Transcript Highlights:

• Um there's a lot that rents perb leases.
• </c> money can be made from these perb leases money can be made from these perb leases and<01:52:28.080
• You know, if a change lease agreements.
• And what that decision said was that the end of a lease, the end of the term of a lease, does not constitute
• </c> tenant at the expiration of the lease tenant at the expiration of the lease without<02:26:50.640

Committee: Senate Commerce

Transcript Highlights:

• We can shutter every other power plant that is proven baseline power and the windmills and the solar
• We can shutter every other power plant that is proven baseline power and the windmills and the solar
• We can shutter every other power plant that is proven baseline power and the windmills and the solar
• Everyone knows that solar power with storage, wind power with storage is the cleanest, cheapest energy
• :39:35.840><c> storage,</c><05:39:36.400><c> wind</c> that solar power with storage, wind that solar

Transcript Highlights:

• We could try to make sure we are using more renewables, more solar, more wind.
• We could try to make sure we are using more renewables, more solar, more wind.
• We could try to make sure we are using more renewables, more solar, more wind.
• We could try to make sure we are using more renewables, more solar, more wind.
• We could try to make sure we are using more renewables, more solar, more wind.

Committee: House Science, Technology and Energy

Transcript Highlights:

• When you sign a lease for a vehicle or go into a lease for a fire truck or an ambulance or any lease-type
• for a vehicle or going into sign a lease for a vehicle or going into a<00:34:10.879><c> lease</c><00
• :15.839><c> you</c> ambulance or any lease type process, you ambulance or any lease type process, you
• </c> going to change on a lease for a car. going to change on a lease for a car.
• Lease agreements, you know, that fixed cost.

Committee: Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Similar to the electricity system planning, you have solar and wind, you need to match them with storage
• We have subsidized solar and wind energy, but we haven't really subsidized alternative fuels, and other
• have... ...hybrid vehicles or different types of vehicles, or how many people in my district have solar
• Come get your solar panels. We'll go to Senator's turn. Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications held an oversight hearing on managing the transportation fuels transition, fuel pricing, and supply reliability. Chair Allen opened by discussing prior legislation, including SB 1322 and special session measures, that expanded reporting to the California Energy Commission (CEC) and gave the state tools to study gasoline costs, refinery margins, inventories, and potential supply disruptions. He framed the hearing around refinery closures, rising imports, global conflict affecting crude markets, and the need to balance affordability, reliability, and the state’s long-term clean-fuels transition. CEC Vice Chair Siva Gunda, CDTFA Chief Deputy Director Gentian Droboniku, and DPMO Director Ty Miller presented data showing California’s growing dependence on imported crude and refined products, declining in-state refining capacity, and stable-to-tight inventories that are being supported by higher imports. They said the new transparency laws have improved understanding of the market and pointed to the proposed Gateway Pipeline, marine imports, and distribution constraints as important supply issues. CDTFA and DPMO emphasized that retail margins, especially for branded gasoline, have widened significantly, with large price gaps between branded stations and hypermarts/unbranded stations, and that some of the recent price increases were tied to the Iran conflict while earlier spikes were more consistent with localized market behavior and possible price gouging. DPMO also said it is investigating high-priced branded stations, monitoring algorithmic pricing under AB 325, and continuing to analyze diesel spot-market transparency. The CEC and CARB also discussed the Transportation Fuels Transition Plan and the SB 237 assessment, describing them as efforts to plan for a managed decline in fossil fuel demand while protecting workers, communities, and consumers. They said California’s climate goals remain centered on an 85% greenhouse gas reduction by 2045, with continued use of liquid fuels expected but with lower-carbon alternatives, more efficient vehicles, and alternative fuels playing a larger role. Committee members focused heavily on workforce impacts, the need for concrete transition planning, and whether the agencies could provide a clearer picture of what California’s fuel system will look like under the state’s long-term goals. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• which is something that the renewables industry actually was very successful with developing, these solar
• regulations are stripped away, but then that administration will impose or revoke tax credits for wind and solar
• And here is the world's only solar... ...solar-powered nuclear waste canister toward the upper right

Summary: The Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee met to hear a series of presentations on the economics, financing, workforce, and community impacts of advanced nuclear deployment in North Dakota. William Bridge of Nucleon Energy presented the committee’s economic impacts and private-sector financing report, estimating construction and operating job impacts, local spending, and state/local tax effects for hypothetical SMR projects. He said the report assumes first-of-a-kind costs are still high, used a $6 million per megawatt nth-of-a-kind proxy, and estimated peak construction workforces of about 500 for a 200-MW plant and 1,000 for a larger facility, with roughly 100 operating jobs for a 200-MW plant. Committee members questioned security costs, capital cost assumptions, water and transmission siting constraints, and whether the model included fuel and waste; Bridge said the report included initial fuel in capital cost and that waste disposal is funded through existing federal mechanisms. Lori Brady of the Nuclear Energy Institute then outlined national nuclear workforce needs and NEI’s strategic workforce planning efforts. She described declining labor-force participation, retirements, and the need for a much larger future workforce, and said NEI has organized recommendations around career awareness, pipelines, training and qualification, policy support, retention, and nontraditional recruitment. She highlighted tools such as the Nuclear Works career website, the Nuclear Energy Academic Roadmap, the new federal Energy and Natural Resources career cluster, and the Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program for community colleges. Members asked about AI, timing for training relative to plant development, and whether advanced manufacturing would reduce staffing needs; Brady said AI is not expected to replace workers and that training timelines depend on the specific project and staffing plan. The committee also heard from Gary Yaco, mayor of Red Wing, Minnesota, who described Prairie Island’s role in his community. He said the plant provides a large share of local property tax revenue, supports well-paid jobs, contributes to emergency preparedness funding and training, and is broadly supported by the city despite periodic protests and public concerns. He emphasized the plant’s security, regular drills with local and federal responders, and the absence of problems with dry cask storage. Later, Benton Arnett of NEI discussed the current financing landscape for advanced nuclear, explaining how tax credits, federal loan support, off-take agreements, and new business models are helping projects move forward. He said early projects face high upfront costs and long lead-time procurement, but that investor confidence is improving as federal policy and regulatory streamlining continue. The committee asked about waste funding, comparisons with natural gas, the effect of political shifts on investor confidence, and whether the market will narrow to a few winning technologies; Arnett said the industry is still sorting that out, but expects clearer winners in the late 2020s and early 2030s. The meeting concluded with an introductory presentation from Julie Kazeraki of DOE’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing, who said the office is focused on accelerating nuclear deployment through financing support.

Transcript Highlights:

• When a customer has rooftop solar and pays for fewer retail electrons, they're escaping the costs of
• For example, I'd like to learn a little bit more about the solar program and how, you know, it was intended
• that people who got solar would receive sufficient electricity for themselves and would be putting more
• appears that some of the lower-income areas are actually funding the power that individuals with the solar

Summary: The Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications held an oversight hearing focused on electric rates, utility regulation, affordability, reliability, and wildfire-related costs. The chair framed the discussion around the challenge of transitioning to a cleaner grid while keeping bills affordable and the system reliable, and noted the hearing also served as the annual update from the CPUC and Public Advocates Office. Professor Severin Borenstein gave a primer on utility regulation, explaining the split between deregulated generation and regulated transmission/distribution, the basics of cost-of-service regulation, and the role of return on equity. He argued that high allowed returns can encourage capital-intensive spending and that many public policy costs now embedded in rates would be better funded through the state budget, while warning that price caps or performance-based regulation are not silver bullets. CPUC President-designate Alice Reynolds described the commission’s role as economic regulator of investor-owned utilities and said affordability is being addressed through rate case scrutiny, reasonableness reviews, and legislative direction. She said wildfire mitigation and insurance costs have been major drivers of rate increases, but some wildfire-related costs are time-limited and will roll off rates over time. She also highlighted progress on clean energy procurement, battery storage growth, and integrated resource planning to meet climate goals while maintaining reliability. Reynolds said the CPUC is reviewing utility spending, disallowing imprudent costs where appropriate, and litigating at FERC to challenge transmission costs. Members pressed both witnesses on several issues, including whether rates are being inflated by legislative mandates and balancing accounts, whether utility returns are too high, and whether the state should shift more public-policy costs off electric bills and into the General Fund. Senators also raised concerns about load growth from data centers and ports, gas-system stranded assets as electrification advances, and whether the CPUC is over-regulating or discouraging innovation. Reynolds said the CPUC is working with the Energy Commission, CAISO, and the Air Resources Board on a holistic planning process, and pointed to tools such as interconnection reforms and demand flexibility. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational, with several follow-up requests for reports and data.

Transcript Highlights:

• When a customer has rooftop solar and pays for fewer retail electrons, they're escaping the costs of
• For example, I'd like to learn a little bit more about the solar program and how, you know, it was intended
• that people who got solar would receive sufficient electricity for themselves and would be putting more
• appears that some of the lower-income areas are actually funding the power that individuals with the solar

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications

Summary: The Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications held an oversight hearing focused on electric rates, utility regulation, affordability, wildfire costs, and the California Public Utilities Commission’s role. Chair and members framed the discussion around the challenge of transitioning to a cleaner grid while maintaining reliability and keeping bills affordable. The hearing also served as the annual update from the CPUC and the Public Advocates Office, with testimony from Professor Severin Borenstein and CPUC President-designate Alice Reynolds. Borenstein gave a primer on utility regulation, explaining that generation is largely deregulated while transmission and distribution remain regulated, and that most rate-setting follows cost-of-service regulation. He emphasized that the hardest issue is setting the allowed return on equity: too high can raise bills and encourage capital-heavy spending, while too low can deter investment and harm reliability. He argued there is no silver bullet, said performance-based regulation and price caps have limits, and suggested some costs now charged through electric bills—such as climate programs, low-income subsidies, and wildfire-related public policy costs—might more appropriately be paid through the state budget. Reynolds described the CPUC’s oversight role, saying the commission reviews utility spending through general rate cases, balancing accounts, and other proceedings, and that affordability is addressed through front-end scrutiny, post-spend accountability, and legislative direction. She highlighted wildfire mitigation as a major driver of rate increases, noted recent progress on clean energy procurement and battery storage, and said the CPUC is working on return-on-equity decisions, FERC advocacy on transmission costs, and implementation of SB 254 and other statutes. Members pressed on a range of issues, including wildfire securitization, load growth from EVs and data centers, gas-system stranded assets, balancing accounts, and a water-service dispute in Keene involving Union Pacific. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational, with several follow-up commitments from the CPUC to provide data and updates.

Transcript Highlights:

• When a customer has rooftop solar and pays for fewer retail electrons, they're escaping the costs of
• For example, I'd like to learn a little bit more about the solar program and how, you know, it was intended
• that people who got solar would receive sufficient electricity for themselves and would be putting more
• appears that some of the lower-income areas are actually funding the power that individuals with the solar

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications

Transcript Highlights:

• Clean energy, like wind and solar paired with battery storage, is the cheapest power we can build.
• They are making it harder to build new wind, solar, and transmission projects.
• CLEAN ENERGY, LIKE WIND AND SOLAR PAIRED WITH BATTERY STORAGE IS THE CHEAPEST POWER WE CAN BUILD.
• THEY ARE MAKING IT HARDER TO BUILD NEW WIND, SOLAR AND TRANSMISSION PROJECTS.

Transcript Highlights:

• for your support of SB 110, which states that individuals holding a 98-year or longer residential lease
• Currently, statute is silent on leases that end at death.
• SB 110 resolves this uncertainty by explicitly confirming that a 98-year lease or longer... ...lease
• It adds clarity that leases containing a provision that terminates the leasehold interest upon the death
• It adds clarity that leases contain a provision that terminates the leasehold interest upon the death

Summary: The committee took up three tax-related bills and a staff presentation on the state revenue forecast and the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act. SB 856, by Senator DeSigley, would require online real estate listing platforms to display estimated property taxes using state-prescribed methods rather than the current owner’s taxes. Supporters from county, city, and property appraiser groups said the bill would improve transparency for homebuyers, especially first-time buyers and those facing large tax increases after a homestead cap reset. Senators discussed ensuring the estimate appears directly on listing platforms. The bill was reported favorably. The committee then considered SB 110, by Senator Arrington, which clarifies that people holding 98-year-or-longer residential leases remain eligible for the homestead exemption even if the lease ends upon death, aligning such leases with life estates for estate-planning purposes. An amendment was adopted to clarify that leases terminating at the lessee’s death are valid under current law. The Florida Bar’s Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section supported the bill, and Senator Gates noted its importance for long-term leaseholders on barrier islands. The amended bill was reported favorably. SB 434, by Senator Leak, would prevent property tax assessments from increasing because of improvements made to harden homes against wind damage, such as stronger roof attachments, shutters, and secondary water barriers. The sponsor said homeowners should not be penalized for resilience upgrades, and the bill was also reported favorably. Staff director Mr. Khan then reviewed the latest general revenue forecast, noting collections were running about $230 million above prior estimates through November and that the new forecast added roughly $500 million in the first budget year, with a smaller increase in the second year. He said corporate income tax was the main weakness in the forecast, due to softer collections and uncertainty around tariffs, while other sources were generally stronger. In the second half of the presentation, he explained that the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act would significantly affect Florida’s corporate income tax base if fully conformed to, with an estimated $3.5 billion general revenue impact in fiscal year 2026-27, largely because of retroactive provisions such as bonus depreciation and research expensing. Senators and the appropriations chair discussed the budget implications, including possible ways to limit the impact through decoupling or prospective treatment. No votes were taken on the forecast presentation, and the committee adjourned after members requested to be recorded as voting in favor on SB 856 and SB 110.

Transcript Highlights:

• with the tenants off the lease.
• </c> the whole the whole term of the lease the whole the whole term of the lease and<01:31:03.840><c>
• <c> they</c><01:31:05.159><c> cannot</c> and when the lease ends they cannot and when the lease ends
• I just want that stated for the record. top of my lease top of my lease period<01:34:51.880><c> other
• prior to signing a lease.

Committee: House Housing

Transcript Highlights:

• as any such transfers shall be governed by the provisions of that act, including but not limited to lease
• conditions stipulating that the lease rationale be for a term of 99 years.”
• /c><00:01:08.799><c> not</c><00:01:09.040><c> limited</c><00:01:09.439><c> to</c><00:01:09.760><c> lease
• </c> act including but not limited to lease act including but not limited to lease conditions<00:01:10.640
• stipulating that the lease conditions stipulating that the lease rationale<00:01:13.600><c> be</c><00

Committee: Senate Hawaiian Affairs

Summary: The Committee on Hawaiian Affairs met in decision-making sessions on March 18 and considered several House bills. On HB 576 HD2, the chair proposed an amendment clarifying that the bill would not apply to transfers of Hawaiian Homes lands under the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, including lease conditions for 99-year terms; the committee adopted the recommendation to pass with amendments, with one no vote. On HB 606, the chair recommended passing the bill with amendments and a committee report requesting a $50 million appropriation; that recommendation was also adopted, again with one no vote. HB 1408 was recommended for indefinite deferral, and no discussion was recorded before adjournment. In a later portion of the meeting, the committee heard testimony on HB 410, which was described by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs as its budget request. OHA testified in strong support, saying the measure would help advance its strategic plan, reduce disparities affecting Native Hawaiians in health, housing, economic development, and education, and improve transparency and data-driven oversight. The committee noted additional support and opposition testimony counts on other measures, including HB 871 and HB 1091, and then moved into decision-making. The committee ultimately adopted the chair’s recommendations to pass HB 410 HD1 unamended, HB 871 HD1 unamended, and HB 1091 HD1 as is. Senator Ihara was noted as excused for part of the later voting. The meeting concluded with no further testimony or discussion and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's basically the statewide lease costs. Right.
• You wouldn't want to be negotiating a lease with one of them.
• We have a number of leases where it is like that. You can take an office.
• TFC owned, managed, and leased inventory. So leased office space.
• My glass is on. 26% OK, so leased off. Spacing is what? 26%.

Bills: HB10 , HB 12 , HB675 , HB10 , HB12

Committee: House Delivery of Government Efficiency

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c> the leasing, the leasing, is<00:24:32.000><c> look</c><00:24:32.240><c> at</c><00:24:32.320><c>
• leasing leasing you<00:52:41.400><c> know</c><00:52:41.480><c> we</c><00:52:41.640><c> can't</c><00:
• The Mineral Leasing Act authorized federal leasing of public lands for private extraction of oil, gas
• c> authorized</c> The Mineral Leasing Act authorized The Mineral Leasing Act authorized federal<01:08
• lease where the lease the state when the lease where the lease was<01:08:49.640><c> located.

Committee: Joint Select Federal Natural Resource Management Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• The word lessee kind of throws me off here because, to me, that means they're leasing to the big boys
• , or leasing from the big boys.
• And I believe that the lessee would be the person that is potentially leasing that spur line from the
• What did you think about my lessee comment earlier about short lines leasing ...lessee comment earlier
• They're just segments that we lease. So in all clarity, ...segments that we lease.

Committee: House Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources

Summary: The House Agriculture Committee first met in executive session on House Bill 2998, adopting a committee substitute that narrowed the bill to a study of the Upper Mississippi River Basin and the Rural Development Office and extended the deadline to December 1, 2029. Members discussed the bill’s roughly $3 million fiscal note and whether the proposed river-related study and power-generation concept would be a worthwhile investment. The committee adopted the substitute and then voted the committee substitute for HB 2998 do pass by a 21-0 roll call. The committee then held a public hearing on Senate Substitute for Senate Bill 913, which would extend several agricultural tax credit programs for five years, including the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Tax Credit (Mazbita), rolling stock credits, meat processing incentives, biodiesel-related credits, specialty crop credits, and a new short-line railroad credit. Senator Curtis Gregory said the bill was intended to provide certainty and support rural infrastructure, agricultural processing, and rail access, and witnesses from the Missouri Soybean Association, Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Corn Growers, Missouri Chamber, short-line railroads, Missouri AgriBusiness Association, Missouri Dairy, Missouri Bankers Association, Missouri Railroad Association, and Missouri Pork Association testified in support. Opposition came from a public advocate who argued Missouri’s tax credit system is too large, lacks adequate auditing, and could cost tens of millions of dollars while adding state administrative costs. Committee members raised questions about the fiscal note, the carryforward of unused credits, and whether the rolling stock credit backfills local property tax revenue; supporters responded that the credit makes local governments whole and that the programs have strong returns on investment and help preserve agricultural and rail infrastructure. No final vote on SB 913 was taken in the transcript, and the committee adjourned after the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Yet landlords can do and prohibit cooling devices in tenants' leases.
• So how do we create a standardized consistency in our leases, and how do we reduce unnecessary changes
• or unnecessary cost in updating a lease?
• ...how do we reduce unnecessary changes or unnecessary cost to updating a lease, where maybe you are
• The landlord must notify and the landlord must state in the lease.

Committee: House Housing

Transcript Highlights:

• Meanwhile, Corning announced an approximately $1 billion investment to build the largest solar wafer
• </c> investment to build the largest solar investment to build the largest solar wafer<00:12:21.839><
• The story is similar for solar wafers, cells, and modules.
• Even though many Americans don't directly interact with wafers, solar cells, or polysilicon, they are
• </c> for solar wafers, cells and modules. for solar wafers, cells and modules.

Transcript Highlights:

• So um right state one, 150 a per lease.
• </c><00:15:59.600><c> So</c><00:15:59.680><c> if</c> on a on an individual lease.
• So if on a on an individual lease.
• So we need the wells but has two leases. So we need the the<00:16:13.519><c> 500,000.
• leases would have an individual bond, or it would be a statewide bond. >> Mr.

Bills: SJ0001

Committee: Senate Minerals, Business & Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, it doesn't prohibit leasing from happening.
• So I think more transparency is an important part of this bill, control and network lease leasing arrangements
• </c><00:54:19.040><c> It</c><00:54:19.280><c> just</c> leasing from happening.
• It just leasing from happening.
• </c> this bill um control and network lease this bill um control and network lease leasing<00:56:14.319