Video & Transcript Research : 'constitutional referendum'

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MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee 4/15/26

Rules and Legislative Administration

Transcript Highlights:
  • So, House File 3900 is a constitutional amendment that is working on amending our state constitution
  • state statute and state constitution. state statute and state constitution.
  • state constitution. state constitution.
  • It's right in our constitution.
  • constitutional duty? constitutional duty?
Bills: HF3900, HF1849
MN

Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session

House Ways and Means Committee 3/10/25

Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:
  • wouldn't be defined in the Constitution wouldn't be defined in the Constitution itself<00:59:31.960
  • the um ballot for the Constitutional the um ballot for the Constitutional question<01:08:43.000>
  • change because the make a constitutional change because the Constitution<01:10:14.239> is<01:
  • He said the November forecast is not created by the Constitution; it is created in statute.
  • It’s not going to be in the Constitution.
Bills: HF25, HF4
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

03/26/2026 - House Judiciary

Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:
  • Expanding Arizona's execution methods to include firing squad and lethal gas raises serious constitutional
  • or what we have now is lethal injection as the method, and that's part of the enshrined in the Constitution
Summary: The committee first took up SB 1655, which would have allowed qualified jurors to serve as temporary election workers instead of jury service if summoned 90 to 120 days before an election. The Arizona Association of Counties opposed the bill, saying the timing would create major planning and tracking problems for county jury commissioners and courts, and noting that jury service can already be excused in some circumstances. Members also raised concerns that jury duty and poll work are fundamentally different responsibilities. The motion for a due pass recommendation failed, 4-5, and the bill did not advance. The committee then heard SB 1751 and the related SCR 1049, both dealing with Arizona execution methods. The bills would expand the available methods of execution to include firing squad and lethal gas, alongside lethal injection, with the SCR going to voters. Senator Payne argued the change was needed because Arizona has had problems with past execution methods and that the inmate would choose among the options. Opponents, including a death penalty attorney and a corrections chaplain, argued the methods raise constitutional, operational, staffing, and trauma concerns, and that Arizona should not revive methods with a history of botched or prolonged executions. SB 1751 received a due pass recommendation, 6-2 with one absent and one present, and SCR 1049 also received a due pass recommendation, 6-2 with one absent and one present. The committee next considered SB 1317 as a strike-everything amendment appropriating $20 million in opioid settlement/remediation funds for county coordinated reentry planning services and a statewide database. Supporters from the Arizona Sheriffs Association and county sheriffs said the program has shown strong recidivism reductions, helps people transition from county jails back into the community, and should expand to more counties. Members asked about data, funding timing, and whether all counties should participate; supporters said the amount would likely be negotiated in the budget process and that the database funding was needed to track outcomes. The strike-everything amendment was adopted, and SB 1317 as amended passed 9-0 with one absent. Finally, the committee heard SB 1656, which would change how courts appoint professional personnel in family court cases and set guidelines for those appointees. Court representatives submitted written concerns, saying the bill would duplicate existing practice, require unnecessary and costly depositions of experts before appointment, mandate recordings of all interactions, and extend the statute of limitations for lawsuits. With no sponsor present and no outside speakers, members expressed concern that the bill was unnecessary and potentially costly. SB 1656 failed to receive a due pass recommendation, with three nays, six votes not in favor, and one absent.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Taxes Committee 2/25/25

Taxes

Transcript Highlights:
  • looking at House File 4, and thank you for Representative Freiberg for the catch, since there is a constitutional
  • The catch, since there is a constitutional amendment involved in House File 4, this does need to go to
  • We wanted to get the Rules part out because the Constitutional Amendment part, Representative Freiberg
  • <00:09:17.920> amendment set in place a constitutional amendment set in place a constitutional
  • Because this is not the way that we make policy through locking ourselves in in the Constitution.
Bills: HF4, HF173
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Education Finance Committee 3/12/26

Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • <00:32:23.679> convention the original constitutional convention the original constitutional
  • Constitution.
  • <01:29:30.400> revenue significantly more referendum revenue significantly more referendum
  • extend an operating levy uh referendum extend an operating levy uh referendum for<01:34:21.040><
  • Thank you for your referendum.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • The committee substitute to Senate Bill 5 is contingent upon the constitutional amendment being approved
  • In 2019, Texas voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment to continue this work.
  • This establishes the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas in the Constitution.
Bills: SB5, SJR3, SB 5, SJR 3
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee 3/9/26

Elections Finance and Government Operations

Transcript Highlights:
  • The proposed constitutional amendment would be submitted to the voters and the language of the ballot
  • It's a constitutional amendment. Can we? Yes, maybe that's a question for nonpartisan, but >> Mr.
  • But there's no provision in the rule on amending a proposed constitutional amendment on the floor.
  • Also, political parties are private organizations with constitutional rights to free association.
  • Also, political parties are private organizations with constitutional rights to free association.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

02/18/2026 - House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections

Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections

Transcript Highlights:
  • measures to include municipal and county initiative and referendum measures.
  • measures to include municipal and county initiative and referendum measures.
  • Constitution to...
  • Constitution.
  • And I'm clearly an advocate of the Constitution. I speak on it all the time.
Summary: The Committee on Federalism, Military Affairs, and Elections heard several election, health care, and sovereignty-related measures. HB 4115 and mirror resolution HCR 2051 would extend existing statewide rules for paid petition circulators and initiative/referendum disclosures to municipal and county measures, including badge/display requirements for paid circulators and disclosure of expenditures and revenue sources. Speaker Montenegro and supporters framed the bills as transparency and anti-out-of-state influence reforms; the committee recommended HB 4115 do pass by 5-2 and HCR 2051 by 4-3. The committee also considered HCM 2010, urging Congress to repeal the Seventeenth Amendment and return selection of U.S. senators to state legislatures. Sponsor Rep. Powell argued it would restore state sovereignty and accountability, while other members raised concerns about direct democracy, deadlock, and the need for broader public support. The memorial failed on a 3-3-1 vote after a present vote was recorded, despite some members expressing sympathy for the concept. HB 2940 proposed major changes to AHCCCS and DES eligibility verification and procurement, including expanded data checks, a unified eligibility rules engine, new contracting concepts, and a fixed benefit price list. The sponsor said the bill was intended to increase competition, transparency, and fiscal discipline; AHCCCS testified neutrally, noting it already uses many data matches but would need additional work and costs for some provisions, while health plan representatives opposed the bill as a major operational shift that could limit negotiated rates. The committee recommended the bill do pass 4-3. HB 2874, which would ease termination-statement requirements and penalties for committees that never raised money, passed unanimously 7-0. HB 467, requiring inactive-voter status information to appear in precinct registers, signature rosters, or e-poll books, was amended to change a mandatory “shall” to permissive “may” and then passed 5-2. Finally, HB 2775, as amended, would bar state and higher-education participation in implementing international-organization rules or agreements; after removing rulemaking authority for ABOR and adding a higher-education review process, it passed 4-3. The committee then adjourned.
AL

Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama House Agriculture and Forestry Committee Mar 5th, 2025

Agriculture and Forestry

Transcript Highlights:
  • Every ten years, there's a referendum that only the cotton producers get to vote on about their check-off
Bills: HB352
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

Energy Resources Mar 17th, 2025

Energy Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • By enshrining this protection in our state constitution.
  • And if we're codifying our values into the state constitution, perhaps we should make access to these
  • And as you can see, we've actually adopted the language, uh, in terms of what is, what constitutes.
  • That's the exact language that's used in this proposed constitutional amendment.
  • We want to make sure that that that it's set through a constitutional amendment.
Bills: HB206
TX

Texas 89th 2nd C.S.

Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Mar 26th, 2025

Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Transcript Highlights:
  • Proposing a constitutional amendment protecting the right of parents to raise their children.
  • When this happens, higher-level courts such as constitutional county courts, county courts of law, and
  • would say that the, the process for these certified, uh, interpreters, um, higher-level courts, constitutional
Bills: HB113
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

02/09/2026 - Senate Finance

Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • We also have the constitutional duties that it has to be in our best interest.
  • We also have the constitutional duties that it has to be in our best interest.
  • We also have the constitutional duties that it has to be in our best interest.
  • Is that allowed to be considered as part of the get according to the Constitution?
  • a key word, anticipated—do not count under the Arizona Constitution.
Summary: The committee first approved the February 2, 2026 minutes and held Senate Bill 1090. It then heard Senate Bill 1503, which would require pension fiduciaries and proxy advisory firms to act solely in the economic interest of plan participants and beneficiaries, prohibit ESG- or ideology-based voting, require disclosures and economic analyses in certain cases, and authorize attorney general enforcement. The sponsor said the bill was meant to protect investors and align with federal action. Testimony was mixed: a policy witness supported the bill, while representatives of ASRS and PSPRS said they were neutral but raised concerns about added costs, operational burdens, reporting requirements, possible conflicts with existing fiduciary duties, and increased litigation risk. After debate, the committee voted 4-3 to give SB 1503 a do-pass recommendation. The committee then considered Senate Bill 1293, which would prohibit GPLET school-district revenues from being abated during the eight-year abatement period. Supporters argued the bill would protect school funding and reduce state aid backfill costs, and a Goldwater Institute witness said it would also reduce gift-clause concerns by limiting subsidies that shift costs to other taxpayers. City and economic development representatives from Phoenix, Mesa, and the Greater Phoenix Economic Council opposed the bill, saying GPLET is an important redevelopment tool that helps finance projects in urban cores and that the change would reduce its effectiveness and slow revitalization. The committee adopted an amendment and then passed SB 1293 on a 4-3 vote. Next, the committee heard Senate Bill 1414, which gives insurers 30 days to review and respond to third-party settlement demands in bodily injury claims. Insurance representatives supported the bill as a commercially reasonable timeframe, while the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association opposed it, arguing that 30 days would become a minimum and could delay settlements for injured claimants; members discussed a possible 15-day compromise. The committee passed SB 1414 by a 5-2 vote. It also passed Senate Bill 1633, which creates an income tax subtraction for capital gains from the sale of a primary residence after a five-year residency; opponents warned it would mainly benefit wealthy homeowners and cost the state tens of millions annually, while the sponsor said it could help housing turnover. Finally, the committee passed SB 1429, as amended, allowing Senate and House leaders to designate board members for the Arizona Commerce Authority, SB 1536, which lets municipalities consolidate multiple street-light improvement districts, and heard SB 1724, which clarifies when property splits or consolidations trigger a limited property value recalculation to prevent tax-base manipulation.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

02/11/2026 - Senate Government

Government

Transcript Highlights:
  • And the reason is because if you have a copy of the measure, this is in the Constitution.
  • The Constitution says county—we cannot by statute override that.
  • But if we're going to actually create a different residency requirement than what the Constitution requires
Summary: The committee approved the February 4, 2026 minutes and held SB 1571 until the following week. It then heard and advanced several measures, beginning with SB 1745, which would cap transaction privilege/excise tax rates in the state’s largest cities at 2.5% per classification unless approved by voters, and would allow enforcement through the attorney general and state-shared revenue withholding. Supporters argued it would protect taxpayers and restrain municipal tax increases; the bill received a technical amendment and a due pass recommendation. The committee also advanced SB 1686, renaming Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza as the Wesley Bolin and Charlie Kirk Freedom Plaza and authorizing memorial placements for Don Bowles and Charlie Kirk, after brief supportive discussion and no substantive opposition testimony. The committee spent substantial time on SB 1567 and SB 1435, both aimed at restricting public entities, schools, and libraries from exposing minors to sexually explicit materials and from using public facilities for sexually explicit filming or access. Supporters framed the bills as child-protection measures and cited examples of explicit books and materials in libraries and schools; opponents, including the ACLU, warned the definitions were broad, could chill speech, and could criminalize librarians and educators for handling constitutionally protected literature or sex-education materials. Both bills were amended and passed on 4-3 votes, with supporters emphasizing existing obscenity standards and opponents stressing First Amendment concerns and implementation problems. The committee also advanced SB 1433 and SB 1434, which would redraw Maricopa County boundaries and, in the latter bill, create three new counties with a transition board and staggered elections. The sponsor argued Maricopa County had become too large and politically dominant, making government less representative and less responsive; opponents called the proposals expensive, disruptive, and politically motivated, citing concerns about debt division, duplicated county systems, and fiscal impacts. Both bills received due pass recommendations on 4-3 votes. Finally, the committee approved SCR 1024, requiring legislators to live in their district for one year before election, and SCR 1025, moving the legislative session start date from the second Monday to the fourth Monday in January; both resolutions passed unanimously or near-unanimously after sponsor testimony that they would modernize outdated rules and improve use of time.
AL

Alabama 2026 1st Special Session

Alabama Senate State Governmental Affairs Committee Feb 11th, 2026

State Governmental Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • And so this constitutional amendment would just go in and say, "Hey, if that vacancy happens in the first
  • And so this uh constitutional<00:22:44.720> amendment<00:22:45.120> would<00:22:45.360>
  • just<00:22:45.520> go constitutional amendment would just go constitutional amendment
Bills: SB223, SB271, SB223, SB271