Transcript Highlights:

• for every dry cask storage container that we had in Monticello.
• That is a year that we project additional cask will be put in dry storage in Monticello.
• will be put in dry additional cask will be put in dry dry<00:13:48.839> storage<00:13:49.240>
• dry storage in Monticello. dry storage in Monticello.
• c> full with those dry cask storage units full with those dry cask storage units full of<00:37:31.880

Bills: HF4308, HF4153, HF4703, HF4711

Keywords: HF4308, Monticello nuclear plant, Prairie Island, renewable development account, RDA, nuclear waste, spent fuel, dry cask storage, utility tax, commercial-industrial property tax, state general levy, property tax exemption, residential heating fuels, natural gas tax exemption, electricity sales tax exemption, year-round sales tax exemption, distributed solar energy standard, solar mandate, community solar, grid modernization

Bills: HB441, SB274

Keywords: speech-language pathology, licensure, clinical supervision, educational qualifications, healthcare assistant, makeup application, blow-dry styling, cosmetology, licensing, regulation exemption, 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• that House Bill 165 authorizes physician associates, occupational therapists, and APRNs to practice dry
• During dry needling treatments, a health care provider inserts a thin needle under the skin to stimulate
• Dry needling can be used to manage a number of conditions including joint and disc pain, tendinitis,
• We know that dry needling is a valuable therapeutic option that doesn't use opioids.
• And look forward to dry needling if you have that need. Thank you so much. Cheryl Hikes.

Bills: HB359, HB385, HB165

Keywords: human remains, indigent, burial, cremation, next of kin, social services, environmental impact, nursing education, preceptorship programs, healthcare workforce, nurse shortage, clinical training, dry needling, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, occupational therapist, referral process, neuromusculoskeletal pain, Western medicine

Summary: The Senate Health and Social Services Committee met with a quorum, approved the minutes from the prior two meetings, and briefly acknowledged the tragedy at Christiana Care before moving to legislation. The committee heard House Bill 385, which creates a statewide nurse preceptor grant program to expand clinical training placements for nursing students; testimony from nursing organizations, health care associations, and educators emphasized workforce shortages, the need for preceptor stipends and training, and the bill’s potential to help students complete programs and remain in Delaware. Members asked about eligibility and reporting, and several senators asked to be added as co-sponsors. Public comment was uniformly supportive, and the bill was advanced out of committee. The committee then considered House Bill 424, which repeals Delaware’s Autism Surveillance and Registration Program and requires DHSS to expunge protected health information collected through the registry. The sponsor and DHSS said the registry is no longer used for research or policy development and that repeal would reduce outdated reporting burdens; Autism Delaware, the Delaware Health Care Association, and the State Council for Persons with Disabilities support the change. A committee member raised the question of whether families would be notified before records are expunged, and DHSS said that process was not yet clear and would need further verification. Members discussed the issue, and the bill also moved forward. House Bill 419 was next, making children in foster care automatically eligible for the Purchase of Care child care subsidy and extending the same treatment to certain kinship and safety-plan placements through House Amendment 1. The Children’s Department and advocacy groups said the bill would provide immediate stability for children and caregivers, reduce delays from applications and income verification, and support working foster and kinship families. The committee also heard House Bill 359, which would allow cremation as an option for unclaimed and indigent remains when there is no family objection or next of kin cannot be found, addressing a shortage of burial plots and lowering costs; funeral industry testimony focused on preserving next-of-kin rights. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 475, creating a Delaware Nursing Advancement Fund financed by a $10 surcharge on nursing licenses and disciplinary fines to support workforce data collection and analysis through a nonprofit partner, and House Bill 165, authorizing physician associates, occupational therapists, and APRNs to perform dry needling under training and practice standards set by the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline. All of the bills received supportive testimony, several members added their names as co-sponsors, and the committee adjourned after moving through the agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• But for us now, we have the dry cask storage.
• We've had zero issues with any of the dry cask storage. Zero.
• But for us now, we have the dry cast storage.
• Dry storage is very successful.
• So dry storage, here's some details on those dry casks. As I say, they're very boring.

Summary: The Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee met to hear a series of presentations on the economics, financing, workforce, and community impacts of advanced nuclear deployment in North Dakota. William Bridge of Nucleon Energy presented the committee’s economic impacts and private-sector financing report, estimating construction and operating job impacts, local spending, and state/local tax effects for hypothetical SMR projects. He said the report assumes first-of-a-kind costs are still high, used a $6 million per megawatt nth-of-a-kind proxy, and estimated peak construction workforces of about 500 for a 200-MW plant and 1,000 for a larger facility, with roughly 100 operating jobs for a 200-MW plant. Committee members questioned security costs, capital cost assumptions, water and transmission siting constraints, and whether the model included fuel and waste; Bridge said the report included initial fuel in capital cost and that waste disposal is funded through existing federal mechanisms. Lori Brady of the Nuclear Energy Institute then outlined national nuclear workforce needs and NEI’s strategic workforce planning efforts. She described declining labor-force participation, retirements, and the need for a much larger future workforce, and said NEI has organized recommendations around career awareness, pipelines, training and qualification, policy support, retention, and nontraditional recruitment. She highlighted tools such as the Nuclear Works career website, the Nuclear Energy Academic Roadmap, the new federal Energy and Natural Resources career cluster, and the Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program for community colleges. Members asked about AI, timing for training relative to plant development, and whether advanced manufacturing would reduce staffing needs; Brady said AI is not expected to replace workers and that training timelines depend on the specific project and staffing plan. The committee also heard from Gary Yaco, mayor of Red Wing, Minnesota, who described Prairie Island’s role in his community. He said the plant provides a large share of local property tax revenue, supports well-paid jobs, contributes to emergency preparedness funding and training, and is broadly supported by the city despite periodic protests and public concerns. He emphasized the plant’s security, regular drills with local and federal responders, and the absence of problems with dry cask storage. Later, Benton Arnett of NEI discussed the current financing landscape for advanced nuclear, explaining how tax credits, federal loan support, off-take agreements, and new business models are helping projects move forward. He said early projects face high upfront costs and long lead-time procurement, but that investor confidence is improving as federal policy and regulatory streamlining continue. The committee asked about waste funding, comparisons with natural gas, the effect of political shifts on investor confidence, and whether the market will narrow to a few winning technologies; Arnett said the industry is still sorting that out, but expects clearer winners in the late 2020s and early 2030s. The meeting concluded with an introductory presentation from Julie Kazeraki of DOE’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing, who said the office is focused on accelerating nuclear deployment through financing support.

Transcript Highlights:

• But for us now, we have the dry cask storage.
• We've had zero issues with any of the dry cask storage. Zero.
• So dry storage, here's some details on those dry casks. As I say, they're very boring.
• We've been storing in these dry casks since 1986.
• I told you the dry casks have no moving parts.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So storage and transportation, typically those are those dry storage casks.
• And transportation, typically, those are those dry storage casks.
• the dry storage cask, you know, one of those sitting in my backyard, I would have no issue whatsoever
• How do we make sure we continue to store that safely and license those dry storage casks for years and
• continue to store that safely and license those dry storage casks for years and years to come?

Summary: The meeting opened with remarks about the value of public engagement and the quality of questions from the group, followed by a series of technical presentations from Idaho National Laboratory staff. Joe Renovitz described recent nuclear regulatory changes tied to presidential executive orders, including NRC Part 53 for advanced reactors, the forthcoming Part 57 for very small reactors, and DOE updates to reactor authorization standards. He emphasized efforts to align DOE and NRC processes, use risk-informed and performance-based licensing, support reactor deployment for AI/data centers and national security, and use AI to speed communications and crosswalks between DOE and NRC requirements. In response to questions, he said there was no plan to merge agencies, but rather to improve coordination and public outreach through groups like GAIN and NEI. David Tolman then discussed the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium mining, conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication, spent fuel storage, transportation, disposal, and reprocessing. He explained high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), why it is needed for advanced reactors, and DOE’s HALEU Availability Program and related investments in enrichment, transportation, deconversion, and supply chain development. He also covered spent fuel management, the possibility of centralized storage or a fuel-cycle campus, the Center for Used Fuel Research, and ongoing work on high-burnup cask testing and reprocessing technologies. Tolman described aqueous, pyrochemical, and fluoride-volatility reprocessing approaches, noting the advantages and waste characteristics of each, and said several companies are working with INL on these technologies. Ashley Shields presented INL’s AI and nuclear work, focusing on the Genesis initiative and the Prometheus effort to use AI to design, license, build, and operate reactors with far less human intervention. She described INL’s broad use of generative AI tools, the need to manage large volumes of legacy technical data, and applications in reactor design, materials discovery, autonomous laboratories, and digital twins. Shields said AI is being used to reduce the enormous documentation burden in nuclear licensing and to support autonomous or remotely operated reactor demonstrations, while stressing that humans remain in supervisory roles. In discussion, she addressed data security, model access, and the continued need for software engineers. The session then recessed briefly and resumed with Mitch Kerman beginning a presentation on critical minerals and materials.

Transcript Highlights:

• So storage and transportation typically, those are those dry storage casks.
• And transportation, typically, those are those dry storage casks.
• the dry storage casks, you know, one of those sitting in my backyard, I would have no issue whatsoever
• How do we make sure we continue to store that safely and license those dry storage casks for years and
• How do we make sure we continue to store that safely and license those dry storage casks for years and

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It was still half a million per cask for Prairie Island and Monticello was 350,000 per cask because they
• dry Cask spent fuel storing additional dry Cask spent fuel storage<00:18:40.600> at<00:18:40.760
• their act together and created a storage their act together and created a storage facility<00:43
• And I think that's a good reason why there wasn't, at the time, because again there was the cask storage
• He said there wasn't a sunset date at the time because cask storage was super important and still is

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• is going to be built this year, or predicted to be built this year, is going to be clean energy, storage

Bills: HF3298

Keywords: underground storage tanks, petroleum, reimbursement program, environmental regulation, pollution control, 1183, house

Bills: HB 346, HB 1360, HB 1510, HB 1606, HB 1804, HB 1805, HB 2156, HB 2391, HB 2767, HB 3022, HB 3044, HB 3272, HB 3293, HB 3493, HB 3809, HB 3824, HJR 110, HB 2463

Keywords: expedited service, business records, veteran-owned businesses, franchise tax, fee schedule, Texas Ethics Commission, election reporting, campaign finance, violation categorization, penalties, public disclosure, Texas Utilities Code, electric utility, retail electric provider, municipally owned utility, electric cooperative, vegetation management, tree trimming, line clearance, transmission line

Transcript Highlights:

• Mark, we show you as registered on behalf of the Texas Solar and Storage Association.
• Mark Stover, Executive Director of the Texas Solar and Storage Association.
• energy company that builds a lot of these Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects.
• . energy storage systems and creates a consistent and effective statewide standard.
• You're with the Storage Association and you're for the bill, is that correct? Yes, sir.

Bills: HB346, HB1360, HB1510, HB1606, HB1804, HB1805, HB2156, HB2391, HB2767, HB3022, HB3044, HB3272, HB3293, HB3493, HB3809, HB3824, HJR110, HB2463

Keywords: expedited service, business records, veteran-owned businesses, franchise tax, fee schedule, Texas Ethics Commission, election reporting, campaign finance, violation categorization, penalties, public disclosure, Texas Utilities Code, electric utility, retail electric provider, municipally owned utility, electric cooperative, vegetation management, tree trimming, line clearance, transmission line

Bills: HB346, HB1360, HB1510, HB1606, HB1804, HB1805, HB2156, HB2391, HB2767, HB3022, HB3044, HB3272, HB3293, HB3493, HB3809, HB3824, HJR110, HB2463

Keywords: expedited service, business records, veteran-owned businesses, franchise tax, fee schedule, Texas Ethics Commission, election reporting, campaign finance, violation categorization, penalties, public disclosure, Texas Utilities Code, electric utility, retail electric provider, municipally owned utility, electric cooperative, vegetation management, tree trimming, line clearance, transmission line

Transcript Highlights:

• So in 1994, the Minnesota Legislature authorized dry cask storage to be stored at Prairie Island.
• The 1994 law authorizing cask storage also put the nuclear moratorium in place.
• The 1994 law authorizing cask storage also put the nuclear moratorium in place.
• The 1994 law authorizing cask storage also put the nuclear moratorium in place.
• The 1994 law authorizing cask storage also put the nuclear moratorium in place.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House Energy Finance and Policy Committee met to approve the January 16 minutes and then heard House File 9, which was referred to the Committee on Taxes after the committee’s action. The bill was presented as an energy policy measure aimed at reliability and affordability. It would expand hydroelectric power’s eligibility under the state’s energy standard, delay certain carbon-free compliance requirements for utilities that do not meet a retail rate benchmark, prohibit local permits to demolish fossil fuel plants under certain conditions, state support for carbon capture and sequestration without creating a state funding obligation, end the nuclear moratorium, and expand the sales tax exemption for residential natural gas and electricity used as primary heat year-round starting after June 30, 2026. The committee also took up and adopted the A1 author’s amendment, which clarified that the carbon capture language does not obligate state spending. The bill’s sponsor argued that Minnesota’s current energy policy is driving up costs and threatening reliability, especially during extreme cold, and said the bill would create “off-ramps” from existing mandates to protect ratepayers and businesses. He cited reliability concerns, MISO/NERC risk assessments, rising utility rates, and the need for an all-of-the-above energy approach, including hydro and nuclear. He also said the bill would reduce taxes by broadening the sales tax exemption for residential heating. Testimony was mixed but generally focused on reliability, affordability, and the role of nuclear power. The Minnesota Rural Electric Association and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce supported the bill’s emphasis on keeping power reliable and affordable, with both saying Minnesota needs dispatchable, carbon-free resources and noting concerns about high electricity costs and future demand from data centers and AI. The Prairie Island Indian Community opposed lifting the nuclear moratorium without a viable waste solution, describing the long-term burden of spent nuclear fuel on its community and asking for more consultation. Xcel Energy said its nuclear plants have operated safely and reliably for decades, support low-cost and low-carbon power, and could be part of the state’s energy transition, but it emphasized the need for tribal participation and said decisions about retiring fossil plants should remain within the existing Public Utilities Commission resource planning process.

Bills: HB418, SB138, SB215, HB418, SB138, SB215

Keywords: financial services, banking, insurance, debanking, social credit score, ESG, environmental, social, and governance, diversity, equity, and inclusion, DEI, religious freedom, free speech, viewpoint discrimination, political discrimination, firearms, gun industry, ammunition, fossil fuels, oil and gas, mining, timber

Bills: SB3326

Keywords: renewable energy, energy storage, cost reduction, public utilities commission, Hawaii energy policies, 910, house, all

Summary: The joint committees on Energy and Environmental Protection and Labor heard SB 3326, a bill concerning a study of separating transmission from generation in Hawaii’s electric system. Testimony was largely opposed. Life of the Land argued that true separation on an isolated island grid has not been shown to work anywhere and said the bill would waste taxpayer money. Hawaiian Electric and the Public Utilities Commission also opposed the measure, saying Hawaii already uses competitive bidding for new generation, that the bill would add cost, complexity, and reliability risks, and that a new study would duplicate prior work. In response to questions, the PUC explained its existing competitive bidding framework and said it had not seen an island system fully restructure in this way. The chair then amended the bill’s intent to require the PUC to open a proceeding for an independent, comprehensive analysis of the state’s energy pathways, including cost reduction, financial risk, state energy goals, and reliability, rather than narrowly focusing on separation. Both committees voted to pass SB 3326 SD2 with amendments, with the Energy committee adopting the recommendation unanimously and the Labor committee adopting it with one reservation and two no votes. The Energy and Environmental Protection Committee then took up SB 2497 SD2, which would require electric utilities other than cooperatives to provide transparent, publicly accessible customer bill impact analyses and annual reports to the PUC. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and the PUC offered comments, with the PUC supporting the intent. Life of the Land said the proposed disclosure requirements would be too complex for most ratepayers to use meaningfully, while Hawaiian Electric said the bill could raise costs and slow projects, though it acknowledged some of the language changes and said much of the information is already available through existing planning and regulatory processes. Hawaii Clean Power Alliance and one individual testified in support. No vote was taken on SB 2497 SD2 during the excerpt. The committee also heard SB 3183 SD2, which would bar higher-income taxpayers from claiming the renewable energy technologies income tax credit for certain residential solar systems and would change refundability rules. The Department of Taxation, the Hawaii State Energy Office, and the Tax Foundation offered comments, while the Hawaii Solar Energy Association and numerous companies and individuals opposed the bill. Opponents raised concerns about impacts on financing models and the solar market. Members asked the Department of Taxation for data on how credits are claimed by homeowners versus third-party owners and on the refundability of the credit; the department said it did not have the information immediately available but would follow up. The chair indicated decision-making would likely be deferred to allow further review, and no vote was taken in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 1326 modernizes and improves the operations of self-storage facilities and allows them to

Bills: SB1824, SB1813, SB1326, SB1277, SB1937, SB1217, SB1826, SB1641

Keywords: Athletic Trainer, Compact, interstate practice, licensure, public health, workforce development, military spouses, telehealth, self-service storage, storage facility lien, storage unit, abandoned property, electronic signature, e-signature, rental agreement, lienholder, default, late fees, towing, vehicle storage

Bills: HF56, HF780

Keywords: HF56, Minnesota bonding bill, capital investment, state bonds, bond proceeds fund, Hutchinson Area Transportation Services, Hutchinson, McLeod County, transportation facility, vehicle storage, equipment storage, fueling facility, temperate storage, local infrastructure, public works, general obligation bonds, education finance, school funding, state aid, appropriations

Bills: HB 220, HB 783, HB 2240, HB 3336, HB 4202, HB 4449, HB 4904, HB 3441, HB 4284

Keywords: sexual assault, healthcare facilities, forensic examination, survivor support, emergency contraceptive, online impersonation, civil liability, social media, identity theft, defamation, counseling damages, injunctive relief, public health, safety regulations, community health, state standards, healthcare access, identification, real estate, proof of identity

Transcript Highlights:

• I believe there was deal with storage.
• storage units, so we have it in statute. storage units, so we have it in statute.
• Um, I think there's also, uh, just like storage, you know, pads and areas outside those storage ponds
• Um, I think there's also, uh, just like storage, you know, pads and areas outside those storage ponds
• <01:07:05.480> compared liner for liquid manure storage compared liner for liquid manure storage

Bills: HF4740, HF3940

Keywords: financial assurance, feedlot permits, manure storage, environmental compliance, agriculture regulation, abandoned infrastructure, pollution control, environmental impact, animal feedlot, livestock, regulations, Minnesota Rules

Summary: The committee approved the March 26, 2026 minutes and then heard House File 4740, authored by Rep. Hansen, which would require feedlots with at least 1,000 animal units to provide financial assurance for closure costs. Hansen argued the bill would shift cleanup responsibility from taxpayers to owners, citing abandoned feedlots, changing ownership structures, and the 2024 Pure Prairie Poultry bankruptcy as examples of why public funds should not be used for closures and cleanup. He also said the bill would apply to new or renewed permits and suggested a statutory definition of abandoned feedlot storage units may be needed. Farm and livestock groups testified in opposition. Minnesota Farmers Union, Minnesota Milk Producers Association, Minnesota Pork Producers Association, and Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation said existing MPCA and county permit rules already require closure planning and reporting, and that the bill would add unnecessary costs and barriers for family farms, beginning farmers, and expansion. They warned the financial assurance requirement could function like an animal-unit cap, encourage fragmentation or out-of-state relocation, and impose annual costs that would not improve environmental outcomes. Several testified that true abandonment is rare and that current permitting and closure processes already address it. MPCA staff said the agency has concerns with the bill, noted there is currently no formal fiscal note, and said the agency would need to ensure any appropriations cover ongoing staffing needs. MPCA officials explained that permitted feedlots already must notify the agency before closure, follow a checklist of closure requirements, and undergo follow-up inspection; they said abandonment notifications are uncommon and they are not aware of any currently permitted facilities in abandonment process. Members questioned whether the bill was needed, what form financial assurance would take, how other states handle similar requirements, and whether the proposal would unfairly burden smaller or family operations. No vote on HF 4740 was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Bills: SB3326, SB2911

Keywords: renewable energy, energy storage, cost reduction, public utilities commission, Hawaii energy policies, intoxicating liquor, direct shipment, breweries, distilleries, Hawaii, 912, senate, all

Summary: The committees heard SB 3001 on artificial intelligence in a joint Commerce and Consumer Protection/Labor and Technology hearing. Testimony included support from the Department of Education and Google, comments from the Office of Consumer Protection and the Attorney General’s office, and late opposition from Agentic LLC. The Attorney General raised constitutional and vagueness concerns and suggested clarifying amendments, while Google said the bill’s risk-based approach and proposed amendments could help establish industry-wide safety standards for minors. The committees recessed and then voted to pass SB 3001 with amendments, adopting DCCA/OCP recommendations on data minimization for minors and UDAP clarity, the Attorney General’s proposed clarifications and deletions, and Google’s nonconflicting amendments; the effective date was deferred to July 1, 2050. The vote passed unanimously among members present, with some members excused. The Commerce and Consumer Protection committee then took up several previously heard measures in decision-making. SB 2045 on combat sports passed with amendments reflecting DCCA and boxing commission recommendations, including clarifying the on-site medical professional requirement, reporting duties, promoter payment, removal of the combat sports registry and ambulance requirement, and other technical changes; the effective date was deferred to July 1, 2050. SP 2347 on the residential landlord-tenant code passed with amendments striking landlord requirements so OCP could work on a multilingual tenant-rights notice, and SP 2495 on consumer protection passed with amendments requiring OCP to publish an annual report on potential code violations. SB 2777 on insurance was deferred to February 17, 2026 for further decision-making. At a later CPN decision-making agenda, SB 2471 and SB 2829, both relating to the powers of artificial persons, passed with amendments clarifying the preamble, removing language about foreign artificial persons, and making other consistency and non-substantive changes; both effective dates were moved to January 1, 2027. SP 2033 on renewable energy also passed with amendments clarifying the definition of grid-ready homes, cost-sharing provisions, applicability to interconnecting customers, and safety/certification compliance, with the effective date deferred to July 1, 2050. In each case, the committee voted to adopt the recommendations without objections from members present. The committees also heard SB 3000 on insurance, which would authorize the Attorney General to bring civil actions to recover costs and losses tied to climate-attributable harm and future climate risk, including costs incurred by state insurance-related entities. The Insurance Division and Attorney General’s office offered comments seeking clarification and warning about redundancy, implementation issues, possible representation of private insurers, and concurrent litigation concerns. Supporters, including the Center for Climate Integrity, a resident testifier, Sierra Club, and Green America, argued the bill would help shift insurance costs to fossil fuel companies responsible for climate harms and address rising premiums and nonrenewals in Hawaii. Opponents, including the American Petroleum Institute, argued the bill singled out one industry, raised constitutional concerns, and should be deferred because related climate litigation is already pending. The transcript ends with the committee continuing testimony and discussion on SB 3000 and then moving into SB 3326 on energy, where the consumer advocate and Hawaiian Electric opposed the bill’s proposed separation of generation from transmission and distribution, while the PUC stood on written testimony, Retail Merchants of Hawaii supported it, and Life of the Land raised concerns about assumptions and the need for more substance.