Transcript Highlights:

• THE IDEA IS THE GOVERNMENT DOING IT. >> I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THE REASONABLE FORCE PROVISION.
• AND SO YOUR BILL ALLOWS MILITARY PERSONNEL TO USE REASONABLE FORCE TO PREVENT DESECRATION OF THE FLAG
• WHATEVER THE DEFINITION OF REASONABLE FORCES.
• NOTHING CHANGED EXCEPT AN ATTEMPT TO FORCE IT THROUGH URGE YOU TO VOTE NO ON SB 100.
• NO ONE IS LOSING THEIR HOME WERE FORCED TO SKIP A MEAL BECAUSE OF A FLAG AT CITY HALL.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Military historians still study that action today, not because 35 Americans defeated a force many times
• Born June 27, 1934, Colonel Harding entered the Air Force in 1956 as a distinguished graduate of Penn
• State University's Air Force ROTC program.
• Since retiring from the Air Force, I want to go back for a second.
• I understand that it may not force a vote, but it does force a conversation.

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then received communications recalling it for voting session and referring gubernatorial nominations and a series of Senate and House bills and resolutions to standing committees. Leaves of absence were granted, and the chamber recessed briefly for committee meetings and party caucuses before reconvening. On the floor, the Senate unanimously agreed to House Bill 1102 and later passed Senate Bill 1133 and Senate Bill 1303 by 50-0 votes. Several measures were set aside to their proper place in the calendar or re-referred, including Senate Bill 1182 and House Bill 928 to Appropriations. The Senate also adopted multiple amendments to Senate Bill 1372, including a technical amendment from Senator Brooks, an amendment offered on behalf of Senator Loughlin, and Senator Fontana’s amendment requiring carbon monoxide detectors in child care facilities; after amendment, Senate Bill 1372 was held over. The chamber adopted Senate Resolution 326 urging a posthumous Medal of Honor for Major Richard Winters. During petitions and remonstrances, Senator Tartaglione urged action to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage, noting it has been 20 years since the last increase. Senator Dush honored Colonel James C. Harding on his birthday, highlighting his military service and decorations. Senator Street introduced a discharge resolution to force consideration of adult-use cannabis legalization, arguing the issue has bipartisan support and should receive a vote. Senator Dush also delivered extended remarks on the Founders, John Adams, religion, and the Constitution. Committee reports followed, including Appropriations reporting Senate Bills 1061, 1182, and 1303 as committed and House Bill 2400 as amended, and Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure reporting House Bill 2426 as committed. The Senate then considered supplemental calendars, adopting an amendment to Senate Bill 1182 and passing Senate Bill 1303 on final passage, both by 50-0 votes. The chamber was also notified of upcoming committee meetings, and it recessed until June 30, 2026, at 11 a.m., unless recalled sooner.

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to the Arkansas Legislative Autism Task Force. Good morning.
• Welcome to the Arkansas Legislative Autism Task Force. We are going to get started here.
• I've personally had some interest from the broader public of Arkansas about how to be on this task force
• Does anybody here on the task force have any questions? Okay.
• Okay, so we've got other business, and so our two task force members who are here, I want to say thank

Summary: The Arkansas Legislative Autism Task Force approved the April 1, 2026 meeting minutes and discussed several vacant membership slots, including positions tied to the Arkansas Psychology Board, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, UAMS, and parent or guardian appointments. Members said they would try to fill the vacancies and, if not, include the issue in the legislative report and consider statutory changes in the next General Assembly. The task force then heard from the Developmental Disabilities Provider Association and Civitan Services about DDPA’s role in supporting 80 provider organizations serving more than 13,000 children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across 75 counties. They described services such as early intervention day programs, adult day programs, supported employment, intermediate care facilities, work activities, and community/residential waiver services, and said autism falls within the populations they serve. They also shared survey information on services used by older adults with IDD and offered contact information for providers. Members also heard a proposal to amend Act 656 of 2021 to add licensed psychological practitioners as qualified providers for autism waiver-related evaluations. The presenter argued this would reduce wait times, avoid duplicate assessments, and help families access services sooner, while noting that Arkansas Medicaid already pays for some of these evaluations. Task force members and Dr. Scott discussed the roles of psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and the possibility of using training or board oversight to ensure evaluators are properly qualified, with some noting that speech pathologists’ inclusion has historical and clinical roots. The task force also said it still needs a future discussion on fraud, plans to invite the Attorney General’s office, and wants to identify priorities for the 2027 session before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to the Arkansas Legislative Autism Task Force. A motion was made and seconded.
• agenda is that there has been interest from the broader public of Arkansas about how to be on this task force
• that, then that will go in the report, and we will look at that as a potential update to the task force
• Does anybody here on the task force have any questions? Okay.
• Does anybody here on the task force have any questions? Okay.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, Minnesota has a financial crimes task force that this is modeled after.
• Uh, in addition, other 17 other states have established some type of task force or coordinating board
• Uh, Minnesota has a financial crimes task force that this is modeled after.
• Uh, in addition, other 17 other states have established some type of task force or coordinating board
• 00:13:49.680> us<00:13:49.839> coordinate force that can help us coordinate force that

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The meeting was a bipartisan presentation in support of House File 2879, a bill responding to organized retail crime and supply chain theft in Minnesota. Speakers said the problem goes far beyond ordinary shoplifting and involves coordinated criminal networks that move quickly across cities, counties, and state lines, affecting retailers, trucking companies, manufacturers, workers, and consumers. They argued that Minnesota’s 2023 law defining organized retail crime was an important first step, but that the state now needs better execution and coordination. The bill would create an organized retail and supply chain crimes advisory board at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to bring together law enforcement, prosecutors, labor, and industry stakeholders. Testimony from a detective, a retailer, the Minnesota Trucking Association, and the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association described repeat theft patterns, assaults and threats against employees, cargo theft, identity theft, fictitious pickups, GPS spoofing, and other sophisticated tactics. Witnesses said local agencies often lack the ability to connect cases across jurisdictions and that a statewide coordinating body would help identify patterns, track repeat offenders, and build stronger enterprise-level cases. Representatives Witty and Norris described the bill as a practical next step from definition to coordination, and supporters said the effort has broad backing from business, law enforcement, and labor groups. No vote or formal committee action was described in the transcript, and the presentation ended with an invitation for questions and further interviews.

Transcript Highlights:

• Provides custodial care while working remotely, forcing families into an impossible choice.
• Next, we'll take up tab to Senate Bill 570 on task force on payment scams by Senator Polsky.
• This bill establishes a task force on payment scams under the Florida Department of Financial Services
• This task force is directed to examine current trends in payment scams to identify emerging methods as
• The task force will be directed to provide data-driven recommendations to improve scam detection and

Summary: The Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance met with a quorum present and took up a full agenda of bills, beginning with SB 1286 by Sen. Wright. That bill expanded the state recruitment bonus program to include newly employed firefighters, created a DFS grant review panel, and established a PTSD institute within DFS for first-responder behavioral health. Fire chiefs, the Florida League of Cities, and others supported the measure, and the committee reported it favorably. The committee then considered SB 198 on virtual currency kiosks by Sen. Rousan. A substitute amendment was adopted that clarified daily transaction limits, registration requirements, expiration rules, and OFR authority to deny registrations. Testimony focused on protecting seniors from crypto-ATM scams while giving the industry regulatory certainty. The committee also favorably reported CS/SB 198. Members next approved CS/SB 772, which allows portable electronics limited licensees to sell eyewear insurance, and CS/SB 1504, which updates insurance customer representative licensing pathways by allowing a high school insurance and personal finance course to count toward pre-licensure education. The committee also favorably reported Sen. Gruters’ CS/SB 1038 and CS/SB 1040, which together create the Florida Strategic Cryptocurrency Reserve and its trust fund framework, and CS/SB 1440, which expands public records exemptions and cybersecurity-related protections for financial institutions, loan originators, money service businesses, and credit unions. Sen. Burton’s SB 1668 on the NICA program drew extensive testimony from a NICA board member and family advocate, who urged stronger funding to preserve lifelong care for catastrophically injured children; the bill was reported favorably despite concerns from the Florida Justice Association about benefit restrictions and retroactivity. Finally, the committee approved CS/SB 570, creating a DFS task force on payment scams, after an amendment reduced FDLE’s required representation. At the end of the meeting, Sen. Burton requested to be recorded in the affirmative on SB 1286, and Sen. Passidomo requested affirmative votes on tabs 3, 5, and 9; the committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The governor would appoint a task force for this purpose.
• There is no cost to the state or to taxpayers, and the work of the task force would be carried out on
• There are countless examples like these that the task force can examine so that we can determine the
• There are countless examples like these that the task force can examine so that we can determine the
• And that's one of the things this task force would do is look at ways that we can educate the public.

Bills: HB630, HB685, HB1318, HB2692

Keywords: outboard motors, certificate of title, vessel regulation, Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, marine documentation, HB 685, municipal utility rates, water rates, sewer rates, local government code, rate discrimination, tax-exempt entities, sales tax exemption, ad valorem tax exemption, nonprofit organizations, charitable organizations, municipal water service, municipal sewer service, utility billing, public utilities

Summary: The Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs met with no quorum at the start, but later reached quorum and took up several bills. House Bill 2692, codifying the San Antonio River Authority’s enabling legislation and making non-substantive modernization changes, received brief supportive testimony from the River Authority and was left pending before later being voted out favorably. House Bill 685, which would prevent municipalities from charging higher water or sewer rates to tax-exempt entities than comparable customers, also drew support and was reported favorably. House Bill 1318, clarifying compensation issues when a municipality decertifies part of a retail water utility’s service area, was heard without opposition and passed out of committee. House Bill 630, exempting certain older outboard motors from title requirements, likewise passed and was placed on the local and uncontested calendar. The committee spent the most time on Senate Bill 2497, relating to filtration systems for certain public drinking water systems. Senator Zaffirini described the bill as a response to ongoing secondary water quality complaints, while TCEQ testified that such contaminants are aesthetic rather than health-based and that the water remains safe to drink if primary standards are met. The Texas Rural Water Association opposed the bill as written, arguing filtration may not solve most water quality problems and could be costly for small systems, while a consumer witness from Floresville supported it and described repeated rate increases and brown water after a filtration system was removed. Members discussed narrowing the bill through a committee substitute and emphasized the need for flexibility and technical expertise; the committee substitute was adopted and the bill was reported favorably, with Senator Kolkhorst later asking to be recorded as voting no. The committee also heard Senate Bill 2850, which would create a pollinator task force to study habitat loss, public education, and best practices for protecting bees and other pollinators. Senator Menendez and invited witness Erica Thompson of Texas BeeWorks highlighted major colony losses and the economic importance of pollinators to Texas agriculture, and Environment Texas and the Texas Beekeepers Association supported the measure. Members discussed monarch butterflies, native grasses, milkweed, and conservation efforts, and the bill was reported favorably and sent to the local and uncontested calendar. After testimony, the committee also voted out several pending items, including House Bill 5560 with a committee substitute addressing water-loss penalties and infrastructure improvements, and then recessed subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• request the DLNR to convene and provide administrative assistance to a desalination planning task force
• agrees to the amendments made by the House extending the year from 2026 to 2027 in which the task force
• request the DLNR to convene and provide administrative assistance to a desalination planning task force
• agrees to the amendments made by the House extending the year from 2026 to 2027 in which the task force
• Any further 2026 to 2027 in which the task force is 2026 to 2027 in which the task force is to<00:10:

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In 1992, the two joined forces in private practice, establishing Smitherman and Smitherman Law Firm.
• Whereas Lieutenant Colonel Stewart was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces, a distinguished
• Finally, in 2022, a plaque was commissioned and prominently displayed at the Air Force Weapons School
• He remained in the Air Force Reserve, where he served as an instructor and test pilot, and where he was
• His role in the Tuskegee Airmen played a vital role in desegregating the US armed forces, and we pay

Bills: SJR 2, SB 4, SJR 36, SJR 2, SB 4, SR 42, SR 74, SR 76, HCR 5, SB 710, SB 710

Keywords: SJR 2, Senate Joint Resolution 2, constitutional amendment, homestead exemption, property tax relief, school property tax, ad valorem tax, residence homestead, school district taxes, Texas Constitution Article VIII, public school finance, homeowner exemption, elderly exemption, senior tax relief, disabled exemption, tax year 2025, voter approval, November 2025 ballot, local government, Ways & Means

Transcript Highlights:

• was kind of a one-time fix with operation protocols and other things, recommendations of the task force
• 00:03:42.880> task create the water and wastewater task create the water and wastewater task force
• 00:03:44.840> at<00:03:44.960> the<00:03:45.080> time<00:03:46.080> uh force
• We did that, and at the time uh force.
• <00:04:14.280> that recommendations of the task force that recommendations of the task force

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Roll Call 00:00:05 HJR 81 Discussion 00:00:33 HJR 81 Vote 00:04:30, 958, all

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and took up only House Joint Resolution 81, which allocates the remaining $52,502,260 in the W Waters program for wastewater and wastewater assistance to troubled or economically restrained systems. The chair explained the funds would be distributed according to Kentucky Infrastructure Authority criteria under KRS 224A.320, with the goal of restoring systems to operational and financial stability and improving drinking water and sanitation in affected communities. Senator Funke Frommeyer asked how the funded systems would be kept in good repair after receiving the money and whether there would be a regional or long-term management plan. The chair responded that the funding is intended as a corrective measure to address compounding failures and that KIA has already weighed the relevant factors, while also stressing that communities should not expect repeated rescue funding. Senator Webb added context from earlier water and wastewater task force work, citing Martin County as an example and noting that KIA had adopted many of the task force’s recommendations for oversight, accountability, and operating protocols. The committee then voted on the resolution. Senator Funke Frommeyer explained her vote, saying she supported the measure with hope that better protocols and procedures were being put in place, though she emphasized that hope is not a plan. The roll call resulted in 12 yes votes and no no votes, and the measure passed with favorable expression and was sent to consent. A motion to adopt on consent was then made and seconded, and the committee adjourned with no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:17:26.320> we coming together in a task force we coming together in a task force we looked
• You cannot force people to get treatment. You cannot force people to go to housing.
• <02:56:31.560> chair's diversion task force chair's diversion task force chair's recommendation
• :42.160> wherever reserves task force um and then wherever reserves task force um and then wherever
• members the the focus of this task force members the the focus of this task force as<02:57:45.000

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Public Safety Committee held a hearing on House Bill 433, which would appropriate $4 million for Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation re-entry services to connect offenders with community-based services. Director Tommy Johnson said the department supports the bill’s intent but noted the governor’s executive budget already includes $4 million for the same purpose and asked that the measure defer to that budget. Supporters, including the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission, Community Alliance on Prisons, and the ACLU, backed the funding but urged that it be tied to a clear re-entry plan, performance measures, transparency, and regular reporting to the legislature. They emphasized that re-entry should begin at intake and involve community partnerships, housing, treatment, employment, and family reunification services. Committee members questioned the department about current re-entry services, pre-trial detainees, and how the new funds would be used. Johnson said the department’s current statewide re-entry budget is about $1.5 million to $1.7 million, separate from the larger Corrections Program Services Division budget for in-facility programs. He described the proposed $4 million as supporting a mix of services, including a pilot apprenticeship program, substance abuse treatment, navigator or warm-handoff services, and short-term transitional housing. He also said the department already tracks performance outcomes in its annual report and can provide a matrix showing the intake-to-discharge process, program contracts, and volunteer organizations. The discussion also covered pre-trial detainees, electronic monitoring, and mental health services. Johnson said the department has limited jurisdiction over pre-trial detainees but works with courts to seek supervised release when possible; he noted that many requests are denied, though electronic monitoring has improved release rates somewhat. On mental health, he said the jail is not an ideal therapeutic setting for people found unfit to proceed and suggested a secure community-based step-down facility run by the Department of Health for those needing care above what the jail can provide but below forensic-level treatment. No vote or final action on the bill was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a temporary advisory task force.
• Um this has changed task force item.
• Uh has a cost of 272,000 in each force.
• <00:35:28.880> extension commitment reform task force extension commitment reform task force
• then this committee this uh task force then this committee this uh task force if<01:46:55.679>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Members met to review a budget bill agreement using a nonpartisan spreadsheet and summary materials. Chairs and members thanked fiscal, research, revisers, and agency staff for the collaborative process, noting the bill had been difficult and that the final product reflected compromise. The chair also said only minor technical changes were expected before final enactment, and the spreadsheet walkthrough was then turned over to fiscal staff. Fiscal staff explained that the agreement met the overall budget target and walked through major human services provisions. Key items included nursing facility payment changes, including a phased PDPM change, APS inflation, modified single-bed incentives, and a CPI-U capped payment cap; a nursing facility surcharge; workforce standards board rule costs; continuation of certain nursing facility property tax rates; regulation of for-profit acquisitions of nursing homes and assisted living facilities; repurposing assisted living special project funds; funding the SEIU self-directed worker agreement; CFSS reimbursement in acute care hospital settings; and multiple disability waiver rate and authorization changes, including CPI-U inflation caps, waiver authorization reforms, and a waiver reimagined advisory task force. The agreement also included family residential service rate increases, a temporary extension of customized living disproportionate share payments, tribal eligibility for targeted case management, positive supports training changes, out-of-home respite modifications, swimming lessons as an allowable service for certain children with disabilities, a provisional EID provider license, and program integrity services funded by licensing fee increases. Additional provisions covered MinnChoices studies and assumed savings, behavioral health fund changes, substance use disorder treatment billing and rate changes, supportive recovery housing, housing support supplemental rates for specific providers, disability determinations, enteral nutrition payment timing, temporary funding for Boundary Waters Care Center, several one-time human services grants, senior nutrition funding, and grant reductions and extensions. No formal vote was described in the transcript; the discussion focused on explaining the agreement and its fiscal effects.

Transcript Highlights:

• to reduce the US Labor Force to reduce the US Labor Force significantly<01:29:28.560> um<
• So, importantly, Eugene was talking about labor force and about the loss of labor force, right?
• And so I'm skeptical of the boost in our population, but it's going to show up in the labor force.
• On the right axis, this is labor force on Maui.
• So, importantly, Eugene was talking about Maui, labor force, and about the loss of labor force, right

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair, uh, Representatives, I would add that this is a 10-inch force main.
• It is the largest force main in Arden Hills. It is also the most important force main.
• projects and if completed now this Force projects and if completed now this Force main<00:10:21.079
• <00:10:47.360> main Force main it is the largest Force main Force main it is the largest Force
• You may want to just be a little bit more forceful when you want to ask a question.

Bills: HF220, HF230, HF240, HF241, HF295, HF429, HF490, HF505, HF574, HF576, HF581, HF865, HF918, HF1085, HF1449, HF1452, HF1454, HF602

Keywords: HF220, Minnesota transportation, highway user tax distribution fund, trunk highway fund, Minnesota Department of Transportation, MnDOT, transportation finance, dedicated funds, funding restrictions, arts in transportation, cultural strategies, transportation project planning, project design, project construction, placemaking, public art, infrastructure spending, state statutes 161.045, HF230, Wyoming

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 1273 creates the Oklahoma State Agency Board and Commission Review Task Force.
• The job of the task force will be to review the efficiency, effectiveness, and necessity of all state
• This one is just the task force. Right, Senator Brooks, you have a question? Thank you, Mr.
• If you look down on page two, beginning at line 18, staffing for the task force shall be provided jointly
• So after addressing the previous bill of creating a task force and designating staff that are otherwise

Bills: HJR1032, SB1273, SB1433

Keywords: HJR1032, House Joint Resolution 1032, Service Oklahoma, administrative rules, rule repeal, joint resolution, Oklahoma Administrative Code, OAC 670:15-1-10, OAC 670:15-1-14, agency regulation, legislative oversight, Secretary of State, Oklahoma Register, rulemaking, permanent rules, administrative code, guidance transparency, administrative procedures, public inspection, state agency accountability

Transcript Highlights:

• Air Force.
• or the US Air the Pacific Air Forces or the US Air Force<00:24:51.120> some<00:24:51.399>
• some of our airframes are uh owned Force some of our airframes are uh owned wholly<00:24:54.760>
• <00:25:09.360> provides lead agency and the Air Force provides lead agency and the Air Force
• Wing which is an active duty Air Force Wing which is an active duty Air Force uh<00:25:25.919>

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Finance held informational briefings first with the Department of Defense on its FY 2026 budget request, then with the Hawaii School Facilities Authority. Major General Steve Logan outlined the Department of Defense request for $40.5 million in state funds, which he said would leverage about $74 million in federal matching funds and support 411 open projects that could attract up to $2.3 billion in additional federal grant money. He said the budget focuses on sustainment, safety, and reorganization in light of lessons from the Maui wildfires. Key requests included $1.3 million to sustain IT systems, $2.7 million for 32 HEMA emergency management positions, three new Hawaii Army National Guard positions plus four upgrades, and $1.9 million for the Youth Challenge Program to cover state-mandated fringe costs and staffing needs. He also reviewed capital improvement projects, including Youth Challenge facility upgrades, siren modernization, ADA improvements, building retrofits for disaster resilience, Army facility upgrades, a third state veterans home on Maui, HEMA EOC improvements, and a maintenance/fuel building at Diamond Head. Members asked about the siren modernization timeline, and HEMA said roughly 26 to 31 sirens would be modernized this year, with 15 on Maui, eight on Oahu, and eight on the Big Island. Questions also focused on Youth Challenge and Job Challenge enrollment and vacancies, with the department saying the Hilo Job Challenge Academy is growing and that combining Youth Challenge recruiting statewide into one Kilauea program has helped enrollment. Logan also answered questions about the New Year’s Eve medical transport mission, explaining the Hawaii Air National Guard’s relationship with active-duty Air Force assets and saying the flight cost is about $20,000 per flight hour, though the final bill had not yet been determined. On the Maui veterans home, staff said the University of Hawaii site was no longer viable after faculty senate opposition, so the department is now focused on a 10-acre Puna District site; the project remains tied to a certified $35 million state match and August 2025 and August 2026 federal suspense dates. Logan said the veterans home remains one of the department’s highest priorities, but it could not be moved higher in the submitted CIP ranking. The department also discussed a Governor’s add-on for a fire marshal/Office of Recovery and Resiliency proposal. Logan said the fire marshal position was reestablished last session but has not yet been filled, and that if the function is transferred to the Department of Defense, the department wants funding ready to move quickly. Staff later said the request would include about $1.1 million for seven positions and about $2.2 million for operating costs, though details were still preliminary. The committee then reconvened for the School Facilities Authority briefing, where Executive Director Ricky Fujitani described the agency as a startup created in 2020 to improve school and workforce housing development through standardized designs, prefabrication, best-value procurement, and public-private partnerships. He said Hawaii’s single school district still functions like 15 different districts because of its 264 schools across 15 complex areas, and that the authority’s goal is to create more efficient, maintainable, and cost-effective facilities.

Transcript Highlights:

• force for about two months.
• So there's a task force here, a work group here.
• When I referenced that many of the people in this task force are in other task forces, that is helpful
• members also sit on other task forces.
• I can only speak for those in the task force.

Summary: The committee opened with a moment of silence honoring a deceased member, then approved the April minutes. The first major presentation was from Chelsea Florey of Child and Family Services on the Diversion Task Force and related grant programs created with one-time funding from HB 1012. She reported that five of six proposals were funded, with youth diversion services operating in Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot, and a Red River Children’s Advocacy Center program focused on problematic sexualized behavior. Members discussed barriers such as staffing shortages, voluntary family engagement, service fatigue, and the need for better coordination, broader outreach, and possible changes to diversion eligibility rules so low-level cases can remain in diversion longer. Several legislators pressed for more practical system changes and clearer service navigation, while Florey said the task force is trying to build a service array or hub and is leaning on the Children’s Cabinet for broader recommendations. The committee then heard from North Dakota Lottery Director Thomas Lawler, who gave an operational overview and biennium report. He described the lottery’s history, games, retailer commissions, Pick and Click subscriptions, Players Club membership, and revenue distribution. For the 2023-25 biennium, about $67 million in tickets were purchased, with roughly $16.2 million transferred overall, including money for the general fund, drug task force grants, and compulsive gambling prevention and treatment. Members asked about the compulsive gambling allocation and whether the amount is set by statute. A lengthy presentation followed from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on criminal justice data connectivity and reentry. Adam Anderson explained that North Dakota’s jail, court, HHS, and correctional systems use multiple separate databases that do not communicate in real time, requiring manual cross-checks and staff communication. He said the department is exploring a centralized hub or other integration approach, but noted challenges with identifiers, vendor contracts, confidentiality, and cost. Robin Schmolenberger then updated the committee on a Medicaid data-sharing project with HHS, saying monthly application assistance is now occurring in correctional facilities and that automated bi-directional data exchange is expected in late 2026 to help suspend and reactivate Medicaid coverage and identify former foster care youth. Members also discussed parole, probation, transitional housing, and the need for better real-time notifications and clearer data definitions. The committee also received an update from county representatives on the 24/7 sobriety program, including a recent attorney general opinion that if a court waives 24/7 fees, sheriffs may use the cheaper twice-daily breath test or urine testing instead of SCRAM bracelets or drug patches. Finally, Bruce Johnson of the Racing Commission presented on an audit report, acknowledging serious findings involving overspending from the promotion fund, grant documentation failures, a breeders fund eligibility reversal, and repeated procurement violations. He said the commission has already changed its procedures by tracking fund limits monthly, requiring grant applications and itemized reports, enforcing breeders fund rules as written, and routing purchases through procurement with written contracts. The committee asked follow-up questions throughout but took no formal votes on these presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• How this task force differs from other task forces done before is that we specifically, what is unique
• We've had too many task forces over the years.
• What do we call it when big money and big government join forces? There's a term.
• And yet under this bill, we are forcing that... that requirement upon others.
• We are forcing it on them in a way that will have consequences.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The governor would appoint a task force for this purpose.
• There is no cost to the state or to taxpayers in the work of the task force, as it would be carried out
• There are countless examples like these that the task force can examine so that we can determine the
• That's one of the things this task force would do: look at ways that we can educate. the public.
• Chairman, I'm going to say about this is when you talk about getting the task force or whatever, even

Bills: HB630, HB685, HB1318, HB2692

Keywords: outboard motors, certificate of title, vessel regulation, Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, marine documentation, HB 685, municipal utility rates, water rates, sewer rates, local government code, rate discrimination, tax-exempt entities, sales tax exemption, ad valorem tax exemption, nonprofit organizations, charitable organizations, municipal water service, municipal sewer service, utility billing, public utilities

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now, we need to have at least some provisions for force majeure.
• Right now, we need to have at least some provisions for force majeure.
• We want to force almost force the counties to enact the ordinances so we can do agritourism.
• We want to force almost force the counties to enact the ordinances so we can do agritourism.
• We want to force almost force the counties to enact the ordinances so we can do agritourism.

Bills: HB1979

Keywords: environmental review, affordable housing, clean energy, judicial proceedings, public participation, Hawaii Revised Statutes, 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 1979 HD3, which would shorten the time to file certain judicial challenges to environmental assessments and environmental impact statements for affordable housing and clean energy projects, and would also affect transfer of some environmental court appeals to the Supreme Court. The Office of Planning and Sustainable Development supported the amended bill, saying the changes were improved from earlier versions and that the shorter filing period was reasonable for these priority projects. Hawaii Gas asked that the bill’s clean energy definition be broadened to align with existing renewable energy law so emerging technologies like renewable hydrogen and renewable gas would be included. Kauai Island Utility Co-op and Greenpeace Hawaii testified in support and opposition, respectively, with supporters arguing the bill would reduce litigation uncertainty and opponents saying the shorter deadline would limit public participation and not solve the real causes of project delays. Opposition testimony came from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Earthjustice, Sierra Club, 350 Hawaii, and others, who argued the bill could chill legitimate public-interest claims, especially where there is limited public notice, and that environmental review was being unfairly blamed for delays caused by permitting, financing, or infrastructure problems. Several speakers said the measure would reduce transparency and make it harder for communities to respond in time. One testifier from Earthjustice said the environmental review process itself is not the problem and should not be weakened for projects that still need public disclosure and community engagement. The committee then moved to decision-making and, citing the volume of opposition and concerns about public participation, transparency, and whether the bill would actually improve timelines, the chair deferred HB 1979 HD3 indefinitely. The hearing was adjourned after the vote decision was announced. The transcript then shifted to HB 2585, relating to tourism and statewide standards for agritourism. Testimony was mixed: farmers and agricultural groups described agritourism as essential to keeping small farms and ranches viable, while also urging safeguards so it would not be abused or displace real agricultural production. Some speakers warned the bill’s revenue-based limits could unintentionally shut down existing farm stays and related operations, especially in Maui County. The Hawaii Farm Bureau said it supported the intent but wanted clearer protections for bona fide agriculture and more flexibility around revenue requirements and force majeure situations. The discussion was still underway when the transcript ended.