Video & Transcript Research : 'whistleblower'

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TX

Texas 89th Regular

Business and Commerce (Part I) Apr 3rd, 2025

Business & Commerce

Summary: The Senate Committee on Business and Commerce met with a quorum and first took up several pending and uncontested bills. It favorably reported SB 1405, SB 1762, SB 1977, SB 2077, SB 2148, and SB 1968, and also moved SB 2321 to the local and uncontested calendar. The committee then heard SB 819, which would change how the Public Utility Commission reviews proposed utility-scale solar and related interconnection projects. The committee substitute would shift the default so interconnection is allowed unless the PUC affirmatively prohibits it within 180 days, limit denial to cases where harm substantially outweighs benefits, remove public meeting requirements, retain setback and financial assurance provisions, add optional application materials such as national security and environmental information, and restore local control over county tax abatements. The substitute was adopted and SB 819 was favorably reported to the full Senate on a 7-3 vote. The committee then took up SB 231, focused on CenterPoint’s use of large emergency generators after Hurricane Beryl. Senator King explained that the original bill was intended to prevent customers from being charged for non-mobile generators that were leased at great cost and did not match the bill’s emergency-response purpose. CenterPoint’s Jason Ryan apologized for the company’s communication failures and said the company would make customers whole through a combination of rate reductions, foregone storm-cost recovery, and a donation of the 15 large generators to ERCOT for about two years to address a San Antonio-area reliability issue, with the company absorbing the associated costs. PUC Executive Director Connie Corona said the commission could enforce the agreement through its contested-case process. Public testimony included consumer and reliability advocates, one of whom argued utility-scale microgrids should be preserved as a policy option. SB 231 was left pending. The committee also heard SB 986, which would create an alternative process for routine Public Information Act requests so local governments can make initial redactions without sending every routine exception to the Attorney General, while preserving an appeal path and training requirements. Supporters said it would reduce backlog and speed access to records; opponents argued it would shift the burden to requesters and encourage delay. The AG’s office testified that the process could improve efficiency and still fit within current timelines if used promptly. SB 986 was left pending. Finally, SB 584 was briefly laid out to require consumer reporting agencies that buy data from others to ensure the information complies with Texas law on excluded items such as bankruptcies, judgments, and tax liens, and SB 600 was heard on heir property. SB 600’s substitute would strengthen notice, require an attorney ad litem, add an heir’s bill of rights, allow settlement conferences, and require fair-market-value sales protections; supporters said it would curb predatory partition practices, while opponents warned some provisions could burden or diminish minority heirs’ property rights. SB 584 and SB 600 were left pending after testimony.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Legislative Audit Committee Jun 1st, 2026

Joint Legislative Audit

Transcript Highlights:
  • It took the media and a whistleblower to expose the problem. The audit found that...
  • First and foremost, the toll road issue was the result of a whistleblower and involved a federal investigation
  • We should not have whistleblowers or federal investigators having to go and raise a red flag on things
Keywords: 987, senate, all
NY

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Standing Committee on Energy and Telecommunications - 05/13/2026

Energy And Telecommunications

Transcript Highlights:
  • financial assistance; to amend the Labor Law in relation to extending prevailing wage requirements and whistleblower
  • And whistleblower protections to operations and maintenance employees and covered battery energy storage
Keywords: 993, senate, all
Summary: The Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, chaired by Senator Kevin Parker, met to consider a series of energy, utility, housing, and labor-related bills. The committee discussed Senator Parker’s clean hydrogen bill authorizing NYSERDA to administer programs to fund clean hydrogen projects, with members debating how it would be financed through NYSERDA’s system benefit charge and RGGI funds and whether there should be a fiscal estimate. Despite concerns from some members about cost transparency and the use of ratepayer-supported funds, the bill advanced to the Finance Committee with three without-recommendation votes. The committee also advanced Senator Parker’s bill directing NYSERDA to study hydrogen feasibility, Senator Gonzalez’s Green Affordable Pre-Electrification Program bill, Senator Hinchey’s natural carbon sequestration research program bill, Senator Gineris’s bill increasing penalties for utility annual report failures, Senator Comrie’s EV charging fee transparency bill, and Senator Parker’s battery energy storage workforce and labor standards bill. Senator Comrie’s outage hotline bill moved to third reading, while Senator Parker’s renewable hydrogen center program bill advanced despite a technical objection that a deadline in the bill had already passed, and the battery storage bill was referred to the Labor Committee. Several bills drew specific concerns. On the outage hotline bill, members questioned whether small municipal electric and water systems should be exempted rather than required to petition for an exemption, and one member said they would not support the bill without a carve-out. On the annual report penalty bill, members asked about the lack of documentation for the penalty increase and whether municipal utilities would be affected; the sponsor explained the penalty was updated from a 1900-era statute to reflect inflation and that municipal utilities file with the PSC. On the EV charging transparency bill, a member suggested the bill should also require credit card payment options, not just prohibit mobile-device-only payment. On the battery storage labor bill, members asked whether remote operations would count as on-site work and whether out-of-state remote monitoring would be covered; the sponsor said that was the intent and would follow up with labor counsel on residency questions. The committee concluded by adjourning after moving the listed bills forward.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Senate Legislative Session May 14th, 2026

Oklahoma Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • Can you help me understand what this looks like to me is that the whistleblower is going to be able to
  • So we are going to reward those whistleblowers that bring violations to our notice. Follow up.
  • President, this provision allows this whistleblower to receive 20,000. 20% of the sale of the property
  • President, in here, of who the whistleblower would be.
  • So suspicious activity or if there's connections, so that's where a bank could be a whistleblower, if
Summary: The Senate met with a quorum, prayer, pledges, and recognition of two student pages before taking up a long agenda of House joint resolutions and bills, mostly related to administrative rules and agency approvals. The chamber advanced and passed H.J.R. 1088, 1090, 1091, 1092, 1093, 1095, 1099, and 1100, which approved permanent rules for education, energy and agriculture, business and commerce, building code, health-related agencies, general government agencies, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, and OMES. Several senators criticized the process for moving rule resolutions quickly and without committee vetting, while supporters said the calendar delays required direct consideration. The Senate also adopted conference committee reports and passed SB 206, SB 248, and HB 3021, with HB 3021 making small changes to graduation requirements, including science/math course language, Oklahoma history flexibility for some military families, and personal financial literacy counting toward math in some cases. A major portion of the meeting focused on House Bill 1370, which was described by its author as repealing an automatic state trigger that would replace any federal gasoline tax if the federal government suspended it. Supporters argued the bill would prevent Oklahoma drivers from paying more if the federal gas tax were repealed and framed it as tax relief; opponents argued it could reduce highway and bridge funding and create a budget hole. The Senate suspended several rules to bring the bill up, but rejected a motion to suspend the fiscal-impact rule for a proposed amendment. After debate, the chamber passed the measure 41-7 and then approved it as an emergency measure. The Senate also took up Senate Bill 893, a conference report dealing with foreign ownership near critical infrastructure and agricultural land. The bill would restrict certain foreign adversary ownership or leasing within 10 miles of critical infrastructure, add training zones and other protected areas, delay implementation until July 1, 2027, and create an enforcement process involving Attorney General review and whistleblower-style reporting. Senators raised concerns about enforcement, possible misuse, and profiling, while the author said the bill was aimed at national security and infrastructure protection. The conference report was adopted and the bill passed. Later, the Senate received notice that the House was ready to convene in joint session, and the chamber briefly stood at ease before returning to continue its work.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Public Employment and Retirement Committee Apr 8th, 2026

Public Employment and Retirement

Transcript Highlights:
  • Whistleblower documents and complaints presented... Porter Jr. during a holiday.
  • Whistleblower documents and complaints presented to Congress show alarming changes to ICE training.
  • Whistleblower documents and complaints presented to Congress show alarming changes to ICE training.
  • Whistleblower documents and complaints presented to Congress show alarming changes to ICE training.
  • Whistleblower documents and complaints presented to Congress show alarming changes to ICE training.
Keywords: 988, house, all
MN
Transcript Highlights:
  • Latz will be introducing a proposal to strengthen the Minnesota False Claims Act, which empowers whistleblowers
  • Minnesota False Claims Act, which Minnesota False Claims Act, which empowers<00:06:38.560><c> whistleblowers
  • </c><00:06:39.400><c> and</c><00:06:39.560><c> strengthens</c> empowers whistleblowers and strengthens
  • empowers whistleblowers and strengthens protections<00:06:40.560><c> and</c><00:06:40.680><c> incentives
Keywords: 918, senate, all
Summary: Senate DFL leaders held a press conference outlining a fraud-prevention agenda centered on transparency, accountability, and modernization of state systems. Majority Leader Erin Murphy said Minnesotans are angry about fraud and that the caucus has already passed multiple fraud-prevention measures, but more work is needed. She and other senators emphasized that outdated county and state IT systems leave programs vulnerable to waste and abuse, and said they want to pursue both immediate upgrades and longer-term funding solutions, including possible bonding for technology infrastructure. Senator Zena Mohamed described legislation to overhaul program integrity in Medicaid and human services by adding safeguards before, during, and after provider enrollment and service delivery. She said the goal is to prevent theft before dollars are spent, rein in third-party entities that profit without accountability, and improve consumer protections and reporting pathways. Senator Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger highlighted a bill to ban cryptocurrency kiosks, arguing they are heavily used in scams targeting seniors and vulnerable people, and also backed a state consumer financial protection bureau and stronger False Claims Act enforcement. Senator Rob Kupec focused on ethics and conflicts of interest, including a proposal to bar legislative members and certain state employees from quickly moving into jobs tied to entities receiving state appropriations or grants. He also said lawmakers should strengthen penalties for theft of public funds and restrict state contracts for people convicted of fraud. Senator Heather Gustafson promoted her Office of Inspector General bill, saying oversight is fragmented and an independent office is needed for investigations, safeguards, and early detection; she said the Senate passed the bill 60-7 last year and she wants it enacted. In response to questions, Murphy and Gustafson said the OIG should have law-enforcement powers, that bipartisan support exists in principle, and that the House needs to settle on a single proposal. The senators also said prepayment review can be useful but can disrupt services, and they argued agencies must use the tools already given to them while lawmakers continue oversight.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Conference Committee on SF3045 5/12/25

Transcript Highlights:
  • House-only provisions: the insulin repayment account technical cleanup that's House language, and whistleblower
  • 04:24.880><c> house</c><00:04:25.199><c> language</c><00:04:26.000><c> and</c><00:04:26.400><c> whistleblower
  • </c> that's house language and whistleblower that's house language and whistleblower protections<00:04
Keywords: 1183, house
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

Insurance Apr 17th, 2025

Insurance

Transcript Highlights:
  • bring civil actions and share in recoveries, provides strong anti-retaliation protection for whistleblowers
  • directive that TDI prioritize healthcare fraud, restoring commissioner discretion, relocates the whistleblower
  • So the way this works is oftentimes they'll be a whistleblower.
  • So a whistleblower working for a hospital will say this is the kind of a problem that's happening.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Floor Session - 05/08/25

Minnesota Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • bill that I carried earlier this session for<00:46:06.640><c> additional</c><00:46:07.119><c> whistleblower
  • </c> for additional whistleblower for additional whistleblower protections.<00:46:09.040><c> It</c><00
  • </c> protection under the whistleblower protection under the whistleblower statute.<00:46:24.160><c>
  • uh</c><00:46:44.079><c> the</c> legislature uh they get uh the legislature uh they get uh the whistleblower
  • protections to uh protect whistleblower protections to uh protect them<00:46:47.359><c> from</c><00:
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
US

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

US House Floor Proceedings (Monday, January 12, 2026)

US Federal House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • We include specific protections for government reimbursement and whistleblower rewards.
  • We include specific protections for government reimbursement and whistleblower rewards.
  • </c> reimbursement and whistleblower rewards. reimbursement and whistleblower rewards.
  • ><c> made</c><03:34:40.560><c> whole,</c> and whistleblowers are made whole, and whistleblowers are made
  • A whistleblower has could be exposed.
MA

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy Jun 21st, 2026 at 10:30 am

Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • I support the bills H. 194 for safety, S. 91 on the moratorium, S. 88, the whistleblower protection,
  • These whistleblower protections are essential to rooting out abuse and public hazards from the cannabis
  • But the most important thing of a whistleblower: I got a Martin Luther King Social Justice Award in 2013
  • The whistleblower line staffers have been bringing this up over and over.
  • One of the first things I asked is, how do we—who wants to have the whistleblower line come to them?
Keywords: 995, all
Summary: The Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy held its first hearing of the 194th session to take public testimony on 21 cannabis-related bills. Chairs Donahue and Gómez outlined hearing procedures and noted that written testimony would also be accepted. Much of the hearing focused on the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), with Senator Mike Moore urging support for S. 90 to create an inspector general unit within the CCC. He argued the commission has suffered from dysfunction, workplace harassment allegations, delayed governance reforms, missed fee collections, and high legal costs, and said stronger legislative oversight is needed. Committee members largely agreed the CCC needs reform, though some expressed hope that new leadership would improve operations. A major theme was market structure and business viability. Representative Tyler testified for H. 183 to raise adult-use purchase limits from one ounce to two ounces, saying the change would reduce confusion and help retailers compete with neighboring states. Senator Payano supported S. 100, which would require a study of cannabis supply and demand to guide cultivation licensing, warning that oversupply is driving down prices and threatening cultivators. The Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition, represented by Ryan Dominguez, backed a package of bills aimed at increasing revenue, reducing regulatory burdens, attracting investment, and stabilizing the market, including higher purchase limits, simpler badge and testing rules, and a phased increase in the retail license cap. Attorneys Kevin Conroy and Mike Ross also supported raising the cap, arguing that the industry lacks capital and that more investment and exit opportunities are needed for provisional and distressed licensees. The most contentious issue was whether to raise the retail license cap from three to six. Supporters, including several business owners and industry advocates such as Peyton Shubrick, Tito Jackson, Armani White, Sean Burt, and others, said the current cap traps owners in declining businesses, prevents exits, and limits access to capital. They argued that many social equity and economic empowerment operators are struggling, that oversupply has pushed prices down, and that allowing more ownership could help businesses scale or sell. Opponents, including Senator Liz Miranda and several social equity operators, warned that lifting the cap now would let larger operators and multi-state companies dominate the market and harm equity-owned businesses. Miranda’s S. 88 would instead strengthen enforcement of ownership limits through audits, whistleblower protections, an anonymous tip line, and greater transparency. Another major topic was worker and consumer safety: Laura Bruno, Danny Carson, Al Vega, and others supported H. 194 after the death of Lorna McMurray, arguing for a CCC workplace and consumer safety department, better ventilation and PPE standards, stronger testing oversight, and retaliation protections for workers. The hearing ended without votes, with members thanking testifiers and indicating the committee would continue reviewing the bills.
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Rules Feb 17th, 2026

Rules

Transcript Highlights:
  • Under this bill, a whistleblower could complain that he has been retaliated against, and the Ethics Commission
  • If the Commission finds there is probable cause, the whistleblower can pursue an administrative remedy
  • If the Commission finds there is probable cause, the whistleblower can pursue an administrative remedy
Summary: The Committee on Rules met with a quorum and considered a long agenda of bills, many of them retained from the prior week. The most debated measure was CS for SB 706, which would preempt naming of major commercial service airports to the state and designate Palm Beach International Airport as the Donald J. Trump International Airport, subject to FAA approval and a trademark agreement. Amendments were offered and rejected, including proposals to prevent private financial benefit from the naming. Several senators spoke in opposition, citing concerns about naming an airport after a sitting president, lack of local input, and the trademark/licensing arrangement; supporters argued there was no cost to the airport and that the bill simply set a state naming policy. The committee reported the bill favorably after a roll call vote. The committee also reported favorably CS for SB 546 on conservation land notice requirements, CS for CS for SB 1014 on municipal utility service to properties outside city limits, CS for SB 1500 on uncontested probate proceedings, SB 962 on excluding farms from certain zoning definitions, and CS for SB 820 on problem-solving court reporting requirements. The committee then approved several bills from Senator DiCeglie and Senator Arrington. SB 840, addressing land-use regulations for local governments affected by natural disasters, was supported by local-government and environmental advocates who said it would restore local control after SB 180’s hurricane-related restrictions; the sponsor said it was intended to correct unintended consequences of last year’s law. CS for SB 856, requiring online listing platforms to show estimated ad valorem taxes on residential listings, was amended to exclude social media platforms and broaden liability protections; the sponsor and a county property appraiser described it as a consumer-transparency measure. CS for SB 110, clarifying homestead exemption treatment for long-term leases that end at death, was also reported favorably. The committee took up a controversial strike-all amendment to SB 212, which focused on public swimming pools and added residency and related restrictions for certain sex offenders and offenders on community control or probation. The amendment drew strong opposition from advocates and affected families, who argued it would worsen homelessness, impose broad geographic restrictions, and lack evidence of improving child safety; supporters said it was a targeted public-safety measure. Despite the objections, the committee reported the bill favorably. The committee also approved SB 684 on electronic signatures for total-loss vehicle and vessel titles, SB 394 on reinsurance intermediary managers, SB 434 on property tax assessment treatment for wind-hardening improvements, CS for CS for SBs 658 and 608 on water-safety requirements for rental properties with pools or nearby water, SB 748 on adding voting-rights restoration information to sentencing score sheets, and CS for SB 824 requiring school districts to inventory unimproved real property. The meeting ended while the committee was beginning SB 848 on stormwater treatment, with an amendment being introduced as the transcript cut off.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Retirement and Government Resources REVISED Apr 21st, 2026 at 10:30 am

Retirement and Government Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • For instance, this bill currently says the treasurer is the whistleblower in case there's any violation
  • So how can he be on the board as a fiduciary and also be the whistleblower.
Bills: HB1170
MN
Transcript Highlights:
  • It puts teachers in the whistleblower protection so that they can talk as long as they're protecting
  • 00:10:28.000><c> teachers</c><00:10:28.720><c> in</c><00:10:29.000><c> the</c><00:10:29.320><c> whistleblower
  • </c> it puts teachers in the whistleblower it puts teachers in the whistleblower protection<00:10:31.279
Keywords: 1187, senate, all
HI

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

CPN Informational Briefing 06-24-2025

Hawaii Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • from the director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs regarding their agency's whistleblower
  • from the director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs regarding their agency's whistleblower
  • </c> um regarding a potential whistleblower um regarding a potential whistleblower complaint.<01:05:33.200
  • ><c> Oh,</c><01:05:33.520><c> regarding</c><01:05:33.839><c> a</c><01:05:34.000><c> whistleblower</c>
  • Oh, regarding a whistleblower complaint.
Keywords: 912, senate, all
Summary: The Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee held an informational briefing on the Public Utilities Commission’s performance-based regulation (PBR) framework and the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ whistleblower complaint process. Chair Jared Kohole opened the meeting, noted it was informational only with no public testimony, and explained that members would hear presentations and then have an opportunity for questions. The committee heard first from Ulupono Initiative, which provided background on why utilities are regulated, how Hawaii’s cost-of-service model and rate cases work, and why PBR was adopted to shift utility incentives away from a capital-investment bias and toward performance, efficiency, cost control, and policy goals such as renewable energy and reliability. Ulupono described Hawaii’s PBR structure as a five-year multi-year rate plan with annual revenue adjustments, a customer dividend, a Z factor for extraordinary exogenous events, and an exceptional project recovery mechanism for large projects. It also outlined performance incentive mechanisms tied to renewable portfolio standard progress, interconnection speed, reliability, and shared savings. The presentation said the current docket is evaluating a possible hybrid approach that would combine forward-looking forecasting with historical results, and Ulupono advocated for stronger incentives, arguing the current rewards are too small relative to utility revenues and should be more meaningful to better align utility behavior with legislative intent. The PUC then presented its own overview, emphasizing that the PBR docket is open and active and that the briefing was limited to the record to avoid ex parte concerns. The commission described the development of PBR in Hawaii through multiple phases beginning in 2018: an initial collaborative phase to set goals, a formal contested-case phase that produced the initial framework, later phases adding scorecards, reported metrics, and additional performance incentive mechanisms, and subsequent refinements including sunset of some mechanisms and adjustments after the August 2023 Maui wildfires. The PUC said the framework is intended to be customer-centric, administratively efficient, and protective of utility financial integrity, and that current work includes evaluating how to balance forward-looking and historical test-year approaches within the rebasing process. No votes or formal actions were taken at the briefing.
HI
Transcript Highlights:
  • This measure also aligns the whistleblower investigation timelines with federal standards.
  • This measure also aligns the whistleblower investigation timelines with federal standards.
  • aligns</c><01:19:56.400><c> the</c> This measure also aligns the This measure also aligns the whistleblower
  • whistleblower whistleblower uh<01:19:58.719><c> investigation</c><01:19:59.440><c> timelines</c><01:
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

01/20/2026 - Senate Appropriations, Transportation and Technology

Appropriations, Transportation and Technology

Transcript Highlights:
  • Every week for an hour, this is exactly what I was looking for as whistleblowers to come forward and
  • people are willing to come to this committee and testify, and I know that's tough to do for a whistleblower
  • But is this also going to be a place where, let's say, a whistleblower might be able to, like, I'm a
  • Chairman Farnsworth, members, last year we had several whistleblowers come to us between the House and
  • On that note, I will mention that I got a message from a whistleblower this morning.