Transcript Highlights:

• Do qualified microgrids fall under the definition of an electric plant? Mr. Chair.
• Fall under the definition of an electric plant? Mr. Chair and Representative Cadena, I don't know.
• Who determined that the current statutory definition does not apply to battery storage.
• Retired, but it's going to have to be handled maybe at a waste facility or something like that.
• So some of that definitely is going to stay.

Bills: HB248, HB309, HB332, SB48

Keywords: general obligation bonds, GO bonds, capital projects, bond election, property tax levy, state debt, state finance, capital outlay, senior centers, senior citizen facilities, aging services, long-term services, libraries, library acquisitions, broadband for libraries, higher education, university capital projects, community colleges, tribal schools, special schools

Transcript Highlights:

• The program definitely needs to be funded more.
• Madam Chair, how many active Jai Lai facilities are there right now that are in Operation. >> Thank.
• They've taxes, illegal gambling facilities contribute millions, millions to education.
• I can give you a definitive answer. I'm sure they do some of these again. There are.
• We need to be added to the first responder definition is want to add one part.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We've been to the Heart River facility numerous times.
• You talk to the staff at these facilities where many of them are.
• They are secure facilities.
• This individual was living in a transition facility.
• I don't think this bill gets us there, and I'm a definite no.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum present. Representative Hoverson offered remarks recognizing World Autism Day, and the House then handled conference committee motions on several bills, including House Bills 1460 and 1248 and Senate Bills 2262, 2070, 2294, and 2297, with the Speaker appointing members to each conference committee. The chamber also set aside Senate Bill 2200 for re-referral to Appropriations and moved to amendments on Senate Bill 2128, which was the main subject of the day. Senate Bill 2128, a major criminal justice and corrections bill, drew extensive debate over truth-in-sentencing, mandatory minimums, parole, transitional facilities, work release, electronic monitoring, and the fiscal impact of longer incarceration. Division A of the amendments removed mandatory minimums for resisting arrest and felony simple assault while keeping consecutive-sentence language; supporters said this preserved judicial discretion and reduced costs, while opponents argued it weakened public safety. Division A was adopted 70-23. Division B proposed broader changes to preserve transitional programming, add penalties for tampering with electronic monitoring and escape, limit some work-release restrictions, create a parole board study, and fund electronic monitoring with a $600,000 appropriation. Supporters framed it as a compromise that balanced rehabilitation and public safety; opponents said it undercut the bill’s intent and left dangerous offenders with too much access to transitional release. Division B failed on a 46-46 tie. The House then took up the bill itself, with the Judiciary Committee reporting a do-not-pass recommendation as amended, and debate continued over whether the amended bill should advance, with members split between concerns about victims and public safety versus rehabilitation, prison capacity, and recidivism.

Transcript Highlights:

• And not only that, but this facility...
• health facilities, and schools.
• These new facilities are designed and set up to... ...facilities are designed and set up to prevent that
• Because in some of these facilities, you don't have a... of these facilities you don't have a lockdown
• address. facilities will not completely address all of those.

Bills: SJR 1, SB 9, SB 40, SJR 36, SJR 1, SJR 5, SB 9, SB 40, SR 61, SR 91, SR 97, SR 103, SR 104, SR 112, SR 115, SR 116, SCR 16, SB 26, SB 26

Keywords: bail denial, illegal aliens, felony offenses, constitutional amendment, law enforcement, bail reform, defendants, pretrial detention, public safety, criminal justice, charitable bail organizations, bail bonds, public funds, political subdivision, injunctive relief, taxpayer rights, bail, criminal justice reform, Texas Music Advocacy Day, music industry

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Lawson, I will definitely miss serving with you. Definitely.
• of large energy use facility, specifically to address the aggregation issue that he The definition of
• , and child health care facilities.
• I'm just checking the definitions of... Victims? I'm just checking the definitions to make sure.
• It provides clear definitions and terms used throughout the Act, most notably a definition of a person

Keywords: 1064, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Epping has one tax-exempt facility. Derry has seven tax-exempt facilities.
• Exit only has one facility. I years ago. Exit only has one facility.
• Representative Drew asked how many facilities would currently fall under the definition in HB 1653.
• transferred for definitive care. transferred for definitive care.
• > uh<05:52:42.320> but facility to outside facilities uh but facility to outside facilities

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Now today, you look at that facility; it still has the chain link fence around it.
• We'll definitely have it. I know it.
• That we will definitely have it on the agenda next meeting.
• And you are definitely part of it, just as the Navajo Nation.
• That is definitely part of the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, the healthcare facilities and systems subcommittee will come to order.
• sale of medical debt to a third party and requires 30 days' notice via certified mail before the facility
• In light of this, the proposed committee substitute allows a healthcare facility to sell a patient's
• And two, the debt is returned to the facility if it is learned or determined that the debt qualifies
• So I think that this is definitely a step in the right direction.

Transcript Highlights:

• And this is, I think, definitely as I'm learning in this space, which is why I need these experts, I
• CLASS observations so CLASS is the observation tool that we'll be using in our facilities and at our
• But we definitely are, yes, it is an ongoing thing that we are looking at.
• But that would definitely help them, but also just funding.
• So perhaps the child qualifies for speech therapy or physical therapy or something at the facility.

Keywords: 1204, all

Summary: The committee met in a workshop-style discussion with Arkansas Department of Education early childhood officials to review the state’s early learning programs, especially ABC and SRA/CCDF, and to consider long-term sustainability, access, and quality. Officials said ABC funding was flat at $11 million from 2009-2010 until a $3 million increase in 2018, while CCDF/SRA funding is about $137 million. They reported ABC serves about 23,000 children, SRA about 14,871, and the SRA wait list has grown to 2,971 children, with breakdowns by age provided during the meeting. They also said the current ABC per-child cost is about $5,105, compared with roughly $8,000 in K-12, and that a new market-rate/cost-of-care study is due because the last one was about three years ago. Members raised concerns about rural and urban access, provider deserts, school-based versus community-based slots, and whether the state should expand or rebalance funding to better support infant-toddler care and mixed delivery. Officials said they are working on identifying gaps, moving slots where possible, and using local leads and quality measures such as CLASS observations to improve kindergarten readiness. They also discussed the transition of federal pre-K funding ending at the end of June, with children either moving into ABC or requalifying for SRA, but without grandfathering beyond bypassing the wait list if already enrolled. A major topic was the impact of new co-pays and funding reductions on families and providers. Officials said the state had to make changes to preserve the programs, and that paying based on enrollment rather than allocated slots saved about $576,000. They also said eight providers cited funding as the reason for closing, while 26 new providers were added under the new rates. Members questioned dual enrollment in home visiting/HIPPY and ABC, and officials said about 1,200 children are dually enrolled, with a possible savings of about $2.4 million if that practice were limited, though members cautioned about unintended consequences for children with developmental needs. The meeting ended with agreement to continue regular updates and further work on simplifying and stabilizing the early childhood system.

Transcript Highlights:

• As Cultural Facilities District, FCFD.
• scientific and cultural facilities scientific and cultural facilities district.<00:31:22.399>
• bill which was simply in the definition bill which was simply in the definition of<00:43:59.680>
• facility This bill provides facil facility This bill provides facil facility schools<02:26:09.760
• House Bill 1146 adds approved facility schools into the PAR statute, adds approved facility schools to

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, approved the corrected journal, and heard several announcements about upcoming committee meetings, events at the Capitol, and recognitions, including Music Therapy Day, Black History Month activities, adoptable puppies, and a Colorado Agricultural Forum. Members also celebrated Representative Story’s birthday and recognized the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) for its long-running support of arts, culture, science access, and economic impact in Colorado. The House adopted Senate Joint Resolution 12, designating February 20, 2026, as Colorado FFA Day, by a vote of 64-1 with one excused. The chamber then moved to special orders for several bills. The first major bill considered was House Bill 1017, which would prohibit insurers from receiving criminal restitution unless they are direct victims. Sponsors argued the bill prioritizes human victims, prevents restitution from becoming an unpayable burden on low-income defendants, and clarifies the law in response to court concerns and stakeholder feedback. Opponents argued it would shift costs to taxpayers and policyholders and could increase civil litigation and insurance premiums. An amendment, L005, was adopted to clarify the bill’s scope, and the bill then passed as amended. The House also took up House Bill 114, concerning minimum lot size and local land-use rules. An amendment, L002, was offered to prohibit certain local lot frontage, setback, open-space, or coverage requirements that would effectively prevent construction of a single-family home on a 2,000-square-foot residential lot. Supporters framed the measure as protecting housing access, while opponents argued it would override local land-use decision-making and public hearing processes. The transcript ends during debate on a substitute motion related to the amendment, before final action on House Bill 114 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• So he was definitely going to have a lifelong... He's doing great today.
• So what this bill does is it says that large energy use facilities under this particular NAICS code,
• But even if they did, 30 megawatts, that's a significant size facility.
• A vacationer to Rehoboth Beach may not necessarily meet that definition of resident.
• These definitions are essential to ensure compliance.

Summary: The committee heard several bills, but much of the meeting focused on House Bill 306, which would require disclosure when a consumer is interacting with a chatbot rather than a human. Sponsor Senator Townsend described it as a consumer protection measure and said the bill is meant to keep pace with rapidly changing AI technology. Committee members and witnesses raised concerns about the bill’s enforcement structure, especially private rights of action and penalties that could apply even without actual consumer harm. The Department of Justice said the bill would apply where the conduct has a Delaware nexus, and that the disclosure requirement is the key consumer protection. Industry witnesses and chambers of commerce opposed the bill as drafted, arguing it would create broad compliance burdens and expose businesses to excessive litigation risk without a harm requirement or clearer safe harbor language. Earlier in the meeting, the committee discussed House Bill 429, which would update Delaware’s step therapy exception process to include biosimilars and interchangeable biologics. Senator Poore and supporters from Highmark and the Department of Insurance said the bill would modernize insurance law, improve access to effective treatments, and reduce costs; they cited national savings from biosimilars and said the bill has agency support. Members asked about Delaware-specific savings, patient switching, and how the process would work, but no vote was taken during the discussion. The committee also heard House Bill 310, which would exclude large data centers from Blue Collar Jobs Act tax credits; the sponsor said the bill is intended to ensure large energy users contribute more to state and local revenues, while supporters and opponents debated competitiveness and community impacts. House Bill 406, on allowing insureds to choose their auto repair shop, and Senate Bill 347, a cleanup bill related to medical debt collection and personal property levies, were also presented without opposition in the hearing. House Bill 253, concerning who may receive letters testamentary or of administration, was described as a cleanup to align statute with existing practice. The committee approved the meeting minutes, but the transcript does not show final votes on the bills discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, well, the new definition was thought to be more definitive, with less subjectivity.
• That truly is the definition of a bad bill. Thank you. Thank you. Senator Kavanaugh. Thank you.
• HB 4117 does not create new restrictions around Planned Parenthood or similar facilities.
• There is no narrow definition here. Senator Epstein. I rise with a comment on the bill.
• Senate Bill 1477, amending Section 36-446.14, relating to assisted living facilities.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So you all saw some money at DFA, $5 million for the child care facility revolving loan fund.
• So you all saw some money at DFA, $5 million for the child care facility revolving loan fund.
• On 47, when it says for rental assistance program statewide, in this definition of statewide, does it
• On 47, when it says for rental assistance program statewide, in this definition of statewide, does it
• Because in this big definition, does it include the $18 million for this very specific, targeted $17

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• weren't considered equal as public schools when they were doing renovations or changes to their facilities
• The public school buildings include facility owned, operated, and occupied by public charter schools
• The public school buildings include facility owned, operated, and occupied by public charter schools
• The public school buildings include facility owned, operated, and occupied by public charter schools
• <00:03:50.400> owned, school buildings include facility owned, school buildings include facility

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• be used for a credit facility be used for a credit facility specific<00:10:03.240> for<00
• The Senate also added a definition for electric company and expanded the definition of facility to include
• for electric company and expanded the definition of facility to include multiple non-adjacent sites
• <01:14:33.960> for The Senate also added a definition for The Senate also added a definition
• definition of facility to include definition of facility to include multiple<01:14:41.080> non-adjacent

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House first took up S. 298, the Vermont Voting Rights Act. Members explained the Senate’s further proposal of amendment, including changes to language about how the State Ethics Commission may respond to ethics inquiries, a directive for the Secretary of State and Ethics Commission to work out a shared process for the candidate financial disclosure form by January 30, and a technical PAC-related wording change. The committee reported an 11-0-0 vote in favor, and the House concurred in the Senate proposal of amendment. The chamber then suspended rules to take up S. 328, the omnibus housing bill, and heard detailed committee reports from General and Housing, Ways and Means, and Appropriations. The bill addresses common interest community resources, a service-supported housing advisory council, expansion of the 10% for Vermont program to 12.5%, an off-site construction accelerator pilot, VHFA’s rental housing revolving loan program, special assessment districts, municipal housing planning requirements, and several reports on housing-related issues. Ways and Means described revenue impacts from the cash-balance expansion and revised the off-site construction pilot and loan program language; Appropriations removed a section already included in the budget and adjusted advisory council per diem funding. The House adopted the amendments, ordered third reading, suspended rules to place the bill in all remaining stages, passed it in concurrence with proposal of amendment, and messaged the action to the Senate forthwith. The House then suspended rules to take up S. 197, relating to payment reform for primary care. The House Health Care Committee recommended a strike-all amendment, saying the health care system is in crisis, premiums are rising, access to primary care is limited, and clinicians are burdened by documentation and administrative work. The committee vote on its amendment was 10-0-1, and the bill was also referred to Ways and Means and Appropriations because of fiscal implications. The transcript cuts off as the House was beginning consideration of the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• All we do is change a definition of institution to facility. >> yes. >> yes.
• do<00:04:34.720> is<00:04:34.960> change<00:04:35.199> a<00:04:35.440> definition
• <00:04:35.840> of<00:04:36.000> institution do is change a definition of institution
• do is change a definition of institution to<00:04:36.800> facility<00:04:37.520> and<00
• :04:37.759> we to facility and we to facility and we >> second.

Keywords: 00:00 - Call to Order/Roll Call 01:28 - Discussion of 26RS HB 393 03:05 - Roll Call Vote on 26RS HB 393 04:11 - Discussion of 26RS HB 385 04:44 - Roll Call Vote on 26RS HB 385 05:44 - Discussion of 26RS HB 388 06:39 - Roll Call Vote on 26RS HB 388 08:00 - Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The House Standing Committee on Health Services met with a quorum and heard three bills. House Bill 393, sponsored by Rep. Rebecca Raymer with testimony from Mackenzie Wallace of the Alzheimer’s Association, would clean up statutes governing the Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders council, add another caregiver seat, and require the council to develop and distribute an early detection/diagnosis toolkit for health care providers. Wallace said the bill mainly resolves duplicative language and conflicting deadlines and aligns the statute with current Office of Dementia Services work. The committee took a motion and second, asked no questions, and passed the bill with favorable expression. House Bill 385, sponsored by Rep. Marianne Proctor, was described as a simple cleanup bill changing a statutory definition from “institution” to “facility.” The committee moved and seconded the bill, asked no questions, and approved it with favorable expression. House Bill 388, sponsored by Rep. Robert Duval, was presented as a cleanup bill for Casper requested by the OIG office and related to prescription drugs; Duval noted it had previously passed the House 90-4. The committee again took a motion and second, had no substantive discussion, and passed the bill with favorable expression, with one member briefly registering a vote after the roll call. At the close of the meeting, the chair noted that consensus had been reached on all three bills in advance and that a lot of work had gone into them. The committee announced its next meeting for February 5 at noon in Annex Room 149 and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill would expand that definition of blight to include vacant or underused properties in the cities
• This bill would expand that definition of blight to include vacant or underused properties in the cities
• Um, in case folks are wondering where that definition came from, the definition of inappropriately used
• <00:02:42.640> or<00:02:42.879> excessive<00:02:43.280> or storage facilities
• or excessive or storage facilities or excessive or vacated<00:02:44.080> railroad<00:02:44.720

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Um it's it's it's additional facility.
• Definitely.
• <00:28:14.799> Definitely.
• Definitely. If it's in >> I would think so. Definitely.
• . facility. facility.

Keywords: Reuploaded tor restore the roll call and minutes approval 0:00:01 Call to Order and Roll Call 0:00:20 Approval of Minutes 0:00:50 Information Items 0:01:39 Project Rpt from Eastern KY University 0:06:54 Lease Rpt from University of KY 0:11:33 Project Rpt from Finance and Admin Cabinet 0:18:50 Lease Rpt from Finance and Admin Cabinet 0:29:33 OFM – KY Infrastructure Authority 0:38:27 OFM – Debt Issues 0:46:27 Louisville Arena Authority 1:24:30 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the November minutes and received information items on University of Kentucky medical and research equipment purchases, five school districts reporting upcoming bond issues with no additional tax levies needed, and a School Facilities Construction Commission list of prior debt issues for fiscal year 2026. It then considered an appropriation increase for a University of Kentucky project at the Central Kentucky Regional Airport in Richmond. University officials said the project is 100% federally funded and will construct a terminal building tied to EKU’s airport operations and planned flight school. Members asked about the relationship to aviation expansion and whether the flight school would be publicly operated; the witnesses said EKU would operate it, public appropriations had already been applied, and student revenue would help offset costs. The committee approved the item by roll call vote. Next, the committee approved a University of Kentucky lease purchase for property at 415 West Sun Street in Morehead, Rowan County, for $6.4 million. UK said the property, which includes an 85,000-square-foot facility on 9.6 acres, is directly across from UK St. Clair and was offered by the Rowan County Board of Education after it moved to a new location. Members questioned why the payment schedule was structured as quarterly installments and why the price was below two appraisals; UK said the board requested the arrangement and did not want the full amount upfront, and there was no interest on the purchase price. The committee also approved this item. The deputy state budget director then reported three appropriation increases in the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet: a Ballard Wildlife Management Area pump station project, Lake Barkley State Resort Park emergency repairs, and Lake Barkley lodge wing exterior repairs. After questions, staff explained the Lake Barkley increases were mainly to cover construction contingencies because bids came in close to available funding. The committee approved the action items, then heard four no-action pool projects: HVAC upgrades at the FFA leadership training center in Hardinsburg, Kentucky School for the Blind’s McDaniel Scoggin building, KSD’s Brett Brady Hall, and a Kentucky State University Shanty Hall renovation for the School of Engineering Technology. Finally, the committee heard two real property items: a new CHFS lease in Wayne County and a Transportation Cabinet lease modification in Christian County. The Wayne County lease drew the most discussion, with members questioning the high per-square-foot cost and whether another county location could be used; CHFS said it maintains offices in every county seat, this lease would replace an existing 1977 office, and the new construction was negotiated down from a higher initial bid. The Christian County item was described as a replacement site for driver licensing space, with renovation costs partly absorbed by the lessor and the remainder amortized over the lease term.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know we've all had a lot of drainage projects in our district, but you definitely make us look good
• And I'm going to look forward to working with Chris in the future, but definitely going to miss the phone
• This section creates a court facilities improvement working group to develop a plan for implementing
• This section creates a court facilities improvement working group to develop a plan for implementing
• Section 92 is for maintenance and operations facilities.

Summary: The committee met for a fiscal year 2027 capital budget writing session with all 12 members present. It first reviewed and approved the DNREC Resource Conservation and Development drainage project list, which would add projects across New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties and bring the total eligible projects to 1,561. Members offered personal remarks thanking retiring conservation district staff, especially Kevin Donnelly, for years of work on drainage and water issues. The committee then reviewed DelDOT Rule 12 changes, including annual date updates and a reduction in the inflation markup applied to older estimates, and approved the rule as amended. The committee next adopted DelDOT Appendix A and the FY27 paving and rehabilitation list, including the subdivision street management fund and various road resurfacing projects. DelDOT explained that paving projects are for state-of-good-repair work and that major changes from corridor studies would be handled separately. The committee also approved DelDOT epilogue changes, including updates to authorization amounts, a $25 million increase for toll infrastructure work, changes to subdivision street paving language, and an increase in the subdivision street paving management fund to $30 million. Several sections were placed on hold for later updates. The committee then moved through boilerplate epilogue sections in the bond bill, approving a wide range of provisions affecting conservation districts, housing, economic development, corrections, DNREC, public safety, transportation, agriculture, fire prevention, education, and other agencies. Many sections were adopted in groups, while some were held for later revisions or deleted as no longer needed. The session included updates to school capital rules, transportation restrictions and reporting requirements, DNREC conservation and land-use provisions, and funding and administrative authorities across multiple agencies. The committee broke for lunch after approving the education-related sections through 147, with additional sections still pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• The other is from the community solar facility to collect your subscription fee to the facility.
• They'll forward the subscriber fee, then they will pay it to the community solar facility.
• We think it will make getting subscribers into community solar facilities easier for customers.
• So the definition of a unique wetland is, or exceptional value wetland is—sorry, go ahead.
• Is there no definition of what... [00:37:30.000] So the next question is: there is no definition of wetlands

Bills: SB9

Keywords: wetlands protection, nontidal wetlands, Delaware, environmental sustainability, climate change, carbon sink, permitting process

Summary: The House Natural Resources and Energy Committee met and first considered SB 321 with Senate Amendment 1, the community solar utility billing bill. The sponsor explained that it would consolidate the two-bill system for community solar subscribers into one utility bill, with the utility forwarding the subscriber fee to the solar facility through an escrow mechanism so costs are not shifted to other ratepayers. Testimony from the solar industry, the Public Advocate, and environmental advocates supported the measure, emphasizing easier enrollment, fewer barriers for low-income customers, and guaranteed savings. The committee initially lacked enough members present to release the bill, but after a roll call vote it was released from committee. The committee then heard SB 9 with Senate Amendment 1, a wetlands protection bill creating a state non-tidal freshwater wetlands permitting program. The sponsor and DNREC described a framework of exemptions, general permits, and individual permits based on wetland type and value, with an advisory committee to develop regulations. Witnesses explained that “exceptional value” wetlands would include unique wetland communities and high-functioning wetlands, and that the bill was intended to preserve important habitat while allowing farming, drainage, and other exempt activities to continue. Some members raised concerns about flooding, land classification, and the balance of the advisory committee, while supporters said the bill was the product of broad stakeholder consensus and would protect wetlands without unduly harming agriculture or development. Public comment on SB 9 was strongly supportive from environmental groups, the Delaware Native Species Commission, the Home Builders Association, the Farm Bureau, The Nature Conservancy, and affordable housing advocates, who said the bill balanced conservation with practical land use concerns. After remote testimony, the committee took a roll call vote and SB 9 was released from committee. The meeting concluded with remarks thanking the chair for her service and instructions for members to sign the backers before adjournment.