Transcript Highlights:

• , I know that you have it in here, the safety standards and the environmental impacts.
• Standards, and that's kind of the direction that's moving.
• And we've standardized on two tools for authentication.
• MDL international standard.
• So we need to create the framework that these standards should then be created around.

Keywords: 985, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Those are the key standards that are being bypassed by this law, 9.51 and 9.52.
• And the standard is going to be that it was used...
• The answer is not to decrease the standards.
• Establish a standardized $25 fee per entity.
• So you're saying you agree that there should be a standard set, and you would agree within that standard

Bills: SB552, SB1099, SB1124, SB1208, SB1372, SB1506, SB1667, SB1804, SB1806, SB1870, SB1936, SB1937, SB2180, SB2405, SB2569, SB2570, SB1646

Keywords: community supervision, criminal justice, illegal alien, deferred adjudication, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, SB 1099, undocumented immigrant, unauthorized immigrant, immigration status, felony sentencing enhancement, criminal penalty increase, Texas Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, affirmative finding, judgment finding, deportation, public safety, immigration enforcement, sentencing reform, felony offense

Transcript Highlights:

• , and develop a plan to reduce these minimum standards over the course of the next 3 years.
• , and out of those rules, we made over 5000 minimum standards.
• And it resulted in our agency engaging an independent entity to evaluate our minimum standards within
• However, it is going to allow us the opportunity to work on removing any duplicative standards, any standards
• They're outside of that standard 8 to 5 time frame.

Transcript Highlights:

• And during that time, we looked at our residential minimum standards and out of those rules, we made
• over 5,000 minimum standards.
• So, one of the recommendations that came out of this work was for us to look at our minimum standards
• However, it is going to allow us the opportunity to work on removing any duplicative standards, any standards
• They're outside. out of that standard eight to five time frame.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The New Mexico Environment Department should already be enforcing these standards.
• In fact, the standards set by the EPA, the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, otherwise known as
• This is the standard that's to be applied.
• Madam, I'm curious about the standard being all.
• , even though our air doesn't comply with federal health standards.

Transcript Highlights:

• And standards when they pull a permit.
• You folks said we build to a certain standard.
• . standard. standard.
• So, why that sets its own standard.
• amendment simply, um, adds some standard amendment simply, um, adds some standard things.<00:48:

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But if the state of Texas continues to allow this to occur, the standard we are providing...
• RTB, or reason to believe, is not a legal standard that we should adhere to.
• SB 481 is specific and clear about important standards for safety.
• Standards and storage standards require child placement agencies to adopt policies to ensure that a foster
• A foster parent can possess arms but has certain safety standards that they have to meet?

Bills: SB397, SB481, SB596, SB760, SB855, SB1195, SB1196, SB1233, SB1257, SB1318, SB1368, SB1388, SB1398, SB1524, SB1558, SB1589, SB1677, SB1792, SB2034

Keywords: SB 397, telemedicine, telehealth, teledentistry, remote care, virtual care, consent documentation, patient consent, data collection, data sharing, audio-only telehealth, in-person examination, irreversible medical procedure, health professional regulation, Occupations Code, Texas Health and Human Services, medical records, provider compliance, data privacy, consumer rights

Transcript Highlights:

• We've supported the efforts to bring the IIPPA up to the CCPA standard and even to exceed it, ensuring
• It also—we often point to Europe as kind of the, you know, bastion of privacy standards, and we model
• This... ...bastion of privacy standards, and we model a lot of what we're doing off the EU.
• This, as it's written, actually—you said it's not your goal to be the, like, leading standard in the
• This would be the most restrictive standard in the world. I know.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Would this allow LDH to address some of those standards?
• Would this allow LDH to address some of the standards if they're going to, it seems like they're going
• But I guess it was dealing with some of the standards on some of the homes.
• Would this allow LDH to address some of those standards?
• Would this allow LDH to address some of the standards if they're going to, it seems like they're going

Bills: HR174, HR194, HCR98, SB39, SB124, SB190, SB236, SB270, SB273, SB359, SB415, SB426, SB437, SB451

Keywords: fenbendazole, cancer treatment, public health, FDA, clinical trials, patient safety, visual acuity, student health, de-identified data, longitudinal analysis, education policy, SNAP, food stamps, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, grocery delivery, delivery fees, service charges, online grocery, food access, food insecurity

Summary: The House Committee on Health and Welfare met on May 12 and first reported HCR 98 favorably without objection. The resolution asks the Louisiana Department of Health to study whether SNAP benefits could be used to pay grocery delivery fees and related costs, especially for elderly and mobility-limited recipients. The author said the measure would not change SNAP rules, only request a study, and LDH was not opposed. The committee then advanced several Senate bills. SB 273, on hospice care in inpatient licensed facilities, was amended and reported favorably; the bill requires documentation of hydration, nutrition, and care decisions and clarifies facility responsibility when multiple providers are involved. SB 415, creating the Empower Louisiana Food Purchase Program, was amended and reported favorably; the author described it as a privately funded, charity-run food card program for people in need, with LDH to develop rules. SB 437, a cleanup bill on judicially referred residential substance abuse treatment facilities, was reported favorably, with LDH explaining that facilities providing treatment must be licensed and surveyed. The committee also approved SB 451 on newborn hearing screenings, which updates terminology and expands reporting requirements to improve early detection and intervention for deaf or hard-of-hearing children. SB 426, modernizing the addictive disorder regulatory authority and creating a licensure pathway for peer support specialists, was reported favorably with amendments after testimony from behavioral health providers and training organizations. SB 236 on annual LDH reviews of kidney disease treatment in Medicaid, SB 39 creating provisional licenses for massage therapist graduates, SB 190 tightening oversight of nursing facilities in the CMS Special Focus Facility Program, and SB 124 allowing peer review sharing within a health system were all reported favorably, most with technical amendments. The committee also reported favorably HR 174 urging study of fenbendazole for cancer, SB 270 allowing terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana in health care facilities, SB 359 changing terms for a Morehouse Parish hospital district board, and HR 194 requesting de-identified school visual acuity screening data for researchers. The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• Surveyor specifically, um, standards of practice violations, so that they have a set of standards they
• <00:15:45.120> violations<00:15:46.000> so um standards of practice violations so um
• > they that they have a set of standards they that they have a set of standards they have<00:15
• uh for student to define standards uh for student involvement<00:19:31.679> in<00:19:31.919><
• establish lensure standards would establish lensure standards including<00:19:35.360> use<00:

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill holds those federal agents to the same standards as Minnesota law enforcement when there is
• as Minnesota law enforcement standards as Minnesota law enforcement when<00:04:00.799> there<
• Moreover, extending Minnesota's independent investigation standards supports both procedural integrity
• Moreover, extending Minnesota's independent investigation standards supports both procedural integrity
• Moreover, extending Minnesota's independent investigation standards supports both procedural integrity

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It does not lower standards, and it does not create a new retirement obligation.
• Kelly here to chime in as well. maintaining their high standards and maintaining their high standards
• <00:15:41.279> This standards and are willing to serve.
• This standards and are willing to serve.
• It does not lower standards benefits.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Senate Standing Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection met for its second meeting of the 2026 session and considered two bills. After opening formalities, roll call, prayer, and the pledge, the committee heard Senate Bill 84, which would provide five additional emergency response trailers for county coroners, one for each of the state’s 10 districts. The sponsor and coroners testified that the trailers would improve response times and equipment availability during natural disasters and mass fatality incidents, citing recent floods, tornadoes, snow and ice events, and the need for standby power and other equipment. Members praised the coroners’ work, discussed funding concerns, and noted the bill’s relatively small cost and one-time funding structure tied to FEMA reimbursement for replacement equipment. The committee then considered Senate Bill 102, which would adjust the Kentucky State Police Trooper R program by resetting the five-year eligibility window from a trooper’s last day of service rather than the original retirement date. The sponsor and supporters said the change would help retain experienced retired troopers to fill staffing gaps without creating new retirement obligations or lowering standards. Members asked about ongoing certification and retirement-system impacts; testimony indicated Trooper R officers must maintain required law-enforcement certification, but no additional retirement contributions are made for them. Some members raised concerns about pension-system effects and compared the issue to shortages in other law-enforcement fields, while others strongly supported the bill as a practical staffing tool. Both bills received favorable committee action. Senate Bill 84 was approved by roll call and passed with favorable expression, and Senate Bill 102 likewise passed with favorable expression after a roll-call vote, with members generally expressing support for the underlying public-safety goals.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our law allows the removal of children based on the reasonable and prudent person standard.
• And there's by the boarding house model standards that's put out by HHS.
• Creating one universal standard form...
• A lot of the next-gen vaccines are in standard clinical trials. Thank you, Madam Chair.
• And we shouldn't have a tale of two courts; it should be the same standard. And that's it.

Bills: HB18, HB37, HB116, HB18, HB37, HB116, HB388, HB879, HB913, HB1151, HB2216, HB2358, HB2809, SB577, SB1590, SB1782, SB1887, SB2744

Keywords: HB 18, Texas Legislature, quorum break, quorum-busting, legislative walkout, absent legislators, political contributions, campaign finance, political expenditures, legislative caucus, specific-purpose committee, Texas Ethics Commission, civil penalty, show cause order, district court, Fifteenth Court of Appeals, session fundraising, travel lodging food expenses, legislative session, compelled attendance

Transcript Highlights:

• On line 390 is the portion of the governor's request for the Nursing Home Standards Board rules.
• We have a number of standards established by the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board.
• Standards Board.
• adopted by the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board.
• Standards board.

Bills: HF2434

Keywords: healthcare, personal care assistance, worker retention, disability services, state funding

Transcript Highlights:

• In regards to any and all academic standards and curriculum, including textbooks, acquired or adopted
• Would it make more sense to just change the state academic standards for publishers to reference when
• If other states don't make that standard and we're alone in that effort, are there other states that
• And like I said again, this is the national standard, but because of the executive order placed by the
• president and the signage... ...national standard, but because of the executive order placed by the

Summary: The committee heard and approved several measures. HB 735 expanded Florida’s boating improvement program to fund parking for boat trailers at public ramps and offered a 10% sovereign submerged land lease discount for manufacturers using environmental best management practices; it passed unanimously. HB 4021 expanded the North River Ranch Improvement Stewardship District in Manatee County by 640 acres and was reported favorably. CS for HB 371, which promotes nature-based methods and green/gray infrastructure for coastal resilience, also passed unanimously after supportive testimony from resilience and environmental groups and committee members. The committee then took up HJR 1325, a proposed constitutional amendment to create an elected Commissioner of Government Efficiency (COGE) with authority to audit, investigate, and report on waste, fraud, and abuse in state and local government. The proposal would eliminate the lieutenant governor position, the Government Efficiency Task Force, and the legislature’s current auditor appointment, with many implementation details deferred to a future bill. Members debated the scope of the new office, its relationship to the Auditor General and inspectors general, whether it should cover the legislative and judicial branches, staffing, and the comparison to federal DOGE efforts. An amendment making a minor wording change was adopted, and the resolution passed 23-? with a favorable report after a split vote. The committee also approved two Gulf of America bills. HB 575 redesignated the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, and CS for HB 549 required Florida’s academic standards and newly adopted instructional materials to reflect the federal designation for materials acquired on or after July 1, 2025. Both measures drew criticism from members who argued the renaming was politically motivated, historically insensitive, and potentially confusing for students, while supporters said Florida should align with federal action. HB 575 passed and CS for HB 549 passed 18-7. Finally, HB 4071, a local bill adjusting the boundary between Coral Springs and Parkland in Broward County by about 8.7 acres, was amended and reported favorably with support from both cities and the Broward delegation.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've established school safety facility standards. We've established intruder detection audit.
• things. done with the school facility standards when I first got started I traveled to may I travel
• We just want to know the standards. Because there were no real standards that they had to live by.
• So when we published those standards, now the school's up by by those standards, but in Sentinel, Sentinel's
• District, but we do ensure that all standards are met.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And while the job has certainly evolved, the standards have not.
• We have to start by raising the standards and training, and particularly on de-escalation.
• SB 1203 adds 18 hours on top of our already nation-leading 40-hour standard.
• In closing, CalSAGA is willing to work with this committee on evidence-based training standards, but
• SB 936 builds on these local efforts by establishing a clear statewide standard.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Business and Professions Committee heard several Senate bills focused on workforce training, public safety, health, and consumer protection. SB 1203 by Senator Smallwood-Cuevas would expand and modernize private security guard training, especially de-escalation training, and drew strong support from security workers and labor groups who described dangerous encounters and inadequate preparation. Opponents, including security firms and business groups, argued the bill would impose major costs, create staffing shortages, and push employers toward unregulated alternatives. The committee ultimately voted to pass the bill to Labor and Employment, with some members noting support contingent on future amendments about training capacity. SB 936 by Senator Blakespear would restrict retail sales of larger nitrous oxide canisters while preserving legitimate medical, culinary, and automotive uses. Supporters, including Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, counties, public health groups, waste agencies, and law enforcement organizations, said misuse of nitrous oxide is causing addiction, impaired driving, neurological harm, and disposal hazards. There was no organized opposition on the record, and the committee passed the bill to Public Safety. SB 1271 by Senator Reyes would require the Medical Board to collect data on licensed midwives’ capacity to serve as preceptors and train new students, with the information reported to the Legislature. Supporters said California’s midwifery pipeline is strained, especially in rural and birth-desert areas, and that more data is needed to expand training access. The committee passed the bill to Health. SB 903 by Senator Padilla would prohibit AI chatbots from being advertised or used as therapists without appropriate licensed-professional oversight and informed consent, and would reinforce confidentiality and patient-protection rules. Testimony centered on the death of a teenager after extensive interactions with an AI chatbot, with supporters urging stronger guardrails and opponents asking for amendments; the committee passed the bill to Privacy and Consumer Protection. The consent calendar item, SB 1165 by Senator Caballero, was also approved and sent to Revenue and Taxation.

Transcript Highlights:

• While providing additional time to meet the updated standards, and those are the changes.
• Do you know what the standard for good faith and who gets to decide that?
• That would be the standard is with the judge.
• So on a focused and channeled way, we can assist in meeting the state's reliability standard which the
• PUC just adopted, and that reliability standard focuses on the frequency, magnitude, and duration of

Bills: SB 1113, SB 1117, SB 1206, SB 1460, SB 1802, SB 1906, SB 1917, SB 2340, SB 2455, SB 2680, SB 2690, SB 705, SB 748

Keywords: SB 1113, converter's license, converter license, motor vehicle dealer, auto dealer, vehicle conversion, converted vehicles, direct sales, retail sales, trailer, semitrailer, manufactured trailer, chassis, manufacturer's statement of origin, MSO, Occupations Code, Transportation Code, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, dealer licensing, general distinguishing number

Summary: The meeting of the Senate Business and Commerce Committee was marked by discussions on several significant bills, with a keen emphasis on legislative updates and committee substitutes. Notably, Senator Blanco presented a new committee substitute for SB2610, which modifies the employee cap from 100 to 250 and extends the update timeline for cyber security programs for small businesses. This substitute was adopted unanimously, reflecting a collaborative agreement among the committee members. Additionally, there were discussions surrounding SB1856 as Senator Crayton provided insights into how stakeholder feedback influenced the bill's committee substitute. The committee ultimately voted in favor, pushing it towards the local and contested calendar, indicating the bill's progression through legislative channels.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's so it would be pretty much standard that if an event is actually going on, that law enforcement
• So that's a standard practice now. Okay. Without any type of agreement.
• ... ...and that as they go along, they're updating it as they should be to make sure if any standards
• In 2019, prior to the pandemic, 35% of our third graders met grade-level standards.
• These are not intensive, like standardized testing sessions.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education K-16 met with a quorum and announced a full agenda, including combined public testimony for two bills related to student personal communication devices. The committee first took up Senate Bill 1262 by Senator Nichols, a school safety cleanup bill following House Bill 3. The bill would allow TEA to commission peace officers for school safety purposes, require annual renewal of good-cause exceptions to armed guard requirements, create a new report based on intruder detection audits and vulnerability assessments, and require behavioral threat assessment teams to include someone with specific knowledge of a special education student’s disability. Committee members asked about the difference between TCOLE licensing and TEA commissioning, the scope of the officers’ authority, and how the good-cause exception would work. The committee substitute was adopted, and public testimony included support from school safety and drone-response advocates, Disability Rights Texas in favor of the special education provisions, and a student witness raising concerns about the mental health impact of repeated lockdowns and the need for immediate, reliable school safety responses. The bill was left pending after testimony, then the committee briefly recessed and later reopened testimony to hear the student witness. The committee then laid out Senate Bill 2252 by Senator Creighton, a major early literacy and numeracy bill for kindergarten through third grade. Creighton said the bill builds on prior literacy efforts by funding teacher stipends for literacy and math academies, providing free and clearly administered screeners and assessments, expanding screening options, clarifying how results are used, supporting high-quality pre-K, and increasing the early education allotment. He emphasized low reading performance and the need for early intervention. Members discussed how the bill differs from earlier academy models and whether the assessments are diagnostic or high-stakes; Creighton and witnesses said the tools are intended to identify students needing support, not to serve as punitive testing. The committee adopted the substitute. Witnesses for SB 2252 largely supported the bill. A Uplift Education representative described strong gains from small-group literacy tutoring and said students receiving targeted support can make more than a year of growth in a year. An education specialist explained that the bill aligns general education screening with existing dyslexia and special education practices and helps districts identify students who need intervention before a disability evaluation is required. A Commit Partnership witness cited statewide reading data, the importance of high-quality pre-K, and the need for transparent, consistent progress monitoring and parent engagement. Members asked about the meaning of the growth data, how dyslexia screening works, and how the bill would help identify struggling students earlier. Before finishing all questions, the committee recessed subject to the call of the chair after the floor session.

Transcript Highlights:

• And the training's not standardized, correct? Whatever the company chooses to present, basically.
• I'm just wondering, is there a national standard of curriculum for this?
• There is not a national standard because there is no job code in the Department of Labor. Okay.
• It is not standardized. It is not required.
• It is not standardized. It is not required.

Summary: The Virginia Disability Commission held its first meeting of the year on June 18, established a quorum, and introduced members. Senator Barbara Favola was elected chair and Delegate Amy Laufer was elected vice chair, both unanimously. The commission also reviewed and unanimously approved its electronic/remote participation policy, which mirrors last year’s policy and allows limited remote participation under Virginia FOIA rules. Staff then reviewed a package of 14 disability-related bills that passed last session and were signed into law. Topics included disabled veterans’ vehicle registration fee exemptions, open captioning requirements for movie theaters, guardianship/conservatorship order forwarding, service dog team definitions, education and transition planning for students with disabilities, Blue Envelope and driver communication training for law enforcement and driver education, deferred disposition and jury service protections, voting rights in guardianship cases, expansion of the Virginia Human Rights Act, continuation of a DD waiver eligibility change, and DMAS training authority for autism competency checklists. Members discussed implementation concerns, especially making the Blue Envelope/driver communication program more visible and considering a follow-up letter and DMV presentation. The commission then adopted its interim work plan unanimously, with discussion of possible presentations on DMAS and Medicaid waivers, DBHDS telehealth training implementation, SCHEV and VDOE transition planning, transition from institutions to community settings, criminal justice reform, transportation and parking accessibility, adult-sized changing tables, and school accessibility. Members also suggested adding EVV concerns, seclusion and restraint, rare disease issues, and insurance coverage problems for needed medications. Public commenters urged the commission to address burdensome EVV requirements for family caregivers, improve accessibility for local government meetings and documents, and explore a standardized credential/career pathway for direct support professionals. The chair said follow-up work would be assigned on EVV and implementation issues, and the meeting location would move to the Senate side of the Capitol going forward.