Transcript Highlights:

• close to tree limbs, contacted the. local utility company, and within 45 minutes they were able to remotely
• After witnessing the devastation caused by this fire, I worked for state workers to develop a way for
• Also, workers' comp insurance is entitled to segregation.

Bills: HB 13, HB143, HB144, HB145, HB366, HB470, HB805, HB912, HB13, HB143, HB144, HB145

Keywords: emergency communication, infrastructure, first responders, grant program, interoperability, Texas Interoperability Council, local governments, HB 143, Texas Railroad Commission, Public Utility Commission of Texas, Natural Resources Code, oil and gas, well site, surface facility, electrical power line, National Electrical Code, NEC, electrical safety, utility disconnect, service disconnection

Transcript Highlights:

• For those online, if you are remote, please use the raise hand feature if you have questions or wish
• And then for those here you're remote.
• We'll go remote folks this time first.
• We'll go remote folks this time first.
• And then whether the preference is to be remote, fully remote, or hybrid like it was today, or all in

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The meeting was the first session of the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Electricity as a Vehicle Fuel Working Group. Commissioner Nancy Doenberger opened with introductions from members representing state agencies, legislators, utilities, local governments, industry groups, advocacy organizations, and others. The group then elected its leadership: Senator Anne Johnson Stewart was nominated and unanimously elected chair, and Representative Steve Elkins was nominated and unanimously elected vice chair. Senator Johnson Stewart said she would ensure all viewpoints are heard and asked MnDOT to continue running the meeting for practical reasons. Austin Turman of the Legislative Coordinating Commission reviewed the authorizing legislation. He explained that the working group must analyze electricity used as vehicle fuel infrastructure opportunities and barriers, develop a roadmap with policy and funding recommendations for sustainable transportation funding consistent with the Minnesota Constitution, and study other states’ approaches to equitable fuel assessment methods for electric vehicles. The group’s report is due February 13 and will go to the governor and legislative transportation leaders. Turman also briefly reviewed open meeting law requirements, noting the group must operate publicly when a quorum discusses official business, though public comment is not required. Members then discussed the purpose of the group and the need to find a fair replacement or supplement for declining gas tax revenue as EVs increase. Senator Johnson Stewart emphasized balancing system funding needs with user-based fairness, including differences in vehicle weight and road use. Representative Murphy stressed the need to consider rural Minnesota, taxpayer impacts, and current science, including climate and CO2 issues. Drive Electric Minnesota said EV drivers should pay their fair share and not be overburdened, while the Department of Revenue said it wants to administer the new EV charging-station tax fairly. A trucking representative highlighted that passenger vehicles and freight vehicles have very different operating and charging needs, suggesting the group consider those differences in any fee structure.

Transcript Highlights:

• The clerk will call the name of the member participating remotely. Davids votes aye.
• [Music] The clerk will call on the member participating remotely. Davids votes no.
• The clerk will call the name of the member participating remotely: Davids.
• remotely remotely Davids<00:41:47.520> David<00:41:47.920> votes<00:41:48.319> no
• The clerk will call the name of the member participating remotely: Davids.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• actually a landing strip for these hobby guys, you know, these really expensive planes that you fly remotely
• planes that you these really expensive planes that you you<00:15:29.760> fly<00:15:30.560> remotely
• It's<00:15:31.760> a<00:15:31.920> landing<00:15:32.480> strip you fly remotely
• It's a landing strip you fly remotely.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• FIRST TOPIC WE HAVE WITH US DAN THE VICE PRESIDENT OF STATE POLICY FOR DATA CENTER COALITION ON REMOTELY
• WE HAVE CEE JAY MEYER THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF IMPLEMENTATION FOR CLL DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE REMOTELY
• DIORIO WHO IS REMOTE. >> CAN YOU SEE ME? >> Chair: YES WE CAN SEE YOU. >> GOOD MORNING.
• SOLUTIONS SUPPORTED BY AI HELP ENABLE VIRTUAL CARE AND EXTEND THE MEDICAL SUPPORT TO PATIENTS IN REMOTE

Transcript Highlights:

• Or my former co-worker whose life ended in horrific violence after being shot and then dismembered?
• Or my former co-worker<02:36:34.080> whose<02:36:34.399> life<02:36:34.800> ended
• ><02:36:35.280> in<02:36:35.520> horrific co-worker whose life ended in horrific co-worker
• Each left<02:37:01.200> families,<02:37:02.000> friends,<02:37:02.720> co-workers,
• c><02:37:03.439> and left families, friends, co-workers, and left families, friends, co-workers

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The House took up a motion to suspend the rules so House File 5140 could be recalled from committee, given second and third readings, and placed on passage. Representative Long and Representative Greenman argued the bill was an urgent, comprehensive gun violence prevention package that had already passed the Senate and should be acted on immediately in response to recent shootings, including Annunciation School, Burnsville, and Accent Signage. They said families, students, survivors, doctors, and community members had been pressing legislators to act, and Greenman described the bill as including mental health, intervention, anonymous threat reporting, bans on weapons of war, ghost guns, and binary triggers. Representative Heintzeman opposed the urgency motion and focused on specific bill language, arguing that parts of the proposal were unclear or overly broad. He questioned whether the language on protruding grips would effectively ban all handguns, whether the penalties section could turn lawful gun owners into felons for possessing multiple noncompliant items, and whether the firearms assembly language could criminalize routine cleaning and reassembly of guns. He said these issues should have been addressed in committee and argued members needed clearer answers before voting on urgency. Greenman responded that the language was intended to target additional protruding grips, not ordinary handgun grips, and said she was willing to adopt an amendment to clarify that point. On the penalties and assembly questions, she said the bill was aimed at certifying existing weapons, banning ghost guns, and preventing harm, and repeatedly urged members to vote for the urgency motion so the full bill could be considered. The exchange remained focused on the motion to suspend the rules and on the substance of the gun violence prevention package; no final vote or other action is shown in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Haley Allison is here remotely, and Haley, will you state where you are remotely and say here?
• As we move ahead, I do want to add to the record that the remote participation by Commissioner Allison
• And Jeff, I totally relate to saying that people are tired of remote meetings.
• My entire first year as a commissioner was remote because it was during COVID, and it was awful.
• other hand, the first year of being on a board, and finally getting to the point where you’re even remotely

Keywords: Virginia Commission for the Arts Board Meeting, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• in person and sometimes using remote in person and sometimes using remote voting<01:21:22.960>
• The clerk will call the names of the members voting remotely. Hussein. Yes. Hussein votes aye.
• The clerk will call the names of the members voting remotely. Hussein? Go ahead.
• The clerk will call the names of the members voting remotely. Hussein, I. One more time.
• The clerk will call the names of the members voting remotely. Hussein. Okay, go ahead.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So the 2008 recession and the loss of construction capacity and the GCs, the subs, and the workers that
• or a half-empty office park, something that might realistically never be leased out in an age of remote
• in<00:42:23.040> an<00:42:23.200> age<00:42:23.359> of<00:42:23.520> remote
• <00:42:24.640> What out in an age of remote work. What out in an age of remote work.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:15 Roll Call 00:00:45 Discussion of Pro-Growth Housing Policies 00:02:33 Adjournment 01:17:15, 958, all

Summary: The Housing Task Force 2.0 reconvened with several new members and heard a presentation from Kentucky Housing Corporation Executive Director Winston Miller and Deputy Executive Director Wendy Smith. They framed the task force’s work as a practical effort to address Kentucky’s housing shortage, update members on the current housing landscape, summarize existing state and federal resources, and suggest areas for the task force to focus on over the coming year. KHC said its 2024 housing supply gap analysis found Kentucky is short about 206,000 housing units, split roughly evenly between rental and homeownership, and projected the gap could grow to 287,000 units by 2029 if current trends continue. They emphasized that every county in Kentucky needs more housing, that the 2008 housing crisis and loss of construction capacity remain major causes of the shortage, and that current pressures include high interest rates, rising insurance and tax costs, construction cost inflation, and housing prices and rents growing faster than incomes. KHC also said homelessness has risen in Kentucky, with point-in-time counts showing double-digit increases in recent years. The presenters reviewed existing resources, including federal programs, the Kentucky Affordable Housing Trust Fund, the rural housing trust fund, KHC mortgage and down payment assistance programs, and the state mortgage interest deduction. They said these resources are important but insufficient to close the gap, and noted that a proposed federal FY2026 budget would cut HUD programs by 44%, potentially removing about $286 million from Kentucky housing resources, though no action has been taken yet. They urged the task force to consider stronger, more flexible tools such as a revolving loan fund, a state affordable housing tax credit, and economic development and employer-assisted housing incentives, and pointed to Indiana’s housing infrastructure and regional development funds as examples. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have three testifiers, two in person, one remote.
• If you could come to the testifier table, and then we'll have one more testifier remotely after that.
• That's remote. Amanda R., which is remote. And then Haley Dagel, Lori Harper, and Uni.
• Next we have Amanda R., who is also coming to us remotely.
• Uh Lori, if you would, um remotely.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You're talking primarily about self-employed and gig workers, which is a small but non-trivial number
• , which is a small but but workers, which is a small but but non-trivial<01:56:03.280> number<
• I think that's a remote possibility, but okay. about a year after that uh executive about a year after
• I think that's a remote don't know.
• I think that's a remote possibility<02:20:02.960> but<02:20:03.280> okay<02:20:03.760><

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We will not sacrifice more than a handful of jobs for our waste management workers, looking at the data
• a handful of jobs for our waste than a handful of jobs for our waste management<02:05:09.760> workers
• management workers looking at the data. management workers looking at the data.
• c><02:18:58.639> monitored<02:18:59.040> at<02:18:59.200> a<02:18:59.359> remote
• <02:18:59.599> site of things monitored at a remote site of things monitored at a remote site

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh in the remote >> Thank you, Madam Chair.
• On the remote testimony, we have one in support and one opposed.
• In remote testimony we have one in support and two opposed.
• Uh on the remote >> Thank you, Madam Chair.
• In today's remote testimony, we had two in support and zero opposed.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• sometimes it's just the most affordable way for us to address a certain situation, for example, in our remote
• sometimes it's just the most affordable way for us to address a certain situation. for example, in our remote
• For example, in our remote grid program, our goal is to remove wildfire risk from our system by taking
• But we have all the information also remotely.
• So all the information from the operation, we get that remotely, which will be quite useful.

Summary: The Select Committee on Climate Innovation and Infrastructure held a hearing focused on emerging technologies for climate resilience and infrastructure. The first panel discussed the Calistoga Resiliency Center, a utility-driven microgrid that keeps the city powered during public safety power shutoffs using hydrogen fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, and liquid hydrogen storage. PG&E described microgrids as a resilience tool but emphasized that cost remains the main barrier to wider deployment. Energy Vault explained the project’s design, its ability to provide at least 48 hours of backup power on a small parcel of land, and its use of green hydrogen and battery storage to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. A Calistoga councilmember and NCPA representative also discussed the Lodi Energy Center hydrogen project, saying it could help decarbonize power generation and transportation, but that federal and state funding changes, tax credit timing, and other policy shifts have made the project difficult to advance. The Green Hydrogen Coalition supported the Calistoga model as a blueprint and urged policy changes to create demand and reduce barriers for renewable hydrogen, including addressing behind-the-meter rules and recognizing hydrogen in state energy planning. The second panel focused on water resilience and desalination, with the California Desal Association and Oneka Technologies discussing wave-powered desalination for the City of Fort Bragg. Cal Desal said California’s changing hydrology, reduced snowpack, and drought conditions make local water supply options increasingly important, but noted that conventional desalination is expensive and slow to permit. Oneka described its offshore, wave-powered system as a zero-electricity desalination technology that produces drinking water without greenhouse gas emissions and with limited land use, and said the Fort Bragg pilot is intended to demonstrate the technology under California conditions. The company and Cal Desal both stressed that permitting is a major obstacle, with the project requiring multiple agencies and a timeline far longer than in other jurisdictions. They also said the technology’s autonomous operation could improve water resilience because it does not depend on the electrical grid. The final panel featured the Climate Foundation’s marine permaculture proposal, which aims to restore kelp forests and support carbon removal and coastal food systems. The presenter said warming oceans and nutrient loss have devastated kelp forests along the California coast and argued that offshore platforms that raise and lower seaweed to access nutrients and sunlight could help regenerate ecosystems while producing food, feed, fertilizer, and carbon benefits. He said the technology has shown strong growth rates and storm resilience in other regions, but that California permitting remains a major hurdle, involving 17 state and federal agencies. He proposed a streamlined, code-based permitting approach for smaller projects and said the group is seeking matching funds to complete a first California pilot. Throughout the hearing, members and witnesses repeatedly highlighted the tension between innovation and the high cost, complexity, and length of California’s permitting and funding processes.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I think that's the element that we have seen as successful in this: the remote device monitoring.
• They're doing remote monitoring that gets reviewed, flagged if there's a concern, and they get an immediate
• I think that's the element that we have seen as successful in this: the remote device monitoring.
• They're doing remote monitoring that gets reviewed, flagged if there's a concern, and they get an immediate
• participated last year, we had over 18,000 records of their vitals being collected through these remote

Summary: The committee opened with roll call, welcomed members back for the first committee weeks, and heard brief personal updates from several senators before moving into agency implementation updates on recently enacted health care laws. The Agency for Health Care Administration reported on Senate Bill 64 creating rural emergency hospitals, explaining that AHCA adopted the required rules effective June 1, 2025, but that no hospitals have yet been designated. Members asked about possible hospital conversions, accreditation and survey responsibilities, and whether Florida would apply for federal rural health transformation funding; AHCA said it intends to apply and has already been working on the issue with federal officials. AHCA also reviewed the non-emergent care access plan requirement under Senate Bill 7016. The agency said hospitals with emergency departments must submit plans that help redirect non-emergent patients to appropriate care settings while complying with EMTALA, and that 83 plans had been received and 63 approved as of September 30. Members asked about data collection, managed care coordination, and the state’s health information exchange; AHCA said it has moved to a new HIE vendor and will continue monitoring implementation and possible care gaps. AHCA then updated the committee on the TEACH program, saying $6.8 million was spent in 2024-25 across 59 parent organizations and 229 facilities, with more than 1,800 students and nearly 380,000 clinical hours reimbursed. The agency said rulemaking is nearly complete, a new nursing student category and expanded facility eligibility were added, and a federal 1115 workforce waiver remains stalled after CMS signaled it will not approve new workforce demonstrations. AHCA also reviewed House Bill 121 on KidCare eligibility, explaining that implementation of the 300% poverty-level expansion remains blocked by federal litigation and waiver issues tied to premium nonpayment rules; members and public speakers urged action to close the coverage gap. Public testimony on AHCA’s presentation came from representatives of health centers and advocacy groups, who said the non-emergent care access plan has improved hospital-health center coordination and reduced repeat emergency use, and who urged implementation of KidCare expansion for children in the coverage gap. The Department of Health then presented updates on FRAM, the Sanadi screening grant program, the Health Care Innovation Revolving Loan Program, telehealth maternity care, swimming lesson vouchers, and House Bill 159 on pharmacist dispensing of HIV post-exposure prophylaxis. DOH reported strong participation in FRAM and the telehealth maternity program, 24 Sanadi grant awards in 42 counties, 4,945 swimming lesson vouchers issued last year and 2,371 so far this year, and three approved certification courses with five pharmacist certifications issued under HB 159. Committee members asked about recruitment of dentists and other providers, telehealth maternity outcomes, and why participation in the maternity program remains below expected levels; DOH said outreach and regional referral networks are expanding and more detailed outcome data will be included in the upcoming legislative report.

Transcript Highlights:

• With our first... on coming in remotely is Representative Paul McMurtry.
• Next up remotely is Michael Palmer on S. 1841. Hello, everybody. Great. Okay. Thank you very much.
• Is there anyone here who would like to speak in person or anyone online remotely who would like to testify

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Service held its third hearing of the 194th General Court session, taking testimony on several individual bills and home rule petitions, mostly involving retirement and pension-related relief. The committee chair outlined hearing procedures, including three-minute limits for individuals, ten-minute limits for panels, livestreaming, and the deadline for written testimony. At the end of the hearing, the chair noted that House matters heard that day must be reported by Friday, July 11, 2025, subject to extensions, and the committee adjourned after testimony concluded. Several witnesses supported bills seeking retirement credit or pension adjustments for public employees. These included H. 2917 for Dedham-Westwood Water District employees seeking pension buy-in credit; H. 2976 for Eileen Mullen to purchase creditable service for teaching in a criminal justice pilot program; H. 2996 for Virginia Cummings, a retired Department of Correction lieutenant seeking greater pension parity; H. 2977 for Wendy Lopieri to buy back part-time community college service; and H. 2989 for Wayne Taylor, who said he was mistakenly credited for fewer years of select board service than he expected. Testimony emphasized long public service, injuries, and what witnesses described as unfair denials or flawed interpretations of retirement law. The committee also heard testimony on bills involving post-retirement earnings and disability-related relief. Kevin Blanchett testified in opposition to H. 2931, arguing it would improperly reduce money owed to a regional retirement system and its members, while the bill’s sponsor argued the retirement board was seeking an excessive recovery based on law firm gross earnings rather than the individual’s earnings. Jamie Magarian described severe injuries from a 2018 crash and urged favorable action on his bill, with support from the State Police Association. Michael Palmer testified in favor of S. 1841, seeking to extend prior violent-crime retirement income-cap relief to his case after being shot on duty and later finding that even part-time private-sector work exceeded his retirement earnings limit.

Transcript Highlights:

• legislative session, can you please tell me, would we be able to vote remotely?
• and I don't see a provision in here for and I don't see a provision in here for a<00:54:30.880> remote
• legislative<00:54:32.480> session<00:54:33.119> can<00:54:33.240> you a remote
• legislative session can you a remote legislative session can you please<00:54:33.599> tell<00
• <00:54:36.240> represent remotely represent remotely represent roach<00:54:39.119> I'm<

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• With the expensive chemotherapeutic drugs, there's no way that we could remotely consider offering chemotherapy
• could offer drugs there's no way that we could offer we<00:14:22.320> could<00:14:22.480> remotely
• <00:14:22.839> consider<00:14:23.279> offering we could remotely consider offering
• we could remotely consider offering chemotherapy<00:14:24.279> at<00:14:24.360> our<00:
• practicing clinicians, physicians, dentists, and advanced practice professionals, and some of the most remote

Keywords: 00:00 Introductions 02:46 Roll Call 03:35 Discussion on SB 14 46:13 Vote on SB 14 48:07 Discussion on SB 17 50:38 Vote on SB 17, 958, all

Summary: The Senate Standing Committee on Health Services opened with the chair welcoming several new members and outlining session rules: hearings would start and end on time, the committee would limit the number of bills heard each meeting, prioritize bills heard during the interim, and generally avoid using the consent calendar except in extreme circumstances. The committee then briefly considered administrative regulations, which were treated as approved if members had no questions. The main item was Senate Bill 14, a measure addressing the 340B drug discount program. The chair said the bill had already passed the Senate in a prior session and had been heard in interim, so he did not present it again. He described the bill as prohibiting drug manufacturers from discriminating against 340B covered entities by refusing 340B pricing when the same drug is offered at that price in the state. He also said the committee would not debate the federal 340B program itself, but would hear testimony on the bill. Hospital leaders and Kentucky Hospital Association representatives testified in support, arguing that 340B savings are essential to rural hospitals, oncology services, transportation support, chronic care, addiction recovery, and new service lines such as chemotherapy and hepatitis treatment. They said the program helps keep care close to home and that manufacturer restrictions on contract pharmacies have reduced access and cost hospitals millions. Opponents from BIO Kentucky and the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions argued the bill would expand federal law beyond Congress’s intent, create administrative burdens, and not lower patient out-of-pocket costs. The chair repeatedly pressed opponents to address why Kentucky should be denied the same 340B pricing available in other states. No vote on the bill was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• So they only allowed people into the farms were the owners and the workers.
• So they only allowed people into the farms were the owners and the workers.
• So they only allowed people into the farms were the owners and the workers.
• So they only allowed people into the farms were the owners and the workers.
• The workers gone? How you you guys gone? The workers gone?

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint committees met on March 19, 2025, to hear HB 966 HD2, which would create statewide standards for agricultural tourism in counties that adopt ag-tourism ordinances. The bill would require registration with county planning departments, require ag-tourism to remain tied to an active farming operation, and end the activity when the agricultural use stops except in limited circumstances. Testimony from the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, the Agribusiness Development Corporation, the Department of Agriculture, the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Kualoa Ranch, and the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council was generally supportive of the bill’s intent, with several witnesses emphasizing that agritourism can help farm viability, food security, and public education about agriculture. The Hawaii Farm Bureau and several other testifiers supported agritourism but urged strong guardrails, minimal statewide standards, and deference to county home rule. They said agriculture should remain the primary activity, warned against adding burdens to farmers and ranchers, and suggested better enforcement and agricultural expertise within county planning departments. Phil Weber and others argued for objective standards, such as minimum revenue or work-performed thresholds, annual reporting, and clearer compliance tools, and cautioned that the bill’s termination exemption could be too broad if not tightened. A substantial portion of the discussion focused on whether the bill should apply to Department of Agriculture lands, especially ag park lands, and to DLNR lands. Department of Agriculture staff explained that ag park lands currently do not allow agritourism, while non-ag park lands under Act 90 allow limited related activity tied to farm production, with revenue limits and other conditions. Members and witnesses debated how to define and measure agritourism, how to enforce county rules, and whether to exempt ag park parcels or otherwise clarify that existing DOA rules would control. No vote or final action was taken during the hearing, and the chair requested follow-up language from DOA to address possible exemptions and clarify the bill’s application.

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:25:20.159> from of Laos so very remote from of Laos so very remote from civilization.
• Our elder rather live in a remote area in a highland of Laos, but modernization caught up with us and
• So this is not what I want, but what we should have is to honor just remote area in a highland of allows
• but remote area in a highland of allows but modernization<01:28:30.639> caught<01:28:30.960><
• rational argument for an even remotely rational argument for why<01:30:46.080> this<01:30:46.320

Keywords: 1187, senate, all