Transcript Highlights:

• DTSC robust enforcement authority to ensure these standards are met including the authority to shut down
• The prevailing winds carry toxic dust, metals, and particulate matter directly to where people live,
• It are the byproducts of taking things apart and breaking them down into other parts.
• And so, what we're trying to do now is to kind of get it down to the types of waters, to try our best
• Okay, folks, if you can keep it down, we're trying to do some votes. Papin? Aye. Papin, aye.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Parker residence, oftentimes there would be Allen jacket at the back door where he had ducks stuffed down
• Whenever I wanted to talk and give jokes, I would call down and say, hey, I need to talk about it, so
• 650 Can the members raising their hands come down front, please?
• didn't know what it was. is a bill to make sure the consumer knows the reason why it was turned down
• Isn't the goal of the bill just wanting to know if you're turned down?

Bills: HB 118, HB388, HB 114, HB205, HB2789, HB2791, HB499, HB2960, HB3163, HB3135, HB2427, HB1618, HB1672, HB1722, HB1338, HB787, HB2618, HB879, HB 1126, HB4134, HB3513, HB718, HB1536, HB1445, HB1640, HB1893, HB1734, HB3229, HB3306, HB 1276, HB3272, HB3276, HB3516, HB4145, HB1585, HB4810, HB2989, HB2558, HB3014, HB2742, HB1695, HB29, HB 125, HB145, HB171, HB255, HB50, HB363, HB 116, HB491, HB1495, HB368, HB 1285, HB1905, HB2002, HB917, HB2723, HB2067, HB 1238, HB745, HB 1188, HB1606, HB2003, HB2147, HB2355, HB2546, HB2495, HB2818, HB2249, HB3228, HB3240, HB1507, HB658, HB1748, HB1851, HB1922, HB2798, HB 107, HB1587, HB3684, HB 118, HB388, HB 114, HB205, HB2789, HB2791, HB499, HB2960, HB3163, HB3135, HB2427, HB1618, HB1672, HB1722, HB1338, HB787, HB2618, HB879, HB 1126, HB4134, HB3513, HB718, HB1536, HB1445, HB1640, HB1893, HB1734, HB3229, HB3306, HB 1276, HB3272, HB3276, HB3516, HB4145, HB1585, HB4810, HB2989, HB2558, HB3014, HB2742, HB1695, HB609, HB630, HB420, HB767, HB1708, HB1404, HB2457, HB140, HB227, HB913, HB2198, HB2763, HB 1261, HB 1135, HB1318, HB2358, HB2765, HB2735, HB3307, HB 1242, HB2842, HB333, HB201, HB694, HB2415, HB155, HB272, HB405, HB519, HB 1136, HB 1275, HB1437, HB1532, HB1675, HB1868, HB1888, HB1990, HB2286, HB2523, HB3129, HB3251, HB3354, HB3479, HB3803, HB3804, HB3805, HB3806, HB3887, HB4163, HB4238, HB 1240, HB1842, HB2029, HB2622, HB3255, HB654, HB4643, HB4945, HB3611, HB3724, HB3623, HB3810, HB4127, HCR78, HCR12, SB767

Keywords: HB 388, HB388, coordination of benefits, COB questionnaire, health benefit plan, health insurance, insurance commissioner, Texas Department of Insurance, uniform form, primary payer, secondary payer, multiple coverage, dual coverage, Medicaid, CHIP, managed care, HMO, small employer health plan, school district health coverage, self-funded plan

Transcript Highlights:

• , these efforts give the Railroad Commission the opportunity to bring the orphaned well population down
• We're trying to skinny that down as well. I don't know if y'all saw that. It's pretty high.
• used to. used to take, you know, 8-16 wells per section to produce all of that and we've cut that down
• And then at the end, you wind up with an operator that's not financially capable.
• And just, you know, shutting down the industry, you know, it's more. financially advantageous to just

Bills: SB1150, SB763, SB1061, SB1146, SB1198, HB279, HB310

Keywords: concrete plants, environmental regulation, permit process, air quality, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, SB 1061, uranium mining, production area authorization, TCEQ, Water Code, groundwater, groundwater conservation district, restoration table value, restoration values, contested case hearing, Chapter 2001, mineral rights, surface owners, notice requirements, environmental permitting

Transcript Highlights:

• So even though hours are going down, you'll see money going up, so you have to look at that.
• You know, later down the road, it obviously helps with reentry and helps us send inmates out knowing
• So even though hours are going down, you'll see money going up, so you have to look at that.
• I've said it's already coming down.
• Because if you're taking, just say if a clerk winds up taking more, the...

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice heard an update from Department of Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon on staffing, overtime, capital needs, and inmate population growth. Dixon said the prison population has risen by about 8,000 since January 2021 while staffing has not kept pace, forcing the agency to open 53 housing units without funded positions and rely heavily on overtime and National Guard support. He cited a $189 million deficit tied to salaries and overtime, noted that most staff have less than three years of experience, and argued the solution is to fully fund posts for operational housing units. He also reviewed the department’s fixed capital outlay projects, including repairs, new housing construction, and medical modular units intended to reduce outside hospital transports, and gave an update on the VINE victim notification system and its expansion. The committee then heard from Florida clerks of court representatives Jason Welty and Miami-Dade Clerk Juan Fernandez-Barquin, who described clerks’ court-related and county duties and said clerk budgets have not kept pace with the broader justice system. They requested reimbursements for injunctions for protection ($3.3 million), Baker Act/Marchman Act/sexually violent predator cases ($2.5 million), and juror management ($4.8 million), and said future funding for new judges should include the full courtroom system, not judges alone. Fernandez-Barquin also raised concerns about unfunded mandates, rising retirement and health costs, low court-side pay, and the need to revisit filing fees and trust fund allocations. Members asked about collections, payment plans, license suspensions, and whether some fees or trust fund distributions could be redirected; the governor’s budget had already picked up the $2.5 million request for Baker/Marchman/SVP cases. During public testimony, speakers urged broader criminal justice reforms and additional funding priorities. A prosecutor emphasized that adding judges requires funding for prosecutors, public defenders, and clerks as well. Other speakers called for parole or long-term sentencing reform to reduce prison populations and costs, criticized staffing and conditions in prisons, and raised concerns about inexperienced correctional officers, visitation delays, and lack of air conditioning in some facilities. The committee took no substantive votes on the items discussed and adjourned after hearing the presentations and public comments.

Transcript Highlights:

• President, is that Medicaid rolls are coming down.
• We also know that enrollment has gone down since the pandemic.
• "We're trying to track it down right now." "Through you, Mr.
• WE'RE CUTTING THAT DOWN TO $20 THIS YEAR.
• We're picking the dates out down the road.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and an invocation, then approved the prior day’s Journal and moved into motions, resolutions, and budget-related business. Senator Gianaris called up Senate Print 5898A for reconsideration; the Senate voted 59 ayes to restore the bill to the third reading calendar. Several amendments were also received on third-reading bills, and the Finance Committee was called into session while the chamber proceeded with resolutions. The Senate adopted Resolution J.2106 recognizing Second Chance Month and the mental health impacts of incarceration, with Senator Brisport speaking in support and a guest from the community recognized in the chamber. The body also adopted Resolution J.1492 designating May 27, 2026, as Taiwan Heritage Day, with remarks from Senators Sepúlveda, Stavisky, and Liu highlighting Taiwanese contributions to New York and expressing support for Taiwan amid current geopolitical tensions. The Finance Committee then reported several budget bills, including Senate Prints 9003D, 9004D, 9007C, and 9009C, which were moved to third reading. The remainder of the session focused on the supplemental and controversial budget calendars, especially tax and spending provisions. Senators debated the “Protecting Our Wallets” energy rebate, with supporters describing it as a one-time check for eligible taxpayers and critics arguing it was too small and not tied directly to utility bills; the chamber accepted the message of necessity and laid the bills aside. Members also debated extensions and changes to tax provisions affecting corporations, alternative fuel exemptions, Broadway and theatrical production tax credits, charitable deductions for certain 501(c)(3)s, nicotine pouch taxes, a new New York City pied-à-terre tax, and a standardbred horse-racing testing fee. Several senators criticized the budget as raising costs or favoring certain industries, while supporters defended the measures as revenue-raising, affordability, or public-health policies. No final votes on the controversial budget bills are shown in the excerpt beyond procedural rulings, adoption of the resolution calendar, and acceptance of committee reports.

Transcript Highlights:

• I used to like beer and he brought me a case of beer that he walked down the street with.
• And George came down and he said, Harold. I thought you were really a boxer.
• to foster home, caseworker to caseworker, different social workers, their lives are turned upside down
• If you have any announcements, please bring them down front. Was this the adjournment motion?
• HB 4004 by money relating to eligibility of property for certain advalarium tax incentives if a wind-powered

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, stock markets are down. Should you buy today? Oh, it went up a lot yesterday. Ah.
• Uh, stock markets are down. Should you buy today? Oh, it went up a lot yesterday. Ah.
• Uh, stock markets are down. Should you buy today? Oh, it went up a lot yesterday. Ah.
• <01:15:24.000> up people they get services that wind up people they get services that wind
• And so it had gone from 1.8 down to 1.6.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Paul Central High School right down the road in Minnesota.
• Yeah, Chair Swedzinski, you're supposed to sit down for a minute. I know.
• Yeah, Chair Swedzinski, you're supposed to sit down for a minute. I know.
• I think it comes down to good laws and a good pro-voting culture.
• It teaches us what lifted people up, but also tore others down.

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The committee held a joint hearing recognizing the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and focusing on civic education, free speech, voting, and Minnesota’s America 250 commemorations. Opening remarks emphasized the importance of education, Indigenous land acknowledgement, and the idea that democracy depends on informed and engaged citizens. The chair then invited student debaters from the Minnesota High School League to testify about how debate, free speech, and evidence-based reasoning have shaped their education and civic participation. The students argued that debate teaches critical thinking, helps young people engage with difficult issues, and should be protected as part of a healthy democracy; one also urged lawmakers to move beyond empty promises and take action on issues such as eviction moratoriums, ICE collaboration, and protest protections. Commissioner Willie Jett of the Minnesota Department of Education testified that public education is where citizenship first becomes real, and that schools, libraries, and educators help students learn to listen, question, debate respectfully, and understand both the ideals and failures of American history. He said democracy is something each generation must learn and strengthen, and thanked the committee for convening the hearing. Former students Sarah Griffin and Charlie Crocker then offered tributes to Senator Swedzinski, describing how his teaching encouraged civic engagement, disagreement, and action, and how his classroom shaped their lives and public service. Their remarks emphasized that democracy is not a spectator sport and that ordinary people build it through small, courageous acts. Secretary of State Steve Simon followed with testimony on Minnesota’s civic culture and voter participation. He said Minnesota has long ranked near the top nationally in voter turnout, including youth turnout, and attributed that to a combination of good election laws and a strong pro-voting culture. He highlighted school-based civic education efforts such as pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds and the Students Vote mock election program, and noted that Minnesota’s congressional delegation was unanimous in supporting the Voting Rights Act in 1965 as an example of the state coming together on major moral questions. The Minnesota Historical Society then began its presentation on America 250, with Kent Whitworth describing the organization’s role, the new edition of the Northern Lights curriculum, and broader commemorative activities; Dr. Bill Convery introduced historical context about how Americans have celebrated independence and how the semiquincentennial can leave a legacy for future generations.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then, I think what it really comes down to is the end-of-the-year test.
• You want to live a normal life, not with all this stuff weighing us down. Yeah, absolutely.
• So this comes down to the TEKS; they're set by the State Board of Education.
• In case I get long-winded, I want to start from a place of gratitude.
• Thank you so much for the invitation to come down and testify here today in Austin.

Bills: HB8

Keywords: HB 8, Texas public school accountability, school accountability, public school transparency, STAAR, state assessments, instructionally supportive assessment program, Student Success Tool, Texas Education Agency, TEA, accountability ratings, A-F ratings, through-year assessment, benchmark testing, norm-referenced assessment, college career military readiness, CCMR, local accountability plan, school district performance, campus turnaround

Transcript Highlights:

• When you've selected the notice, scroll down to the very bottom.
• last question I'll ask right now is, given the catastrophic impact of these penalties, if this goes down
• Try to bring those caseloads down.
• So I'm concerned in regards to us further creating more lawsuits that are going to take us down that
• Could holding up county— Funds actually slow down the process of various applications moving through

Bills: HB5691, SB427, SB2623, SB2858

Keywords: municipal management district, bonds, assessments, property taxes, economic development, eminent domain, special district, SB 427, local government, political subdivision, state loan, state grant, financial reporting, annual financial statement, annual report, county report, municipal finance, water district, municipality, county auditor

Transcript Highlights:

• As it's written right now, every residential property policy in the state is a hail-wind-storm policy
• The max number in the benchmark plan actually went down too.
• don't want to give the reason to the insurance companies that if you're going to slow our business down
• That have shown that we've been down this road before where other states have, that we can share with
• When you start down that road, you end up in no good destination.

Bills: HB854, HB 1052, HB1642, HB2076, HB3042, HB3695, HB3787, HB4062, HB4092, SB213, SB493, SB896, HB5519, HB4635

Keywords: insurance, replacement cost, homeowner's policy, renter's policy, condominium insurance, property damage, claims process, telemedicine, teledentistry, telehealth, health benefit plan, insurance coverage, out-of-state services, anxiety, pain management, contraceptive devices, women's health, medical procedures, healthcare, laboratory

Transcript Highlights:

• The real reason for this, I believe, is to tamp down criticism on one foreign nation-state.
• Wind up in trouble, depending on the inconsistent application of the definition by anyone listening.
• We should absolutely embolden schools to crack down on anti-Semitism, but we should be careful about
• All right, Sheila, while you're coming down, we're going to show you.
• What this does is it creates a circumstance in which people are chasing down broad sweeping ideals of

Bills: HB295, HB824, HB1579, HB1581, HB2189, HB295

Keywords: bullying, antisemitism, school policies, school discipline, education, education policy, Texas Education Code, hate speech, student rights, civics education, high school curriculum, government, voting process, elected officials, Texas Seal of Biliteracy, biliteracy, bilingual education, multilingual, language proficiency, high school diploma

Transcript Highlights:

• They've shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
• Slow down the revolving door here.
• And the stock immediately went down and the American investors had to bear the losses.
• Already, consumer expectations are going down like... John Goodman on a seesaw.
• So that, you know, that one bet or one investment won't take the whole thing down.

Keywords: financial regulations, SEC, Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Transit Administration, nominees, Empowering Main Street in America Act, capital formation, economic growth

Summary: The committee meeting focused on several nominees within key financial institutions, including discussions surrounding the SEC, the Federal Transit Administration, and the Comptroller of the Currency. Notable dialogue included concerns over regulatory balance, with various members emphasizing a need to streamline regulations to foster innovation while ensuring accountability and safety for investors. The importance of the proposed 'Empowering Main Street in America Act' was highlighted as a means to facilitate access to capital for small businesses, underlining the current administration's approach towards financial regulations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Are we willing to go down on our reserves?
• But the amount of money went up and down.
• See my chair's down there. I was doing so well. I did it once.
• I was writing things down here and none of them sounded right when I did it.
• And then we have cheeseburgers apparently waiting for us down here.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think it's really important from the, uh, down to the representative down where, uh, down to the representative
• down where that fort is that Bridger built.
• There is a university down south sense.
• I would encourage all of you to go down I would encourage all of you to go down and<02:30:50.880
• I went down there and couple times.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's going to by the group down here.
• I um on down just for the practicality.
• You know, you voted up, you vote it down.
• <02:24:11.760> The you voted up, you vote it down. The you voted up, you vote it down.
• I don't want to start down. And..."

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They've talked about that maybe going from 90 all the way down to 60% versus the 90 that would cost a
• The FM map changes to adjust our system based on what is coming down from the federal government.
• So, if we could kind of go down a different line of questions and we also have other people in the queue
• They placed it in the constitution to ensure that it could not be undone by shifting political winds.
• We've gone from 14.4% down to 9.6%.

Bills: HB3312, HB3700, HB2981, HB2961, HB3016, HB4478, HB4326, HB3025, HB3710, HB4125, HB2951, HB3082, HB4142, HB4106, HB1752, HB3268, HB4440, HJR1067, SB1144, SB1145, SB1146, SB1147, SB1148, SB1156, SB1157, SB1158, SB1159, SB1161, SB1162, SB1163, SB1164, SB1165, SB1166, SB1149, SB1167, HJR1024, SB1174, SB1175, SB1176, HB3419, HB3748, HB4335, HB3057, HB3279, HB4428, HB3420, HB3040, HB4140, HB1638, HB3298, HB4113, HB1082, HB4301, HB3269, HB3587, HB4226, HB4324, HB4339, HB4342, HB3278, HB3996, HB4236, HB4352

Keywords: firearm safety, public schools, education policy, student safety, gun control, opt-out option, grading system, student assessment, academic integrity, state funding, opinion conduct, open meetings, school boards, transparency, public access, education governance, HB2961, TSgt Marshal Dakota Roberts Gold Star Survivor Act, Gold Star family, Gold Star recipient

Transcript Highlights:

• And that's what we gotta tamper down and get control costs on.
• You know, we're 40 million down and we don't have the rules.
• So these common vendors that you've got... ...put down here, and then you've got dollars next to them
• It's just kind of out there in the wind. It's left up to the specific school districts. So, Mr.
• The little one up the road, you and him, you know... oh, down the road is that.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think that would tamp down some scenarios.
• I think that would tamp down, as Senator Paxton hopefully said, some tempers at a lot of these public
• Have you stepped down? Thanks. improve the agency.
• Have you stepped down. Thanks. All right. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you.
• Have you stepped down? Thank you. Would you go ahead and close those lower shades?

Summary: The Senate Committee on Nominations met with a quorum and first took up pending nominations from an earlier agenda. Members severed Douglas McReecken, nominated to the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents, from the rest of the list and then voted to report the remaining nominees to the full Senate by a 7-0 vote. The committee then voted on the severed nomination itself and reported Douglas McReecken to the full Senate as well, by a 5-2 vote. The committee heard testimony from Brooke Pop, reappointed as chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and later from Commissioner Katarina Gonzalez, also of TCEQ. Questions focused on whether TCEQ rules comply with state law, ex parte restrictions, public transparency, concrete batch plant permitting, MUD approvals, water availability, illegal dams, enforcement, and the agency’s role in local environmental disputes. Both nominees said they follow the law as written, described internal legal review of rules, and emphasized transparency, public outreach, and enforcement; Gonzalez said she had already sent back two rules she believed did not comply with legislation. Members also discussed TCEQ’s authority limits and the need for clearer public communication about what the agency can and cannot regulate. The committee also considered Alethea Sullivan, nominated to the Texas Southern University Board of Regents. Questions centered on TSU’s status as an independent institution, the role of HBCUs amid DEI-related legal changes, and student outcomes. Sullivan said she would focus on ensuring taxpayer and student resources produce valuable credentials and noted concerns from her review of graduation and bar passage rates. The committee then heard from Benjamin Barkley, appointed chief executive and public counsel of the Office of Public Utility Counsel. Barkley said OPUC’s main need is additional funding to recruit and retain attorneys and expert witnesses, reduce turnover, and continue representing residential and small commercial consumers in utility rate cases; he said the office was involved in 73 contested cases and saved Texans $2.2 billion in FY 2024. No final action was taken on the later nominees, and the committee recessed with nominations left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sure, we, we got, we got, uh, we, we talked about and got bogged down with this hypothetical last week
• Have you, is this something that you've gotten wind of?
• Does anyone want to testify on for against House Bill 4281 sitting down?
• Any questions, seeing down in the chair, we'll leave House Bill 5621 pending at this time.
• I'm seeing down the chair will lane of House Bill 5354 pending at this time.