 billion General Fund, and that the proposals are intended to address rising caseloads, pharmacy costs, and managed care spending. She described proposed changes for adults with unsatisfactory immigration status, including a freeze on new full-scope enrollment for those 19 and older, $100 monthly premiums beginning in 2027, elimination of adult dental and long-term care coverage, removal of PPS/RAP payments to FQHCs and rural health clinics for that population, and a pharmacy rebate aggregator. Other proposals included eliminating certain OTC drug classes, removing GLP-1 coverage for weight loss, prior authorization and step therapy changes, reinstating the Medi-Cal asset test, eliminating acupuncture as an optional benefit, allowing utilization management for hospice, raising the managed care minimum medical loss ratio to 90%, reducing PACE capitation rates toward the midpoint of the actuarial range, eliminating the skilled nursing facility workforce and quality incentive program, and suspending the SNF backup power requirement. The LAO said the revised Medi-Cal spending estimate is about $2.5 billion higher than the Governor’s Budget in the budget year, and that the increase appears driven more by higher per-enrollee costs than by caseload alone. The LAO said the budget solutions are concentrated in a few areas, are largely ongoing, and should be considered in light of federal uncertainty, but suggested the Legislature could explore alternatives such as more targeted income thresholds for the undocumented expansion and simpler asset-test rules. Department of Finance officials said the proposals are difficult but necessary to address a third consecutive deficit and rising Medi-Cal costs. Members then pressed the administration on the methodology and impacts of the proposals, especially the enrollment freeze, premiums, asset test, hospice controls, PACE reductions, and the elimination of benefits and provider payments. No votes or formal actions were taken at this hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Property taxes are still going, but state aid has been gone for over a decade now.
• And we wanted all taxes to be equal, like the flat tax, and apply to everybody equally, which is the
• And we wanted all taxes to be equal, like the flat tax, and apply to everybody equally, which is the
• Equally concerning is what this bill leaves out.
• We have equal opportunity, opportunity to rise, work, and do our jobs.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I urge you to ensure that all providers, regardless of background, receive equal treatment, equal resources
• , and equal opportunity to serve our children.
• regardless of background receive equal regardless of background receive equal equal<00:34:28.040
• 00:34:30.280> equal equal treatment equal resource and equal equal treatment equal resource and
• 32.200> children<00:34:33.200> equal opportunity to serve our children equal opportunity

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from DHS on its early intensive developmental and behavioral intervention (EIDBI) study and related licensing proposal. Christy Grom explained that EIDBI is a Medical Assistance state plan service for children and young adults under 21 with autism or related conditions, and that DHS’s multi-phase evaluation included standards review, community engagement, and a comparison with other states. She said the service is important but that DHS identified gaps in oversight, including stretched clinical supervision, providers affiliated with many centers, out-of-state providers, and rapid growth in enrollment that has outpaced current monitoring capacity. DHS’s main recommendation was to create a provisional license for EIDBI in Chapter 245A as an immediate step, with later work toward full licensing standards. The proposal would let DHS identify controlling individuals, disqualify ineligible people, investigate maltreatment, suspend or revoke licenses, require background studies and qualifications before service delivery, move EIDBI providers into a higher-risk category for revalidation, and make DHS the lead investigative agency for maltreatment. DHS also recommended statutory standards for supervision, caseloads, training, and documentation, while emphasizing the need to balance oversight with continued access to services. Grom said the provisional licensure proposal is part of the governor’s budget and that DHS hopes to begin implementation in 2025, with a possible full license start date in 2028. Testifiers then spoke in support of EIDBI while urging the committee to preserve access and include more community input. Ana Hagi Muhammad, a parent of three autistic children and a Somali community advocate, said EIDBI has been beneficial for her family and that community organizations serving Somali families have not been sufficiently engaged in DHS’s process. Ana Muhammad, a Black mother of a young autistic child, said ABA has helped her son with communication, self-regulation, and independence, and asked that discussions reflect the diversity of family experiences. Committee members asked testifiers to keep remarks brief and to identify which modality they use, and the chair indicated the committee would continue hearing from additional testifiers before further discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• , my aides that took it upon themselves to take in Remusco and Oriana Palma, my aides, that took it upon
• So to my aides, I love you both. Thank you so much for that.
• So all I'm saying is make it equal.
• Both are equally impressive feats.
• I really am a strong supporter of legal aid. I think we should figure out a way to fund legal aid.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including interns, Denim Day awareness, a resolution honoring Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, and a remembrance of former Senator Karen Johnson Gendron. The chamber then moved to special order bills. CS/HB 687 on transportation offenses involving death was substituted for SB 138, amended to add warnings and penalties for refusal of breath or urine tests, and passed 37-0. CS/SB 306 on Medicaid providers, requiring broader after-hours access and network availability for Medicaid enrollees, also passed 37-0. The Senate then took up CS/CS/HB 913 on condominium associations, a major post-Surfside reform bill. Senator Bradley explained that the measure was intended to provide financial relief and flexibility while preserving safety and accountability. The bill was substituted for SB 1742, amended several times to limit milestone inspections and structural integrity reserve studies to buildings three habitable stories or more, and then passed 37-0 after extensive debate. Senators from both parties praised Bradley, Pizzo, Garcia, and staff for years of work on condo safety and affordability, with several members describing the bill as a balance between protecting residents and avoiding financial hardship. The final major item was CS/HB 1205, the bill on amendments to the state constitution and citizen petition drives. Sponsors Gates and Grohl argued the bill was needed to combat fraud, identity theft, and misuse in the petition process, citing a lengthy Office of Election Crimes and Security report. The House bill was substituted for SB 7016, and the chamber considered a long series of amendments and substitute amendments addressing petition circulator registration, volunteer participation, submission deadlines, invalid-signature thresholds, voter notification, and fiscal impact statements. Several amendments were adopted, while others were debated over whether they would protect access to the citizen initiative process or strengthen election integrity. The transcript ends during debate on the main substitute amendment, before final disposition on the bill is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• I also want to thank my aide who actually wrote the resolution because he personally knew them.
• I also want to thank my aide who actually wrote the resolution because he personally knew them.
• :30:33.359> exactly next tax year are projected exactly next tax year are projected exactly equal
• to the extra revenue raised from equal to the extra revenue raised from the<02:30:36.319> tax
• A new revenue-raising tax program still needs its own voter referendum. workaround in the tax approval

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, approved the journal from April 30, 2026, and then moved through a series of announcements and introductions, including recognition of guests from Aurora Public Schools, remarks about International Workers Day and Law Day, and several social announcements about food events and a Cinco de Mayo potluck. The chamber also heard a brief recess and then proceeded to third reading business. The first major action was House Joint Resolution 10:30, sponsored by Representatives Gonzalez and Joseph, which designates a portion of Colorado Highway 14 in Weld County as Mono and Matt Road in memory of Eduardo Mono Hernandez and Matthew Garcia, two Greeley Central High School student-athletes killed in a 2014 crash. Sponsors and supporters described the resolution as a permanent tribute to the young men and to the Greeley community. The resolution passed overwhelmingly, 62-0, with three excused. The House then considered Senate Bill 143, updating the name of the Colorado Youth Advisory Council Review Committee, and Senate Bill 124, concerning information related to the automated protection order notification system. Both measures passed on third reading, each by a vote of 43-19 with three excused. The chamber also laid over Senate Bill 43 until Monday. Finally, the House took up House Bill 1421, which would prohibit certain compensation arrangements in the legal profession and create the Colorado Legal Practice Integrity and Fee Sharing Prohibition Act. Supporters argued it would prevent private equity from influencing law firms and protect client-focused legal judgment, while opponents raised concerns about separation of powers, the judiciary’s role in regulating lawyers, and possible effects on rural legal services and consolidation. One member requested and received an excusal from the vote due to a potential conflict. The debate continued as the transcript ended, with no final vote shown for the bill in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so this case, it doesn't allow equal protection.
• Equal protection would be both sides can sue for whatever they want.
• So no, there is no equal protection. Both sides gave up rights to have this no-fault system.
• That diphenhydramine is a sleep aid. Man, you can actually go get this over the counter.
• That diphenhydramine is a sleep aid. It's been a drill.

Bills: HB282, HB293, HB390, HB456, HB460, HB561, HB819, HB1023, HB1047, HB1101

Keywords: employment discrimination, criminal history, rehabilitation, hiring process, human rights, gender identity, sexual orientation, workplace equality, labor rights, domestic abuse, unpaid leave, employee rights, workplace protection, mental health, survivor support, workers' compensation, employment benefits, claims process, fraud prevention, legal petition

Transcript Highlights:

• Equaling 4,130 different pills.
• first part of it, which says that we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal
• They don't lose their scholarship, they don't lose their financial aid, they don't trash their transcript
• But her financial aid got messed up, her scholarship got messed up because of it. That's not fair.
• And we're equally pro-life and want to see something done about it.

Bills: HB1168

Keywords: abortion, abortion-inducing drugs, medication abortion, mifepristone, misoprostol, methotrexate, pro-life, pro-choice, reproductive health, unborn child, trafficking, felony, contraception, pharmacist, pharmacy, Title 63, Oklahoma statutes, abortion pill, drug distribution, criminal penalty

Transcript Highlights:

• it's<00:04:06.360> exciting<00:04:06.760> we're Education is known as the great equalizer
• equalizer it can spur personal growth equalizer it can spur personal growth and<00:04:22.960> allow
• with the special education cross-subsidy bill, which would increase the amount of special education aid
• with the special education cross-subsidy bill, which would increase the amount of special education aid
• with the special education cross-subsidy bill, which would increase the amount of special education aid

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• education must work. to strengthen tenure, fund minority-serving institutions, and expand financial aid
• today... came from the labor, organizing, and resilience of people of color who have long fought for equality
• We are working on proposals to ensure equal opportunity for all students, protect funding for students
• Thank Representative Vowers for filing our Equal Opportunity Bill and we are counting on your support

Keywords: education, curriculum, HB178, diverse history, equity, testimony, higher education crisis, representation

Summary: The meeting was characterized by impactful discussions focused primarily on education and the representation of diverse histories in Texas's curriculum. Notably, Representative Christina Morales advocated for HB178, a bill aimed at ensuring that all Texas high school students have access to Mexican-American and African-American studies as part of their graduation requirements, moving from elective-only status. This bill garnered support from both sides of the aisle, highlighting a cooperative effort to improve educational equity in Texas. Several representatives shared personal stories reflecting on the importance of inclusive education, showcasing the bill's far-reaching implications for students' sense of identity and history.

Transcript Highlights:

• in front of you, allocated funds for the rightful provision of interpreters, visual and assistive aids
• access. ...and give them equal access to maneuver in the Boston with a disability, and it is much harder
• These bills would make necessary and permanent improvements to the emergency aid to the elderly, disabled
• Kelly Turley pretty much went into detail about what emergency aid for people with disabilities is about
• So he applied for emergency aid, and because it was such a low amount, he actually could not afford to

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities held a hybrid hearing focused largely on DDS-related bills, with chairs Kennedy and Livingstone outlining strict time limits, accessibility procedures, and a 5 p.m. stop to preserve ASL and CART services. The committee heard testimony on several measures, including a bill from Sen. Mike Moore to create a centralized electronic education records system for students in out-of-home placements, which supporters said would improve communication, preserve IEP continuity, and reduce missed services. Paul DePaulo also testified in support, describing the educational and justice-system harms that can follow when foster youth do not receive coordinated records and supports. A major portion of the hearing centered on H. 242/S. 149, a bill to enhance standards of care for people with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities. Rep. Garballey and many advocates, parents, clinicians, and disability leaders supported the bill, saying it would require provider training, statewide standards, and better emergency department practices to reduce misdiagnosis, trauma, and unnecessary ER boarding. Testimony described sensory and communication barriers in medical settings, lack of provider training, and the need for continuing education and license-related requirements. Related testimony also supported H. 213/S. 111, which would improve access to behavioral health services for children involved with state agencies by requiring better discharge planning, coordination with hospitals and agencies, and more appropriate post-hospital placements. The committee also heard strong support for H. 256/S. 102, requiring universal changing stations in public buildings, from parents, advocates, and the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council. Witnesses said current restroom accommodations often force unsafe or undignified changes on floors, in cars, or in inaccessible spaces, and argued the cost of adding changing stations to new or renovated buildings would be modest compared with the benefits to dignity, safety, and community access. Another major topic was H. 261/S. 155 on supported decision-making agreements for certain adults, which supporters described as a less restrictive alternative to guardianship that preserves autonomy while providing trusted support. Finally, testimony on Tommy’s bill (S. 168/H. 282) described a preventable death after a hospital discharge and urged clearer communication and training requirements for residential staff handling life-sustaining equipment; the bill was presented as a safeguard for people with disabilities relying on such equipment.

Transcript Highlights:

• You have to start with equality, essentially.
• more Coca-Cola in the classroom aid.
• , have to start with equality, have to start with equality, essentially.<01:26:48.080> So,
• you distribute state aid all the time. you distribute state aid all the time.
• It It aid.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It also modifies the town aid formula so that total town aid appropriation is distributed and that no
• <00:54:00.720> um<00:54:01.200> since aid um since aid um since 2014.<00:54:03.200>
• > other<00:54:06.559> local increased aids to other local increased aids to other local
• <00:54:20.240> from this bill would increase the aid from this bill would increase the aid
• Now, while that varies from aid.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• One of our strategies has been to advance our annual Municipal State Aid, or MSA, allotments to meet
• <00:16:08.800> um trunk highways are not created equal um trunk highways are not created equal
• We get roughly $50,000 a year, maybe $52,000 or $53,000 in transportation aid from the state.
• And again, we only receive, as Dan alluded to, $50,000 in transportation aid.
• And again, we only receive, as Dan alluded to, $50,000 in transportation aid.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate File 285, a bill to shift MnDOT highway project cost participation away from local governments and onto MnDOT. The bill’s author and several city representatives said current cost-share policies force cities to spend local aid, property taxes, or debt on state highway projects they do not control, leaving less money for local streets and maintenance. Testifiers from Richfield, Elk River, Faribault, Minneapolis, and the Minnesota Association of Small Cities all supported the bill, describing the policy as one-size-fits-all, financially burdensome, and especially harmful to smaller cities and cities with major state highways running through them. Witnesses gave examples of large and sometimes changing local cost-share obligations, including Richfield’s spending of most of its MSA funds on projects it does not own and a small-city project where the estimated local share rose from about $2.3 million to over $3 million. Several testifiers said cities often have little practical ability to refuse MnDOT projects because the projects are valuable and MnDOT can move on if a city declines. One witness also raised concerns about money being paid upfront and held in an account during construction, causing cities to lose interest earnings while funds sit unused. Members asked whether cities truly have a say in these projects and whether there are limits on how much the local share can increase. Testifiers said MnDOT does engage cities, but the cost participation policy largely dictates the outcome, and they described the municipal consent statute as too narrow in practice. Senators expressed concern about fairness and the burden on local budgets, while one member noted the bill may not fully address the broader consent issue. No vote or final action was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• What are we doing to protect the aide?
• What are we doing to help the aides? I mean, we can't have a one-sided type of bill.
• At one point, we indicated that there would be $3 million to be divided equally among the three Division
• I think there needs to be a lot of equalization, you know, some fair stuff between Division 1 (D1) and
• the resources for the general obligation bond, for the most part, we try to spread that around—not equally—but

Bills: HB30, HB120, HJR1, SB210, SB306

Keywords: teacher residency, Teacher Residency Act, public schools, teacher preparation, educator pipeline, teacher recruitment, teacher retention, student teachers, apprenticeship, co-teaching, mentor teachers, residency stipend, teacher salary, level one teacher, charter schools, school districts, New Mexico education, teacher workforce, principal stipend, cohort model

Transcript Highlights:

• BY ENSURING THAT THEY HAVE EQUAL ACCESS TO THE RESOURCES AND PROTECTIONS AND THEY NEED TO REBUILD THEIR
• THE FRIENDS OF HIS VICTIM BECAUSE THEY TRIED TO HELP AID HER IN GETTING OUT OF HER ABUSIVE SITUATION
• AND HE WENT AFTER THEM FOR AIDING HER SO THIS DOOR IS OPEN.
• ABOUT THEIR BODIES FUTURES AND DESTINIES WHEN THEY COULDN'T GET ACCESS TO FERTILITY WOMEN CANNOT BE EQUAL
• BARBARA VANCE AGAINST AND JOHN HARRIS MAUER EQUALITY FLORIDA WAIVING AGAINST, IS THERE ANY DEBATE?

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We, our job with your assistance, our job together, I think, is to. deliver equal justice for every Texan
• Every Texan in an equal and fair way under the law. And that's what we're trying to do.
• all worked on together, and I know that you probably, you certainly have passion for that, you know, equal
• This would not be a problem if legal representation or legal aid were attainable.
• ensuring free access to quality legal information, people who cannot afford an attorney or for whom legal aid

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So my income from that is as equal to the income from being a state rep, which isn't much.
• So my income from that is as equal to the income from being a state rep, which isn't much.
• We have 13 airports that do not receive federal aid, and in calendar year 2024, $551,000 in revenues
• <00:32:49.159> and it goes to Municipal Aid and it goes to Municipal Aid and construction<
• <00:46:02.599> um State funds for non-federal Aid um State funds for non-federal Aid um eligible

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Public Works and Highways Committee held an orientation meeting focused on introducing members, outlining committee norms, and hearing an overview from the Department of Transportation. Chair David Mills emphasized the committee’s long-standing bipartisan working style, asked members to share contact information for short-notice scheduling, and noted that the committee would need to complete as much work as possible before the building is vacated later in the year. Members introduced themselves and described backgrounds in engineering, construction, planning, local government, military service, education, and business. Several members highlighted prior service on planning boards, school boards, zoning boards, or in transportation-related fields as relevant to the committee’s work. Members repeatedly described the committee as collegial and nonpartisan, with most bills going to the consent calendar. The chair also noted that the committee’s work centers on state infrastructure, including roads, bridges, highways, and buildings. Representative Cluder, the ranking member, and others echoed that the committee is effective because it talks issues through and resolves disagreements collaboratively. One member mentioned a recent trip that reinforced the importance of infrastructure resilience after storms and rebuilding efforts in other states. Department of Transportation officials, led by Assistant Commissioner and Chief Engineer David Rodrig, gave a detailed organizational and operational overview. They described DOT’s structure, mission of “transportation excellence,” and major responsibilities across highways, bridges, rail, transit, aeronautics, maintenance, and administration. Rodrig reported 1,651 permanent positions and 404 vacancies, 2,160 state bridges with 115 on the Red List, 4,600 centerline miles of roadway, 25 public airports, 11 transit systems, and 194 active state-owned rail lines. He also outlined FY 2024 spending, project development activity, highway maintenance operations, fleet and fuel systems, and the distinction between the highway fund and DOT’s budget, including the role of federal funds and the turnpike enterprise fund. No votes were taken and no bills were acted on during this orientation meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• The committee substitute for House Bill 2894 seeks to expand the eligibility criteria for state aid to
• municipalities in Bell, Coryell, and Lampasas counties, whose amount of lost ad valorem tax revenue is equal
• Those that currently qualify would continue receiving aid under the 2% threshold, as the existing criteria
• that is active for 36 years. consecutive months or the date the cumulative amount of exempt taxes equals
• and administer a grant program to provide financial support to eligible non-profit organizations that aid

Bills: SB524, SB782, HB42, HB1056, HB2894, HB3033, HB3474, HB3594, HB4738, HB5246, HB42

Keywords: SB 524, Texas franchise tax, veteran-owned business, new veteran-owned business, business tax exemption, filing fee exemption, Tax Code Chapter 171, Business Organizations Code, Comptroller, small business, veterans, entrepreneurship, tax repeal, privilege tax, beginning date, franchise tax exemption, severance tax, oil, gas, restimulation wells