Transcript Highlights:

• the food area, but also in the area of job training and so forth, then we are, in essence, down the road
• the food area, but also in the area of job training and so forth, then we are, in essence, down the road
• the food area, but also in the area of job training and so forth, then we are, in essence, down the road
• <00:21:59.400><c> essence,</c><00:22:00.040><c> down</c><00:22:00.360><c> the</c><00:22:00.480><c> road
• , down the road saving our state<00:22:02.160><c> dollars.

Committee: Senate Families & Children

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm willing to help, because more efficiency in this means more roads, you know, more action and more
• your project for everybody coming up next, I mean, my brain is going to be if we can't get on the road
• And when I can get that money in my district for that local road, that punts money to his local road,
• “I can get that money in my district for that local road.
• That punts money to his local road because you still have money left that I don't take—opportunity cost

Committee: House Ways & Means

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, you know, we had a very productive road show.
• As you saw in the road show, we have a lot going on at the department, both delivering our program, but
• This is LA 1143 in Cameron Parish, between 1127 and Muria Road.
• LA 82 from Dyson Road. LA 82 from Dyson Road to North Island Road in Cameron Parish.
• We're using those roads as pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists.

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The Senate Joint Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee received updates from the Department of Transportation and Development on its transformation efforts, including a new project delivery dashboard, key performance indicators, and litter abatement work. DOTD said the dashboard is now live and tied to daily field updates, and reported progress on its T4LA initiatives, including improved project transparency, customer service, and a new highway sponsorship litter program. Members praised the department’s work and asked about litter funding, with DOTD saying last year’s $14.7 million litter pickup effort included the legislature’s supplemental appropriation. The committee also heard detailed progress reports on LTIF 1.0 and 2.0, the Office of Highway Construction’s bridge bundling and roadway projects, the Calcasieu River Bridge project, and the Cameron Ferry. DOTD reported that LTIF 1.0 is about 80% complete and that LTIF 2.0 has encumbered nearly $150 million, with several projects ahead of schedule and some under budget. The Office of Highway Construction said 62 bridge projects are in the bundle, 11 are under construction, and emergency procurement has helped accelerate delivery. DOTD said the Calcasieu River Bridge remains on track for a mid-to-late April groundbreaking, with all federal permits in hand and right-of-way acquisition underway; it also reported that new Cameron Ferry boats are under construction and that a privatization proposal from Labmar Ferry Services will go to the Louisiana Transportation Authority. Members then reviewed the draft 2026-2027 highway priority program, which DOTD said includes $913 million for construction across 302 projects and about $1.2 billion total investment. The committee also received public comment on the statewide flood control program, which recommended six projects expected to reduce flood damage by more than $289 million, and on the airport construction and development priority program, which includes 31 air carrier projects and 99 general aviation projects. DOTD also noted no current projects for the rail infrastructure program but said it expects to request $13 million and has 19 projects in the queue, and it presented three port projects that are not yet funded but will be considered by the Louisiana Transportation Authority. The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission and LSU’s Center for Analytics and Research presented data on impaired driving, saying impaired driving remains a major factor in fatalities and injuries, with alcohol and drugs together contributing to a large share of crashes and about $700 million in annual economic costs. Members discussed youth driving, marijuana, ignition interlock, DWI courts, and enforcement challenges on waterways; the presenters emphasized education, enforcement, and treatment as part of a broader safety strategy. No formal votes were taken during the meeting, and the committee adjourned after receiving the presentations and public comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• The local government would have that role: making sure that water and sewers are available, roads are
• Because these are projects that are potentially 50 years down the road.
• going to do fire rescue, who’s going to provide law enforcement, who’s going to do—who’s building roads
• Why the change, and are we worried about new development 60 miles away from a road?
• If I follow up, I mean, even if you're 60 miles away, we've got to have a road to get there, I guess,

Bills: S0002 , S0026 , S0354 , S1112 , S1192 , S1220 , S1352 , S1670

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development

Keywords: negligence, settlement, appropriation, highway safety, damages, law enforcement, motorcycle accident, compensation, Department of Transportation, legal claim, land use, development, sustainability, environmental protection, housing policy, labor pool, employment, temporary work, placement fee, Department of Commerce

Transcript Highlights:

• lose the 15 employees that I had that happened to be all women because they saw that Altec down the road
• But when we talk to businesses and ask them to come to our state, we talk about our great roads, our
• to work every day. we talk to businesses and ask them to come to our state, we talk about our great roads
• , we talk about, well, okay, we talk about access to our roads, we talk about our ports, we talk about
• So this is an important step on that road. Fully support your bill.

Committee: House Economic Development

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, we don't have folks trying to get here over treacherous roads on Monday.
• others<00:31:11.120><c> um</c><00:31:12.080><c> that</c><00:31:12.320><c> the</c><00:31:12.559><c> roads
• are are truly others um that the roads are are truly impassible<00:31:14.240><c> for</c><00:31:14.399
• </c><00:32:11.919><c> So</c><00:32:12.159><c> with</c> treacherous roads on Monday.
• So with treacherous roads on Monday.

Keywords: MS House Floor - 22 January, 2026; 2:00 PM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• How long do you think that box will hold up on the road without breaking off?
• Now you have humans in the road, a horse loose, traffic hazards, car accidents.
• Something that I really haven't heard much about is public safety, where horses are on main roads, main
• their public safety, the public safety for every single person that's driving on the side of that road
• Not just anybody off the side of the road can come take care of them the way they do.

Committee: House Intergovernmental Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Horses at the many auctions just to make some money, putting the horse on a major road with no training
• How long do you think that box will hold up on the road without breaking off?
• Now you have humans in the road, a horse loose, traffic hazards, and car accidents.
• Regulations on what roads they can and can't go on, there's a human safety element as well.
• Not just anybody off the side of the road can come take care of them the way we do.

Bills: HB386 , HB1449 , HB1701 , HB2142 , HB2675 , HB2857 , HB3063 , HB3171 , HB3641 , HB3732 , HB4045 , HB4370 , HB4491 , HB4505 , HB4626 , HB5267 , HB5356

Committee: House Intergovernmental Affairs

Keywords: construction contracts, change orders, local government, budget limits, Texas legislation, HB 1449, mobile food vendors, food trucks, mobile food service establishments, permits, county health permit, municipal permitting, Health and Safety Code Chapter 437A, Chapter 437, inspection agreements, permit reciprocity, fee cap, preemption, large counties, population over one million

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm not going to sit silent for the length of time I'm here and just keep kicking this can down the road
• We may end up kicking the can down the road, but I'm not going to do it silently.
• It's been 20 years that this has been kicked down the road.
• It's been 20 years that this can has been kicked down the road.
• we don't want to just at the end of our terms here say you know another 20 years has gone down the road

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on transportation agency budget proposals and did not take any votes. The first major discussion focused on the Motor Vehicle Account shortfall and a proposed one-time $166 million transfer from the Air Pollution Control Fund and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to offset California Air Resources Board mobile source costs. Department of Finance and the LAO described the account’s long-running structural deficit, driven largely by employee compensation growth and REAL ID-related workload, while members criticized the use of Proposition 4, GGRF, and other one-time or redirected funds as backfills and urged a longer-term solution that addresses both revenues and expenditures. The committee then heard Caltrans’ request for $25 million in General Fund support to create a Clean California Community Cleanup and Employment Pathway Grant Program. Caltrans said the program would build on the prior Clean California effort by funding local litter and graffiti cleanup, community engagement, and workforce pathways for vulnerable populations. The LAO recommended rejecting the proposal, arguing that local litter abatement is not a core state responsibility and that one-time funding is unlikely to solve persistent local cleanup needs. Several members echoed those concerns, while public commenters split between support for the cleanup/employment model and calls to instead restore funding to the Active Transportation Program and transit operations. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency requested that California administratively recognize Tahoe’s federally designated population figure for state formula-based transportation funding, which would raise the population count used in formulas from 40,000 to 145,000. The agency said the change would not request new money but would better align state formulas with federal law and support a shared regional funding framework; members appeared generally supportive, though they noted the need to phase in the change to reduce impacts on other regions. The final presentation was on High-Speed Rail. The LAO reviewed the authority’s project update report, noting that it did not fully meet statutory requirements and that key details are still pending in a supplemental report expected later in the summer. The LAO said the Merced-to-Bakersfield segment still shows an estimated roughly $7 billion funding gap, with no specific plan to close it, and highlighted risks from federal review, inflation, and uncertain GGRF revenues. High-Speed Rail Authority staff said they are conducting a bottom-up review of scope, schedule, ridership, and costs, expect to provide updated information by late summer, and are exploring public-private partnerships and other financing strategies. Members stressed that no further funding commitments should be made until the updated analysis is available.

Transcript Highlights:

• of distracted and impaired driving, we are not only protecting them, but we are also making our roads
• Our roads safer for everyone.
• So I ask for your favorable support, and let's make the road safer. Thank you, Rep. Salzman.
• And let's make the road safer. Thank you, Rep. Salzman. Good close.
• Two bills back to back, keeping our roads safer. There is an amendment. Barcode 472-803.

Summary: The Government Operations Subcommittee heard a long agenda of bills covering education, public safety, local government, labor relations, and foreign policy. Early measures included HB 1055, which would support Florida State University’s Election Law Center; CS/HB 4073, a Leon County local bill updating career service rules for sheriff’s office employees; CS/HB 253, creating penalties for license plate obscuring devices and misuse of emergency-style lights; and HB 293, codifying the Office of Faith and Community in the Governor’s Office and creating a liaison and advisory council. Members raised questions on academic freedom in HB 1055 and on church-state concerns and oversight in HB 293, but both bills advanced after supportive testimony from university, faith-based, and law enforcement representatives. The committee also approved HB 4029, a local bill for the Greater Naples Fire Rescue District, and HB 889, requiring classroom driver education for minors before licensure, with supporters emphasizing roadway safety and teen crash reduction. The committee then took up PCS/HB 731, which would require standardized testing for admission to health-related degree programs at state universities. The sponsor argued the bill would ensure qualified applicants and objective admissions standards, while several members and public witnesses raised concerns that it would duplicate existing requirements like the MCAT and create unnecessary barriers; the bill still passed, though with several no votes. HB 1519, expanding Florida’s anti-BDS law to cover academic boycotts, nonprofits, local governments, and certain grants, drew strong support from Jewish organizations and strong opposition from speakers who argued it chilled free speech and punished criticism of Israel. After an amendment narrowing and clarifying parts of the bill, it passed favorably as a committee substitute. The most contentious debate came on HB 1387, a major overhaul of Public Employees Relations Commission procedures and public-sector union rules. Supporters said the bill would streamline PERC processes, improve fairness, and address cases where unions were certified with very low participation; opponents, including teachers and labor advocates, said it weakened collective bargaining and public employee rights. After a strike-all amendment and extensive testimony, the bill passed as a committee substitute. The committee also approved HB 351, which adds extreme speeding to reckless driving and increases penalties, after removing impoundment language in an amendment, and PCB GOS 25-07, preserving a public records exemption for minors seeking judicial waiver of parental notice/consent for abortion. The meeting adjourned after all measures were reported favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• mistake, that one refusal, you get falsely accused of something five, ten, fifteen years down the road
• This bill will designate a portion of International Drive between State Road 528 and Sand Lake Road in
• This bill will designate a portion of International Drive between State Road 528 and Sand Lake Road in
• that this would maybe be a good vehicle for us to recognize our colleague, Senator Thompson, with a road
• So we are going to be designating the road right outside of the Wells Built Museum of African History

Committee: Senate Fiscal Policy

Summary: The committee heard and approved several bills. CS for CS for CS SB 138, Trenton’s Law, would broaden DUI and boating-under-the-influence laws to cover any impairing substance, increase penalties for refusal to submit to breath or urine testing, allow blood warrants in misdemeanor DUI/BUI cases, enhance penalties for DUI with death or vehicular homicide involving prior convictions, and authorize DUI diversion programs. Supporters included law enforcement and prosecutors, who said the bill addresses gaps involving over-the-counter drugs and refusal cases; the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers raised concerns about the breadth of the “any impairing substance” language and record consequences for first refusals. The bill was reported favorably. The committee also reported favorably SB 400, which removes the repeal date from Florida’s Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children, and CS for SB 102, which creates a workforce credentialing program for exceptional student education students, especially those with autism, to earn badges for job skills and safety-related competencies. SB 102 drew questions about fiscal impact and teacher training, with supporters emphasizing workforce readiness and parent involvement while some members raised concerns about costs and implementation. SB 130, which updates compensation for wrongfully incarcerated people found factually innocent, was also reported favorably after supporters argued Florida’s current law is too restrictive and too few exonerees have been compensated. The committee then approved CS for CS for SB 296, which repeals the statewide mandate for later middle and high school start times and returns the decision to local districts, while requiring districts to document their analysis of sleep, safety, transportation, and other impacts. An amendment added a reporting requirement to show how districts considered later start times and any unintended consequences. The bill drew broad support from school officials and education groups, with members noting transportation and extracurricular challenges. Finally, SB 234, dealing with criminal offenses against law enforcement officers, was reported favorably after debate over whether the bill should retain “good faith” language and how it would affect defenses and officer accountability. The committee also passed CS for SB 274, designating a portion of International Drive as Harris Rosen Way and adding a memorial designation for the late Senator Geraldine Thompson near the Wells Built Museum; members praised both honorees and the bill was reported favorably. The committee adjourned after recording one member’s request to be shown voting yes on the first bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• while failing to obey signs, signals, or markings, and/or failing to keep on the proper side of the road
• fleeing vehicle leaves the roadway, drives through a city park, ends up driving the wrong way on a road
• wrong</c><00:07:04.280><c> way</c><00:07:04.879><c> on</c><00:07:05.000><c> a</c><00:07:05.319><c> road
• </c><00:07:06.319><c> or</c><00:07:07.280><c> going</c> driving the wrong way on a road or going driving
• the wrong way on a road or going into<00:07:07.879><c> oncoming</c> into oncoming into oncoming traffic

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And so when that dam failed, the town road also failed as well.
• </c><01:20:43.520><c> minor</c> might be a loss of a town road minor might be a loss of a town road minor
• And so when that tied into a town road.
• And so um the town actually end road.
• Um and down the road it will be a it.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard testimony on House Bill 1042, which would increase the BFA contingent credit limit. State Treasurer Monica Misipelli explained that under RSA 66, state debt capacity is tied to unrestricted revenue and that guaranteed debt counts in the calculation even though it is contingent rather than direct debt. She said the state currently has about 4.2% to 4.3% debt-to-revenue ratio, about $120 million in additional capacity, and that approving the bill’s proposed increase would reduce available capacity for future state borrowing, including capital budgets. She noted the BFA has a long history of using guarantees without a state payout, but said the legislature should consider whether the full additional $250 million is needed and whether unused guarantee authorizations, such as one for the Pease Development Authority, should be reviewed in the future. Committee members asked whether guarantees have the same effect as actual debt for bonding capacity, and the treasurer confirmed that they do for purposes of the formula. Members also asked about the usual level of debt relative to the statutory 10% cap, and she said the state generally stays well below that limit. BFA Executive Director James Key Wallace then testified that the request was driven by rising project costs, inflation, and the need for more runway so the agency does not have to return to the legislature in an emergency. He said the BFA is self-supported, has never had a guarantee paid out by the state, requires collateral and reserves, and believes the appropriate range is closer to $400 million to $450 million; he also said a Senate bill would raise the limit to $400 million. He added that the BFA’s pipeline includes projects from about $15 million to $100 million and that housing availability is an important factor in business location decisions. After closing the work session on House Bill 1042, the committee opened House Bill 241, a bill on health insurance coverage for pain management services for chronic pain. Representative Dave Nagel, the prime sponsor, gave extensive background on his long career in pain medicine and said the bill is intended to improve access to non-opioid therapies and evidence-based pain management. He described the broad population affected by chronic pain and opioid use disorder, and said the proposal has long had bipartisan and stakeholder support. No vote or final action was taken on House Bill 241 in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, this is going to be down the road.
• Our roads and streets will be safer.
• People are being killed on the roads.
• So we don't have to regulate it, but we can keep the road safe. I'm all for keeping the road safe.
• Senator Graal is all for keeping the road safe.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, doctor and guest introductions, and then took up Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 168, the Tristan Murphy Act, on mental health. Senator Bradley described the bill as a major criminal justice and behavioral health reform measure that would expand pretrial mental health diversion, strengthen treatment-based probation conditions, broaden grant uses for mental health and substance abuse programs, add Hillsborough County to a forensic hospital diversion pilot, require certain DOC mental health evaluations, and create a Florida Behavioral Health Data Repository. Senators from both parties spoke in strong support, emphasizing treatment over incarceration, public safety, data collection, and the Murphy family’s role in advancing the bill. The Senate passed the bill 37-0 and then approved 37 co-sponsors. The chamber then received the Senate’s 2025-26 General Appropriations Bill, SB 2500, with Chair Hooper outlining a $117.4 billion budget that he said reduces spending, preserves reserves, and includes major investments in water quality, transportation, education infrastructure, and reporting requirements. Committee chairs summarized their portions: K-12 funding at $34.7 billion with increases for FEFP, scholarships, VPK, school hardening, and school safety; higher education at $11.5 billion with workforce, nursing, reading, autism, and student aid investments; health and human services with a $1.8 billion increase for Medicaid, mental health, opioid response, disability services, and veterans programs; criminal and civil justice at $7.6 billion for corrections, juvenile justice, law enforcement, courts, and judgeships; transportation/tourism/economic development at about $18 billion including roads, housing, Visit Florida, and cultural grants; and agriculture/environment/general government with major Everglades, water quality, citrus, food bank, and agency IT funding. Members then questioned several budget items, especially education funding formulas, the shift of scholarship dollars below the line, the impact on public school districts, AP/IB and other accelerated program funding, the APD wait list, opioid settlement spending, arts grants, and the My Safe Florida Home and condo pilot programs. Chairs generally said scholarship and accelerated-program dollars were being restructured for transparency and flexibility rather than cut, that school districts would still receive funding based on enrollment, and that APD and other human services issues would continue to be worked out in conference. The budget discussion concluded with remarks praising staff and noting a 4% across-the-board pay raise for state employees and targeted increases for law enforcement and firefighters, followed by a recognition for FAMU Day at the Capitol.

Transcript Highlights:

• So any kind of information about cancellations or delays in funding for state roads and bridges, for
• , $800 million for roads and bridges, $500 million for local roads and bridges, we don't do anything
• and bridges for local for state roads and bridges for local roads<00:52:49.799><c> and</c><00:52:50.000
• and bridges this is all going to roads and bridges this is all going to be<00:52:52.160><c> very</c>
• and bridges 500 million for local roads and bridges 500 million for local roads<00:53:00.200><c> and

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Hampshire has established for our roads. Hampshire has established for our roads.
• core safety things, tires and brakes and so forth, this program will ensure we have safety on our roads
• That truly turned it into a safety inspection bill to keep our roads safe rather than anything else.
• That truly turned it into a safety inspection bill to keep our roads safe rather than anything else.
• That truly turned it into a safety inspection bill to keep our roads safe rather than anything else.

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A car comes down a road going in a slow fashion because these are normally on back roads.
• They spot a deer that comes down roads.
• The driver stops, may into the road.
• He's turned off the road. He's fashion. He's turned off the road.
• </c><01:04:14.319><c> I</c><01:04:14.559><c> turn</c> road. I see a deer in a field. I turn road.

Committee: House Fish and Game and Marine Resources

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So this bill is about public safety on our roads.
• signs, to be able to safely traverse our roads and do that in a responsible way.
• We just need to make sure that they can understand the road signs and what they’re actually hauling.
• I do think becoming a heavy equipment operator driving an over-the-road truck is— —certainly one of those
• And in the other incident— —they were driving the wrong way on the road, right?

Summary: The House opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and approval of the previous day’s journal by a vote of 126-2. Members then observed a moment of silence for former Representative Barney Fisher, who was remembered for his Marine Corps service, business career, and House service from 2005 to 2013. The chamber also welcomed several guest groups, including Southern Boone third graders, Lake of the Ozarks Day visitors, and guests connected to autism awareness and other local interests. The House then took up several third-reading bills. Senate Bill 907, the “Act Against Abusive Website Access Litigation,” was amended and passed 148-0; supporters said it would curb predatory ADA website lawsuits and give businesses 90 days to fix problems before suit, while still preserving access rights. House Joint Resolution 159, which would modernize investment authority for the state treasurer and potentially generate about $15 million annually, passed 100-34 after debate over investment safeguards and whether it was too broad. House Bill 2741, requiring CDL holders and applicants to be able to read and speak English sufficiently for safety-related tasks and imposing penalties on operators and carriers, passed 104-22 amid concerns about subjectivity and immigration impacts. The House also passed House Bill 2474, adding progressive design-build as an optional project delivery method for local governments, by 141-5; House Bill 3076, a Department of Natural Resources cleanup bill exempting agricultural non-point sources from water permitting, by 102-41 after sharp debate over environmental protections; House Bill 2436, revising animal abuse/neglect and impoundment procedures, by 88-54; House Bill 2576, a naming/recognition bill, by 140-3; and House Bill 3175, “Mason’s Law,” allowing health-condition information to be shared with law enforcement during traffic stops, by 147-0. The chamber then announced upcoming committee work and adjourned until 4 p.m. Monday, April 20, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• According to Cass County Judge Travis Ransom, Cass County burns over 100,000 gallons of on-road taxed
• The Texas Motor Fuels tax is 20 cents a gallon for road diesel and gasoline, and it has been unchanged
• remaining 25% goes to the state highway fund, less $7.3 million, which goes to the county lateral road
• department and the 100,000 gallons that we burn, we're paying in at least $20,000 into the lateral roads
• My county, rural Cass County, has about 936 miles of county roads that we maintain, and it just doesn't

Committee: Senate Finance

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee heard several tax and economic development bills. SB 935 would exempt counties from the motor fuels tax on fuel used exclusively in county vehicles; Sen. Hall and Cass County Judge Travis Ransom argued it would save counties money without changing fund allocations, and the bill was left pending while the committee waited for the House version. SB 2206 would extend and revise Texas’s research and development incentives by tying the franchise tax credit more closely to federal law and changing the program’s effective date; supporters from business, manufacturing, and tax policy groups said it would protect innovation jobs and help startups, while the Comptroller’s office explained the fiscal note and said the committee substitute was no longer needed. The committee later withdrew the substitute and left the bill pending before ultimately voting it out favorably. The committee also heard SB 2020, which would repeal the “rehab tax” on nonresidential remodeling. Sen. Campbell said a large fiscal note led him to delay a full presentation, but builders, architects, and contractors testified that the tax raises remodeling costs, complicates audits, and discourages reuse and reinvestment in existing buildings. The bill was left pending. SB 2018 would create a two-year “strong families” tax credit for businesses donating to nonprofits that provide family support services; supporters from Family First, Buckner International, and Texas Baptist said it would strengthen families, father engagement, and upstream prevention, while the author said the Comptroller and HHSC were still working on administration details. That bill was also left pending. After a quorum was established, the committee heard and later reported several bills favorably. SB 1030 would exempt certain aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul parts from sales tax for general aviation; industry, airport, and local economic development witnesses said it would keep high-wage aviation work in Texas and improve competitiveness with neighboring states, and the bill was reported favorably. SB 214 would create a temporary sales tax holiday for qualifying residential HVAC systems; it was laid out and left pending. SB 1901 would make administrative and ethics changes to the Opioid Abatement Fund Council, including staggered terms, conflict rules, and fund reallocation procedures; it was reported favorably. SB 266 would repeal the Texas Research Incentive Program and use the appropriation to address the existing backlog of unmatched donations; the chair and Sen. Paxton said the state should honor past commitments, and the committee substitute was adopted and the bill was reported favorably. The committee then recessed subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> nothing to do by the way with uh Road nothing to do by the way with uh Road Frontage<03:30:22.199
• </c> increasing the amount that that road increasing the amount that that road should<03:33:04.359><c
• </c> that has not only an impact on roads that has not only an impact on roads Bridges<03:44:26.439><
• </c> to um spread um utilities road to um spread um utilities road maintenance<03:49:44.319><c> and</
• </c> begin but then 20 years down the road begin but then 20 years down the road when<04:13:01.880><c

Committee: House Housing

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Housing Committee heard testimony on HB 577, a bill to expand accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in New Hampshire. The sponsor and supporters described the state’s housing shortage and argued the bill would make it easier for property owners to build ADUs by right, up to 950 square feet, either attached or detached, while still requiring compliance with building codes, septic/water limits, and other local requirements. Supporters said the measure would help seniors age in place, provide housing for young adults, caregivers, and workers, and make better use of existing property such as garages and barns. Representative Reed raised concern that removing language related to short-term rentals could allow ADUs to be used for that purpose rather than long-term housing. The sponsor said he was open to clarifying language on short-term rentals, and another witness explained that current law already allows municipalities some choice on ingress/egress requirements, while the bill would standardize that and leave the design choice to the property owner. Several supportive witnesses followed, including the New Hampshire Home Builders Association, the New Hampshire Association of Realtors, the Business and Industry Association, AARP, Housing Action New Hampshire, 603 Forward, and New Hampshire Youth Movement. They emphasized affordability, property rights, workforce housing, intergenerational living, and the need for statewide consistency. A Derry resident testified that his existing garage space could be converted into an ADU under HB 577, but current local rules prevent that because it is detached; he said the bill would let him rent it affordably. Supporters also argued that ADUs can increase property values and help homeowners cover mortgages and taxes. In opposition, the New Hampshire Municipal Association said the bill would impose a local zoning mandate, could add density pressure on already stressed infrastructure, and did not guarantee that new units would be affordable or workforce housing. No vote or final committee action was taken in the excerpt.