Transcript Highlights:

• We've got a number of other trials scheduled for the rest of the fiscal year.
• So, it's scheduling and get continued.
• So any problem with How about this schedule we're on now? Meeting at 11?
• </c><01:40:41.760><c> Normally</c> schedule of the next meeting.
• Normally schedule of the next meeting.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee first adopted the September 5 minutes and then approved the remaining consent calendar items after removing several bills for separate consideration, including 25-252, 25-248, 25-251, and 25-253. The committee then took up 25-252 from the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, where members asked about the arts tax credit program, staffing, and volunteer coordination. Department representatives said the program had recently been authorized, forms had been finalized, three of six laid-off staff had been rehired through a federal grant, and the agency was now trying to recruit participants. Members also discussed whether tax-credit-raised funds could count as federal match; the department said they could not, because federal rules require state dollars. The item was adopted. The committee next considered 25-248 from the Department of Safety, which was described as a technical correction moving funds from equipment to hardware and software after consultation with the Department of Administrative Services. A member asked about “buy American” waivers, and the department said it would follow up with more information. The item was adopted. The committee then approved 25-251 from the Department of Administrative Services, which included discussion of ongoing problems with Anthem’s retiree health plan mail-order pharmacy. Department staff said many issues were tied to implementation changes and prescription renewal rules, that some complaints were being resolved through the vendor and the retiree health office, and that the contract would be rebid in the coming year, likely causing further changes. On 25-253 from the Department of Health and Human Services, members questioned the department’s September 5 health alert and whether it diverged from CDC guidance. DHHS said the alert was an annual evidence-based guideline for respiratory virus season and immunizations, largely aligned with CDC recommendations, and that some differences reflected timing and population-specific guidance. The item was adopted. The committee then heard 25-237 from the Department of Justice on the annual litigation fund request. Attorney General John Formela said the request was about $4.3 million, roughly 40% below last year and below the five-year average, with major costs tied to YDC civil and criminal litigation and some DHHS class actions. A member criticized the large increase over the budgeted $350,000 and said the budgeting approach should be corrected in the next cycle. Another member asked about YDC settlement reductions; the attorney general said confidentiality limited specifics, but explained that under the new statute the office had accepted well over half of administrator awards, rejected some, and negotiated lower amounts in others while still resolving most cases. The item remained under discussion at the end of the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've added students and we've got creative with scheduling.
• We've added students and we've got creative with scheduling.
• And we've got creative with scheduling.
• We have pivoted as much as we can by trying to get unique with scheduling, offering...
• What I'd ask you to do is take a look at your schedules.

Summary: The committee met at North Dakota State College of Science for a presentation from President Flanagan and campus leaders on the college’s mission, enrollment growth, workforce programs, facilities needs, and industry partnerships. Flanagan highlighted student success in national competitions, strong placement and retention, the college’s strategic plan, and new or expanding programs such as aviation maintenance, fire science, dental hygiene, community health worker, surgical technology, HVAC/plumbing, and precision agriculture. He also described the need for a new dorm and a remodel of the library into academic and allied health space, including a simulation center, to address capacity limits and support growth. Several committee members asked about program demand, faculty recruitment, pay competitiveness, and how the college shifts resources from lower-demand programs to high-demand ones. Industry partner Jim Albright of Comdell testified that the college has been essential to the local manufacturing workforce and that many employees and interns come from NDSCS. A major topic was dual credit. Flanagan said dual credit is important but financially challenging, noting that only a small share of dual credit students ultimately matriculate to NDSCS and that the college’s dual credit model is close to break-even. He explained that many dual credit credits are general education rather than CTE, and that the college pays instructors, supports high schools, and absorbs indirect costs. Williston State College President Bernal Herning added that his institution loses money on the front end but has shifted toward helping students complete associate degrees before high school graduation because many go directly to work after high school. Committee members questioned how dual credit is delivered, how instructors are qualified, and whether students are truly doing college-level work. The committee then received a University System presentation from Jamie Wilkie on the cost of delivering dual credit statewide. Wilkie explained the methodology used to allocate direct and overhead costs and said the analysis shows dual credit is not profitable at several institutions once tuition, instructor payments, and overhead are included. Members asked how much of the cost is borne by students, families, and the state, and whether K-12 funding should also be considered. Discussion also covered the difference between subsidized and unsubsidized dual credit, payments to high school teachers or schools, and the possibility of waiving tuition in the future. No votes were taken, and the committee mainly gathered information for the ongoing dual credit cost study.

Transcript Highlights:

• Although I didn't go to Boise, I wasn't able to do that because of scheduling conflicts.
• We save on the schedule, but product quality is better, worker safety is better.
• We built it at 35% less cost than market and on a 35% faster schedule.
• These are living-wage jobs with health benefits, stable schedules, and short commutes.
• But because each project is designed, contracted, financed, and scheduled independently, both we and

Summary: The Select Committee on Housing Construction Innovation met to examine how industrialized construction, including modular, panelized, manufactured, and 3D-printed building methods, could help lower California’s housing costs and speed delivery. Chair Buffy Wicks opened by describing the committee’s purpose as a cross-cutting effort to address construction costs, drawing on visits to factories in Sweden, Idaho, and Indiana. Members from both the committee and invited participants broadly agreed that California’s housing crisis is driven not only by land use and permitting, but also by high construction costs, labor shortages, and a lack of scalable innovation. Ben Metcalf of UC Berkeley’s Turner Center provided the main policy overview, saying California needs roughly 2.5 million additional homes by 2030 and that multifamily construction costs in the state can be far higher than in Texas or Colorado. He said factory-built housing can reduce hard costs and timelines under the right conditions, but barriers remain in financing, local code and design review, uncertain demand pipelines, and fragmented research and data. In response to committee questions, he discussed possible state actions such as pro-housing incentives, state-backed purchasing or subsidies, more standardized approvals, and better research infrastructure. Members also raised the need to involve labor and building trades in the process. A panel of developers and builders then described projects and cost savings from factory-built and related methods. Caleb Rupp of Pacific Companies said modular construction can save about 20% on average and cited a project where modular delivery reduced the need for public subsidy by $18 million; he suggested incentives such as tax exemptions, state-owned sites, third-party inspections, and limits on local code variation. Lois Kim of Mutual Housing California described a pipeline of more than 660 units across six jurisdictions, saying a predictable factory pipeline can reduce construction time by about 40% and total development costs by at least 10%. Danny Haber of O’WOW said standardized design, componentized construction, and mass timber can cut costs substantially, while also criticizing outdated codes, utility hookup fees, and financing costs. Donna Jamian of Emergent Construction described California’s first code-approved 3D concrete printing projects, including homes in Redding and work on a commercial building and fire-recovery projects in Altadena. She said current codes have not caught up to the technology and asked for participation in local self-certification programs. Committee members asked about the role of state incentives, code alignment, financing support, and how to build developer confidence after failures like Katerra. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational and ended with plans for further hearings and a forthcoming white paper with policy recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Then Senator Matthews comes up at the end of the agenda at 12:20 when we were scheduled to adjourn at
• Then Senator Matthews comes up at the end of the agenda at 12:20 when we were scheduled to adjourn at
• 26.720><c> tried</c><00:20:26.880><c> to</c><00:20:27.039><c> adjourn</c><00:20:27.520><c> at</c> scheduled
• to or tried to adjourn at scheduled to or tried to adjourn at noon.<00:20:28.240><c> Oh,</c><00:20:28.480
• </c> um until after our originally scheduled um until after our originally scheduled adjournment<00:34

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• First of all, handouts must be provided to the committee administrator by 12 p.m. the day before a scheduled
• Manell here, by noon the day before the scheduled hearing.
• </c> the day before the schedule the day before the schedule hearing<00:01:26.159><c> and</c><00:01:26.880
• </c><00:01:33.079><c> meeting</c><00:01:33.399><c> so</c><00:01:33.720><c> that's</c> before the scheduled
• meeting so that's before the scheduled meeting so that's not<00:01:34.920><c> a</c><00:01:35.159><c>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> 75 bills uh have they been scheduled 75 bills uh have they been scheduled have<02:07:13.119><c>
• This is my first big scheduling mess-up for the day.
• I notice your operation is very smooth and ahead of schedule.
• </c><04:24:44.760><c> election</c> that when the next schedule election that when the next schedule election
• Look at that, right on schedule.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:21:35.120><c> and</c> providing counseling, scheduling and providing counseling, scheduling and
• So it's allowed for me to work on my schedule easier in case I have sports or work, which has been pretty
• And the second part is, for me, it's not also just greater control and scheduling, but also I have more
• </c><00:25:28.960><c> like</c> me to like work on my schedule like me to like work on my schedule like
• but also I control and like scheduling but also I have<00:25:42.480><c> like</c><00:25:42.880><c> more

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Sure, so have you tried to schedule yourself a dermatologist appointment recently?
• If they can make more money doing Botox treatments and they spend all day scheduling those, how do I
• practice, the way I would envision it working or or doing it would be when a patient is already scheduled
• You could spend all day every day under this bill scheduling Botox treatments, and I can't get anybody

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, while not much can certainly mean something to an individual, bringing the fee schedule into parity
• committee chair that the subcommittee has completed its deliberations and recommends that SB 651 be scheduled
• committee chair that the subcommittee has completed its deliberations and recommends that SB 1227 be scheduled
• that the subcommittee has complete, has completed its deliberations and recommends that SB 1931 be scheduled

Transcript Highlights:

• It brings the fee schedule into parity with other military plates and also clarifies and updates statutory
• committee chair that the subcommittee has completed its deliberations. and recommends that SB 651 be scheduled
• committee chair that the subcommittee has completed its deliberations and recommends that SB 1227 be scheduled
• committee chair that the subcommittee has completed its deliberations and recommends that SB 1931 be scheduled

Bills: HB4458, SB651, SB1227, SB1931

Keywords: veterans, service members, military transition, Texas Veterans Commission, pilot program, self-reliance, employment assistance, housing assistance, mental health services, career training, veterans service organizations, spouses and dependents, military families, Texas military forces, post-separation support, reentry services, workforce development, benefits navigation, transition assistance, SB 651

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:10:38.200><c> to</c><01:10:38.320><c> be</c> child is authorized and scheduled to be child is
• authorized and scheduled to be in<01:10:38.800><c> care</c><01:10:39.840><c> um</c><01:10:40.040><c>
• So, we scheduled those for this evening.
• And also we had a member who needed accommodation, who was going to present a bill for his schedule.
• </c> for his schedule. for his schedule.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> that</c> schedules specific salary schedules that schedules specific salary schedules that allowed
• <05:44:52.440><c> accessibility</c><05:44:53.120><c> maturity</c> schedule accessibility maturity schedule
• <05:50:14.520><c> for</c> scheduled for scheduled for elimination<05:50:16.320><c> um</c><05:50:16.558
• And there was a lot of work that was scheduled to be done.
• And there was a lot of work that was scheduled to be done.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Finance received an informational briefing from the Department of Law Enforcement on its priorities following the January 1 transfer of law enforcement assets into the department, including the sheriff’s division, narcotics enforcement, criminal investigations, homeland security, and the inspector general’s office. DLE said its goals are to improve public safety, accountability, communications, training, and standards. The department outlined planned initiatives such as stronger federal partnerships, narcotics and gun-violence enforcement, an agricultural crime unit, traffic and commercial vehicle enforcement, an explosive/fireworks enforcement section, gun buybacks, new police facilities in the airport area, Aahu, and the leeward side, a state training center, upgraded law-enforcement IT, and efforts to narrow salary gaps with county departments to improve recruitment. A major portion of the discussion focused on illegal fireworks enforcement after the recent explosion tragedy. DLE said its current task force is small and relies on ad hoc support from HPD, the Attorney General’s office, criminal investigations, and sheriffs, which is not sustainable. The department requested eight FTEs for the effort—one administrator, two clerical staff, and six investigators—plus funding for a laboratory, equipment, storage, disposal, vehicles, safety gear, and a criminalist. DLE said the explosive enforcement section would use an existing facility and that the initial lab startup cost is about $2 million. Members asked for follow-up materials, and DLE said it would send the explosive enforcement forms and additional details to the Finance and Judiciary chairs. Members also questioned staffing vacancies, interagency coordination, and whether new specialized units could be filled. DLE said it has about 119 vacancies and that recruitment is hindered by a roughly $28,000 starting pay gap with county police departments; academy classes are down to about 12 to 14 recruits. The department said it is streamlining hiring, using QR-code recruitment, and hopes specialized units will attract applicants. On coordination, DLE said it works closely with HPD and other agencies on operations such as fireworks enforcement and public events, and that DOCARE remains a case-by-case partner but is not currently moving into DLE. The committee also received updates on the Silver Alert program, which is nearing rollout with county MOUs and a coordinator expected later in the month, the special duty officer program, which is being moved to a web-based vendor-managed system at no cost to the department, and the SaferWatch school safety system, which is being deployed statewide with annual software costs of $3,500 per school in the first year and $2,500 thereafter. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• postpone the rule number—sorry, I got to remember where we are—215—and to put it on next month's schedule
• <00:30:26.880><c> on</c><00:30:27.039><c> next</c><00:30:27.279><c> month's</c><00:30:27.600><c> schedule
• </c><00:30:28.000><c> It's</c><00:30:28.159><c> been</c> it on next month's schedule.
• It's been it on next month's schedule.
• and then re-implemented rolling schedule and then re-implemented the<00:31:56.640><c> emergency</c><

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes and adopted the consent calendar without objection. It then took up Department of Safety Rule 25161 on administrative license suspension forms. After discussion of a staff concern that the rule text should expressly require a defendant’s signature or refusal to sign, and the officer’s witness signature, the agency agreed to revised language. The committee voted to grant conditional approval with those edits. The committee next considered Department of Agriculture rule 192, concerning importation of bovines and domestic animals. Staff identified several issues, including an overly broad federal citation, an unclear definition of infection, a possible conflict between provisions on telephone-issued permits and documents that must be carried, and missing struck-through repeal language. Because the department had not proposed written fixes, members moved to postpone the item until next month, and the motion passed. A second Agriculture item, 25207, was discussed as a long-expired set of rules that the agency said were still needed to run its programs; the committee granted conditional approval. The Public Utilities Commission’s competitive natural gas supplier and aggregator rules prompted the most extensive debate. Staff argued the cited statutes did not clearly authorize the commission to impose fines on natural gas suppliers, while the agency responded that authority could be read from related Department of Energy transition language and general rulemaking provisions. Members discussed whether the issue reflected a statutory gap created when responsibilities were split between the Department of Energy and the commission. The committee ultimately voted to waive and postpone the item to next month so the attorneys could work out the authority question. The committee also postponed Department of Energy items 219 and 220 at the agency’s request, and it noted that the Liquor Commission’s emergency rule had been revised to reduce reporting from monthly to quarterly before being reissued, with the item also postponed.

Transcript Highlights:

• We can require additional documentation for the purposes of salary schedule.
• </c><00:03:57.519><c> That's</c> purposes of salary schedule. That's purposes of salary schedule.
• proposal expands options for tier 2 teachers to enroll in programs that best fit their location, schedule
• </c><00:13:56.800><c> Um,</c> schedule, and professional needs.
• Um, schedule, and professional needs.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• our actuary has done this with other public pension plans and seen them turn around on the same schedule
• > It's</c><00:25:45.840><c> just</c><00:25:46.240><c> full</c><00:25:46.559><c> funding</c> same schedule
• It's just full funding same schedule. It's just full funding does<00:25:47.200><c> it.
• </c><00:27:27.120><c> uh</c><00:27:27.520><c> ahead</c><00:27:27.840><c> of</c><00:27:28.080><c> schedule
• </c> status you know uh ahead of schedule status you know uh ahead of schedule even<00:27:28.799><c>

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Personnel, Public Retirement, and Finance heard testimony from Bo Barnes, deputy executive secretary and general counsel for the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), on the TRS budget request for the upcoming biennium and how it compares with House Bill 500 as introduced. Barnes emphasized that the bill fully funds the system’s additional funding request to pay down TRS’s legacy unfunded pension liability, which he described as critical to the system’s long-term funding plan. He also explained that the pension and health insurance requests are broken into several line items, including legacy benefit items, state shared-responsibility payments for retiree health insurance, and reconciliation items that adjust for prior over- or underpayments. Barnes said the state portion of shared responsibility for retiree health insurance was funded below the request in House Bill 500, but he described the health insurance trust as a success story under the post-2010 shared-responsibility model. He said the trust is projected to be fully funded in about two years if medical inflation and federal subsidies remain stable, and he noted that any shortfall in the current budget would be reconciled later and could reduce investment income. In response to questions, he explained that the legacy benefit items are treated as part of the total actuarially determined employer contribution and that unpaid legacy benefits would have the same impact on the retirement trust as unpaid ADC amounts. Barnes also addressed questions about whether the $47.2 million SEEK-related teacher contribution reconciliation could be split between fiscal years, saying it could be done but would reduce investment income and potentially increase future contribution needs. He said the pension fund is currently about 61% funded and that TRS has received full funding for the pension for 10 straight years, with the state having provided full additional funding and more in recent budgets. He concluded by asking the committee to consider TRS’s original budget request, warning that underfunding now would be reflected in future actuarial calculations and could cost the Commonwealth more over time.

Transcript Highlights:

• it up that way and I want to thank everybody again for being here and allowing me to adjust the schedule
• We really need to keep our schedules tight on time because our room is used right after we're done.
• a little bit me to adjust the schedule a little bit this<00:02:00.159><c> morning.
• We really need to keep our schedules<00:05:13.440><c> tight</c><00:05:13.600><c> on</c><00:05:13.840>
• tight on time because our room schedules tight on time because our room is<00:05:14.720><c> used</c>

Bills: HF3393

Keywords: unemployment insurance, iron ore mining, additional benefits, labor force, economic support, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So House Bill 249 will be scheduled at a later date.
• According to the Medicaid fee schedule, the effective date was January 1, 2015.
• We have no influence or ability to influence. ...fee schedule, which is set by the feds.
• In our FIR, it says that they are reimbursed at 100% of the Medicare fee schedule.
• Actually, Representative, we are paying 150% of the Medicare fee schedule.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So you'll notice on page two we also have a schedule of fiscal year 2027 as well on lines 17, 18, and
• So your schedule, we'll stick to your schedule or however that works. Thank you, Mr. Bybee.
• Chairman, now we're on page six: military compensation schedule.
• The military division is statutorily required to determine pay schedules comparable to those used for
• Looking at the schedule for cash transfers, you would be taking up transferring money into the general

Summary: The committee met in Joint Finance-Appropriations to review budget mechanics, the green sheet, and several budget-related bills and statewide decisions. Staff explained how the green sheet tracks FY 2027 impacts and reviewed bills including HB 503 (soil and water conservation consolidation savings), HB 556 (county jail per diem reimbursement increase), HB 559 (tax conformity with a large general fund impact), and HB 578. Members also discussed the 2026 Idaho Budget Rescissions Act, which would reduce FY 2026 appropriations under different scenarios, and the committee heard extensive debate over whether to use across-the-board reductions or more targeted cuts. After debate, the committee first adopted the substitute rescission motion for FY 2026, which set a 1% additional reduction above the governor’s recommendation, then approved a related motion transferring $22,366,500 from the Public School Income Fund to the General Fund. The committee then moved to statewide decisions and considered ongoing base reductions for selected state agencies. Three motions were offered: the governor’s recommendation, an additional 1% reduction, and an additional 2% reduction. After debate, the original governor’s recommendation passed on a 13-7 vote, while the 1% and 2% alternatives failed. The committee then turned to personnel benefit cost increases, including health insurance and other employer-paid benefits. Staff explained the different funding formulas and agency-specific fill-rate adjustments, and members raised concerns about the role of the Change in Employee Compensation process, salary savings, and whether the figures should be tied to future rather than current-year projections. Motions were offered for the DOGE working group recommendation and the governor’s FY 2027 recommendation for health insurance and variable rate changes, but the discussion was still ongoing when the transcript ended, with no final vote shown on those motions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, we'll now be going to the scheduled agenda for today. Senator Parker.
• As you know, the Sunset Schedule Bill is filed each session to make necessary adjustments.
• The schedules for the next full review will be in 2031.
• I know it's a lot of content and many agencies for us to review, but it's a comprehensive scheduling
• For what we're trying to do here in a sunset scheduling bill.

Bills: HB146, HB150, HB1500, HB1545, HB1562, HB2067, HB2520, HB2818, HB3214, HB3250, HB3466, HB3512, HB3623, HB4063, HB4395, HB4464, HB4668, HB4690, HB5331, HB3833, HB146, HB150

Keywords: HB 146, Texas Capitol, State Capitol, State Preservation Board, Congress Avenue, Travis County, traffic lanes, lane closure, road closure, municipal authority, local control, Capitol area, downtown Austin, special events, construction traffic plan, pedestrian safety, public works, transportation policy, government code chapter 443, cybersecurity

Transcript Highlights:

• That's essentially what happens when you're given a fee schedule that you have to adopt as a bank, if
• I do think, however, that the premise of the standard pricing schedules is something that ought to be
• We can call it price scheduling, and we don't like the word collusion.
• The proprietary rate schedules are non-disclosed. Oh, no, are they proprietary? No, they're not.
• Section 2 and 101 prohibits the standard fee schedules and eliminates default interchange.

Bills: SB231, SB584, SB600, SB668, SB841, SB986, SB1003, SB1244, SB1625, SB1960, SB1963, SB1964, SB2026, SB2056, SB2368

Keywords: temporary emergency electric energy facility, temporary generation, emergency power, backup generation, mobile generator, portable generator, grid resilience, power outage restoration, transmission and distribution utility, TDU, Public Utility Commission of Texas, PUCT, Utilities Code Section 39.918, competitive bidding, lease authorization, emergency procurement, bulk power system, locational marginal pricing, reliability model, black start