Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, the Alabama Cotton Commission.
• Whenever it is, it's been a dollar a bale. It's been a dollar a bale.
• The farmers and cotton growers will have a chance to...
• Farmers and cotton growers have a chance to load it up or down. Mr.
• I would say if you're on cotton, you know I... Hi, Rick.

Bills: HB352

Keywords: HB352, cotton, cotton bale assessment, cotton levy, cotton producers, agriculture, forestry, Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee, per bale fee, commodity assessment, producer referendum, cotton sales tax, Alabama Code 2-8-199, cotton commission, agricultural funding, 1136, house, all

Bills: HB352, HB366, SB272, SB296

Keywords: HB352, cotton, cotton bale assessment, cotton levy, cotton producers, agriculture, forestry, Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee, per bale fee, commodity assessment, producer referendum, cotton sales tax, Alabama Code 2-8-199, cotton commission, agricultural funding, HB366, Lakyn Canine Act, police dog, K9, K-9

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a change in the check-off price that cotton producers can assign for the check-off program.
• This would increase it to $130 per bale. They would have... per bale.
• different check-off programs, mostly... ...different check-off programs, mostly research and education on cotton
• and cotton production in Alabama.

Bills: SB207, SB72

Keywords: cotton, agriculture, levy, assessment, referendum, Alabama law, medical cannabis, cannabis license, integrated facility license, Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, AMCC, medical marijuana, dispensary, cultivation, processing, license appeal, administrative hearing, judicial review, consultant selection, license denial

Transcript Highlights:

• regulations and parameters for the data those assessments must collect and the bars those assessments
• This just changes the Read by Grade 3 assessment from one assessment to another.
• in addition to the state assessment, and then they could turn off the state assessment, let's say mid-year
• pre-assessment, plus a midpoint assessment.
• the it counts assessment.

Bills: AB386

Keywords: AB386, Washoe County School District, reading assessment, literacy, elementary school, pupil assessment, statewide assessment, alternative assessment, reading proficiency, standards-based testing, valid and reliable test, State Board of Education, Department of Education, pilot program, school testing, assessment equivalency, education grant, Nevada education, NRS 388.157, school accountability

Transcript Highlights:

• In particular, it makes sure that all assessments, including the alternative assessments that districts
• Prior to using standard-referenced assessments and criterion-referenced assessments, states across the
• We're required to have assessments to assess the reading and language arts standards of the State Board
• change the assessments.
• The distinction between written assessments and overall assessments is there is none because if you're

Bills: HB8

Keywords: HB 8, Texas public school accountability, school accountability, public school transparency, STAAR, state assessments, instructionally supportive assessment program, Student Success Tool, Texas Education Agency, TEA, accountability ratings, A-F ratings, through-year assessment, benchmark testing, norm-referenced assessment, college career military readiness, CCMR, local accountability plan, school district performance, campus turnaround

Transcript Highlights:

• year assessments is normed, but their summative assessment is their state summative assessment that
• The shorter assessments ensure that the assessments are shorter and they will produce less pressure,
• If you're in the middle of your assessments, they take two assessments and we know where they are, and
• of assessment systems.
• assessments.

Bills: HB8

Keywords: HB 8, Texas public school accountability, school accountability, public school transparency, STAAR, state assessments, instructionally supportive assessment program, Student Success Tool, Texas Education Agency, TEA, accountability ratings, A-F ratings, through-year assessment, benchmark testing, norm-referenced assessment, college career military readiness, CCMR, local accountability plan, school district performance, campus turnaround

Transcript Highlights:

• Additionally, HB 8 improves the end-of-year assessment by developing a new shorter standards-based assessment
• So, um, I think it's really important that we stick to an assessment that assesses the 115 Texas essential
• In particular, it makes sure that all assessments, including the alternative assessments that districts
• Prior to using standard-referenced—” “assessments and criterion-referenced assessments, states across
• The distinction between written assessments and overall assessments is there is none, because if you're

Bills: HB8

Keywords: HB 8, Texas public school accountability, school accountability, public school transparency, STAAR, state assessments, instructionally supportive assessment program, Student Success Tool, Texas Education Agency, TEA, accountability ratings, A-F ratings, through-year assessment, benchmark testing, norm-referenced assessment, college career military readiness, CCMR, local accountability plan, school district performance, campus turnaround

Summary: The House Committee on Public Education met to hear House Bill 8, which would replace STAAR with a new assessment and accountability system beginning in the 2027-28 school year. The chair described the bill as reducing testing time, limiting benchmark tests, adding beginning-, middle-, and end-of-year assessments, requiring faster score turnaround, involving Texas teachers in test development, and tightening accountability timelines and transparency rules. Members also discussed provisions on A-F ratings, cut scores, CCMR, local accountability plans, and TEA reporting requirements. Committee members and invited witnesses split sharply on the bill’s approach. Supporters, including the chair, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath, and Ed Trust’s Nicholas Munyon Penny, argued the bill would reduce high-stakes pressure, provide quicker and more actionable data, limit over-testing, and better align assessments to Texas standards while preserving criterion-referenced accountability. They said the new system would help teachers and parents intervene sooner and would improve transparency, including parent access to student responses and automatic rescoring in some writing cases. Opponents, including Rep. Hinojosa and student witness Ella Moran, argued the bill still increases testing and replaces one high-stakes test with multiple TEA-created tests. Moran testified that STAAR creates anxiety, disrupts instruction, and does not reflect real learning, while Hinojosa said the House had previously passed a better bill based on a nationally norm-referenced model and criticized the new proposal as a concession to the Senate. Questions also focused on AI scoring of writing, rescoring rates, and whether the bill’s new accountability rules would be reliable and fair. The committee did not take a final vote during the portion provided, but the chair said a vote on HB 8 would be called after public testimony later in the day.

Bills: SB9, SB 9

Keywords: property tax, ad valorem tax, voter-approval tax rate, no-new-revenue tax rate, tax rate calculation, Tax Code, local government finance, municipality, county, special taxing unit, sales and use tax, property tax cap, tax rollback, tax levy, maintenance and operations, debt rate, disaster relief rate, Texas Legislature, local taxing unit, school assessment

Transcript Highlights:

• In 1982, the Alabama Cotton... Mr.
• The cotton board wanted to be able to look at the price of cotton and things like that to determine if
• It's been a dollar a bale. This would give them the opportunity to go up to $1.30 a bale each year.
• It could stay at a dollar or increase up to $1.30 per... ...or a dollar, or $1.10, up to $1.30 per bale
• I agree, and when you look for cotton material today, you're limited in where you can find it as well

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So 344 updates the Grain and Cotton Indemnity Fund by raising the balance thresholds for when it is assessed
• What it does is that there is an assessment on all grain and cotton that is sold.
• What it does is that there is an assessment on all grain and cotton that is sold.
• for the Grain and Cotton Indemnity Fund. for the assessment rate on agricultural commodities for the
• Cotton, world cotton. And if you see that, again, we have to export.

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes and welcomed a new member, then took up a series of agriculture-related bills, many focused on Louisiana seafood and producer protections. HB 121 by Rep. Domain would let the Department of Agriculture and Forestry seize and destroy adulterated imported seafood after a stop order, rather than relying on another agency to do it; the commissioner said the bill would improve enforcement without adding major cost, and it was reported favorably. HB 725, also by Rep. Domain, was amended to require retailers to keep invoices for imported seafood for six months so inspectors can verify country of origin and labeling; the committee adopted the technical amendment and reported the bill favorably. HB 367, dealing with Structural Pest Control Commission hearing notices, was described as a technical change to align notice procedures with the Administrative Procedure Act and was also reported favorably. HB 505, on certification cards for commercial applicators, pesticide salespersons, and agricultural consultants, was amended to keep unexpended pesticide fund money in the fund and streamline renewal timing; it too passed favorably. The committee then considered several measures aimed at protecting farmers from market losses. HB 344 by Rep. Coates raised the Grain and Cotton Indemnity Fund thresholds for suspending and restarting assessments, with the commissioner explaining that recent bankruptcies and broker failures had shown the need for a larger reserve; the bill was reported favorably. HB 370, a follow-up measure on the same fund, increased the assessment rate on agricultural commodities so the fund could grow faster, and it also passed without objection. HB 847, on Soil and Water Conservation Commission district supervisor elections, was amended to require certified nominating petitions, shift election administration to the Secretary of State, and remove outdated statewide election language; supporters said the change would modernize a system that had become costly and unwieldy, and the bill was reported favorably. HB 370 and HB 847 drew discussion about ballot access, election administration, and the nonpartisan nature of soil and water districts. The meeting also included a lengthy agriculture update from Commissioner Strain and a presentation from LSU Ag Center Dean Matt Lee. Strain discussed seafood imports, labeling enforcement, shrimp industry promotion, feral swine damage, fertilizer and diesel cost pressures, pesticide disposal, and export markets for rice and timber, emphasizing that Louisiana agriculture depends on testing, marketing, and international trade. Lee reported that LSU Ag Center research is ranked among the nation’s top agricultural programs, with major work in sugarcane variety development, and said the center’s research generates substantial economic returns for Louisiana producers. Several industry representatives, including Louisiana Farm Bureau and LSU Ag Center staff, spoke in support of the bills and the state’s agricultural programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• What it does is that there is an assessment on all grain and cotton that is sold.
• What it does is that there is an assessment on all grain and cotton that is sold.
• What it does is that there is an assessment on all grain and cotton that is sold.
• for the Grain and Cotton Indemnity Fund. ...for the assessment rate on agricultural commodities for
• Cotton, world cotton. And if you see that, again, we have to export.

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Agriculture met with a quorum, adopted the prior meeting minutes, and heard a series of agriculture-related bills, most of them sponsored by Representative Domain or Chairwoman Butler. The first major bill, HB 121, would expand the Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s authority over imported seafood by allowing its inspectors, in addition to the Department of Health, to seize and destroy adulterated seafood already under stop order. Representative Domain and Commissioner Strain framed the bill as a seafood-safety and anti-fraud measure aimed at protecting Louisiana shrimpers from tainted imports and bad actors. Members asked about cost, testing rates, countries of origin, and whether the bill would affect imported shrimp prices; the commissioner said it would not raise consumer prices and that Louisiana’s testing is focused at retail rather than ports. HB 121 was reported favorably with no objections. The committee then considered HB 725, which requires restaurants/retailers to retain invoices from imported seafood vendors for six months. After a technical amendment changing the bill’s one-liner from “restaurants” to “retailers,” the bill was explained as a recordkeeping tool to help auditors verify country-of-origin and labeling compliance without costly product testing. It was reported favorably with amendments. The committee also heard a bill reducing the required number of annual meetings for the Agriculture Finance Authority from four to two; Commissioner Strain said the change would streamline operations when there is no business to conduct, and it was reported favorably. Next, the committee took up HB 344 and HB 370 dealing with the Grain and Cotton Indemnity Fund. HB 344 raises the fund’s balance thresholds for suspending and restarting assessments, while HB 370 increases the assessment rate on agricultural commodities to replenish the fund more quickly. Commissioner Strain described recent large losses from grain broker bankruptcies, including Hansen-Mueller, and explained that the fund has been paying farmers but needs a larger balance to handle future defaults. Members discussed the risks posed by brokers, the adequacy of bonding, and the need to protect farmers and rural communities; both bills were reported favorably. The committee also advanced HB 367, aligning Structural Pest Control Commission hearing notices with the Administrative Procedure Act, and HB 847, which modernizes Soil and Water Conservation district supervisor elections by shifting administration to the Secretary of State and updating petition and ballot procedures after a crowded, ballot-short election. Finally, HB 505 streamlined certification and renewal rules for commercial applicators, pesticide salespersons, and agricultural consultants, including a technical amendment to keep unexpended pesticide-fund money in the fund; it too was reported favorably with amendments. After the bills, Commissioner Strain gave a lengthy update on the state of agriculture, forestry, and aquaculture. He highlighted continued pressure on shrimp from low-cost imports, currency shifts, and inadequate domestic marketing and cold storage, as well as ongoing seafood labeling enforcement and testing. He also discussed feral swine damage, drought and wildfire concerns, fertilizer and diesel cost increases, crop acreage trends, and export efforts for rice and timber, including Louisiana wood pellets used in the United Kingdom. LSU Ag Center Dean Matt Lee followed with a presentation on the center’s research and extension work, emphasizing its statewide network, high research ranking, and the economic return from agricultural science, especially in sugarcane variety development. He said LSU Ag Center research has helped Louisiana maintain strong sugar production and supports producers across the state.

Transcript Highlights:

• Registered is John Steelhammer representing Coastal Plains Cotton Company and the Texas Cotton Ginner
• The average is six and a half million bales of cotton. 2022 was a very different story.
• Texas produced 3.3 million bales of cotton, and in 2023, production dropped to 2.8 million.
• In addition, cotton ginning is a regional enterprise, as we can only ship raw cotton a limited distance
• Since cotton is a volume-based industry, our other segments are struggling as well, especially our cotton

Bills: HB 43, HB 3364, HB 3469, HB 3479, HB 43, HB 3364, HB 3469, HB 3479

Keywords: agriculture, finance, young farmers, financial assistance, pest control, veterinarian, veterinary medicine, veterinary telemedicine, telehealth, telemedicine, veterinarian-client-patient relationship, VCPR, animal health, livestock, pets, remote care, electronic means, telephone consultation, controlled substances, prescription drugs

Summary: The second bill, House Bill 3469, was introduced to address pest control regulations concerning nuisance birds. Representative Campos explained how the bill proposes non-lethal methods to deter these birds, such as the use of laser lights and sounds, which avoids conflict with both state and federal regulations. The committee heard impassioned testimonies from members of the public who shared firsthand experiences regarding the adverse effects of these birds on property and public health. The meeting concluded with both bills being left pending, reflecting a desire for further deliberation among the committee members.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you. of offenses, including some misdemeanors. to assess risk and ensure fair outcomes.
• way. that is absolutely not the correct way to look at what public safety and how those should be assessed

Bills: SB9, SB1047, SB1048, SJR17, SJR49, SB40, SJR1, SJR5, SB 9, SB 40, SJR 1

Keywords: bail reform, defendants, pretrial detention, public safety, criminal justice, charitable bail organizations, criminal procedure, public safety report, victim notification, family violence, bail bonds, public funds, political subdivision, injunction, taxpayer rights, violent crimes, sexual offenses, community safety, constitutional amendment, trafficking

Bills: SB9, SB1047, SB1048, SJR17, SJR49, SB40, SJR1, SJR5, SB 9, SB 40, SJR 1

Keywords: bail reform, defendants, pretrial detention, public safety, criminal justice, charitable bail organizations, criminal procedure, public safety report, victim notification, family violence, bail bonds, public funds, political subdivision, injunction, taxpayer rights, violent crimes, sexual offenses, community safety, constitutional amendment, trafficking

Transcript Highlights:

• He has served as chairman and president of the Arizona Cotton Growers Association, worked with Delta
• He has served as chairman and president of the Arizona Cotton Growers Association, worked with Delta
• Pines since 2008, and was honored with the 2024 Western High Cotton Award.
• as president and CEO of Bales Hay Sales on land homesteaded in 1891.
• Bales. I had to throw that in there.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Because there's the assessment year and then there's the payable year, but even before that, you know
• So even before you get to the assessment year, taxable year, there's always going to be a lag in those

Bills: HF3396

Keywords: property tax, task force, assessment, state revenue, local government, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Under the bill, bailiffs of the Court of Appeals would be authorized to conduct threat assessments on
• So they are now in a position where they actually need someone to assess those threats and be in a position

Bills: SB6011

Keywords: court security, bailiffs, threat assessment, judicial safety, law enforcement, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm just trying to wonder why the penalty is assessed to the wholesaler.
• We serve the upper 42 counties in the Panhandle and Southern High Plains for cotton growers.
• all the world's cotton production comes from our area.
• So, cotton is a huge business for us there. We are in strong support of HB45.
• Since 2012, input costs have risen 27%, much like the cotton harvester...

Bills: HB43, HB519, HB1275, HB1592, HB2842, HB3088, HB3479, HB4163, SB823, HB609

Keywords: agriculture, finance, young farmers, financial assistance, pest control, honey production, beekeeping, food safety, local regulation, bovine producers, dairy farms, permits, bovine tuberculosis, public health, wildlife management, disease prevention, alert system, Texas A&M, white-tailed deer, public safety

Bills: HB150

Keywords: improvement district, special assessment, assessment lien, public infrastructure, bond financing, bond interest rate, county commission, tax assessor, tax collector, judge of probate, ad valorem tax, tax lien, tax sale, foreclosure, delinquent taxes, municipal finance, public improvements, infrastructure financing, collection enforcement, property lien

Transcript Highlights:

• Last year we moved to a new model called an assessment model.
• And so what I'm assessment model.
• </c> reinsurance assessments also remain. reinsurance assessments also remain.
• So, I assessment model in the MCHA. So, I appreciate<01:13:24.000><c> that.
• refund on that assessment.

Bills: HF3388, HF400

Keywords: HF3388, Minnesota premium security plan, reinsurance, health insurance, group health carriers, MCHA, MNsure, individual market, premium stabilization, carrier assessment, health insurance assessment, premium security plan account, state innovation waiver, high-risk pool, reinsurance payments, healthcare premiums, insurance carriers, deferral of assessment, financially impaired condition, HF400