Transcript Highlights:

• This would allow state and local parks and recreation agencies or departments to promote recreational
• get active while enjoying the many parks and outdoor spaces that Texas has to offer.
• Public parks bear names like... Independence Park, Harmony Park, and Freedom Dog Park.
• of the Parks and Wildlife Department.
• I took it to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Director, and I said, hey.

Bills: SB2801, SB2232, SCR18

Keywords: SB 2801, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Parks and Wildlife Code, field trial permit, hunting dog field trial, coonhound trial, dog trial, squirrel hunting, fur-bearing animals, nongame animals, hunting license exemption, wildlife management, public land permit, private land hunting, game fish and water safety account, permit fee, commission rules, Parks and Wildlife Department, Unplug Texas Day, digital detox

Transcript Highlights:

• , community arts, and shared recreation access.
• I am the president of the Wyoming Recreation and Park Association.
• Wyoming Wreck and Park Associ. Wyoming Wreck and Park Associ.
• Some of the larger communities have municipal parks and recreation, but a lot of our smaller communities
• I hope you guys were able to read the report that was sent to you by the Wyoming Recreation and Park

Bills: HB0147, HB0127

Keywords: property tax, homeowner exemption, Wyoming, voter initiative, tax legislation, HB0127, recreation mill levy, recreational facilities, public recreation, mill levy, local tax, county commissioners, school district levy, voter approval, ballot measure, general election, tax referendum, special purpose tax, Wyoming taxation, W.S. 18-9-201

Transcript Highlights:

• At the same time, we very much care about our wildlife refuges, our parks, and areas to recreate in.
• , but they're going through Parks and Wildlife land.
• Parks and Wildlife could intervene; they can't anymore.
• Having Parks and Wildlife...
• Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Bills: HB3129, HB3251, HB3556, HB3724, HB3887

Keywords: construction, wildlife impact, height restrictions, national wildlife refuge, environmental regulations, HB 3887, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Parks and Wildlife Code, performance bond, payment bond, contractor bonding, public works, construction contracts, public building, procurement, bid security, subcontractors, suppliers, contractor payment protection, project completion

Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Amber Anderson, and I serve as president of the Wyoming Recreation and Park Association.
• On behalf of recreation and park professionals across Wyoming, I respectfully urge you to carefully consider
• , community centers, recreation facilities, swimming pools, parks and playgrounds, community celebrations
• Recreation facilities and programs are gathering places.
• /c> facilities, swimming pools, parks and facilities, swimming pools, parks and playgrounds,<02:49:12.000

Bills: HB0068, HB0062, HB0127, HB0109

Keywords: veterans, property tax exemption, disabled, service-connected disability, Wyoming, governmental claims, liability limits, inflation adjustment, public safety, local government insurance, HB0127, recreation mill levy, recreational facilities, public recreation, mill levy, property tax, local tax, county commissioners, school district levy, voter approval

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 2843 mandates a comprehensive study to evaluate the effectiveness of current Parks and Wildlife's
• Brain Institute, and Texas A&M Veterinary College. with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department using
• The bill requires the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to hold public hearings. and provide an online
• I would like to have Parks and Wildlife come up as a resource witness on this and Mr. True.
• I'm the Wildlife Division Director for Texas Parks and Wildlife, and I'm testifying neutral.

Bills: SB2031, SB2386, SB2476, SB2801, SB2843, SB2844, SB2846, SB2885

Keywords: deer breeding, chronic wasting disease, wildlife management, release site, landowner rights, TCEQ, environmental quality, administrative actions, public notice, legislative oversight, water supply, Angelina and Neches River Authority, ownership transfer, public utilities, Certificate of Convenience and Necessity, SB 2801, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Parks and Wildlife Code, field trial permit, hunting dog field trial

Transcript Highlights:

• Heavenly Father, we come before you today with humility and gratitude and today with humility and gratitude
• Messages and petitions, Mr. Clerk. Messages and petitions, Mr. Clerk. Mr.
• Parks. Parks. Parks. Pope, here. Pope, here. Pope, here. Rhodes. Rhodes. Rhodes. Seymour, here.
• Parks. Mumford. Norwood. Parks. Mumford. Norwood. Parks. Pope. Pope. Pope. Rhodes. Rhodes. Rhodes.
• And... And I asked him, I said, "You know, how much will this cost me?"

Bills: SB3408, HB4171, SB3403, SB3404, SB2210

Keywords: economic development, industrial authority, Yazoo County, trustees, grants and loans, local government, taxation, tourism, parks and recreation, Ackerman, restaurant sales tax, local funding, suffrage, voting rights, restoration of rights, felony conviction, Mississippi legislation, restoration, criminal record, legislation

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Katfreed, we've got State Parks to be added and deleted.
• Three are statutory amendments, two are additions and deletions from state parks, and five are proposed
• park or state forest boundaries, and park or state forest boundaries, and authorization<00:04:16.000
• deletions from state additions and deletions from state parks,<00:04:26.360> and<00:04:26.960
• parks, and five are proposed land sales. parks, and five are proposed land sales.

Bills: HF3643, HF3426, HF4222, HF4224

Keywords: Melissa Hortman, Mark Hortman, memorial park, state park, working group, Minnesota Historical Society, Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board, Saint Paul, Department of Natural Resources, Department of Administration, Legislative Coordinating Commission, general fund appropriation, park planning, interpretive services, public engagement, state memorial, land use, natural resources, commemorative legislation, environment

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• Next, we have George Hodges, also on the Water and Sewer Commission. Virtual? Not on the list?
• For full disclosure, I'm not on the Water and Sewer Commission.
• So... not on the Water and Sewer Commission.
• and have them appointed by folks who... abolish an entire commission and have them appointed by folks
• Our commission has kept water and sewer reliable, held rates steady, and tackled infrastructure needs

Bills: H5426, H5434, S3084, S3087, S3088, S3092

Keywords: North Attleborough, town charter, home rule charter, municipal government, local option, charter amendment, Parks and Recreation Commission, Park Commission, write-in candidate, sticker candidate, ballot access, town election, bylaw, ordinance, board membership, local approval, Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard, planning board, associate members

Summary: The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government held a hybrid hearing on several local bills and home rule petitions. The first major item was Senate Bill 3092, authorizing the city of Newton to issue pension obligation bonds or notes. Senator Cindy Cream and Mayor Mark Laredo’s chief of staff, Dana Hansen, testified in support, saying the measure would help Newton manage its unfunded pension liability, preserve its AAA bond rating, and create about $10 million in budget flexibility over five years. Senator John Keenan supported the bill but cautioned that pension obligation bonds depend heavily on market timing and assumptions about future funding and hiring. The committee then heard testimony on a Boylston bill, Senate Bill 3088, allowing the town to contract for a newly created police lieutenant position. Boylston officials said the town’s growth and public safety needs justify a second-in-command role with supervisory, internal affairs, and emergency command duties, and that a contract is needed because of the position’s management-level responsibilities. Representative Wells asked why a lieutenant position required a home rule petition, and the chief explained that town counsel advised the arrangement functioned more like an employment contract than a standard personnel-plan position. Next, the committee took up House Bill 5426 for North Attleboro, a charter amendment package. Town Manager Mike Borg said the bill makes limited local changes: correcting charter language, expanding the Board of Health from three to five members, and requiring write-in candidates to meet a minimum vote threshold comparable to ballot candidates. The committee then heard Senate Bill 3087 for Walpole, which would create a water and sewer advisory board and change the governance structure for the town’s water and sewer system. Town officials supported the bill as a way to improve planning and accountability, but several elected water and sewer commissioners and a town meeting member opposed it, arguing it would abolish an elected board, reduce voter representation, and concentrate power in appointed officials. After testimony concluded, the committee adjourned without taking a vote in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Next on my list is Pradeep Mishra, the chair of the Water and Sewer Commission, also in Walpole.
• Next, we have George Hodges, also on the Water and Sewer Commission. Virtual? Not on the list?
• For full disclosure, I'm not on the Water and Sewer Commission, I'm not on the Select Board, and I am
• Not on the Water and Sewer Commission.
• This is about abolishing a commission that's been around for 130 plus years and has been voted on in

Bills: H5426, H5434, S3084, S3087, S3088, S3092

Keywords: North Attleborough, town charter, home rule charter, municipal government, local option, charter amendment, Parks and Recreation Commission, Park Commission, write-in candidate, sticker candidate, ballot access, town election, bylaw, ordinance, board membership, local approval, Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard, planning board, associate members

Transcript Highlights:

• The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department will be exempt from the Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act
• Senate Bill 2174 changes who appoints and the makeup of the board of the state fire marshal. commission
• OK, basically, the PCS is gonna allow the Oklahoma tourism and recreation department to enter into an
• Move for adoption and ask questions. We have a do pass and multiple seconds, thirds, and fourths.
• Currently, the workforce commission is empowered to collect certain data from federal, state, and local

Bills: SB2063, SB1877, SB1884, SB2174, SB1525, SB1771, SB1805, SB1916, SB1365, SB1810

Keywords: unclaimed property, abandoned property, state treasurer, unclaimed property fund, public website, claimant, hearing, administrative procedures act, sales tax exemption, income tax subtraction, youth entrepreneurs, teen business, minor-owned business, sole proprietorship, business license exemption, entrepreneurship, youth vendor, Oklahoma Tax Commission, Title 60, Title 68

Transcript Highlights:

• The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department would be exempt from the Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act
• Senate Bill 2174 changes who appoints and the makeup of the board of the State Fire Marshal Commission
• and... ...Fire Marshal Commission, and we've agreed on everything but too little.
• Okay, basically the PCS is going to allow the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department to enter into
• Tourism Recreation Industry Conference to allow them to come in and help support that on the funding

Bills: SB2063, SB1877, SB1884, SB2174, SB1525, SB1771, SB1805, SB1916, SB1365, SB1810

Keywords: unclaimed property, abandoned property, state treasurer, unclaimed property fund, public website, claimant, hearing, administrative procedures act, sales tax exemption, income tax subtraction, youth entrepreneurs, teen business, minor-owned business, sole proprietorship, business license exemption, entrepreneurship, youth vendor, Oklahoma Tax Commission, Title 60, Title 68

Summary: The committee first laid over Senate Bill 263, then took up several other measures. Senate Bill 1877, which would create a centralized reporting system for reports through the Secretary of State, was discussed as similar to House Bill 3047 and was reported due pass by a 6-0 vote. Senate Bill 1884, concerning access for statewide educator associations and individual school employees, drew questions about union access, off-campus recruitment, right-to-work law, and possible conflicting language on fees and reimbursement; it was reported due pass 6-1. The committee then advanced tourism and public safety measures. Senate Bill 1365 would update promotional fund language and allow the Tourism and Recreation Department to make certain merchandise purchases outside the central purchasing process up to $75,000; it passed 6-2. Senate Bill 2174 would change the appointment and makeup of the State Fire Marshal Commission board and was reported due pass 8-0. Senate Bill 1525, as amended by a PCS, would let the Tourism and Recreation Department contract for support of its annual tourism conference and charge registration fees to recoup costs, with emergency language added; it passed 6-2. The committee also approved House Bill 1810, which would allow expert testimony in human trafficking cases and add trafficking victims to existing victim services, by an 8-0 vote. On workforce and agency administration, Senate Bill 1771 would expand the Workforce Commission’s authority to collect funding, expenditure, and performance data and to hire outside counsel; it passed 5-2. Senate Bill 1805 would bar certain group homes and post-adjudication treatment facilities from using contract staff, due to concerns about records access and staffing; it passed 6-1. Finally, Senate Bill 1960 would move the Oklahoma Receivership Office under the Oklahoma Insurance Department to modernize and reduce duplication, and it was reported due pass 7-0. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Committee on Culture, Recreation, and Tourism come to order. Clerk, call the roll.
• about state parks and why there were no inner-city state parks.
• So I think Andy Sampson was the head of Texas Parks... ...Parks and Wildlife at the time, and so we started
• Commission, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Commissioners of Education and Higher Education, and
• The Commission is authorized to solicit and accept gifts, grants, and donations to support its activities

Bills: HB370, HB738, HB2935, HB3227, HB4103, HB5259, SB519, SB1350, SB1247, SB1248, SB2112, HCR81, HCR83, HCR84, HCR59, HCR109, HCR111, HCR135, SCR6

Keywords: HB 370, Events Trust Fund, Texas events funding, sports eligibility, women's sports, girls' sports, biological sex, transgender athletes, sex-segregated sports, athletic competition, event subsidies, tourism funding, site selection organization, anti-trafficking plan, female athletes, public funding, economic impact, sports policy, Rosenwald Schools, historical preservation

Transcript Highlights:

• It also updates the caption and gives the Parks and Wildlife Department the power to enjoin construction
• HB 5259 would direct Texas Parks and Wildlife to develop a plan examining hotspots for collisions and
• We're a non-profit advocating for clean air and water, as well as parks and wildlife, and I'm here today
• San Antonio has a land bridge over Phil Hardberger Park, and Memorial Park in Houston has built a new
• Hearing none, the Culture, Recreation, and Tourism Committee stands adjourned.

Bills: HB370, HB738, HB2935, HB3227, HB4103, HB5259, SB519, SB1350, SB1247, SB1248, SB2112, HCR81, HCR83, HCR84, HCR59, HCR109, HCR111, HCR135, SCR6

Keywords: HB 370, Events Trust Fund, Texas events funding, sports eligibility, women's sports, girls' sports, biological sex, transgender athletes, sex-segregated sports, athletic competition, event subsidies, tourism funding, site selection organization, anti-trafficking plan, female athletes, public funding, economic impact, sports policy, Rosenwald Schools, historical preservation

Bills: HB609, HB630, HB654, HB676

Keywords: oyster mariculture, aquaculture, farming, water quality, regulations, outboard motors, certificate of title, vessel regulation, Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, marine documentation, hunter education, criminal charge, illegal hunting, mule deer, white-tailed deer, sustainability, wildlife conservation, unmanned aircraft, wildlife retrieval, Hunting

Transcript Highlights:

• It will not exceed $75,000 but will make tourism and recreation exempt from the Oklahoma Central Purchasing
• Act, and the main goal here is that we have golf courses, lodges, and different entities and venues
• And a second. Will there be any further discussion or debate?
• Have a do pass and a second. Will there be any further discussion or debate.
• I once again appreciate you guys' hard work and your diligence and rushing down here to vote on bills

Bills: SB1365, SB2139

Keywords: SB1365, Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act, procurement exemption, competitive bidding, state purchasing, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, tourism department, merchandise for resale, gift shops, lodges, golf pro shops, state parks, restaurant contracting, retail outlets, public procurement, purchasing flexibility, Title 74, emergency clause, restrictive covenants, discriminatory covenants

Transcript Highlights:

• We thank You for the opportunity and the blessing that it is, and ask that You just lead, guide, and
• And what it's going to do is not to exceed... ...in tourism, and what it's going to do is not to exceed
• $75,000, but it's going to make tourism and recreation exempt from the Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act
• The main goal here is that we have golf courses and lodges and different entities and venues that need
• Once again, I appreciate you guys' hard work and your diligence and rushing down here to vote on bills

Bills: SB1365, SB2139

Keywords: SB1365, Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act, procurement exemption, competitive bidding, state purchasing, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, tourism department, merchandise for resale, gift shops, lodges, golf pro shops, state parks, restaurant contracting, retail outlets, public procurement, purchasing flexibility, Title 74, emergency clause, restrictive covenants, discriminatory covenants

Summary: The Government Oversight committee met briefly with a prayer and then heard two Senate bills. Senate Bill 1365, presented by Representative Townley, updates and modernizes statutory language for the tourism promotional fund, caps the fund at $75,000, and exempts tourism and recreation purchases from the Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act so tourism venues such as golf courses and lodges can keep stock on hand without procurement delays. After a do pass motion and no debate, the committee approved the bill 7-4 and reported it out. Representative Kelly then presented Senate Bill 2139, which provides clarifying language to Senate Bill 1617 from 2024. Kelly said it resulted from a year of research and stakeholder discussion and had passed unanimously in the Senate. The committee moved the bill with no questions or debate and approved it 11-0. The chair then thanked members for their work and adjourned the meeting, noting it was likely the last meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, this is a request bill from the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation.
• statewide tourism and recreation industry conference in the amount and not to Exceed 75,000 dollars.
• , sewer, and storm sewer.
• and specifically the funds allocated and expended for workforce development and performance data.
• The Attorney General's office has been very helpful and gracious in offering counsel to the commission

Bills: SB1332, SB1378, SB1525, SB1771, SB1919, SB1998, SB2018, SB260, SB264

Keywords: housing, infrastructure, water projects, Oklahoma Water Resources Board, economic development, zero-interest loans, clawback provision, local contractors, Olympics, funding, Oklahoma Department of Commerce, local businesses, revolving fund, event hosting, SB1525, tourism, recreation, conference, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission

Transcript Highlights:

• across all publications, digital platforms, conferences, and events.
• And that this isn't mandatory as a matter of fact.
• And I had to learn this, and I'm trying to teach y'all as well.
• And that is the ones that have the four legs and the tails and the big long necks and they eat plants
• So just keep in touch with me and we can set something up.

Bills: HB3880, HB3263, HB2970

Keywords: Oklahoma Today Magazine, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, tourism promotion, advertising sales, commission pay, employee bonus, sales commission, digital publication, print publication, sponsorships, bulk subscriptions, newsstand sales, ancillary products, public records, procurement exemption, administrative procedures exemption, tourism magazine, revenue sharing, executive director, state agency compensation

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 1327 pertains to the Oklahoma tourism and recreation department.
• such as signs that would have to be hung and in what language and when and how and in what manner participating
• It requires the Oklahoma Department of Tourism at park offices and lodges, as well as when you reserve
• And what the list will be in a park office would actually be just a palm card that has that same QR code
• Entities doing workforce and we passed legislation a few years ago to make a workforce commission really

Bills: SB1327, SB1372, SB1403, SB1937, SB277, SB2131, SB1749, SB1348, SB1469, SB2018, SB1931, SB1530, SB2155

Keywords: tourism, recreation, economic development, Oklahoma Commission, executive director, probation, credits, educational advancement, Oklahoma Statutes, criminal justice reform, job incentives, tax rebates, Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program, employment growth, wage requirements, labor organization, incentives, employer practices, union neutrality, worker rights

Bills: HB1480, HB1781, HB1905, HB2018, HB2842

Keywords: library grants, construction, public libraries, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, community resources, livestock, rodeo, grant program, agricultural education, county fairs, funding, economic development, prescribed burn, Texas A&M Forest Service, Parks and Wildlife Department, fire safety, environmental management, agricultural conservation, land preservation, environmental protection