Transcript Highlights:

• Transportation approves the loan or grant, the recipient must provide at least 10% of the total project cost
• The recipient must provide at least 10% of the total project cost from sources other than state funds
• These figures, however, don't account for the hidden costs, including the billions in economic impact
• Committee, or health costs from air pollution, which kills even more Texans than car crashes.
• , is a recipe for endless traffic and spiraling public costs.

Bills: HB483, HB3345, HB3643, HB3821, HB3849, HB4472, HB4523, HB4524, HB5346, HB5347, HB5376

Keywords: high-speed rail, Texas Department of Transportation, TxDOT, public-private partnership, comprehensive development agreement, CDA, Interstate 35, I-35 corridor, Dallas, Waco, Austin, San Antonio, intercity passenger rail, rail infrastructure, private entity, transportation infrastructure, rail corridor, passenger rail, infrastructure finance, vehicle registration

Transcript Highlights:

• has, if they can't come to an agreement or, you know, align on how much they're going to share the cost
• And the intent is to make sure we're doing it in an efficient manner.
• has, if they can't come to an agreement or, you know, align on how much they're going to share the cost
• And the intent is to make sure we're doing it in an efficient manner.
• A consistent statewide tool promotes fairness, transparency, and efficiency across all districts.

Summary: The Pre-K through 12 Budget Subcommittee heard and advanced three bills. CS/HB 1267, by Rep. Boussada, would require school districts to allow Schools of Hope to use vacant or surplus facilities or co-locate in schools with capacity, with non-instructional services handled through a pro rata agreement and a performance-based agreement requiring Schools of Hope to meet expectations within five years. Supporters argued it would better use underfilled public schools and help students in the bottom 10% of schools statewide; opponents raised concerns about local control, funding, and the effect on public schools. The bill passed 13-2. The committee also heard CS/HB 1115, by Rep. Valdes, which would require sharing certain discretionary sales surtax revenues with eligible charter schools based on enrollment, create a standardized charter school monitoring tool, and align Schools of Hope sponsoring-entity rules with charter school processes. Supporters said it would improve consistency and accountability; critics questioned fiscal impacts and district flexibility. That bill passed 13-2. The final bill, CS/HB 1213, by Rep. Alvarez, would create a K-12 School Route Optimization Pilot Program using five counties to test AI-assisted analysis of school bus routes and walking conditions, with the goal of improving child safety for students who currently walk long distances. Members discussed hazardous conditions, possible use of safe-school transportation funds, and the bill’s lack of fiscal impact. Public testimony included support from education and parent groups. The bill passed unanimously, 15-0. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we were able to find many efficiencies.
• And that resulted in a cost savings right up front.
• So we know going in what the cost is going to be, and they know it going in what the cost, if we EMAC
• The 50-50 cost share, though, is their baseline cost share, is probably... ...infrastructure.
• “State management costs, we’ve made no changes to our state management cost because they’re primarily

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard an update on the Northwest Louisiana earthquake cluster. Laura Sori of the Department of Conservation and Energy said the agency has inspected Class II injection wells within 12 miles of the earthquakes, found no permit violations, and is requiring monthly reporting of daily injection data. LSU and Tulane researchers explained that the swarm includes about 50 earthquakes detected by USGS since December 2025, including a 4.9 magnitude event on March 5, and that better monitoring is needed because Louisiana has very limited seismic station coverage. Dr. Cynthia Ebinger said her temporary array has detected more small quakes than USGS, that the pattern looks more like a swarm than normal aftershocks, and that the data suggest pressure changes in the subsurface, though no definitive cause was identified. Keith Hall of LSU described how other states responded to suspected induced seismicity with more monitoring, more frequent reporting, injection limits or moratoria, and “traffic light” systems that escalate regulatory responses as seismicity increases. Members asked about depths, fault locations, possible links to injection or fracking, and whether more monitoring and data-sharing should be pursued; several speakers said Louisiana likely needs a denser monitoring network and more structured data collection. A Texas geoscientist, William Berger, also testified that Texas uses large-scale data analysis and AI to study injection-related seismicity and argued for secure sharing of operator data to improve forecasting and risk management. The committee then took testimony on UAV and drone incursions over Barksdale Air Force Base. GOSEP said the incident was logged in WebEOC and the common operating picture, but that Barksdale did not request direct GOSEP resources and that the matter was handled through law enforcement channels. Louisiana State Police and the FBI said they were limited in what they could disclose, but confirmed multiple drone sightings on the morning and evening of March 9 and continued monitoring for several days. State Police said they have created a task force with the Police Chiefs Association, Sheriffs Association, GOSEP, and LSP, and that officers are receiving FBI-related training to help detect and, where authorized, mitigate drones. Members discussed whether the activity was nefarious, what counts as an incursion, and the need for better public education about drone restrictions near military and critical infrastructure sites. No formal action was taken, but members said the issue will continue to be tracked alongside pending legislation. Finally, the committee received a one-year update on the merger of GOSEP with the Louisiana National Guard and Military Department. Major General Thomas Freelieu and Brigadier General Jason Maffus said the merger has reduced GOSEP from seven divisions to three, shifted administrative functions to the Military Department, and produced about $10.5 million in first-year cost avoidance. They said the agency has modernized its common operating picture, returned staff to in-person work, and continued statewide preparedness exercises. Freelieu highlighted Guard missions including cyber expansion, the new Air National Guard cyber squadron at Jackson Barracks, modernization of the 159th Fighter Wing, and ongoing support for homeland security missions in New Orleans and Washington, D.C. Maffus said GOSEP’s core mission remains emergency preparedness, response, and recovery, and that the merger is intended to make state support to parishes faster and more efficient.

Transcript Highlights:

• Louis Police Department paid for their litigation costs prior to 2012.
• It reduces budget cost.
• It reduces budget cost.
• I think you were saying something about efficiency.
• The cost that has been mentioned in this is all subject to appropriations.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:31:29.120> Um which was another uh cost for us. Um which was another uh cost for us.
• I know it costs a lot.
• Um have you all a higher cost.
• <01:23:08.639> And efficient with my negotiating. And efficient with my negotiating.
• <01:23:28.159> That's project was the total cost. That's project was the total cost.

Keywords: Voter List Maintenance - State Board of Elections -- 05:38 State Employee Health Insurance Plan – 44:18 Discussion of HB 622 (2025 RS) – 01:01:43, 958, all

Summary: The Interim Committee on State Government met on July 29, established a quorum, approved the June 24 minutes unanimously, and heard an update from the State Board of Elections on voter list maintenance. Taylor Brown, the board’s general counsel, explained the federal NVRA requirements and Kentucky’s statutory process for maintaining voter rolls, including use of USPS change-of-address data, ERIC reports, and agreements with non-ERIC states. He said Kentucky has entered or discussed agreements with several states, and that the board sends postcards to voters believed to have moved; if a voter does not respond to an 8D2 postcard and does not vote over two federal election cycles, the registration may be removed. He also described other removal categories such as death, felony conviction, incompetency, duplicate registrations, and self-requested cancellations. Brown reported that between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, the board removed 284,381 registrations from the rolls, including 42,675 for death, 5,940 for felony conviction, 5,527 for registration in another state, 578 for incompetency, 223 based on jury questionnaires indicating non-citizenship, 746 self-removals, and 3,381 duplicates, along with 225,311 removals through the address-maintenance program. He said Kentucky’s total registrations decreased by roughly 169,000 over the year and are now below the Census Bureau’s estimate of the state’s voting-age population. Brown emphasized that receiving a postcard does not mean a voter has been purged and that failure to vote alone does not trigger removal. Members asked about the 223 non-citizen-related removals, the availability and effectiveness of alternatives to ERIC, the partisan criticism of ERIC, and how duplicate registrations are identified. Brown said the non-citizen jury questionnaire cases had been referred to the Attorney General for further review, that Kentucky currently has no organized alternative to ERIC but is pursuing reciprocal agreements with states such as Florida, and that ERIC recently changed bylaws to remove a postcard requirement that had been costly for member states. On duplicates, he said the board uses multiple data points, not just name and address, and noted that fuller Social Security data could improve accuracy. Committee leaders praised the board’s work and said they wanted to meet before session to discuss possible statutory changes to improve voter list maintenance.

Transcript Highlights:

• She is the reason why our reports get out so efficiently.
• So, Senator, She is the reason why our reports get out so efficiently.
• And one of the costs... There are always costs, right?
• And one of the costs that goes with this bill is the cost to our general fund, as well as the hits to
• ...to hold harmless hits or how much less it would theoretically cost?

Bills: SB12, SB13

Keywords: tax credit, physician, healthcare, income tax, rural health, tax deduction, gross receipts, coinsurance, managed care, 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In order to increase government efficiency and decrease the administrative burden of the SWATS plant,
• It basically is going to help us as far as increasing efficiency.
• , increasing his costs by $30,000, $40,000, and even $50,000.
• Puga; those costs got up to over $50,000 in order to have his kids next to him, one kid on each side.
• It costs me as much to maintain those systems on an annual basis as the city wants to tax me.

Bills: SB1079, SB1243, SB1504, SB1579, SB1708, SB1844, SB1851, SB1879, SB1921, SB1951, SB2237, SB2238, SB2406, SB2407

Keywords: SB 1079, Texas, county government, commissioners court, Local Government Code, Chapter 263, surplus property, salvage property, data storage device, hard drive, electronic media, digital records, confidential information, protected information, privacy, records retention, information security, data destruction, device disposal, sensitive data

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, teachers for reinstatement, each of which costs roughly $150.
• THIS ENSURES EXPERIENCE EDUCATORS CAN RETURN TO   369 TEACHING MORE EFFICIENTLY WHILE STILL
•   373 THIS CHANGE ALLOWS THEM TO REENTER  THE WORKFORCE MORE EFFICIENTLY BY   374
• EACH OF WHICH COSTING ROUGHLY $150.
• a certified educator seeking to renew or reinstate his or her certificate to use the system at no cost

Summary: The Pre-K-12 Budget Subcommittee met with a quorum and considered three bills. HB 157, School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program, would create a Department of Education program allowing school districts and charter schools to place current or retired high-performing teachers in D- or F-rated schools as mentors, with a proposed $3,000 stipend per mentor per mentee. Members questioned the funding source and contract-time implications; the sponsor said the program would use previously decategorized education funds and that mentoring could be done within existing planning, before-school, after-school, or weekend time. An amendment clarifying that the bill would use a contract template rather than a DOE contract was adopted, and the bill was reported favorably. The committee then heard CS/HB 859, Exceptional Students and Video Cameras in Public Schools, which would require school boards to adopt policies for video cameras in self-contained ESE classrooms upon a parent request, with redaction of other students from footage. Public testimony strongly supported the bill, including emotional accounts from a parent of a nonverbal adult with autism who described past abuse in a classroom and from the Autism Society of Florida, which argued cameras are a necessary safety measure for vulnerable students and noted other states already allow or require them. Members emphasized student safety and the need to fund the policy, and the bill was reported favorably. Finally, the committee considered HB 561, Educator Certification, which aims to reduce barriers for experienced educators returning to the classroom by expanding temporary certificate eligibility to those with expired Florida certificates, allowing prior subject-area exam results to count for reinstatement, and updating references related to educator professional learning support. The sponsor said the bill preserves standards while making reinstatement more efficient and less costly. There was broad support from members, who noted the value of retaining experienced teachers, and HB 561 was also reported favorably. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• that wouldn't help create efficiencies that wouldn't help create efficiencies um<01:10:18.040>
• <01:10:40.600> I'm streamline government efficiencies I'm streamline government efficiencies
• fee increases so it would cover the cost fee increases so it would cover the cost of<01:54:51.239
• direct costs.
• I mean, the real costs here are transportation costs and not so much tipping fees.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from the Department of Environmental Services on proposed changes in House Bill 2 and related technical changes in House Bill 1 tied to the governor’s permitting realignment initiative. The proposal would move environmental review staff from Fish and Game and DNCR to DES to create a more centralized “one-stop shop” for applicants needing DES permits, especially for wildlife and natural heritage reviews. DES said the goal is to speed permitting, support a 60-day review clock, and improve coordination among agencies while keeping the substantive review work in place. Members asked about staffing impacts, the scope of the transferred duties, and whether the change would create redundancy or weaken the other agencies. DES said most of the affected staff work primarily on these reviews, though Fish and Game staff also handle other state and federal reviews, which is why the proposal was adjusted to keep one of the four Fish and Game positions there and move three to DES, along with two positions from DNCR. DES also described a new supervisory position in HB 2 to manage the transferred staff within its land resources bureau. Officials said the reviews would still be done by specialists, but under DES supervision, and that the agencies would continue to coordinate recommendations on species impacts and mitigation. The committee also discussed fee increases intended to offset costs, including a 50% increase in wetlands fees and a 100% increase in alteration-of-terrain fees, with the department saying the changes would cover the new positions. Members raised concerns about impacts on private homeowners, possible incentives to work without permits, and whether fines should be used more as a revenue source or for mitigation. DES said wetlands permits are roughly split between homeowner-related and commercial projects, that permit-by-notification already creates a two-tier structure for smaller projects, and that enforcement relies partly on public complaints and online permitting systems. The department also said most fines currently go to the general fund and vary widely year to year, with about $75,000 budgeted, and that the proposal would also create permit-by-notification authority for alteration-of-terrain projects between 100,000 and 150,000 square feet, mirroring language in Senate Bill 110. No vote or final committee action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• the bills to pay this as money comes down, and you know, there's cost overruns and things like that.
• Often repeated cost estimates rely on inflation-adjusted figures attributed to the state's livestock
• So looking internally into the department, where can we gain efficiencies and reduce costs in terms of
• And I don't think the only place to look is internal efficiencies to make sure that we're, you know,
• You'll see from our budget chart that only 7% of our funds are used for administrative costs.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill ensures an efficient and equitable and cost effective approach for disaster recovery.
• We don't think that that adds any cost to the bill.
• How many approved and how much what's the average cost?
• Average cost because we haven't gone through a financial committee yet I think is still TBD.
• The cost is what makes me nervous.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill will include increase transparency, accountability and efficiency and how we manage behavioral
• We've tried to patch the leaky bucket as best we can, but we don't know what the most efficient we do
• improve access to care, enhance patient outcomes and then sure system operate with dignity and efficiency
• The implementation was made possible by identifying and capitalizing on efficiencies, such as utilizing
• dynamic needs and the goals we all have as people and promoting meaningful solutions with financial cost

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• maybe have a working group if we can get everybody together and let's figure out what it's going to cost
• what is this and let's figure out what what is this going<00:03:47.120> to<00:03:47.280> cost
• what's feasible because I going to cost what's feasible because I understand<00:03:50.080> that
• Um, you talked about let's figure out how we can what this is going to cost and go forward with that.
• land use efficiency and public service<00:11:17.839> delivery.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs and Health and Human Services heard Senate Concurrent Resolution 58 and Senate Resolution 42, which urge counties to install special-needs recreational playground equipment in parks and playgrounds. Testimony came from the Disability and Communication Access Board, the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Disability Rights Center, Autism Moms of Kona, and a Pacific Disability Center representative, all supporting the resolutions. Several testifiers asked that the term “special needs” be replaced with “access and functional needs,” and one requested language broadening the measure to explicitly include developmentally and intellectually disabled youth. A committee member also discussed the need for inclusion and the benefits of accessible play for all children. After questions, the chairs said they would adopt amendments from the Disability and Communication Access Board, Autism Moms of Kona, and Tina Marie Kira, along with technical, non-substantive changes. Both committees then voted to recommend passage of SCR 58 and SR 42 with amendments, with members voting aye and some excused. The committees then heard Senate Concurrent Resolution 163 and Senate Resolution 132, which request counties to adopt flexible setback requirements for state buildings and facilities to improve land use efficiency and public service delivery. Testimony in support came from the Grassroots Institute and the Department of Accounting and General Services. The chairs moved the resolutions forward with technical, non-substantive amendments, and both committees adopted recommendations to pass SCR 163 and SR 132 with amendments before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a 75/25 cost share split. The state receives an allocation.
• It's a 75, 25% cost share split. The state receives an allocation.
• It costs a lot of money to recruit and train somebody.
• It costs a lot of money to recruit and train somebody.
• But we don't know what the cost is. So Mr.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All costs associated with operating the district are self-funded by its five board members.
• Inflation Calculator, the average cost of... The cost of a dozen eggs in 2020 was $1.51.
• Years of limbo and millions and millions of carrying costs.
• Projects stand to make huge gains in time and efficiency from this bill.
• That can add enormous costs. And also the licensing issue as well.

Bills: SB2784, HB23, HB247, HB1533, HB2011, HB2013, HB2273, HB2421, HB2464, HB3120, HB3424, HB3575, HB3788, HB4370, HB4809, HB5057, HB5084, HB5534, HB5668, HJR34, HB23, HB247, HJR34

Keywords: Somervell County, hospital district, board of directors, elections, local governance, staggered terms, third-party review, property development, local government, permits, construction inspection, regulatory authority, land development, liability, occupancy certificate, border security, tax exemption, ad valorem, real property, infrastructure

Transcript Highlights:

• And what's it going to cost? Because every session...
• Glenn Hager: ...What's it going to cost? Because every session.
• What do we have, and what's it going to cost? Because every session...
• I don't want to be trapped with a sole vendor that then ramps up costs.
• Yes, the locals had to consume that cost. Corey: Right.

Bills: SB 1, SB1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Storage, data storage, they have a cost, and the cost goes up.
• So LFC knows that, is it going to be an additional cost?
• In terms of the benefit-cost ratio, ranging from about 15.
• Efficiency is so key in our industry.
• How much does battery storage cost?

Transcript Highlights:

• Costs include a one-time expenditure exceeding $150,000 for the Department of Financial Protection and
• But it is important to note that the benefits of this bill outweigh the costs.
• So that in itself is adding cost to the everyday homebuyer, everyday renter each 18 months.
• This is really a bill just for a period of time to try to hold those costs steady.
• Moreover, sometimes compliance options will actually reduce costs.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• cost of living adjustment in the bill? cost of living adjustment in the bill?
• what the cost of living adjustment but what the cost of living adjustment<00:25:19.200> would
• <00:26:05.200> of just confirm that what is the cost of just confirm that what is the cost
• So the intention of the cost-of-living adjustment was that those brackets would rise with cost of living
• because of the cost of infrastructure. because of the cost of infrastructure.

Bills: HB1719, HB1742, HB1737, HB2049, HB1725, HB1726, HB1738, HB1799, HB1700

Keywords: housing crisis, manufactured homes, factory-built housing, zoning, relocatable housing units, farm employee housing, agriculture, Hawaii Revised Statutes, agricultural districts, land use, regulation, renewable energy, community development, housing, affordable housing, real estate, state regulation, building codes, construction, permitting

Summary: The joint public hearing covered several housing-related bills and one building-code measure. HB 1719 would make manufactured homes a permitted use by right on residentially zoned lots in the urban district, HB 1742 would authorize self-contained relocatable housing units with restrictions, and HB 1737 would clarify that a farm dwelling in an agricultural district may include an accessory employee housing structure. Testimony on these bills was overwhelmingly supportive from groups including Hawaii Realtors, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, Housing Hawaii’s Future, the Modular Building Institute, the Hawaii Farmers Union, and others, with a few agencies offering comments. No one testified in opposition on HB 1719 or HB 1742, while HB 1737 drew one opposition and one comment in addition to broad support. No votes were taken during the hearing segment provided. A major portion of the hearing focused on HB 2049, which restructures the conveyance tax into a marginal-rate system and changes how the revenue is allocated, including funding for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the rental housing revolving fund, while also affecting the legacy land conservation fund. Supporters, including DHHL, Hawaii Appleseed, Aahu Youth Action Board, Hawaii YIMBY, and others, argued the bill would help Native Hawaiian housing and, for most transactions, function as a tax cut. Opponents, including NAP Hawaii, Hawaii Realtors, Hawaii Land Trust, Mhai Land Trust, and the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, objected to using conveyance tax as a revenue-generating tool and raised concerns about higher upfront costs and reduced funding for other housing uses. Committee members and staff discussed the bill’s revenue estimates, the reduced percentage but higher cap for the land conservation fund, the effect on rental housing funding, and the bill’s cost-of-living adjustment language; staff said a line-by-line comparison of the current and proposed tax structure would be provided before decision-making. The hearing also took up HB 1725, which would extend the state building code adoption cycle from two years to six years, apply the IRC to triplexes and fourplexes, allow counties to adopt more or less stringent amendments, and appropriate funds for code adoption work. Most testimony supported the bill, with advocates saying the current process is unmanageable, too resource-intensive, and creates confusion because state and county codes can diverge; supporters said a longer cycle would improve clarity and allow more focused review. The International Code Council and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers opposed the measure, warning that delaying adoption could have negative consequences and urging the committee to let an existing statewide code-adoption strategy proceed first. Members asked about sequencing, county implementation, and whether the longer cycle would create catch-up problems, but no action was taken in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, this is a cost-saving efficiency bill for part of the Secretary of State.
• Uh, this is a cost-saving efficiency bill for part of the Secretary of State.
• Uh, this is a cost-saving efficiency bill for part of the Secretary of State.
• Uh, this is a cost-saving efficiency bill for part of the Secretary of State.
• Uh, this is a cost-saving efficiency bill for part of the Secretary of State.

Keywords: 1136, house, all