Transcript Highlights:

• Hold each of us in your loving care. Hold each of us in your loving care.
• I had a really intense visit last night with two mothers.
• I just wanted to clarify last night.
• And he testified in committee a little bit on child care.
• And he testified in committee a little bit on child care.

Transcript Highlights:

• Let us digest it for just a minute because it came out in the Judiciary last night.
• CYFD taking care of...
• So last night, the Senate Judiciary Committee convened.
• Somebody went to bed last night and got us a copy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate that.
• So the idea behind this... pilot is to have aging and long-term care take care of the kids.

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• But most importantly, I have the responsibility and the honor of providing health care and guidance to
• Parents difficulty adjusting to jobs in day care. And then the concern for young kids in the dark.
• , be forced school care or both.
• High school students may have part-time jobs or provide care for younger siblings.
• I don't know why kidneys to be up at the 10 pm at night.

Transcript Highlights:

• Last night, she was voted into the top three, and she will be on the live finale next Monday night on
• They're not spending the night there.
• They're not spending the night there.
• But let's take care of those that are spending the night.
• But let's take care of those that are spending the night with young children.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're responding in the middle of the night.
• Do we know how many are cascading down to private hospital care?
• Do we know how many are cascading down to private hospital care?
• So does that tend to drive the cost of health care? Yes, sir.
• Is that the supplemental for UTMB care?

Bills: SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee heard a presentation from the Legislative Budget Board on the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Article 5 budget. LBB recommended $3.7 billion in all funds for 2026-27, a 5.2 percent decrease from the base, while FTEs would rise by 856.7. Major items included funding for driver license services, DPS facilities, troopers and recruit schools, crime labs, vehicle and aircraft operations, border security, and rider changes. The committee also reviewed DPS exceptional items not included in the recommendation, including additional staffing, technology, and facility requests. Members focused heavily on driver license operations, criticizing long wait times, call abandonment, and repeated staffing increases without clear process improvements. LBB said the agency’s call-answer rate was about 9 percent in fiscal 2024, with average hold times around 34 minutes, later reduced to roughly 22-25 minutes. Senators questioned whether more FTEs alone would solve the problem and urged a broader efficiency study and better use of technology. DPS officials said they were pursuing process changes, including appointment-system upgrades, online pre-population of forms, and remote issuance options, while noting that Real ID requirements and population growth continue to drive demand. DPS leadership then outlined the agency’s priorities: completion of the Williamson County training academy, recruitment and retention of troopers, capital needs for vehicles and aircraft, and expanded responsibilities at the Capitol complex and the Alamo. Officials said the new trooper funding would help address staffing shortages, public safety, and border operations, and that overtime and deployment patterns had been adjusted to reduce burnout and improve flexibility. They also discussed Operation Lone Star, saying DPS spending is largely overtime, travel, and fuel, and that the agency continues to coordinate with federal partners while awaiting clarity on possible federal reimbursement for border security costs. Senators also raised concerns about oilfield theft, cartel activity, high-speed pursuits, bilingual pay, and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, and DPS said it would follow up on some of those issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• and Advancing Health Care Affordability.
• health care affordability.
• Because primary care is where you take care of basic problems.
• the primary care clinic.
• One, increasing primary care expenditures, which means more access to care.

Transcript Highlights:

• It created an aurora that lasted for over a week that allowed people to read at night.
• </c> to read at night. to read at night.
• We made careful votes to preserve options for general consumers.
• We made careful votes to preserve options for general consumers.
• We made careful votes to preserve options for general consumers.

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• And I'm rising in support of a bill to take care of the children.
• That everyone in this room cares about accountability.
• To reflect what works, evidence-based, compassionate care.
• , and sleepless nights.
• Day and night, side by side, with all of us.

Transcript Highlights:

• I guess I really don't care.
• </c><03:34:57.720><c> for</c><03:34:57.880><c> their</c> care for their property care for their care
• We don't care.
• So on a Thursday night, a Friday night, a Saturday night, Durham starts to pick up activity around, you
• They care about one another.

Committee: House Housing

Transcript Highlights:

• Night time, zero, nothing.
• children who are in foster care reside.
• children who are in foster care reside.
• </c> “The $4 million is a request for night security, correct?”
• </c> so this is the contract uh for night so this is the contract uh for night night<03:56:25.880><c>

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> access to the right right level of care access to the right right level of care that<00:04:52.199
• </c><05:25:34.878><c> suffer</c> influence supervision and Care suffer influence supervision and Care
• I would drive around at all hours of the night, and we would see this house was awake all night, and
• I'm not going to... parents had decided one night two parents had decided one night two parents<05:31
• </c> drive around at all hours of the night drive around at all hours of the night and<05:32:51.400><

Committee: House Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• of annual care.
• </c><01:59:44.159><c> access</c> health care it was Health Care access health care it was Health Care
• care.
• care.
• care.

Summary: The House Finance Committee opened a public hearing on House Bills 1 and 2, which concern the governor’s proposed FY 2026-2027 budget. The chair explained that the committee must fit the budget to House Ways and Means revenue, which is about $800 million below the governor’s estimate in an almost $16 billion budget. He also noted a projected current-budget overspend, the impact of recently passed legislation, possible fee updates, no new tax proposals at that time, and the importance of federal funding and Medicaid stability. Testimony was limited to three minutes, with the chair asking speakers to avoid duplication. Much of the testimony focused on Medicaid, disability services, and home- and community-based care. Speakers urged the committee to restore or protect funding for transportation, Medicaid, day programs, in-home supports, and behavioral health services. Several individuals and providers described how cuts would affect people with disabilities, medically fragile children, and families who rely on services to remain employed and avoid institutional care. A home care provider argued that a proposed 3% Medicaid cut would increase hospitalizations and costs, while a behavioral health representative asked for sustainable Medicaid rates, uncompensated care support, housing resources, and continued funding for community behavioral health clinics. Another major topic was the Group II retirement provisions in HB 2 for public safety workers. Representatives from police, fire, corrections, probation/parole, and related associations testified in support, saying prior pension changes hurt recruitment and retention, pushed experienced workers to neighboring states, and should be reversed to restore promised benefits. They argued the provisions would help keep public safety careers viable and honor commitments made to first responders. An executive counselor also warned that when the state shifts costs away from itself, local property taxpayers bear the burden, and she opposed cost shifts such as Medicaid premiums and universal vouchers. A separate speaker urged funding public schools rather than universal vouchers, arguing vouchers can leave other students behind as resources are diverted.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, when we first saw the anomaly on election night, well, we all turned to each other at 1:00
• , well, we all turned to each other night, well, we all turned to each other at<00:25:57.039><c> 1:00
• </c><00:34:55.599><c> and</c><00:34:55.919><c> and</c> it's not the middle of the night and and it's
• </c><00:48:34.079><c> that</c> not in the middle of the night that not in the middle of the night that
• </c> night. That's all I'm getting at. night. That's all I'm getting at.

Bills: HB0085 , HB0086

Committee: Senate Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:14:59.040><c> our</c><00:14:59.360><c> history,</c><00:15:00.320><c> and</c> state that cares
• about our history, and state that cares about our history, and I'm<00:15:00.800><c> grateful</c><00:
• That is my sister, Carrie D'Vor, and she is the one who helped me night after night write the third grade
• </c> and she is the one who helped me night and she is the one who helped me night after<00:35:23.760
• ><c> grade</c> after night write the third grade after night write the third grade reading<00:35:25.920

Transcript Highlights:

• and righteous from evil. 25 26 The schedule of a public servant calls for early mornings and late nights
• Her practice includes, well, children and women exams, preventative health care. with prevention and
• Senator Schwartner called me last night with a great idea.
• health care outcomes so what are we going to do about prevention, right?
• Taxpayer funded health care of tomorrow, right? Isn't that one of the goals of your bill?

Bills: SJR18 , SCR9 , SCR13 , SB10 , SB11 , SB19 , SB20 , SB25 , SB62 , SB260 , SB263 , SB293 , SB314 , SB384 , SB412 , SB441 , SB442 , SB494 , SB523 , SB569 , SB616 , SB688 , SB707 , SB766 , SB842 , SB869 , SB890 , SB914 , SB929 , SB971 , SB992 , SB1066 , SB1145 , SB1621 , SJR36 , SJR18 , SCR9 , SCR13 , SB616 , SB565 , SB384 , SB372 , SB495 , SB842 , SB971 , SB1066 , SB929 , SB765 , SB523 , SB62 , SB19 , SB18 , SB666 , SB688 , SB707 , SB888 , SB687 , SB706 , SB847 , SB869 , SB890 , SB992 , SB1145 , SB494 , SB290 , SB766 , SB11 , SB10 , SB13 , SB263 , SB412 , SB20 , SB441 , SB442 , SB1621 , SB569 , SB314 , SB25 , SB293 , SB914 , SB260 , SB1248 , SB740 , SB14 , SB1006 , SB20 , SB25 , SB260 , SB293 , SB314 , SB384 , SB442 , SB494 , SB616 , SB869 , SB890 , SB929 , SB992 , SB1145 , SB1621 , SR232 , SR237 , SR242 , SB16 , SB22

Transcript Highlights:

• They make sure that the care, custody, and control is constantly done.
• There's an average number every night.
• There's an average number for you every night, right, across the system.
• I called you, I know, late one night, about the fight with Boston.
• They've had huge health care bills.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Summary: The Joint Committee on Ways and Means held its sixth public hearing on the Governor’s FY27 H-2 budget proposal, focused on public safety and judiciary agencies, at the Foxborough Community Center. After opening remarks and local welcomes, the committee heard testimony from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS), led by Secretary Gina Kwan, who described the $1.72 billion budget as a 4% increase over FY26 and emphasized readiness, local partnerships, and support for core operations rather than expansion. She highlighted ongoing work on firearms-law implementation, State Police academy reforms, DOC’s new strategic plan, disaster response, hate-crime prevention, and planning for major 2026 events including the World Cup, Marathon, and America’s 250th anniversary. Members also raised concerns about State Police capacity, DNA backlog reporting, academy boxing/training reforms after a trooper’s death, ICE coordination, diversity in public safety leadership, the disaster relief fund, crime lab funding, reentry programming, and whether OEMS should move from DPH to EOPSS; Kwan said she would keep an open mind on some issues but was not ready to commit to an OEMS transfer. The committee then questioned EOPSS officials and the State Police colonel on several operational matters. The colonel said the academy boxing program remains suspended and likely will not return in its prior form, pending an IACP review, and that future training will likely emphasize jujitsu-style control techniques. He also said the State Police uses the civil service exam, with current advancement scores ranging from 83.72 to 98.78 for the most recent class, and acknowledged the need to improve recruitment, preparation, and diversity. On the DNA and sexual assault kit backlog, EOPSS said it supports extending the statute of limitations and is working with the courts and crime lab to identify and collect lawfully owed DNA. On disaster preparedness, officials said the new disaster relief fund is being developed with MEMA and A&F, is currently capitalized at $14 million with another $14 million expected, and should be designed to respond flexibly to different regional needs. They also said the crime lab increase is largely to cover core operations and a structural deficiency rather than expansion. Several members focused on public safety coordination and staffing. Questions from legislators from Bristol, Plymouth, Cape Cod, and elsewhere stressed the need for State Police to absorb additional forensic work if county resources shift, and to maintain strong communication with local chiefs and federal partners. Rep. Holmes pressed EOPSS on racial and gender diversity in the department and State Police; Kwan and Colonel Noble said diversity has improved but will take time to show up in senior leadership, and they pointed to internships and hiring practices as ways to broaden the pipeline. The hearing also included discussion of the World Cup security plan, with Kwan saying planning has been underway for about 18 months through 14 working groups and that current staffing and overtime resources appear sufficient for now. After EOPSS concluded, the committee recessed briefly and then began testimony from district attorneys, led by Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden, who said prosecutors are seeking a 10% budget increase to address staffing and salary pressures, especially the widening pay gap between assistant district attorneys and newly hired public defenders after recent CPCS funding increases.

Transcript Highlights:

• Care Information Act.
• And so I understand that we all care about the price of health care insurance.
• , or preventive care.
• delivery care.
• care.

Summary: The committee heard testimony on three health care bills. HB 1496 would cap charges for electronically stored medical records at $50 for patients and certain authorized recipients, while removing a free-copy provision tied to SSI/SSDI appeals and changing attorney fee language to “prevailing patient.” Supporters, including patient advocates, attorneys, and injured workers, said current record fees can reach thousands of dollars and block access to justice; opponents, including hospitals, home care providers, and records vendors, argued the bill would not cover the labor and HIPAA compliance work involved in large third-party requests and could shift costs to providers and patients. The bill remained in hearing with testimony continuing after the committee moved through other bills. HB 2182 would change how the Department of Corrections distributes its stockpile of mifepristone and misoprostol, removing the requirement that the medications be sold at cost plus a $5 fee and instead allowing, but not requiring, payment while directing DOC and the Department of Health to coordinate distribution to providers and facilities. The prime sponsor and supporters said the bill is needed so the state’s stockpile does not go unused or expire and to remove barriers to access for abortion and miscarriage care; opponents argued the bill subsidizes abortion, raises legal and taxpayer concerns, and should be rejected. Public testimony on HB 2182 was closed after hearing from both supporters and opponents. HB 2196 would require certain fully insured health plans to cover IVIG for PANS and PANDAS, with initial and medically necessary follow-up courses, and would bar denials based on prior treatment, age, out-of-state care when unavailable in Washington, or treatment guidelines that only address psychiatric symptoms. The sponsor, families, and physicians described severe, sudden-onset symptoms in children and said IVIG can be life-changing after other treatments fail, while insurers warned the mandate could add to already rising premiums and noted the treatment can be very expensive. HB 2242 would shift vaccine and preventive-service recommendation authority from federal bodies to the Department of Health, while preserving no-cost coverage for preventive services and updating the reference date for protected services; the governor, insurance commissioner, public health officials, and many physicians supported it as a way to preserve access amid federal instability and rising vaccine-preventable disease, while questions focused on whether the bill would change school or daycare requirements, which staff said it would not.

Transcript Highlights:

• we’ve been doing and continue to be aggressive in frontloading them, because anything we can take care
• c><00:11:22.040><c> in</c><00:11:22.160><c> Terms</c><00:11:22.399><c> of</c> anything we can take care
• of in Terms of anything we can take care of in Terms of General<00:11:22.920><c> background</c><00:11
• </c><00:33:51.039><c> if</c> Policy committee, we don't really care if it's going to cost a bazillion
• I'll try to email them to you the night before at least, and then I'll post them online ahead of our

Summary: The meeting was an introductory House Finance Division Two session focused on committee procedures, staffing, and the upcoming budget process. Mickey Landrian, the division analyst, introduced himself and explained that the subcommittee operates more informally than the full committee, does not hold executive sessions or public hearings itself, and makes recommendations back to House Finance. Members were told that public hearings on legislation occur in the full committee, while Division Two will hold work sessions and vote on recommendations such as ought to pass, retain, or ITL. The chair also welcomed new members and a new clerk, and noted that meetings will be recorded and streamed, with microphones required for audio capture. A substantial portion of the meeting covered the division’s workload and schedule. Landrian outlined the agencies assigned to Division Two, including Safety, Fish and Game, Transportation, Education, the Lottery Commission, Police Standards and Training, the University System, and the Community College System. He explained the different fund types the division will handle, especially Education Trust Fund, Highway Fund, and Fish and Game Fund, and reviewed reference materials distributed to members, including agency budget requests, prior recommendation tracking sheets, and surplus statements. He emphasized that the agency budget requests and related handouts are available online and useful for members to review before budget work begins. Members discussed the compressed timeline for the session, with a target date of March 26 for completing Division Two recommendations. Landrian said only a few bills had been referred to Finance so far, none yet to Division Two, but that more bills and amendments were expected, including many amendments to House Bill 2. He noted that the committee would need to move efficiently and frontload meetings. Representative Papich added that Fish and Game may require closer scrutiny than in prior years because of its push for direct general fund appropriations, and members also discussed the importance of getting preliminary budget documents before the governor’s budget is finalized. No votes were taken and no formal actions were reported beyond the procedural overview and distribution of materials.

Transcript Highlights:

• for threats of harm were provider may alert law enforcement, for instance, if someone who's under care
• It's just harder to get the records of most health care providers are subject to HIPPA because part 2
• future uses and disclosures of their part to records for the purposes of treatment payment and health care
• That's a more nights on the street where this person could. >> Which opening 11 Miami area where you're
• What I was sort of suggesting I think we're trying to get at was some woman was rape last night.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're defining direct primary care services means those services that a primary care provider is licensed
• Care Act.
• Primary Care Act.
• sometimes require emergency care.
• were in foster care.

Committee: House Health and Welfare