Transcript Highlights:

• We'll call up the last witness, John David Roberson. Ms.
• Roberson, you can have a seat on either side when the gentlemen get up.
• Roberson. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm John David Roberson.
• Madam Chair and members, Senate Bill 1030 by Senator Robert Nichols relates to the exemption from sales

Bills: SB214 , SB935 , SB1030 , SB1901 , SB2018 , SB2020 , SB2066 , SB2206

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• am pleased to present Assembly Bill 306 on behalf of myself and my joint author, Assembly Speaker Robert
• Chairman and members, Stephanie Roberson, on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, in full support.
• Stephanie Roberson, on behalf of CalChamber, in support. Mr.
• Thanks. time for sale home price thanks mr. chair members Stephanie Roberson on behalf of the Calchamber
• Chair, members, Stephanie Roberson, on behalf of the Chamber, aligns my comments with my colleague Obed

Summary: The committee heard a series of housing and wildfire-recovery bills, with members repeatedly framing the package as a response to the Los Angeles fires and the state’s broader housing affordability crisis. AB 306, by Assembly Member Schultz, would place a six-year moratorium on new residential building-code updates and local code modifications except for health-and-safety emergencies. Supporters argued it would reduce costs and provide certainty for rebuilding and new housing production, while opponents from environmental, clean-energy, and labor groups warned it would freeze beneficial code improvements, delay innovation, and limit local control. Despite those concerns, several members said they would support the bill while seeking amendments, and the committee voted it out on a due pass recommendation to Appropriations. The committee also approved AB 301, which would require state agencies to follow shot-clock style deadlines for reviewing building permits, and AB 253, which would allow licensed third-party professionals to conduct certain post-entitlement permit reviews if local departments take more than 30 days. Supporters said both bills would reduce delays, lower costs, and speed rebuilding and housing production; some members emphasized that safety reviews must remain intact. AB 301 passed on a due pass vote to Appropriations, and AB 253 passed 8-0 to Local Government. AB 462, by Assembly Member Lowenthal, would exempt accessory dwelling units in Los Angeles County’s coastal zone from coastal development permit requirements, with the goal of speeding ADU construction for disaster recovery and housing supply. Supporters said ADUs are a proven tool and that the bill would help displaced residents and future coastal disaster areas; one member of the public opposed the bill, arguing ADU proliferation can change neighborhood conditions. The committee sent AB 462 to Appropriations on an 8-0 vote. The final bill discussed, AB 299, would let disaster-displaced families stay in hotels, motels, and short-term rentals for more than 30 days without triggering landlord-tenant rules, mirroring an earlier homelessness-related law; the transcript ended as the author began presenting the bill and its support.

Transcript Highlights:

• I have with him his girlfriend, Elena Roberts, and I have my wife, beautiful wife with me, Nisha Carpenter
• Roberson. Gentleman from Oktibbeha, Mr. Roberson. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Transcript Highlights:

• Pastor, the<01:14:37.760><c> Honorable</c><01:14:38.080><c> Denise</c><01:14:38.400><c> Roberts,</c><
• 01:14:38.800><c> the</c> the Honorable Denise Roberts, the the Honorable Denise Roberts, the Honorable
• the Lily She, the Honorable Pam Queen, the Honorable<01:15:54.960><c> Denise</c><01:15:55.360><c> Roberts
• ,</c><01:15:55.679><c> the</c><01:15:55.840><c> Honorable</c> Honorable Denise Roberts, the Honorable
• Honorable Denise Roberts, the Honorable Mike<01:15:56.320><c> Rogers,</c><01:15:56.640><c> the</c><01

Transcript Highlights:

• Gautier, Jackson Gladney from Jackson, Jackson Gladney from Clinton, Gray Logan from Gulfport, Ela Roberson
• 08.600><c> Gulfport,</c> Gray Logan from Gulfport, Gray Logan from Gulfport, Ela<00:06:10.880><c> Roberson
• Um, Chairman Robert, gentleman from Oktibbeha, also passed a social media education piece that went over

Transcript Highlights:

• Achila Roberson and then Josh Thean, if you want to both come up.
• Achila Roberson and then Josh Thean, if you want to both come up.
• Achila Roberson and then Josh Thean, if you want to both come up.
• Achila Roberson and then Josh Thean, if you want to both come up.
• Roberson. Finally, go ahead, please state your name for the record and proceed.

Bills: HF1966 , HF54 , HF2043 , HF1171 , HF2741

Committee: House Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Roberson. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to introduce B.J. Coogle.
• </c><00:11:41.800><c> Roberson.</c> &gt;&gt; Gentleman from Oktibbeha, Mr. Roberson.
• Roberson. Thank<00:11:43.280><c> you,</c><00:11:43.360><c> Mr.</c><00:11:43.520><c> Speaker.
• Roberson: I'd like to introduce B.J. Coogle. He is my pharmacist in Starkville.

Transcript Highlights:

• Patzkowski, here, Pifer, Piferuggailler, here, Provenzano, Provenzano, Ranson, here, Roberts, here, RoRo
• Roberson, assistant coach, Carly Thomas, captain, who is a senior at Prior High School, Aurora Marks,
• Please recognize Representative Roberts for a floor presentation.
• Representative Roberts, Morning everyone, Mr. Speaker. Could you call the wildlife department?

Bills: SB378 , SB985 , SB1246 , HB3720 , SB1500 , SB1984 , HB4118 , SB1644 , SB1546 , SB483

Transcript Highlights:

• And I'd like to note a particular bill, AB 2271, by Assembly Member Robert Garcia, which would provide
• And I like to note a particular bill, AB 2271, by Assembly Member Robert Garcia, which would provide
• of Government Employees, and I know at the table is also Vice President of that union, Kendrick Roberson
• And so I’ll start with you, Vice President Roberson, and then come down. Thank you.”
• Kendrick Roberson, National Vice President with the American Federation of Government Employees.

Committee: Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement

Summary: The Senate Labor and Public Employment Committee held an oversight hearing on federal policy impacts on California’s labor market. In opening remarks, the chair argued that federal actions, including immigration enforcement, tariffs, and cuts to safety-net programs, are harming workers, employers, and communities, and said the committee wanted to document impacts and identify state responses. The first panel featured economist Enrique Lopez Lira of UC Berkeley, who described slow job growth, wage pressures, high housing and care costs, and the large share of California workers in low-wage jobs. He said federal cuts to Medi-Cal and SNAP/CalFresh and increased immigration enforcement would worsen insecurity, especially in health care, retail, hospitality, agriculture, and care work. The chair asked about recession indicators, middle-wage stagnation, and which sectors rely most on safety-net programs, and Lopez Lira said worker organizing and unions were a source of hope. A second panel focused on federal immigration enforcement. UC Merced’s Edward Orozco Flores presented research finding that private-sector employment in enforcement-targeted states fell during escalated enforcement periods, with California experiencing unprecedented declines in 2025. He urged policymakers to consider wage-replacement or stimulus-style support for affected workers, including excluded workers who cannot access unemployment insurance. Shannon Sedgwick of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation said undocumented workers are deeply embedded in the county economy, generating substantial economic activity and supporting over a million jobs. She reported that intensified enforcement in Los Angeles County was associated with business disruptions, reduced sales and customer traffic, workforce instability, lower transit ridership in vulnerable areas, and losses from the downtown curfew. Committee members asked about impacts on small businesses, tax revenue, and recovery, and witnesses pointed to local resiliency funds, business toolkits, and know-your-rights efforts as partial responses. The hearing then heard from worker representatives. Flore Melendres of the Clean Car Wash Worker Center said car washes have been heavily targeted by federal agents, with hundreds of workers taken from workplaces, many businesses disrupted or closed, and workers living in fear; she urged support for AB 2271 to provide financial benefits to families who lost income because of DHS activity. California Nurses Association president Michelle Gutierrez-Vos said H.R. 1’s Medi-Cal and Covered California cuts threaten hospital finances, jobs, and patient care, and she backed CalCare (AB 1900), a hospital closure moratorium, and more support for nursing education. UAW 4811 president Rafael Jaime said federal research cuts are putting UC research funding and postdoctoral jobs at risk and endorsed SB 895, a proposed bond measure for health and scientific research. AFGE representatives Wallace Wade and Kendrick Roberson described the strain on federal workers during shutdowns, unpaid work, staffing losses, and the effects on TSA, Social Security, VA services, and worker housing stability; they supported SB 1155 to protect federal workers from eviction. Committee members thanked the witnesses and said the testimony showed both the human and economic consequences of federal policy. In the final panel, employer groups began responding to the same federal pressures. California Retailers Association president Rachel Michelin said retail is a major private-sector employer and a key entry point for young workers, and that retailers are seeing the effects of rising costs, supply-chain shifts, and consumer pressure at the checkout counter. The hearing continued with additional employer testimony beyond the provided excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I'd like to note a particular bill, AB 2271, by Assembly Member Robert Garcia, which would provide
• And I like to note a particular bill, AB 2271, by Assembly Member Robert Garcia, which would provide
• of Government Employees, and I know at the table is also Vice President of that union, Kendrick Roberson
• And so I'll start with you, Vice President Roberson, and then come down. Thank you. Thank you.
• Kendrick Roberson, National Vice President with the American Federation of Government Employees.

Committee: Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement

Transcript Highlights:

• :43.200><c> Representative</c> Oktibbeha County, Representative Oktibbeha County, Representative Roberson
• Roberson. Roberson. Thank<00:17:45.720><c> you,</c><00:17:45.800><c> Mr.

Transcript Highlights:

• Roberson. And now we have a remote testifier, Patrick Walsh. Patrick, are you on?
• Roberson, followed by Caitlyn Snider if she wanted to come up. Dr.
• Aila Roberson, policy director at Education Evolving, testified in support of House File 1607.
• <00:40:26.560><c> again</c><00:40:27.319><c> Robertson</c> Roberson again Robertson Roberson again Robertson
• </c> time I am Dr I am Dr Aila Roberson time I am Dr I am Dr Aila Roberson policy<00:40:48.560><c> director

Committee: House Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair and members, Stephanie Roberson, on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, also opposed unless amended
• Stephanie Roberson representing the Chamber of Commerce, also in opposition. Thank you.
• Stephanie Roberson representing the Chamber of Commerce, also in opposition. Thank you.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Insurance met as a subcommittee and heard several bills related to workers’ compensation, insurance access, climate resilience, and farmworker protections. AB 815 would prevent social service workers who use personal vehicles to transport clients from being misclassified as commercial or for-hire drivers under personal auto policies; supporters said the current practice leads to unaffordable premiums and denied claims, while no opposition testified. AB 1329 would revise the Subsequent Injury Benefit Trust Fund to reduce litigation and medical-legal costs and lower employer assessments; insurers and business groups opposed unless amended, citing concerns about eligibility standards and the QME process, but the bill advanced after amendments were discussed. AB 1048 would allow disputed unauthorized payment reductions for medical providers to be reviewed through independent bill review; supporters framed it as a transparency measure, while opposition argued IBR is the wrong forum and existing contract dispute processes should control, though the bill also passed. AB 1236 would create a Department of Insurance grant program for climate and sustainability risk-reduction projects, with broad support from the department, environmental groups, and insurers, and it passed unanimously. The committee also heard AB 1336, the Farmworker Heat Illness Prevention Act, which would create a rebuttable presumption that a heat-related injury arose out of employment when an agricultural employer fails to comply with heat illness prevention standards. Supporters, including United Farm Workers, argued the bill would help protect farmworkers amid extreme heat and enforcement gaps; opponents from the workers’ compensation and agricultural sectors said the measure improperly uses the compensation system to enforce OSHA rules and could create unclear adjudication and delay issues. Members discussed Cal/OSHA enforcement limits, undocumented workers’ reluctance to report violations, and the relationship between the bill and existing workers’ compensation procedures. Despite opposition, AB 1336 passed on a divided vote. The committee also took up a consent calendar including AB 1125, AB 1293, and AB 1398, which were approved together. Roll calls were held open and later completed, and the bills that advanced were sent to the Committee on Appropriations. The meeting concluded with the committee adjourning after final votes were recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• Also with us today are the coaches, Coach Matt Roberson and Head Coach Mikey Eaves.
• , when I was notified of a friend of mine, a service member of mine, Tech Sergeant Marshallakkota Roberts
• Sergeant Marshallakkota Roberts had been killed in action in Camp Taji, Iraq.
• sought to reflect that remembrance this session with a passage of the Tech Sergeant Marshalldkota Roberts

Bills: HCR1030 , HB1370 , SB893 , SB2 , SB1589

Transcript Highlights:

• Akilah Roberson and then Josh Thieleman.
• Akilah Roberson, Policy Director at Education Evolving, an organization that promotes transformational
• Roberson. Finally, go ahead and please state your name for the record and proceed.

Bills: HF1966 , HF54 , HF2043 , HF1171 , HF2741

Committee: House Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• With that, we have Akilah Roberson, um Lori Gough, and then Christine Scott.
• Akilah Roberson, policy director at Educational Evolving.
• Roberson. Um, next up, Lori Gough, then Christine Scott, and Brian McCarthy.
• </c><00:53:35.240><c> Roberson.
• Roberson. Um next up, Thank you, Dr. Roberson.

Bills: HF3119

Committee: House Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• In the Stevens case and the Roberson case, there was conflict between the position of the Texas Supreme
• If you could give me, I know you quoted the Stevenson and the Roberson cases, but why would that have
• In the Roberson case, and you'll recall, and folks watching may remember, the Court of Criminal Appeals

Summary: The Senate convened with an invocation, received a House message that H.B. 422 had passed the House, and heard gubernatorial nominations for the Council on Sex Offender Treatment. The chamber also recognized the Doctor of the Day and several visiting groups and adopted a resolution designating June 20, 2025, as Texas Nuclear Legislative Day. Members then considered and passed several bills and resolutions, often by suspending the regular order and the constitutional three-day rule. SB 311 passed to final passage on the Texas Supreme Court’s writ power. SB 883, on off-label prescription access for COVID-19 treatment, passed to engrossment. SB 1706, creating an Open Meetings Act exception for certain defense, military, and aerospace deliberations, passed despite concerns from Sen. Eckhardt that the bill’s use of “deliberate” could weaken open-government protections. CS SB 1677, directing a study on diabetes-related amputations, passed with support from Sen. Menendez. SB 1967 expanded flood infrastructure fund eligibility to certain multipurpose projects, and SB 1255, a cleanup bill on mold assessor and remediator regulation, passed unanimously. The Senate also approved CS SJR 40 and CS SB 871, which would change emergency and disaster law to require legislative involvement after prolonged or widespread emergencies and to limit gubernatorial suspension powers, with Sen. Eckhardt questioning whether the bill could slow urgent business closures during a disaster. Additional measures passed included SB 1426 transferring management of the First Capital State Historic Site to the Texas Historical Commission, SB 249 requiring TxDOT to fund memorial markers for fallen peace officers, SB 1592 centralizing collection of hotel occupancy taxes from accommodation intermediaries, SB 1271 allowing concurrent jurisdiction on military installations for certain juvenile matters, SB 745 creating a higher penalty for intoxication manslaughter involving multiple deaths, SB 365 shortening the academic fresh start waiting period at public colleges, and SB 1171 adjusting compensation and standards for certain Texas Juvenile Justice Department inspector general employees. CS SB 36, creating a Homeland Security Division within DPS, passed after questions about its relationship to federal homeland security and its focus on border security and critical infrastructure. The latter part of the session focused heavily on CS SB 38, a major eviction and squatter-related bill. Sen. Bettencourt described widespread squatter cases and argued the bill, with a Moody amendment, would clarify notice and eviction procedures while balancing property-owner and tenant rights. Sen. West said he supported addressing squatters but worried the broader eviction changes could harm vulnerable renters, especially single mothers, and said he would vote present not voting. The discussion continued with additional testimony from Sen. Kolkhorst about the need for a balanced eviction process.

Transcript Highlights:

• On behalf of Delegate Kent Roberson, Delegates And These Roberts, and myself, we are so honored to have
• Roberson, Delegates And These Roberts, Roberson, Delegates And These Roberts, and<01:52:43.680><c> myself

Summary: The House met in Annapolis on February 27, 2026, with 128 members present. After a prayer, the chamber adopted the previous day’s journal and recognized a resolution honoring Brunswick High School’s first Tech Challenge team, Minerva’s Mechanics, for winning the FTC Regional Championships and qualifying for the World Championship in Houston. The resolution was read and adopted with applause. The main legislative item was House Bill 355, concerning the Education, Sexual Abuse and Assault Awareness and Prevention Program and human and sex trafficking; the House adopted the favorable committee report and ordered the bill printed for third reading. The next bill, House Bill 534 on nonpublic school transcripts and prohibiting punitive measures related to student debt, also received a favorable report. Debate then centered on an amendment offered to HB 534 that would have tied school funding to student choice for students in repeatedly one-star-rated schools and allowed parents of habitually violent or disruptive students to consider military boarding school options. The sponsor argued Maryland’s public schools, especially in Baltimore City, were failing students despite heavy spending, citing low literacy, violence, and the book Failure Factory; several members echoed concerns about school performance, bureaucracy, and the need for educational freedom. Opponents and procedural speakers said the amendment was not germane to HB 534, which they described as a narrow bill about transcript access for students leaving nonpublic schools with unpaid fees, often students with disabilities. The floor leader urged the body to resist the amendment and stick to the bill’s actual subject. Despite multiple members explaining their votes in support of school choice and criticizing the Blueprint and school outcomes, the House ultimately took a roll call on the amendment after a voice vote was challenged. The transcript cuts off during the roll call and does not show the final recorded result on the amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then Chief Justice David Thompson has appointed the Honorable Elma Roberson and then also the Honorable
• Robert Kennedy, in my opinion, to challenge some very questionable thinking on medicine, and I think

Committee: House Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• state in the solicitor general's office to discuss two instances where that. in the Stevens and the Roberson

Bills: SB16 , SB76 , SB310 , SB311 , SB396 , SB505 , SB827 , SB964 , SB1209 , SB1210 , SB1386 , SB1470 , SB2035 , SJR37 , SB 16

Committee: Senate State Affairs