Transcript Highlights:

• The Ways and Means General Fund Committee to order.
• <00:16:46.920> fund<00:16:47.480> is<00:16:47.720> that general fund is that general
• Pro Tem: Comes out of the General Fund. Mrs.
• on generations on generations generations.
• This is a generational bill.

Bills: HB1

Keywords: HB1, Alabama, elections, primary election, special primary, runoff, congressional districts, redistricting, reapportionment, district boundaries, federal court, injunction, judgment, Governor proclamation, nominee certification, party nominee, general election 2026, election calendar, voting rights, congressional race

Summary: The Ways and Means General Fund Committee met in special session and took up only one bill, HB 1 by Rep. Chris Pringle, which would authorize a special election for certain congressional districts if the federal court lifts its injunction and allows the state to use the 2023 congressional map. Pringle said the bill only creates a pathway for that special election, and members were told the fiscal note estimates the election could cost about $4.5 million from the General Fund. Committee discussion focused on whether the bill was tied to recent federal court and Supreme Court rulings, including Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and the Purcell principle, and whether it would be too close to an election or create confusion. Several committee members pressed Pringle on whether the bill would reduce Black representation, whether Alabama had agreed not to revisit redistricting until 2030, and whether the 2023 map had previously been found discriminatory. Pringle repeatedly said he was not offering legal advice and that the matter was pending in federal court, while also saying the bill would simply allow voters to use the legislature’s 2023 map if the courts permit it. Rep. Ford raised concerns about the cost to the General Fund and competing budget priorities, and Rep. All questioned the timing and possible administrative confusion. Pringle responded that citizens would still be able to vote for candidates of their choosing. During the public hearing, speakers overwhelmingly opposed the bill. Jamaal Brown, Kenneth Sharpton, Eliza Jane Franklin, Pastor Richard Williams, Rep. Givan, Jacoby Bibbs, and Agnes Lover argued that the proposal would weaken Black voting power, revive a map they described as unfair or racist, and create unnecessary disruption so close to an election. Several speakers framed the issue as one of civil rights, fair representation, and trust in democracy, while others criticized the cost and said the legislature should focus on broader needs such as health care and mental health. No vote or final committee action was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is generally known or can be determined from a reliable source.
• If they didn't respond, it would put them in suspense for two general elections. Got it.
• I'm a first-generation immigrant born and raised in Iran.
• But then the attorney general comes out and says, well, you never actually proved it.
• Well, that's dealing with the authority of the Attorney General.

Bills: HB2442, HB3697, HB4288, HB5256, HB5337, HB5362, HJR161

Keywords: HB 2442, Texas Election Code, Election Code Section 84.001, early voting, ballot by mail, mail ballot, absentee voting, runoff election, primary runoff, general runoff, voter application, election administration, county election officials, opt-out, voter choice, mail voting, ballot application, voting by mail, Election Code, size requirements

Transcript Highlights:

• Runoff elections are a problem for these folks. By the time...
• Certainly in that runoff election, in the general, the candidate who received the most votes in the general
• In the general election, 52%... ...percent of the population turned out to vote, but again, in the runoff
• election versus a general election.
• Okay, so in general, I like this bill.

Bills: HB376, HB817, HB 1297, HB1478, HB1661, HB1783

Keywords: HB 817, Texas Election Code, majority vote, majority threshold, ranked-choice voting, preferential voting, instant runoff voting, vote reassignment, ballot ranking, election administration, public office election, Election Code Section 2.0215, runoff elections, plurality vs majority, voting systems, education reform, budget allocation, teacher retention, student performance, accountability measures

Transcript Highlights:

• [laughter] >> We're going to get rid of a runoff. It's going to be a giant fight.
• If there is a tie, it sends it to the runoff. >> It sends it to the runoff.
• So, if there were no other runoff election, this would be a runoff this particular... if it ended in
• If there is a tie, it sends it to the runoff. >> It sends it to the runoff.
• So, if there were no other runoff election, this would be a runoff. >> There would be a runoff this particular

Bills: SB42, SB166, SB42, SB166

Keywords: abandoned roads, land ownership, government regulations, property rights, transportation, Ten Commandments, public education, displays, funding, Alabama law, municipal elections, runoff elections, majority voting, electoral procedures, local governance, campaign finance, record retention, political action committees, Fair Campaign Practices Act, 1136

Transcript Highlights:

• That's a fair statement in general.
• General inspectors general as I was saying before I don't know I wasn't part of the decisions that he
• Now, on the issue of inspectors general.
• As Attorney General, as Deputy Attorney General, as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General, I know
• Attorney General.

Keywords: nominations, Deputy Attorney General, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice, Todd Blanch, Gail Slater, confirmation hearing

Summary: The meeting focused on the nominations of Todd Blanch and Gail Slater for the positions of Deputy Attorney General and Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, respectively. The committee considered the qualifications of both nominees, with opening statements provided by the nominees themselves. There was an evident emphasis on the rigorous vetting process that nominees undergo before their selection, highlighting the importance of the roles within the Department of Justice. Members of the committee engaged in a structured question-and-answer session to further evaluate the nominees' capabilities and fit for the positions they were nominated for, with each member allotted seven minutes to pose questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• What does it do regarding the runoff? The runoff will stay the same, four weeks after...
• Piner, asked about the primary runoff. Do you know what that date would be?
• So that day, the requested primary runoff day would not be impacted.
• Giving some thought to it, what was the determining factor for you to shift to a general bill?

Bills: HB258, HB308, HB258, HB308

Keywords: primary election, election calendar, off-presidential year, May primary, second Tuesday in May, fourth Tuesday in May, runoff primary, special primary, presidential primary, election administration, candidate filing, ballot access, political parties, county election officials, state election law, Alabama elections, elections, voter registration, publishing requirements, cost-saving

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm excited to work with the administration, the secretary, our sister agencies, you all in the General
• So there's actually no general fund impact there.
• So there's actually no general fund impact there.
• I think that, you know, I'll say generally, it's been hard to keep up.
• And then when service providers provide medical care to insured clients, they generate revenue from it

Keywords: House Room C, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• More generally, the bill provides for numerous revisions of the Virginia Nonstock Corporation Act.
• It would prevent a locality from prohibiting the use of a small portable solar generation device on a
• It also includes provisions relating to the installation of small portable solar generation devices by
• It would prevent a locality from prohibiting the use of a small portable solar generation device on a
• It also includes provisions relating to the installation of small portable solar generation devices by

Keywords: House Room A, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So what would be a situation where you cannot use the Attorney General?
• The Attorney General is there to represent the interests of the state, not necessarily the interests

Bills: HB2148, HB2993

Keywords: federal funding, state budget, appropriation, block grants, noncustodial funds, legislative authority, Arizona attorney general, Department of Public Safety, DPS, consumer fraud revolving fund, consumer protection fund, gang and immigration intelligence team enforcement mission fund, public safety appropriation, supplemental appropriation, outside counsel, state agency legal representation, legal services, state settlement proceeds, general fund, A.R.S. 41-192

Summary: The Committee on Appropriations, Transportation and Technology heard a presentation on advanced air mobility, featuring video and remarks about new aircraft technologies, including drones and electric vertical takeoff and landing craft. The presentation emphasized potential uses such as medical delivery, rescue operations, passenger and cargo transport, quieter flight profiles, and the need for coordination among industry, government, NASA, the FAA, and other partners. Members also noted an upcoming display of a Pivotal aircraft on the Senate lawn. The committee then considered House Bill 2148, which would grant the legislature authority to appropriate non-constitutional federal monies and require the legislature to specify the purposes for which those funds are spent, with a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027. Supporters described it as a transparency and separation-of-powers measure, while opponents argued it would interfere with existing federal funding structures and state programs. The bill received a do-pass recommendation on a 6-4 vote. House Bill 2993 was also heard. It would appropriate $6.4 million from the Consumer Protection/Consumer Fraud Revolving Fund to the Department of Public Safety for FY 2026 and exempt DPS from the statutory restriction on employing legal counsel without approval. Testimony from the Arizona State Troopers Association supported the funding as an emergency need to avoid cuts to recruit classes, overtime, and patrol car purchases, but several members objected to combining the appropriation with the outside-counsel policy change. The committee approved the bill on a 6-4 do-pass vote. The meeting concluded with announcements about upcoming committee events and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• questions about it, is in the text of the amendment itself, which has already been approved by the General
• Assembly, along with the question at... ...which has already been approved by the General Assembly,

Keywords: House Committee Room C, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Keywords: House Committee Room C, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Keywords: House Committee Room 1200, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• several definitions are still overly broad and create compliance uncertainty, potentially capturing general-purpose
• several definitions are still overly broad and create compliance uncertainty, potentially capturing general-purpose
• Since the introduction of this bill, I think we have all seen the number of AI-generated videos that
• Obviously, AI-generated media is increasingly sophisticated and can undermine trust in elections and

Keywords: House Committee Room C, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So you're for the general district court judge, and although we generally have jurisdictional limits
• Greg is currently our general district court judge.
• Attorney in the General Assembly.
• I love my job as General District Court judge.
• Those are generational trauma.

Keywords: House Committee Room C, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Keywords: House Committee Room B, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have our Secretary of Public Safety, Stanley Meeter; we've got the Adjutant General, General Ring;
• I, as your adjutant general, am on two secure calls a week with the Chief of the National Guard Bureau
• I, as your adjutant general, I'm on two secure calls a week with the Chief of the National Guard Bureau
• I really appreciate the comments from the Adjutant General. I just wanted to understand.
• Thank you, General. I don't see any other questions. Thank you.

Keywords: House Committee Room A, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Keywords: House Committee Room 1200, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• typically, in cases where I've represented folks for violations with a speed camera, it requires the generally
• So, I mean, in my area, if you go to court to challenge these, it generally just gets thrown out currently
• But... ...currently, that's generally how it works, because these companies may be in Colorado or whatever

Keywords: House Committee Room B, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I know that this has generated a lot of discussion, and I want to tell you that in my 38 years practicing
• Chairman, members of the committee, Scott Johnson's General Counsel for the Medical Society.
• The reality is we have a generational opportunity here to finally do right by our own people.
• There's a general discovery rule inserted in here, something we've never seen before, just a little cleanup

Keywords: House Committee Room C, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , I think, to put in line the similar bill, House Bill 182, which we have since passed out of the General
• Additionally, and this is somewhat refreshing given the actions of this General Assembly this session
• me very angered by the actions of the school district, who decided to ignore the intention of this General
• round of applause to our amazing staff, who have helped us with the best-run committee in all of the General

Keywords: House Committee Room A, General Assembly Building, 976, house, all