Video & Transcript : 'forensic expert' :
Page 98 of 487
AL
Transcript Highlights:
- I do not claim to be a constitutional expert, and I don't claim to be a custody parental rights expert
- Um, but I pointed out to you the expert.
- We inserted the constitution-minded experts I work with. They insert the word custody. Why?
- We inserted the constitution-minded experts I work with. They insert the word custody. Why?
- The constitution-minded experts I work with, they insert the word custody. Why?
Committee:
House Judiciary
ID
Transcript Highlights:
- It's like all of a sudden when you're on JFAC, you have to become an expert on education, health and
- Every one of these committees all of a sudden we have to become experts on and try to understand the
- It's like all of a sudden when you're on JFAC, you have to become an expert on education, health and
- Every one of these committees all of a sudden we have to become experts on and try to understand the
- It’s like all of a sudden when you’re on JFAC, you have to become an expert on education, health and
Committee:
House Education
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice Oct 8th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- Just in case you're not intimately familiar with it, this would be money that is paid for expert witnesses
- that we couldn't spend the money, we wouldn't be able to do things like take Depositions, higher expert
- If you don't have an expert witness, you just have to drop the case or not bring it at all.
- witness come testify, and I have no money to pay that expert, I would simply never bring that case.
- We have experts in our office, board-certified lawyers.
CA
Transcript Highlights:
- This is a health and safety issue first and foremost and needs to be led by experts to help us understand
- This is why, after months of trying to figure out who the experts are or what standards are out there
- , fire safety experts, smoke remediation specialists, industrial hygienists, and insurance representatives
- Are there, who are the experts in this field? That's clearly not our expertise.
- Are there, who are the experts in this field? That's clearly not our expertise.
Committee:
House Insurance
Summary:
The Assembly Insurance Committee held an oversight hearing on the California Department of Insurance’s Sustainable Insurance Strategy (SIS), with Commissioner Ricardo Lara reporting on implementation progress and the state’s broader homeowners and commercial insurance crisis. He said the department has finalized major reforms, is reviewing catastrophe models, and expects insurers to begin submitting new rate filings in the coming weeks under the updated framework. Lara emphasized that the goal is to improve availability and stability in the admitted market, reduce reliance on the FAIR Plan, and better reward wildfire mitigation and home hardening.
A major portion of the hearing focused on claims handling after the Los Angeles-area wildfires, including smoke-damage claims, underinsurance, and the FAIR Plan. Lara said the department has opened a formal market conduct examination of State Farm’s wildfire claims handling, is investigating FAIR Plan smoke-damage claims, and has helped more than 12,000 wildfire survivors while recovering more than $60 million on complaints. He also announced a new smoke claims and remediation task force to develop standards for smoke-damage cleanup and health protections, and said the department is working with other western states on underinsurance data and policy solutions.
Members asked about implementation timelines, the impact on consumers, FAIR Plan costs, and the role of intervenors in rate cases. Lara said the department is tightening rules for intervener compensation and will no longer grant petitions unrelated to the actual rate application, while also clearing a backlog of compensation petitions. He said the FAIR Plan has begun publicly posting policy counts and financial information, and that further transparency measures may follow. Public commenters from the insurance, building, and broker industries generally supported SIS, saying it is needed to restore availability, improve rate timeliness, and stabilize the market. No votes were taken, and the hearing concluded without formal committee action.
OK
Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session
Technology and Telecommunications REVISED Feb 19th, 2026
Technology and Telecommunications
Transcript Highlights:
- And what they're doing is comparing AI's ability to do a task that a human expert would do.
- So they said that a human expert could do a task that takes roughly...
- A human expert could do a task that takes roughly 10 minutes. AI could do it.
- And so, having talked with industry experts and even representatives from the State Chamber and the Technology
- We did an interim study last year, so we heard from some youth health experts.
Committee:
Senate Technology and Telecommunications
Summary:
The Senate Technology and Telecommunications Committee considered three Senate bills. SB 1670, by Senator Reinhart, would require the State Regents to update Oklahoma university technology transfer guidance, create a tiered ownership framework, and revisit the guidance every seven years. Members questioned the seven-year review period, the scope of terms like aerospace and autonomous technologies, and how broadly the new tiered system would apply. The bill was presented as a way to modernize an outdated 1989 framework and help turn university research into companies, jobs, and economic impact. It passed 8-0.
SB 1716, by Senator Howard, amended the Security Breach Notification Act to replace references to a “cybersecurity event” with “breach of the security of a system” and to clarify that there is no private right of action for ordinary negligence when a business reports breaches to the Attorney General. Howard explained that the Attorney General would retain exclusive enforcement authority for reasonable-standards violations, while private lawsuits would remain available only for more egregious conduct such as willful, wanton conduct or gross negligence. Members asked about the negligence standard, HIPAA-related breaches, and staffing needs for the Attorney General’s office. The amendment was adopted, and the bill passed 8-0.
SB 1521, by Senator Hamilton, would prohibit minors from accessing artificial intelligence companions and set age-verification and re-verification requirements, including use of government-issued identification and periodic re-verification. Hamilton said the bill was aimed at protecting children from harmful interactions with AI companions and was narrowly drafted to avoid sweeping in other AI tools like customer-service bots. Members raised concerns about the reasonableness and consistency of age verification, account creation requirements, and how the bill would interact with existing statutes on sexually explicit conduct. The chair spoke in support of the measure, and the bill passed 8-0. The committee then adjourned.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
House - Appropriations and Finance Mar 19th, 2025
House Appropriations & Finance
Transcript Highlights:
- Economic Development Secretary and the Chief of Staff for the Public Regulation Commission here as expert
- Thank you, co-chair, Senator, and experts. I have two questions.
- Chair, with me I have my expert witness, Catherine Clark, a Santa Fe County Clerk.
- We'll respond to that, but it's a good question, so I'm going to let my expert answer.
- Chair, and thank you, representatives and experts for this bill.
Committee:
House House Appropriations & Finance
FL
Florida 2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Public Counsel Oversight Jan 13th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- And we'll seek out our own experts in the areas of accounting, cost of capital, depreciation, engineering
- And even if we're not going to use them as experts, they can help guide our discovery and by not using
- them as full-blown experts, we gain the value of their expertise without having to pay the big dollars
- conduct depositions of the utilities' direct witnesses, and we file and defend the testimony of our own experts
- After we file our expert testimony, the utility has an opportunity to file their rebuttal testimony.
Summary:
The joint committee met with a quorum present and first received an overview of its jurisdiction and duties related to appointing the Florida Public Counsel. Staff explained the committee’s authority under joint rules and state law, noted that the current Public Counsel’s term expires February 28, 2025, and that applications for the next four-year term were open with a February 6, 2025 deadline. The committee then heard an extensive update from Public Counsel Walt Truerweiler on the Office of Public Counsel’s work representing utility ratepayers before the Public Service Commission and in appeals.
Truerweiler described the office’s caseload and priorities, including electric, gas, water, and wastewater rate cases; storm recovery dockets; cost-recovery clauses; rulemakings; and customer service hearings. He emphasized that the office seeks to challenge unsupported or imprudent costs, find value for customers, and use expert analysis and customer testimony to shape outcomes. He highlighted recent and ongoing matters, including major Duke, TECO, Sunshine water/wastewater, and hurricane recovery proceedings, and said the office had fully litigated four of its last five rate cases, while also achieving a major settlement in Duke that reduced a requested increase and imposed cost controls on solar projects.
Members praised the office’s work and asked about the benefits of settlements, staffing and compensation, and how the office decides when to fully intervene versus provide guidance or monitor a case. Truerweiler said settlements can create predictability, reduce uncertainty and expense, and produce tangible value for both customers and utilities. He also acknowledged recruitment challenges, including lower pay than comparable agencies and difficulty attracting attorneys who do not want in-person litigation work. The committee took no substantive action beyond receiving the presentations, and adjourned after a motion was adopted.
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
House Legislative Session Day 35 (2-26-26) - Reupload
Kentucky House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- funds each year for the child support services, and $95,000 in FY 27 and $587,128 in FY 27 for a new forensic
- Uh, personnel is very complicated, and I know not to presume to be an expert.
Summary:
The meeting opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then moved into committee and floor reports. Several measures received favorable committee reports and were ordered to first reading and placed on the calendar, including Current Resolution 9, Senate Joint Resolution 23, House Bill 145, House Bill 567, and House Bill 506 with House Committee Substitute 1. The chamber also noted that House Bills 500 and 504 had already received two readings and were sent to the Rules Committee before House Bill 500 was brought up for final consideration.
Most of the discussion focused on House Bill 500, the executive branch budget bill. Members described it as a “good first draft” and emphasized a budget process they said was more transparent than in prior years. The bill was presented as a restrained two-year operating budget with spending growth kept at a little under 2% annually, while setting aside about 2% of projected revenues, or roughly $614 million, in the Budget Reserve Trust Fund for future needs. The budget also used base reductions in some areas while exempting others such as Medicaid benefits, SEEK, corrections, behavioral health, and veterans programs.
Subcommittee chairs then outlined major spending areas. Education provisions included a 2% annual increase in base SEEK funding, transportation funding held flat, equalization for recallable nickel funding, continued retirement contributions, and major support for postsecondary access, dual credit, asset preservation, and workforce training. Health and family services provisions held Medicaid steady while adding waiver slots, behavioral health and substance use support, public health investments, and funding for rural health and laboratory capacity. Other sections covered personnel and pensions, veterans services, infrastructure, public safety, economic development, tourism, and environmental projects.
The only recorded action on the floor was adoption of House Committee Substitute 1 to House Bill 500, followed by a motion for final passage of the bill as amended. The transcript ends as discussion on final passage begins, before any final vote is shown.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Select Committee on Biotechnology and Medical Technology Feb 18th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- it better and understand it better, we would be happy to set something up there with some actual experts
- I'm not an expert. No worries. Thank you, John. Any questions from committee members? Dr. Patel.
- There's subspecialists in all areas of pathology, even an academic expert, one of the leaders in the
- There's subspecialists in all areas of pathology, even an academic expert, one of the leaders in the
- I will admit that personally, I'm not an expert in manufacturing, but I'm learning as fast and as much
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
Senate - Health and Public Affairs Feb 16th, 2026 at 02:54 pm
Senate Health & Public Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- I'd like to introduce my expert witnesses, Greg Trujillo, Executive Director, of the PERA, and Anthony
- We want to thank the sponsor and the expert and hope you'll pass it. Thank you.
- Who are in our community and are experts to study the questions and to recommend how our state funding
- I am joined by two expert witnesses today. I'll introduce them real quick.
- I don't know if Madam Chair or your expert has an opinion on how we might be able to do that.
Committee:
Senate Senate Health & Public Affairs
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Oregon-Washington Legislative Action Committee Dec 15th, 2025
Joint Oregon-Washington Legislative Action Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- But as you can imagine, the people on this program, including myself, are not experts in the maritime
- As you can imagine, the people on this program, including myself, are not experts in the maritime industry
- And so we engaged experts to help us understand the business needs of those companies, their past financial
- We had a third-party expert come on and validate our evaluation process.
- I am not any expert, but we are, as you mentioned, have studied the totality of the program.
Summary:
The Joint Oregon-Washington Legislative Action Committee met for a work session and public hearing on the Interstate 5 bridge replacement program. Program staff outlined major milestones, including the recent biological opinion, the Coast Guard’s opening of a public comment period on the Navigation Impact Report, expected decisions in early 2026 on navigational clearance and the final supplemental environmental impact statement, and a possible amended record of decision in 2026. They also discussed the Bridge Investment Program grant amendment deadline, the need for an initial finance plan, and ongoing community outreach and contractor engagement. Greg Johnson announced he was stepping down as program administrator, and Carly Francis introduced herself as interim administrator.
A large portion of the meeting focused on design and cost questions. Staff said the program is studying fixed and movable spans, single- and double-deck configurations, and one versus two auxiliary lanes, with final recommendations to be made through the federal environmental process. They said the Coast Guard’s decision is central to what bridge configuration is permittable and to the timing of the updated cost estimate, which has not yet been released. Members pressed for more detail on cost drivers, potential impacts to businesses upriver, and whether the states would need to seek additional funding. Staff said they had reached agreements with four impacted river users, but the underlying evaluation materials are protected and not publicly releasable.
The committee also reviewed transit-related questions. Staff explained that light rail remains part of the modified locally preferred alternative and that ridership and operations estimates are being updated using federal modeling methods. They said projected opening-day transit operations and maintenance costs have dropped from an earlier estimate of $21.8 million to about $10.3 million annually because the current model assumes lower frequency, with Oregon and Washington shares split by geography and fare recovery. Members raised concerns about TriMet’s financial stability and the need for a funding plan by fall 2027, ahead of a planned federal transit funding application in fall 2028.
During public testimony, several speakers criticized the delay in releasing a new cost estimate and argued the project scope should be reduced if costs continue to rise. Testifiers from City Observatory and the Just Crossing Alliance said the project appears to be avoiding bad news, urged the committee to consider scope reductions, and questioned whether the active transportation and freeway components align with the project’s core purpose. The meeting ended with thanks to Johnson for his service and a transition to public hearing testimony.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- And second, the bill would also undermine a core principle of Texas water planning: let local experts
- Let local experts and stakeholders identify the best options to meet growing demands.
- You're an expert in these areas.
- If we can call them up as expert witnesses, Mr. Chair.
- If we can call them up as expert witnesses, Mr. Chair.
Bills:
HB1523 , HB2109 , HB2694 , HB3525 , HB3898 , HB4646 , HB5188 , HB5219 , HB5320 , HB5651 , HB5655 , HB5659 , HB5662 , HB5672
Committee:
House Natural Resources
Keywords:
aquifer conservation, Class V injection well, environmental regulation, groundwater protection, municipal water supply, temporary prohibition, water management, reservoir construction, state water plan, Texas Water Code, environmental impact, Brazoria Drainage District, commissioners, elections, vacancies, resignation, HB 3525, North Texas Groundwater Conservation District, groundwater permit, permit amendment
Summary:
The Committee on Natural Resources heard House Bill 2109, which would remove certain long-proposed reservoir projects from the state water plan after 50 years without progress. Chairman Van Deaver and many landowners, local officials, timber interests, and conservation advocates testified in support, arguing that the Marvin Nichols Reservoir has burdened Northeast Texas landowners for decades with the threat of eminent domain, depressed property values, and uncertainty over homes, farms, ranches, schools, churches, and cemeteries. Supporters also said the project would flood tens of thousands of acres, require extensive mitigation, harm timber and agriculture, and that Texas now has better alternatives such as conservation, reuse, aquifer storage and recovery, and desalination. Several members expressed sympathy for the affected families and questioned whether a project could remain in the plan indefinitely without progress.
Opposition came from North Texas water interests, including the North Texas Commission, Tarrant Regional Water District, and the Texas Water Association, who argued that the bill would interfere with the state’s long-term water planning process and remove needed future supply options for a fast-growing region. They said Region C faces major projected shortages by 2070, that conservation and reuse have already delayed the need for new supplies, and that reservoirs remain one tool in the state’s water-planning toolbox. TWDB staff explained the existing inter-regional conflict process and noted that the substitute would affect several unique reservoir sites, not just Marvin Nichols. After testimony, Chairman Van Deaver closed by urging passage of the bill, but the committee withdrew the substitute and left HB 2109 pending.
The committee then took up House Bill 5188, a brackish groundwater bill. The author said the bill would reduce permitting burdens for wells in designated brackish groundwater production zones, and the committee substitute added requirements on monitoring, groundwater-rights ownership, and allocation of pumpage limits while removing some exclusions and export-fee provisions. Texas Wildlife Association testified against the bill, warning that the exemptions could weaken groundwater conservation districts’ ability to protect freshwater resources and surface-owner rights. San Antonio Water System testified in favor, saying brackish groundwater is a key future supply and that the substitute would help speed development of desalination and brackish projects. The Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts testified neutrally but raised concerns about reduced district oversight, especially around injection-well exclusions and the loss of export fees, and said discussions on the bill were ongoing.
NM
Transcript Highlights:
- Madam President, I'd like to ask permission for my expert to join me. Tell us who your expert is.
- If the Sergeant at Arms could escort the expert in. Thank you.
- Yes, an expert I know well, and she has all the answers.
- in both expert witnesses.
- We need to call an expert from the broadband office.
Summary:
The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge, and agreed by unanimous consent to allow cameras on the floor and gallery, excuse several senators, and move to announcements and miscellaneous business. The chamber then adopted a ceremonial resolution honoring Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales for his years of service as Senate president and lieutenant governor, followed by extensive remarks from senators and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham praising his leadership, fairness, education advocacy, and personal kindness. Morales briefly responded, thanking members, the governor, and his family, and noting he would offer fuller remarks on his final day.
After messages from the House were read, the Senate adopted several committee reports. These included favorable action on Senate Memorial 31; House Judiciary Committee substitute for House Bill 70; House Bill 124, referred to Finance; Senate Joint Resolution 6, referred to Judiciary; Senate Joint Resolution 7; House Bills 103, 154, 165, and 285 as amended; and the Finance Committee’s amended report on House Appropriations and Finance Committee substitute for House Bills 2 and 3. The Judiciary Committee also reported Senate Bill 104 as duly enrolled and engrossed, and the body noted that SB 104 had been signed in open session.
During personal privilege, Majority Floor Leader Peter Wirth discussed a State Ethics Commission advisory opinion on whether legislators who are attorneys may vote on medical malpractice cap legislation, arguing the issue is governed by Senate rules rather than the Governmental Conduct Act. He said he would continue to disclose his interests and vote under Rule 7-5, and also rejected a newspaper suggestion that he had a conflict in sponsoring a judgeship bill for the First Judicial District Court. The Senate then moved into third reading, beginning with Senate Rules Committee substitute for Senate Bill 264, which Senator Duhigg explained as an election-security measure responding to concerns about federal interference, intimidation, and emergency election disruptions; Senator Nava then spoke in support as a co-sponsor.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Floor Session 5/17/26 - Part 3
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- unbiased, thoughtful, and in-depth policy development, drafting, and fiscal analysis, we turn to our experts
- we</c><00:08:31.880><c> turn</c><00:08:32.159><c> to</c><00:08:32.360><c> our</c><00:08:32.840><c> experts
- </c><00:08:33.400><c> in</c> analysis, we turn to our experts in analysis, we turn to our experts in
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
Senate - Conservation Feb 18th, 2026 at 10:07 am
Senate Conservation
Transcript Highlights:
- And so with that, I've got co-sponsor here Senator Heather Bergman, and we have our expert Darma Santos
- She's their state industrial decarbonization expert.
- The other thing I like this and I need to apologize to your experts.
- I think you've answered all my questions, and Certainly, the experts. And I apologize again.
Committee:
Senate Senate Conservation
ID
Transcript Highlights:
- And I said in this case, I consulted with experts all over the country, and they indicated that they
- They're training on all these psychological disorders and what's going on, but you're not an expert.
- I'm on the regional board for suicide prevention, and then nationally, some of the world-renowned experts
- regularly, including trainings and community efforts to prevent suicide, and said the language came from experts
Committee:
House Judiciary, Rules and Administration
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions Jun 21st, 2026 at 01:00 pm
Transcript Highlights:
- The first will be experienced professionals and subject matter experts in the field.
- We have one expert testifying today on both matters, who will be allotted 45 minutes of testimony.
- But I don't want to present an expert opinion on that, which would not be expert. Thank you.
- Expert, thank you.
- Jim, you are an education expert, correct?
Summary:
The Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions held a public hearing on two proposed ballot initiatives: one to reduce the state personal income tax rate from 5% to 4% over three years, and another to revise the state’s tax collection cap/62F process so it would be based on prior-year collections plus wage growth and include surtax revenue. The committee chair and House co-chair outlined the hearing process, and the first witness was Doug Howgate of the Massachusetts Taxpayer Foundation, who testified as the committee’s subject-matter expert on both measures. He said the income tax proposal would lower taxes broadly but would reduce state revenue by about $5.4 billion when fully implemented, with an estimated $800 million hit in FY27, and he discussed possible effects on competitiveness, taxpayer savings, and public finances. On the 62F proposal, he said the revised cap would make refunds more likely, could have produced several large refunds in recent years, and would reduce stabilization fund deposits and constrain recovery after recessions.
Committee members questioned Howgate about competitiveness, outmigration, prior tax ballot measures, spending growth, MassHealth, and the interaction between the income tax and surtax. He emphasized that taxes are only one part of the state’s overall competitiveness and that housing, public services, and other factors also matter. He also noted that the surtax is constitutionally restricted but can still support ongoing spending choices. After his testimony, the committee moved to the proponents’ panel.
Proponents of both initiatives, including representatives from Taxpayers for an Affordable Massachusetts, the National Federation of Independent Business, Pioneer Institute, and the Mass Opportunity Alliance, argued that the measures would improve affordability, help retain residents and businesses, and support job growth. They cited polling support, outmigration, small-business reinvestment, and comparisons to lower-tax states such as North Carolina. Their economist, Rebecca Paxton, said her model showed smaller revenue losses than critics claim and projected that the revised revenue cap would not create additional annual revenue losses while producing more regular taxpayer refunds. Committee members pressed the panel on competitiveness, prior ballot initiative implementation, and whether the measures would actually address broader affordability pressures; the hearing ended with the committee continuing to take questions from the proponents.
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions Mar 30th, 2026
Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions
Transcript Highlights:
- The first will be experienced professionals and subject matter experts in the field.
- The first will be experienced professionals and subject matter experts in the field.
- But I don't want to present an expert opinion on that, which would not be expert. Thank you.
- Expert, thank you.
- Jim, you are an education expert, correct?
Summary:
The Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions held a public hearing on two proposed ballot initiatives: one to reduce the state personal income tax rate from 5% to 4% over three years, and another to revise the state tax collection cap law (62F) so the cap would be based on the prior year’s actual collections plus wage-and-salary growth and would include surtax revenue. Committee chairs outlined the hearing process and noted that the measures would need additional signatures to qualify for the 2026 ballot if not enacted by the legislature.
The committee’s expert witness, Doug Howgate of the Massachusetts Taxpayer Foundation, said the income tax proposal would lower the base rate in stages beginning in 2027 and would ultimately reduce state income tax collections by about $5.4 billion annually when fully implemented. He estimated savings would vary by income level, from a few hundred dollars for lower- and middle-income households to about $10,700 for taxpayers at the surtax threshold. He argued the proposal would improve tax competitiveness but would also require major budget adjustments, likely including reserve use, spending cuts, and possibly new revenue measures; he cited prior downturns and said the state’s rainy day fund is stronger than in past recessions, though spending growth and health care costs remain concerns. On the 62F proposal, he said rebasing the cap to prior-year collections would make refunds more likely, with modeled refunds totaling about $7.9 billion without the surtax and $10.1 billion with it over the last decade, and warned it could reduce stabilization fund deposits and constrain recovery after recessions.
Proponents of both petitions, including representatives from Taxpayers for an Affordable Massachusetts, NFIB, Pioneer Institute, and the Mass Opportunity Alliance, argued that Massachusetts faces an affordability and competitiveness crisis and that lower taxes would help families, small businesses, job creation, and outmigration. They said the income tax cut would put about $1,300 a year back into the hands of average families, help pass-through businesses reinvest, and improve the state’s ability to compete with lower-tax states such as North Carolina. Their economist, Rebecca Paxton, presented a model projecting average annual revenue losses of about $680 million during the phase-in and a total net income tax revenue impact of $2 billion to $2.2 billion, while saying long-term revenue growth would be stronger after implementation. The hearing ended with committee questions and a brief dispute over a planned voter testimonial video, which the chairs said was not appropriate for the hearing at that point.
AZ
Arizona 2026 Regular Session
01/27/2026 - House Natural Resources, Energy & Water
House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee of Reference
Transcript Highlights:
- In your testimony, sir, you said experts across the country. Yes.
- These are folks who are nationwide experts in setting rates.
- I know one of the experts who was on our panel is from Texas.
- The question was, who were the experts and where are they from?
- they are or can credibly agree that they are experts.
Summary:
The committee began by announcing that House Bill 2094 would be held and not heard that day, then received a lengthy update from Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzky on Colorado River negotiations and post-2026 operating rules. He described Arizona’s legal position, the basin’s water allocations, current shortages, conservation efforts, and the state’s view that the Upper Basin should share more of the reductions and move more water from reservoirs above Lake Powell to Lake Mead. Members asked about tourism, recreation, tribal water rights, public outreach, and the role of the state’s delegation and the federal government. Buschatzky said Arizona has already made major conservation cuts and that further reductions are likely, whether by agreement or federal action, and emphasized ongoing negotiations and public meetings.
The committee then heard House Bill 2758, which would expand McMullen Valley groundwater transfer rules to allow eligible entities, including private water companies, to withdraw and transport groundwater under specified conditions, with ADWR oversight and reporting requirements. Supporters argued the bill would provide a lawful, regulated way to move water for urban growth and housing needs, while opponents from La Paz County and rural advocacy groups said it would accelerate aquifer depletion, harm private wells, and benefit a New York hedge fund at the expense of local residents. After debate over guardrails, stakeholder outreach, and the impact on rural communities, the committee adopted the Griffin amendment and passed HB 2758 as amended on a 6-4 due-pass vote.
Finally, the committee took up House Bill 2098, which revises bonding authority and public hearing notification requirements for county water augmentation authorities and allows such authorities to enter into local repayment agreements with WIFA. Pinal County officials and related stakeholders testified in support, saying the changes would help the Pinal County Water Augmentation Authority finance future water and infrastructure projects, including possible augmentation efforts tied to Bartlett Dam, and would clean up statutory language to match the authority’s needs. The transcript ends during testimony on HB 2098, before any committee vote on that bill is shown.
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
Senate Chamber Jan 23rd, 2026 at 10:43 am
New Mexico Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- They're the experts. That was why I brought the amendment, Senator Gonzalez.
- While the expert witnesses are getting situated, I'd like to yield to Senator Padilla. Mr.
- President, I do have my expert witnesses looking at it. Mr.
- He brought in national experts. We went over the economics of roads.
- And with that, we will stand for—I'll ask for permission to have my expert.