Video & Transcript : 'building owners' :

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MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on State and Local Government - 03/05/26

State and Local Government

Transcript Highlights:
  • I'm speaking today as a small business<00:15:13.240><c> owner.</c> business owner. business owner.
  • . building. building.
  • I'm here today in support of SF<00:17:59.200><c> 3695</c> Business owners who have spent decades building
  • </c><00:57:52.600><c> trust</c> should be prioritizing building trust should be prioritizing building
  • </c> for public owners and contractors. for public owners and contractors.
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Delivery of Government Efficiency Mar 12th, 2025

Delivery of Government Efficiency

Transcript Highlights:
  • Maybe a five-story building, and you'll have a number of state agencies in the same building.
  • The first thing I noticed was the Hobby Building. Everybody familiar with that building downtown?
  • the actual sale of the building and that's what happened and we have similar buildings.
  • Bush building.
  • I am elated as a small business owner. business owner to have something like this.
Bills: HB10 , HB 12 , HB675 , HB10 , HB12
FL

Florida 2026 5th Special Session

Rules Apr 21st, 2025

Transcript Highlights:
  • And the building... ...members.
  • This would allow charter lab schools to lease buildings rather than having to build new facilities, and
  • Our business owners are suffering.
  • Our business owners are suffering.
  • I'm going to build a little bit on what Mike just said.
Summary: The committee first took up CS/SB 1606 on patient access to records. The sponsor explained that the bill, as amended, would align Florida law more closely with HIPAA by defining “designated record set,” requiring providers to furnish requested records within set timeframes, allowing a limited extension with notice, and requiring records to be produced in the requested form if readily producible. Several members asked about patient portals, legal representatives, and whether the bill affected meaningful-use rules or post-mortem access. Multiple witnesses opposed the bill, arguing it could create cybersecurity risks, conflict with existing privacy rules, and burden providers; supporters said it would improve patient access and consistency. The committee adopted the amendment and then reported the bill favorably. The committee then considered CS/SB 712 on construction regulations. The bill would direct DEP to establish rules for synthetic turf and limit local governments from banning it if state rules are followed, while also addressing change orders, public works bidding, elevator rails, alarm contractor work, building code updates, spaceport exemptions, permit document limits, and single-trade inspections. Amendments removed the pool and spa contractor provisions and the tall mass timber language. Testimony on the bill centered heavily on the pool industry, with contractors and the Florida Swimming Pool Association opposing expansion of scope to general and building contractors, while some speakers supported other parts of the bill. After adopting the amendments, the committee reported the bill favorably. Finally, the committee heard CS/SB 1288 on parental rights. The bill would allow minors to be tested for STDs without parental consent but require parental consent for treatment, expand parents’ rights to access records and control certain health decisions, and restrict health care services, medical procedures, and biofeedback devices for minors absent consent or an exception. An amendment moved survey and questionnaire provisions into the education code, added an explicit court-order exception, clarified DNA and biofeedback provisions, and added emergency behavioral health exceptions. The committee heard extensive public testimony both for and against the bill, with supporters emphasizing parental authority and opponents warning it could delay STI treatment, mental health care, and other services for vulnerable minors. The transcript ends during public testimony on the bill, before any final committee action is shown.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

Senate Chamber Feb 7th, 2026 at 12:19 pm

New Mexico Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • And so it actually differentiates just between a firearms owner and a responsible gun owner.
  • Because in New Mexico, we already have a way to recognize responsible gun owners.
  • Who is going to rally enough people to build their own army? operation.
  • Who is going to rally enough people to build their own army? The king?
  • Who is going to rally enough people to build their own army and take over?
Keywords: 996, all
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • They're building one in Toronto. They're building them in Poland.
  • I don't know. [00:39:35] They're building one in Toronto. They're building them in Poland.
  • We can build power plants pretty quickly. We can build power plants pretty quickly.
  • We don't build much of this in America. We don't build much of this in America anymore.
  • As one of the original owners of the South Texas Project in Bay City, As one of the original owners of
Summary: The committee first took up pending business and quickly reported several measures favorably, including HB 12, SB 1361, SB 1705, SB 1749, SB 1897, SB 2344, SB 2566, HB 3809, and HB 4215, with most sent to the Local and Uncontested Calendar. HB 12’s substitute clarified a limited midterm review of regulatory agencies tied to Sunset Commission recommendations. SB 2696’s substitute changed med spa regulation from a license to a certificate, with training instead of an exam, plus background checks, continuing education, and two-year renewals. HB 3809 dealt with battery energy storage decommissioning and recycling, and HB 4215 was reported without a substitute. SB 1978, concerning interconnection of electric facilities in ERCOT and federal jurisdiction concerns, was reported out on a 5-3 vote after debate, but then the chair later announced the bill was withdrawn and left pending subject to the call of the chair. HB 1899 was also reported favorably, with one nay. A major portion of the meeting focused on HB 14, the advanced nuclear energy bill. Senator Schwertner described it as creating a Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office, a nuclear permitting coordinator, a development fund, a completion grant program, and a workforce development program. Testimony was sharply divided. Supporters, including representatives from Fermi America, Dow/X-energy, CPS Energy, Paragon Energy Solutions, Bridge to Nuclear, Aalo Atomics, and the Texas Association of Business, argued that Texas should lead in advanced nuclear, citing future baseload demand, data centers, industrial power needs, supply-chain development, and long-term energy diversification. Opponents, including Public Citizen, Texas Nuclear Watchdogs, Sierra Club, and individual citizens, argued the bill would subsidize unproven, expensive technology, create grants rather than loans, and expose taxpayers to major risk while doing little to meet near-term energy needs. Several members questioned whether the state should fund projects that may not produce grid power for years, and whether the bill’s grant structure and new office were justified. The committee also heard HB 5061, which Senator Schwertner said would prohibit unethical surveillance and misuse of confidential information by state contractors, create a confidential reporting system through the State Auditor’s Office, authorize Texas Rangers investigations, protect whistleblowers, and impose penalties including contract termination, fines, and contracting bans. No public testimony was offered, and the bill was left pending. HB 132, sponsored by Senator Hughes, would extend confidentiality protections for sensitive information to hostile acts by foreign adversaries; it was also left pending after no testimony. HB 1584 was then laid out, with Senator Schwertner explaining it would require utilities to maintain and update priority restoration lists for critical facilities after Hurricane Beryl exposed communication failures, but the transcript cuts off before any action on that bill.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Energy Finance and Policy Committee 3/25/25

Energy Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • carbon emissions need to be made by each individual building owner.
  • Minnesota building owners will have more options to install the efficient HVAC system that makes the
  • carbon emissions need to be made by each individual building owner.
  • Minnesota building owners will have more options to install the efficient HVAC system that makes the
  • </c> circumstances for those Property Owners circumstances for those Property Owners I<00:10:05.640><
Keywords: 1183, house
ID

Idaho 2026 Regular Session

Agenda Mar 9th, 2026

Business

Transcript Highlights:
  • Why can’t this be handled through the building code?
  • Why can’t this be handled through the building code?
  • to get out of the building.
  • to get out of the building in the case of emergency.
  • before it goes to the building official.
Committee: House Business
Keywords: 989, all
FL
Transcript Highlights:
  • I am a taxpaying DDA property owner. I pay my tax.
  • The property owners and business. Follow up.
  • It was building permit fund. It was just the permit fees. Yes? I see.
  • It was building a permit fund. It was just the permit fees. Yes? I see.
  • There were also, when you look below that, property owner associations...
Summary: The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee met to consider several audit requests and enforcement items involving local governments and special districts. The committee approved operational audits of the City of Miami Beach, the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority, and the City of Daytona Beach. In each case, the requesting member described concerns about transparency, financial management, or internal controls, while local officials or representatives generally said they were willing to cooperate and, in Delray Beach’s case, noted that an internal audit had already been completed and that some issues were being corrected. The committee also received a presentation on the statewide review of neighborhood improvement districts. The reviewers reported that 15 of 21 districts were active and six inactive, with common findings including outdated or missing performance plans, weak web presence, inadequate meeting notices, and limited management mechanisms. They said staffing levels often correlated with the ability to meet statutory requirements, and they recommended updates to district governance and transparency practices. On enforcement, staff reviewed local governments and special districts that had failed to file required financial reports or had submitted audit reports missing required information. The committee approved staff recommendations to proceed under the statutory enforcement process for the noncompliant entities, with flexibility for the chair and vice chair to delay action if additional information is provided in good faith. The committee also voted to send a letter to the Union County Legislative Delegation encouraging a local bill to dissolve the Town of Rayford, based on staff’s view that the town lacked employees, services, debt, and a clear reason to continue existing as an incorporated municipality.
MO
Transcript Highlights:
  • So it is a problem for the livestock owners.
  • So it is a problem for the livestock owners.
  • We're just maintaining, not building, correct?
  • They took advantage of the hardwood, not only to build homes, but to build a nation.
  • So nothing in this building would change, right? Our building is marked clearly, yes. Okay.
Summary: The House first established a quorum after a quorum call, then moved into House Bills for Perfection. House Bill 2297, a fence-law bill, was presented as a way to let livestock owners enter up to 10 feet onto neighboring property to repair fence lines and remove brush or debris on the fence line without being treated as trespassers. Supporters said the current law leaves livestock owners responsible for fences but without a practical way to fix them, creating safety and liability problems; the bill was described as a long-running issue in rural areas. Members discussed property-rights concerns, but the substitute was adopted and the bill was ordered perfected and printed. House Bills 2142 and 2058, dealing with the Missouri film tax incentive program, were then taken up. Sponsors said the program has produced strong economic returns, more productions, jobs, and spending in Missouri, and the bill would modernize the program by combining separate film and TV funding buckets while removing the proposed sunset extension. An amendment to keep the original sunset was adopted, and the bill as amended was perfected and printed after debate over tax credits, workforce development, and whether the incentives should be expanded or curtailed. The House also perfected House Bill 3004, a truth-in-labeling measure for wood products. The sponsor said the bill would protect Missouri’s hardwood industry by requiring products sold in the state to be labeled accurately if they are actually laminate, plastic, rubber, or other non-wood materials. Supporters called it a consumer-protection and industry-preservation bill, while one member questioned how it would apply to online and out-of-state sellers and expressed some reservations. The substitute was adopted and the bill was ordered perfected and printed. House Bills 3283 and 3306 were taken up together and described as a framework for resolving municipal public-employee contract disputes, especially for firefighters and other public employees under the State Board of Mediation. The bill sets a timeline for bargaining, mediation, and arbitration and defines good faith in negotiations; an amendment clarified that teachers and law enforcement are excluded under existing statutory definitions. Supporters said it would prevent years-long contract stalemates and save taxpayer money, while one member raised concerns about whether it would alter existing authority of public governing boards. The amendment and substitute were adopted, and the combined bill was perfected and printed. Finally, House Bill 2536, a restroom and private-space designation bill, drew extensive debate. The sponsor said it would require government-controlled multi-occupancy restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping quarters to be designated by biological sex, with exceptions for custodial work, emergencies, law enforcement, and adults assisting children or people with disabilities. An amendment was adopted to clarify duties for the Department of Corrections and public safety officers. Supporters framed the bill as a privacy and safety measure for women and girls, citing incidents at schools and Kansas City International Airport; opponents argued it would not prevent crime, could lead to intrusive enforcement, and would harm transgender people and families. The transcript ends with the bill still under discussion, with no final vote shown on the underlying measure.
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

Health and Welfare Apr 8th, 2026

Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:
  • But what benefit is the group owner getting? Let me finish, please.
  • But what is that group home owner? How are they benefiting financially?
  • But what benefit is the group owner getting? Let me finish, please.
  • But what is that group home owner? How are they benefiting financially?
  • The building we have, so we're paying on that. Okay. Sit back. Yeah. Thank you.
Bills: HB414 , HB457 , HB475 , HB611 , HB616 , HB740 , HB897 , HB925 , HB926 , HB931 , HB949 , HB962 , HB1076
MS

Mississippi 2026 Regular Session

MS House Floor - 1 April, 2026; 10:00 AM

Mississippi House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • . >> Nothing in this building is perfect, gentlemen. >> And I appreciate your question.
  • We needed a way for us to actually get this building sold. This limits this to 1 year.
  • , enforcement agency officer, or a real property owner.
  • And so what this is going to do is automatically send certified mail to the owner of the automobile.
  • So the owner will have to have a receipt of that certified mail.
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Consumer Protection & Business Feb 18th, 2026 at 01:30 pm

Consumer Protection & Business

Transcript Highlights:
  • is concurrently marketed to the public, except as necessary to protect the health and safety of the owner
  • A broker who violates this prohibition is subject to disciplinary action and The owner or occupant.
  • In addition, language was added to state that marketing to the general public does not require an owner
  • allow access Language was added to state that marketing to the general public does not require an owner
  • It does not prohibit the property owner from authorizing direct payment of insurance proceeds to the
Bills: SB5831 , SB6178
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm

Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • Pet owners are sometimes unaware that the pet has ingested poison until it's almost too late.
  • These boxes were not up against dumpsters side buildings. They were in the middle of a field.
  • You have to keep them out of your buildings, reduce their shelter and harborage.
  • and as opposed to commercial buildings, retail?
  • Always great to have constituents coming into the building to testify.
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources held a hybrid hearing on a large slate of bills focused on pesticides, pollinators, rodenticides, mosquito control, invasive species, and local authority over pesticide regulation. Chair Becca Rausch set strict two-minute testimony limits due to the very large number of speakers. Early testimony from Senator Moore and Representative Hawkins strongly supported a bill to restrict second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, citing harms to wildlife, pets, and public health, and noting that California has already adopted a similar model. Testimony also supported a Lowell home rule petition to allow the city to prohibit or restrict these rodenticides, with local officials describing documented raptor poisonings and municipal efforts to phase out use on city property. A major portion of the hearing focused on pollinator protection and neonicotinoid-treated seeds. Witnesses from environmental groups, conservation organizations, academics, and beekeepers argued that neonics harm bees and other beneficial insects, contaminate soil and water, and provide little or no economic benefit in most corn and soybean fields. Several speakers pointed to New York, Vermont, and Quebec as models for restricting treated seeds, and one panel cited research showing only a small percentage of fields benefit economically from the treatments. Support was also voiced for a bill establishing an ecologically based mosquito management program, with advocates criticizing aerial and truck spraying and urging non-chemical, locally tailored approaches. Other testimony supported bills to reform the pesticide board and pesticide regulation process, to give vulnerable municipalities more local control over pesticide use, to protect schoolchildren from pesticides on school grounds, and to respond to invasive species through a centralized state office, coordinator, strategic plan, and trust fund. Many speakers, including representatives from Mass Audubon, MSPCA, the Xerces Society, the Sierra Club, watershed groups, and local wildlife rehabilitators, described impacts on hawks, owls, pets, fish, and broader ecosystems. No votes were taken during the hearing, and committee members generally asked few questions, with the hearing remaining in testimony mode throughout.
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Agriculture Nov 18th, 2025

Agriculture

Transcript Highlights:
  • providers of companion animal cremation to provide a written description of their services to the owner
  • That company has to provide the pet owner with very specific things and a careful description.
  • So Walmart announced back in 2017 they're going to build... ...in the state.
  • They're going to build it in Indiana. A lot of people thought, well, that's not going to work.
  • We ought to be asking ourselves, why would they build it in Georgia versus Florida?
Committee: Senate Agriculture
Summary: The Committee on Agriculture convened, took roll, and heard Senate Bill 58 by Senator Harrow, which would create regulation for companion animal cremation. Harrow described a case involving mishandled pet remains and said the bill would require written service descriptions, prohibit false or misleading statements, require certification with returned remains, authorize Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services rulemaking, and impose civil penalties for violations. With no questions or public opposition, the committee voted the bill favorably. The committee then heard presentations on robotics in agriculture and aquaculture. Dr. Nathan Boyd of UF/IFAS discussed the rapid growth of agricultural robotics, including AI-driven weed detection, targeted spraying, autonomous tractors, and harvesting technology, emphasizing reduced pesticide use, lower input costs, and labor-saving automation. Dr. Nicole Kirchoff of Live Advantage Bait and Adrian Johnson of the Florida Shellfish Aquaculture Association highlighted aquaculture’s economic and environmental value, Florida’s strong position in the industry, and challenges including hurricane losses, lack of insurance, land-use instability, capital access, and water quality. They urged support for working waterfronts, risk mitigation, and policies to help the sector commercialize and expand. The committee also heard from dairy producers Kevin Lusher and Jacob Larson. Lusher described his family’s dairy and artisan cheese business, noting reliance on USDA grants, rising costs, labor shortages, and regulatory burdens, and asked for more grant support, marketing for Fresh From Florida products, and permanent funding for Farmers Feeding Florida. Larson discussed the broader dairy market, declining herd sizes due to efficiency gains, high production costs in Florida, and competition from out-of-state processing, suggesting incentives for local processing and supply management. Finally, FDOT Chief Planner Wayway Schen presented on arterial and local road funding programs, including ART, ARTW, SCOP, SCRAP, CIGP, and TRIP, and said rural road needs remain significant, with more than $16 billion in unfunded or partially funded project needs. The committee adjourned after brief discussion and thanks to the presenters.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

Senate Chamber Feb 7th, 2026

New Mexico Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • And so it actually differentiates just between a firearms owner and a responsible gun owner.
  • And so it actually differentiates just between a firearms owner and a responsible gun owner.
  • Who is going to rally enough people to build their own army and take over?
  • The small business owners, the FFLs, are following the law, except with Business owners, the FFLs, are
  • This bill is already targeting legal gun store owners.
Summary: The Senate convened, established a quorum, offered an invocation, and handled several announcements and courtesy motions, including excusing some members and relaxing the dress code. The chamber then adopted committee reports on several bills, including Senate Bill 50, Senate Bill 30, and Senate Bill 43. It then moved to third reading of Senate Judiciary Committee substitute for Senate Bill 17, the “Stop Illegal Gun Trade and Extremely Dangerous Weapons Act.” SB 17 was read at length and explained by Senator O’Malley and co-sponsor Senator Bergman as a gun crime prevention measure aimed at dealer security, employee training, recordkeeping, reporting requirements, inspections, and a ban on future dealer sales or transfers of certain firearms and accessories, including high-capacity magazines, .50-caliber rifles and cartridges, gas-operated semi-automatic firearms with detachable magazines, and machine guns. Supporters argued the bill targets the retail-to-criminal pipeline, improves accountability, and would help reduce gun trafficking and violence. Opponents argued it infringes on constitutional rights, would not stop criminals from obtaining guns, and would burden law-abiding citizens and dealers. The chamber then debated Floor Amendment No. 1 by Senator Brantley, which would have struck Section 7, the portion banning certain weapons and devices. Supporters of the amendment said Section 7 was the most constitutionally vulnerable part of the bill and would likely be litigated, while opponents said the section was central to the bill’s purpose and consistent with Second Amendment case law. The amendment failed on a roll call vote, 15-22. A second amendment by Senator Block, which would have exempted certain under-21 employees from the bill’s age restriction if they were military members, veterans, or had completed hunter safety or 4-H programs, was then taken up and debated, with supporters emphasizing military training and youth firearms education as evidence of responsibility.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Preferential scoring for housing projects in communities with land trusts 3/10/26

Minnesota House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Community land trusts are a viable solution to building affordable housing in which land is held in trust
  • for community benefit while homeowners purchase and build equity in their homes.
  • It's to incentivize people to build at an affordable price and having equity in their communities by
  • building a tool in the box, per se.
  • </c><00:04:32.479><c> can</c> Community land trust home owners can Community land trust home owners can
Keywords: 1183, house
WY

Wyoming 2026 Regular Session

House Floor Session-Day 6, February 16, 2026-PM

Wyoming House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • </c> would be working in that building. would be working in that building.
  • new buildings, they came up with a method by which to save those buildings.
  • new buildings, they came up with a method by which to save those buildings.
  • new buildings, they came up with a method by which to save those buildings.
  • </c> regarding land owners. regarding land owners.
Keywords: 916, all
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Civil Rights & Judiciary Jan 23rd, 2026

Transcript Highlights:
  • What started this is builders were building condos; people were buying them, looking at building plans
  • that I'd be building.
  • We build these buildings.
  • We build these buildings, and I can tell you from experience that this is one of those things.
  • We don't want to just build more homeownership. We want to build more homeowners, too.
Summary: The committee heard public testimony on House Bill 2239, which would allow family burial grounds on privately owned land and exempt them from private cemetery requirements, while imposing limits such as recording burials with the county auditor, setbacks, and a cap on the burial ground covering no more than 10% of the parcel. The sponsor said the bill is intended to help rural landowners and families, including Native communities, keep burials on land with family and cultural significance. Testimony from a farmer and the Washington Cattlemen’s Association strongly supported the bill as a way to honor family ties to land. A question was raised about what happens if a later property owner wants to disturb an existing burial ground; staff said the bill requires notice but is silent on that issue. No action was taken on HB 2239 in the transcript. The committee also heard House Bill 2304, a follow-up to last year’s condominium liability reform, expanding the option for declarants to use a 2-10 warranty for stacked-flat or mid-rise condominium buildings up to four stories. Supporters from housing, real estate, builders, AARP, Habitat for Humanity, the City of Seattle, and others said the bill would reduce liability barriers, increase condo production, and create more attainable and accessible homeownership options for first-time buyers, older adults, and people with mobility challenges. The Office of Insurance Commissioner supported the bill but suggested technical language changes to avoid referring to the warranty as insurance. Members asked about consumer protections and the distinction between warranties and insurance, and staff and testifiers noted existing layers of protection. No vote was taken on HB 2304 in the transcript. In executive session, staff summarized House Bill 2095 on vulnerable users of public ways and House Bill 2248 on Secretary of State filing processes. For HB 2095, staff described a proposed substitute and several amendments, including changes to education requirements, civil liability language, protected areas, punitive damages thresholds, and liability rules. For HB 2248, staff said the proposed substitute made cleanup and consistency changes to corporate filing provisions. The committee then moved the proposed substitute for HB 2248 out of committee with a due pass recommendation, and it passed 11-0 with two excused members. Action on HB 2095 was deferred to a later date.
NH

New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session

Senate Judiciary (03/19/2026)

Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:
  • And unfortunately for the owners, like in the land fraud, they don't have any idea it's happening.
  • We have buyers as victim and sellers as, and real owners as victim. One follow-up. Yes.
  • I did not see anywhere in the building Representative Roy. He's a pal.
  • </c><01:02:16.240><c> It</c><01:02:16.559><c> builds</c> this new bill is is important.
  • It builds this new bill is is important.
Committee: Senate Judiciary
Keywords: 1191, senate, all
MD

Maryland 2026 Regular Session

Senate Floor Session, 2/12/2026 #1

Maryland Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • </c> Mounts in that in within that building. Mounts in that in within that building.
  • </c> So, a new owner or the current owner who wants to improve it. So, why is that necessary?
  • um presumably the next owner property?
  • or the current current &gt;&gt; So, a new owner or the current current owner<00:32:30.080><c> who</c
  • So why would nice uh building, right?
Summary: The Senate convened with 39 members present, heard the invocation from Reverend Meredith West, and journalized her remarks. The chamber then recognized several guest groups and observances, including Omega Psi Phi Fraternity’s Second District Corridor 1 for “100 Q’s in Annapolis Day,” the Kent Island High School boys lacrosse team for winning the Maryland 2A state championship, Arts Day participants, Rural Maryland Council members, Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition advocates, and visitors from the Maryland Judiciary. Senators also spoke about the meaning of Kente cloth during Black History Month, and the chamber recognized a birthday and thanked protocol staff for Valentine’s Day decorations. The Senate’s featured presentation was the annual Lincoln Day speech by the Senator from the 37th District. The senator reflected on Abraham Lincoln’s life, political career, and moral leadership, emphasizing his self-education, opposition to the expansion of slavery, the Emancipation Proclamation, Gettysburg, and the idea that the nation’s founding principles of liberty and equality guided Lincoln through the Civil War. The minority leader praised the address, and the Senate agreed without objection to journalize the remarks. After the ceremonial portion, the Senate moved to business. Bond initiatives on the calendar were read and referred to the Capital Budget Subcommittee. The Executive Nominations Committee reported favorably on a list of recess appointees, including gubernatorial secretaries, district court judges, and a state board appointee, and the report was special ordered to Monday, February 16, 2026. The chamber then began second-reader consideration of Budget and Taxation bills: Senate Bill 25, altering the cyber security technology and service tax credit, was amended and ordered printed for third reading; Senate Bill 58, creating a property tax credit for retail service station conversions, was discussed with questions about who would receive the credit and why the incentive was needed, and consideration was ongoing when the transcript ended.