Transcript Highlights:

• /c><00:29:38.240> always Um, housing infrastructure bonds always Um, housing infrastructure bonds
• Um we have a $50 infrastructure bonds.
• creation of housing infrastructure bonds creation of housing infrastructure bonds in<00:58:03.680
• <01:08:44.159> for states the authority to issue bonds for states the authority to issue bonds
• <01:35:18.400> Uh housing development fund. Uh housing development fund.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• with funds from previous bonding bills. with funds from previous bonding bills.
• So what this means is that the full cost of the general obligation bond debt service for future bonding
• <00:15:43.040> appropriated Uh the 2023 bonding bill appropriated Uh the 2023 bonding bill
• Another $157 million is made up of other funds, such as appropriation bonds, trunk highway bonds, trunk
• service for this uh by uh this bonding service for this uh by uh this bonding bill<00:18:31.440>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This would apply the tourist development taxes as well as local option sales taxes.
• Bonds don't have to be re approved until the bond ends.
• In this case, the ballot must inform voters of the intent to bond the revenues and explain what the bond
• the bonds are completed in.
• That would be a drastic overhaul of tdt. >> And our towards developing councils.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And developers bear the financial risk and taxpayers don't pay up front.
• Developers are going to bear the financial risks associated.
• Representative Murphy, we're going to be hearing a road bonding bill coming up.
• I personally don’t believe this is in lieu of bonding.
• I personally don’t believe this is in lieu of bonding.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• bond word the um revenue bond uh<00:42:37.760> language.
• Um, with the issuance of revenue<00:43:13.200> bonds, revenue bonds, revenue bonds, um,<00:43:
• and revenue bonds.
• No, this is all revenue bonds. Revenue bonds. Yes.
• revenue bonds. Revenue bond. Yes. revenue bonds. Revenue bond. Yes.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard three University of Hawaiʻi-related measures. HB 718 HD1 would appropriate funds for faculty and staff positions at the John A. Burns School of Medicine in cardiovascular, law, biology, tropical medicine, quantitative health/biostatistics, and environmental health and safety. Testimony was in support, including from university representatives and others who submitted written testimony. Members asked whether the positions were additional and how they would affect enrollment; the university said the hires would teach medical students and conduct biomedical research, helping increase the class size to about 77 and eventually 80, and noted a workforce paper requested by the committee would be provided soon. The committee then discussed SB 1170 HD1, which would grant resident tuition at any UH campus to certain graduates of Hawaiʻi high schools enrolling in undergraduate programs. UH supported the bill and said it had adjusted its testimony in response to prior committee concerns. Members focused on the proposed four-year window, asking why that timeframe was chosen and whether the change was needed at all. UH explained that four years would allow students who left the state to return and still complete an undergraduate degree or prepare for graduate school, and said the bill would help students who come back after one or two years but otherwise would have to wait a year to reestablish residency under current rules. UH also said it was discussing possible administrative rule changes as an alternative if the bill did not pass. Finally, the committee heard HB 1300 HD1, which would fund a University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center pilot study on cancer disparities among Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, and people living near landfills in Nanakuli, focusing on social determinants of health, lifestyle, environmental exposures, and resilience factors. Testimony from researchers and advocates strongly supported the measure, saying the study could help explain cancer disparities and support future research funding. Members questioned the cost, the reliance on future federal or foundation funding, and the practical outcome of the study. The Cancer Center said the pilot would cost about $500,000 per year for two years, with later funding sought from federal, nonprofit, or private sources; it said the study would produce longitudinal data that could help identify at-risk groups and provide evidence for policy decisions, though members expressed concern that the project needed a clearer end goal and stronger case for public investment.

Transcript Highlights:

• They were going to need to go back out to bond.
• This is the bond reconciliation update.
• Board of finance level of our bonds and working our way down.
• bond sale and verify the current certification.
• We'll also be updating our bond sale strategy.

Transcript Highlights:

• Development of the.
• And And development But not operational. Was that a question?
• That will have to happen before any bonds are issued. So Mr.
• Even a large scale development within the TI is unlikely to generate sufficient revenue to meet bond
• It'll go out to bonding.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you get to 60%, you get to 51%, you can go out and bond.
• If you get to 60%, you get to 51%, you can go out and bond.
• They would not be able to bond.
• You know, just the way the brain develops, it develops very differently than children raised in affluent
• virtually identical in the last five bond elections.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:09:44.960> and county capital improvement bonding and county capital improvement bonding
• > care<01:09:46.880> nonprofit housing bonds and healthc care nonprofit housing bonds and
• , general obligation bonds issued by counties.
• ,<01:10:33.280> general of um a uh uh of bonds, general of um a uh uh of bonds, general obligation
• There would be a bond allocation bill as a matter of fact.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Across all Proposition 4 bond allocations, a portion of statewide bond costs were reserved.
• So we are continuing to develop those.
• Issue number one: DGS and the climate bond.
• for the development of offshore wind generation.
• Development that has to happen.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Bonding leaves are weeks in length.
• So, so the the bonding bonding it wrong.
• those 2025 bonding claims. We have those 2025 bonding claims.
• about a third bonding maybe 10% family. about a third bonding maybe 10% family.
• <00:53:42.240> Now dealing 100% with bonding leave. Now dealing 100% with bonding leave.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These are all CAT bonds parametric.
• please proceed with issuing these bonds please proceed with issuing these bonds so<00:52:22.880>
• obligation bonds reimburseable general obligation<00:53:04.480> bonds<00:53:05.280> uh
• <00:53:19.599> It<00:53:19.839> is bonds count toward the bond cap?
• It is bonds count toward the bond cap?

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But giving the AG direct access to the bond will drive the price of that bond through the roof.
• So you said that you had a problem with increasing the surety bond.
• But the $25,000 bond right now, and you can correct me if I’m wrong, but according to the bond companies
• of new claims coming in, and that drives the price of the bond up.
• increases the cost on those bonds, I’d appreciate it.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure heard testimony on a wide range of bills involving consumer protection, auto regulation, alcohol licenses, and professional licensure. A major focus was legislation to require a one-hour domestic violence awareness training for salon and cosmetology licensees (H.323/S.200), supported by District Attorney Marion Ryan, law enforcement, and a salon industry witness who described the program’s value in identifying and helping victims. The committee also heard strong support from the Attorney General’s office for auto consumer protection legislation (S.228/H.379) that would expand used-car warranty protections, extend the Lemon Law return period to seven days after receipt of the vehicle, raise the mileage cap to 200,000 miles, and increase dealer surety bonds to $50,000. Independent dealers opposed those changes, arguing they would burden small businesses and that dealer education, not expanded liability, was the better solution. The committee also took testimony on bills related to vehicle financial products and repair information. A trade association supported GAP waiver legislation (H.4188/S.281), saying it would create clear consumer protections and standard disclosures. On right-to-repair and heavy-duty vehicle service information (S.266), engine and truck manufacturers supported an exemption for commercial vehicles, while others argued that releasing service data to the general public could create safety, cybersecurity, and emissions risks. The committee then heard extensive testimony on auto dealer franchise and warranty reimbursement legislation (S.201/H.406), with dealer groups supporting changes to warranty labor reimbursement and manufacturer groups opposing them as costly and unnecessary. Manufacturers from GM, Volvo, Toyota, Hyundai, Mazda, and others said their current time-study and appeals processes already compensate dealers fairly and that the bill would raise costs for consumers. In addition, the committee heard testimony on H.333, which would move auto damage appraiser licensing from the Division of Insurance to the Division of Occupational Licensure. Collision repair advocates supported the change, saying the current board structure leads to repeated dismissals of complaints and lacks accountability, while emphasizing that the bill is intended to protect consumers and ensure proper repair reimbursement. The hearing also included testimony in support of a local alcohol license petition for Westwood and a separate local alcohol measure for a town grant license. At the end of the hearing, the chairs announced that all docketed bills had been heard, noted that a joint poll would be held on H.4184, and the committee voted to adjourn by voice vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have $480-some million in bonding, almost a half a billion dollars.
• The bonding is a big deal, and I have kind of covered that.
• But at the end of the day we do have some bonding.
• Because I'd love to see the coal develop with that.
• to residential developments and a lot of other stuff.

Summary: The committee met at the Coteau Freedom Mine in Mercer County, approved the June 2 minutes, and heard an overview of the mine from Coteau Properties president Andrew Hawbaker. He described the Freedom Mine as the largest lignite mine in the United States, supplying coal to Dakota Gasification, Antelope Valley Station, and Leland Olds Station. He emphasized the mine’s scale, safety record, reclamation work, workforce needs, community involvement, and economic impact, including payroll, taxes, royalties, scholarships, and local hiring. Members asked about how long land stays in production, how quickly it returns to agriculture after reclamation, labor shortages, and how mining affects groundwater and water wells. Hawbaker said most tracts are mined for about three to five years, reclamation is coordinated with landowners, and the company continues to struggle to find electricians, welders, mechanics, operators, and engineers. The committee then heard from Public Service Commission Chairman Randy Christman on coal mining reclamation and permitting. He reviewed North Dakota’s coal mining history, the state’s reclamation laws, federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act primacy, bonding, permit renewals and revisions, prohibited mining areas, inspection and enforcement, and contemporaneous reclamation requirements. Christman stressed that North Dakota’s program is professional and thorough, with frequent inspections, financial assurance, and a 10-year revegetation monitoring period before bond release. He also discussed federal coal ownership issues that can delay mine plans, the treatment of prime farmland, and how reclamation differs for wind and pipelines. In response to questions, he said one challenge is sometimes releasing land too soon before long-term compaction issues are fully understood, and he noted that data centers do not currently have a comparable reclamation model because they typically own the land. In the afternoon, the committee received an update from Lignite Energy Council president Jonathan Fortner on the lignite industry. He said North Dakota’s lignite sector supports five commercial power plants, four mines, about 12,000 direct and indirect jobs, and more than $5.5 billion in economic activity, while helping keep the state’s electricity rates among the lowest in the nation. Fortner reviewed coal severance and conversion tax revenues, the lignite research fund, federal regulatory rollbacks, carbon capture policy, and the industry’s legal costs fighting federal rules. He also highlighted a study on large-load development, saying new data centers and critical mineral processing facilities could create major local tax revenue and help justify new baseload generation. Members asked whether new gas pipelines would crowd out coal plant development and whether the economic study included jobs and broader local impacts; Fortner said the industry sees room for both and that the study did include construction, operations, jobs, and tax effects.

Transcript Highlights:

• As this fund is developed, and again the resources that would be used will be developed, if you will,
• And when she talked about the time frame on the geo bonds, so a geo bond is presented in the odd years
• the general obligation bonds because those... ...some of the pressure when we start to develop the general
• obligation bonds because those resources are split.
• And I will say that we did develop... ...to that effect.

Bills: SB234, SB210, SB243, SB244, SM16, HB8

Keywords: foster children, school transportation, education funding, public education, child welfare, New Mexico Highlands University, soccer field, women's sports, infrastructure improvement, funding allocation, student athletes, appropriation, New Mexico State University, nutrition, travel support, funding, education, university support, financial assistance, parenting students

Transcript Highlights:

• Is that correct from the Texas Water Development Board? Did you want to testify on anything?
• We worked with him and the Water Development Board last session and a number of stakeholders to work
• bonds and performance bonds, for contracts in excess of certain sums of money in order to mitigate risk
• Current state law requires payment bonds for contracts in excess of $25,000 and performance bonds for
• Senate Bill 1066 raises the threshold for payment bonds from $25,000 to $150,000 and performance bonds

Bills: SB480, SB767, SB790, SB971, SB1066

Keywords: water resources, interlocal contracts, local government, collaboration, planning activities, wildfire response, firefighting equipment, emergency services, state database, Texas Forest Service, customer complaints, Public Utility Commission, water service, complaint process, utility regulation, SB 971, Texas Water Assistance Program, Water Code, rural political subdivision, rural water

Summary: The Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs met on Texas Water Day and limited public testimony to two minutes. The chair emphasized the need to move quickly because of scheduling conflicts with other committees and noted the importance of water policy and related stakeholders. The committee heard several bills focused on water administration, rural utilities, emergency response, and public works contracting. Senate Bill 790 by Senator Alvarado would let the Public Utility Commission create a simplified process for resolving tenant complaints over water or wastewater bill discrepancies; it was described as a way to avoid lengthy contested-case hearings for small disputes. Senate Bill 971 by Senator Sparks would clean up conflicting statutory definitions of “rural political subdivision” so Texas Water Development Board programs are applied consistently; Texas Rural Water Association testified in support. Senate Bill 767, also by Senator Sparks, would expand and improve a statewide database of fire-response equipment so departments, including volunteer and rural departments, can locate and share resources more effectively during emergencies; fire service witnesses supported the bill and suggested annual updates to keep the database current. Chair Perry laid out Senate Bill 480 to clarify that local governments and special districts may enter interlocal agreements for water-related planning and research, including aquifer management and flood/water planning. He also presented Senate Bill 1066, which raises payment and performance bond thresholds for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department public works contracts to $150,000, arguing the change would reflect inflation and help smaller vendors on lower-risk projects. Witnesses were heard on the bills, with no opposition recorded in the transcript. The committee voted out all five bills favorably. SB 1066, SB 480, SB 767, SB 790, and SB 971 each received unanimous committee approval and were recommended to the local and contested calendar, with SB 767 noted as amended by a suggested annual-update requirement for the equipment database.

Transcript Highlights:

• It scope of work development we touch on. >> Thank you. Thank you.
• You know, when you talk about the risk associated with performance bonds and and and the big bond process
• approaching appropriate bonding amount.
• And that's why he's asking 6 asked Model versus development.
• Not necessarily have a development staff on that side.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am not going to go post bonds. I am not going to go post bonds that it will happen.
• A bail bond for a defendant is an option; it's not a necessity.
• Juan Soto with Aladdin Bail Bonds, I oppose. Good morning. Dave Coyde with Aladdin Bail Bonds.
• Nathan Moore with Dato Bail Bonds, and we strongly oppose.
• Matt Johnston with Espinosa Bail Bonds, I strongly oppose.

Summary: The Assembly Standing Committee on Public Safety heard several bills, with testimony largely focused on criminal justice, public safety, and detention-related issues. SB 498 by Senator Becker would make electronic messaging free for incarcerated people in CDCR facilities and end 15-minute limits on voice calls; the author and supporters argued it would strengthen family ties and rehabilitation, while no opposition testified. SB 953 by Senator Niello would require two DMV points for misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter cases even when diversion is granted; victims’ family members and law enforcement groups supported it as an accountability measure, while the ACLU and Debt-Free Justice California opposed it, arguing diversion should remain an incentive for rehabilitation and safer roads. The committee also heard SB 1306 by Senator Cortese, which would align state law with federal exemptions for certain GBL-containing chemical mixtures used in semiconductor manufacturing; the author and SEMI said it would reduce unnecessary regulation and protect California’s semiconductor industry, and there was no opposition testimony. Members also considered SB 941 by Senator Padilla, which would cap commissary markups in private immigration detention facilities at 35% above vendor cost. The author and supporters described high prices for basic necessities and poor conditions in private detention centers, while no opposition witnesses appeared. SB 691 by Senator Wahab would require law enforcement body-camera policies to include a process for EMS personnel to request redaction of recordings before public release when patients are receiving medical treatment; supporters said it would protect patient privacy, while the Sheriff’s Association opposed it as duplicative and potentially confusing. SB 562 by Senator Ashby would allow partial refunds of bail bond premiums when charges are not filed or are dropped early; supporters framed it as a fairness measure for low-income families, while bail industry representatives and victims’ advocates warned it could discourage bail agents from posting bonds and could affect domestic violence cases. The committee also took up several additional measures on consent or with no opposition testimony, including AB 2796, SB 891, SB 1012, and SB 1143. After discussion, the committee voted to pass SB 953, SB 1306, and SB 941, and to move SB 498, SB 691, and SB 562 forward as well, with some votes initially held open for absent members. Several bills were pulled by their authors and not heard, including SB 1004, SB 1208, SB 1338, and SB 1401. The meeting concluded with the committee adjourning until the following week.

Transcript Highlights:

• Revenue Bonds.
• bonds.
• That concludes my presentation on lease payments and revenue bonds.
• I'm the executive director for the Bond Review Board.
• For Texas.gov, it is primarily application maintenance and development.

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Summary: The committee first heard the Legislative Budget Board and Secretary of State Jane Nelson on the Secretary of State budget. LBB said the recommendation would reduce the agency’s appropriation by about $40.3 million overall, with major changes including removing federal HAVA funding and one-time business system replacement money, adjusting the agency’s base request, deleting an outdated Interstate Crosscheck rider, and directing HAVA funds to be drawn down first. Secretary Nelson and staff defended the agency’s needs, emphasizing election security, business filings, international protocol, and the Texas Register, and requested additional staff, a new website, digitization of records, IT and cybersecurity upgrades, and renovation of the Rudder Building. Senators discussed voter-roll maintenance, cross-checking data, call-center response times, and the need for online voter registration and more efficient election administration. No votes were taken. The committee then took up the Office of the Governor and trustee programs. LBB outlined a $2.4 million decrease for the office proper and a much larger decrease in trustee programs, driven by unexpended balances and the removal of one-time federal and border-security items, while noting continued funding for disaster response, victim assistance, and $2.9 billion for border security at roughly the prior level. Governor’s staff said Texas remains focused on border security, economic development, and public safety, and discussed efforts to seek federal reimbursement for prior border spending. Members asked about the National Guard’s status, possible federal assumption of border costs, the music incubator program, the Semiconductor Innovation Consortium, the Governor’s University Research Initiative, defense economic adjustment grants, and a new $5 million nonprofit security grant proposal. Staff said the semiconductor program has 12 approved projects totaling about 948 jobs and $17 billion in capital investment, and that the nonprofit security request was added late to address threats to houses of worship and other nonprofits. No formal action was taken. Finally, the committee heard the Texas Facilities Commission and lease-payment recommendations. LBB said the Facilities Commission recommendation would reduce appropriations by about $2.0 billion, mainly by removing border wall construction funding and capital complex bond funding, while adding money for higher utility costs, Rudder Building refurbishment, and additional staff. The lease-payment recommendation would decrease general revenue by $9.3 million. LBB also noted new riders related to completing the State Library and Archives building, tenant communication during disruptions, and a space-utilization report. In agency testimony, members asked about border wall maintenance responsibility, total facilities-related debt, and the status of capital complex construction. The Rudder Building renovation and related security needs were repeatedly discussed as important one-time infrastructure investments.

Transcript Highlights:

• Think about the water bond.
• The bonds have got to stop. You've got to read the room.
• What are bonds?
• To folks who express concern about the bond, I do believe bonds should be judicious and should be for
• We know that because we passed a bond in 2018, a housing bond that is now out of resources, that has

Summary: The Assembly met after a quorum call and first dealt with a procedural dispute over four amendments to AB 1240. The Speaker ruled the amendments out of order as not germane, and the Assembly sustained that ruling on a 49-16 vote. Members then added co-authors to several consent-calendar resolutions, including measures on the National Conference of State Legislators, Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, ALS Awareness Month, and Men’s Mental Health Month, before adopting the consent calendar. The chamber also heard guest introductions, including a welcome for Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, and took up a motion to bring AB 41 up out of file, which failed 19-48. The bulk of the meeting was floor action on a long series of bills and resolutions, many of which passed with broad bipartisan support. Measures approved included ACR 40 supporting immigrant students and FAFSA privacy; AB 917 on permanent status for certain school employees; AB 985 on anesthesia access; AB 7 and AB 42 on higher education and student services; AB 245 providing property tax relief for wildfire victims; AB 255 allowing funding for drug-free recovery housing; AB 279 updating K-12 library standards; AB 289 creating a pilot for automated speed enforcement in highway construction zones; AB 291 on an educator apprentice program; AB 327 addressing swatting; AB 340 on confidential union communications; AB 341 creating an oral health technical assistance center for people with disabilities; AB 356 on San Diego health care infrastructure; AB 410 on bot disclosure; AB 476 on copper theft enforcement; AB 477 on educator pay targets; AB 485 on stolen wages and business licensing; AB 487, the insurance committee’s technical omnibus bill; AB 573 on tobacco retail license fees; AB 598 on school mapping technology; AB 635 on mobile home law enforcement referrals; AB 651 on remote participation for incarcerated parents in dependency hearings; AB 654 on homelessness hotline assistance in Los Angeles County; AB 662 creating a South County higher education task force; AB 667 on language access in professional licensing; AB 669 limiting early denial of addiction treatment; AB 670 on naturally occurring affordable housing; AB 695 on online continuation of community college for deported students; AB 723 on disclosure for digitally altered real estate images; AB 727 placing Trevor Project information on student IDs; and AB 736, a $10 billion affordable housing bond for the June 2026 ballot, which passed on a 61-11 urgency vote after extensive debate. Debate on AB 736 was the most extensive of the day, with supporters arguing the bond would help address California’s housing crisis and give voters a chance to weigh in, while opponents criticized the state’s bond debt and past spending results. The Assembly then recessed for caucus meetings and later returned to continue the daily file, where additional measures were taken up, including AB 798 adding diapers and wipes to the emergency food bank reserve program, which passed 56-0, and AB 821 on career technical education, which was presented as bipartisan-supported as the transcript continued.