Transcript Highlights:

• areas.
• These are small rural areas, and you don't want them to become ghost towns because...
• Small rural areas, and you don't want them to become ghost towns because we eliminated their jobs.
• up their slum and blighted areas.
• Area median income, but no more than 95% area median income.

Bills: HB310, HB323, HM51, HB194

Keywords: museum, cultural affairs, lowrider, Espanola, appropriation, feasibility study, broadband access, low-income, rural areas, Indian nations, affordable internet, employment opportunities, detention centers, immigration, economic development, repurposing facilities, job transition, rural development, housing, affordable housing

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• Rural VA users are those in urban areas.
• So 60% of the service members of our country come from rural areas of our nation.
• But us rural members, we serve at a rate that far exceeds those of other areas.
• But us rural members, we serve at a rate that far exceeds those of other areas.
• And I don't rural areas of our nation.

Bills: HF4588, HF3685, HF4577, HF4932

Keywords: veterans, veterans affairs, mental health, behavioral health, rural health, rural areas, access to care, task force, Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, general fund appropriation, veteran suicide prevention, PTSD, service members, military families, telehealth, rural psychiatry, high school diploma, armed forces, education policy, military service

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• As you know, the Rural Health Transformation Program is a five-year investment into rural health in our
• tasked with $7.5 million dollars over five years to help support behavioral health professionals in rural

Bills: HB4329, HB3016, HB4118, HB3066, HB3649, HB3650

Keywords: dental insurance, claims, medical necessity, appeal procedures, dentist reimbursement, education, vision screening, binocular vision, kindergarten, elementary education, health, family caregiver, tax credit, activities of daily living, elderly care, Oklahoma tax law, HB3066, Health Care Workforce Training Commission, workforce recruitment, health care workforce

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• very thoughtfully considered those topics, and did a very thorough investigation into those different areas
• And so I have a different informed area than possibly you have. Yes, sir. Thank you.
• areas.
• gets rid of all that if they meet a certain standard and allows them to continue to practice in a rural
• , hematology, immunology, molecular biology, andrology, and public health microbiology are all the areas

Bills: HB611, HB897, HB902, HB931, HB1030, HB1092, HB1100, HB1118, HB1138, HB1143, HB1160, HB1185, HB1216

Keywords: pregnancy help centers, healthcare services, licensure, Department of Health, medical services, counseling, regulatory compliance, public health, healthcare data, privacy, pregnancy services, confidentiality, client rights, Louisiana Pregnancy and Baby Care Initiative, trauma-informed, child education, mental health, training program, adverse childhood events, religious instruction

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• Is there anything that would guarantee that the licenses here stay in the rural areas? Mr.
• So they added another seven, I think it was 19 licenses total so that rural Arizona underserved areas
• Secondly, if dispensaries are not serving these rural areas, rest assured that the illicit market will
• I do represent a rural area where, yes, some of the testimony was that they have to drive many miles
• I do defer to my colleagues who have more rural areas in their districts, but I do want to make sure

Bills: SB1041, SB1363, SB1418, SB1419, SB1445, SB1447, SB1488, SB1519, SB1523, SB1560, SB1580

Keywords: electronic monitoring, nursing care, assisted living, resident rights, privacy, consent, surveillance, marijuana, rural opportunity, dispensary, economic development, licensing, social equity, unserved communities, Arizona, small modular reactors, energy regulation, environmental compatibility, utility construction, agricultural use

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• in rural America. opportunity especially in rural America.
• In rural Alabama, Okay. In rural Alabama, Okay.
• The other it was inserted in that area. Everything else had to in that area.
• All three I my local rural hospitals. All three I my local rural hospitals.
• And have their own taxes in those areas. And have their own taxes in those areas.

Bills: SB 1, HB 500, SB 1, HB 1400, HB 1094, HB 365, HB 1109, HB 647, HB 500

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, state budget, mental health funding, education funding, infrastructure improvements, public safety, groundwater, water conservation, financial assistance, Texas Water Development Board, innovation fund, local conservation districts, transportation protection agreement, funeral services, insurance exemption

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• Lalani's area.
• That area was dilapidated. The city was...
• And for rural Texas, Medicaid expansion would be a lifeline. 2010 26 rural hospitals in Texas have closed
• As we said on all Texans, urban, suburban, and rural alike, but it would impact rural Texas. more than
• It will serve 32 rural counties around.

Bills: SB1, HB500, SB1, HB1400, HB 1094, HB365, HB 1109, HB647, HB500

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, state budget, mental health funding, education funding, infrastructure improvements, public safety, groundwater, water conservation, financial assistance, Texas Water Development Board, innovation fund, local conservation districts, transportation protection agreement, funeral services, insurance exemption

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• Uh, broadband coverage may be spotty in some rural areas, but it's constantly expanding and improving
• So we're the Texas Rural Water Association.
• I live in rural Texas in a little town of 900 people, so I always empathize with rural communities, um
• I know this doesn't seem like it should be in 2025, but we still have a lot of areas of rural Texas where
• area of the state and I'm obviously very sympathetic to our small rural water providers, water supply

Bills: HB 279, HB 310, HB 365, HB 391, HB 420, HB 422, HB 638

Keywords: HB 279, uranium mining, uranium permit, production area authorization, production zone, Texas Water Code, TCEQ, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, contested case hearing, administrative hearing, groundwater restoration, groundwater baseline, water quality, mining permit, restoration values, natural resources, environmental regulation, in-situ uranium mining, permit amendment, public hearing

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• And we created a program called the Economically Distressed Areas Program. a from a rural or low income
• In 2021, a rural area district definition was added to Chapter 49 of 0.016. 2 of the Water Code for residents
• I've sat on many boards, elected positions in the area. area, actually not far from where you are, but
• the permitted mining area.
• Employ Texans in a lot of the rural areas of this state, which is very important to of the Texas as a

Bills: HB279, HB310, HB365, HB391, HB420, HB422, HB638, HB279, HB310

Keywords: HB 279, uranium mining, uranium permit, production area authorization, production zone, Texas Water Code, TCEQ, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, contested case hearing, administrative hearing, groundwater restoration, groundwater baseline, water quality, mining permit, restoration values, natural resources, environmental regulation, in-situ uranium mining, permit amendment, public hearing

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• Broadband coverage may be spotty in some rural areas, but it's constantly changing. expanding and improving
• I'm a resident director of Willow Point Mud in the Katy area.
• So we're the Texas Rural Water Association.
• We still have a lot of areas in rural Texas where this exists. that my members can't comply with.
• Like several members up on the dais, I represent a rural area of the state and I'm obviously very sympathetic

Bills: HB279, HB310, HB365, HB391, HB420, HB422, HB638, HB279, HB310

Keywords: HB 279, uranium mining, uranium permit, production area authorization, production zone, Texas Water Code, TCEQ, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, contested case hearing, administrative hearing, groundwater restoration, groundwater baseline, water quality, mining permit, restoration values, natural resources, environmental regulation, in-situ uranium mining, permit amendment, public hearing

Bills: HB112, HB117

Keywords: county regulation, impervious cover, land use, unincorporated areas, environmental management

Transcript Highlights:

• to meet the needs of the students, whether through access to virtual calculus or French language in rural
• Our analysis found that 44% of Texas school systems, mostly in rural Texas, offer little or no AP or
• Um, those are areas that childcare centers, we are well seasoned in.
• That is an area where elementary schools do struggle to support their teachers.
• Growth and that's an area we actively work to facilitate with this current setup.

Bills: HB117

Keywords: county regulation, impervious cover, land use, unincorporated areas, environmental management

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• foreign adversaries or over-regulation. 500,000 residents or adjacent counties strategically targeting areas

Bills: HB112, HB117

Keywords: county regulation, impervious cover, land use, unincorporated areas, environmental management, 1185, senate, all

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• of impact of sort of water mound that occurs That essentially quantifies the area of impact, a sort
• That representative of the individual areas of expertise that we can have that oversight committee.
• Arizona, and so rural Arizona is really facing a groundwater crisis.
• Rural Arizona needs action. No more delays. I vote no. Senator Gabaldón. Senator Shamp. Aye. Mr.
• Suffice it to say, rural Arizona needs agriculture and agriculture needs Cooperative Extension.

Bills: SB1082, SB1200, SB1335, SB1336, SB1559, SB1761, SB1762, SB1785, SCM1007

Keywords: petting zoos, animal encounters, public health, handwashing, supervision, sanitization, safety regulations, civil penalties, water supply, groundwater, Phoenix, certificates, long-term storage credits, water conservation, municipal provider, replenishment obligation, water banking, annual report, Arizona Water Banking Authority, water supply management

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Mathern then said he was concerned about other facilities and rural areas that may come forward
• I am a little bit concerned about other facilities and other rural areas that will be coming up with
• Thank you. and other rural areas that will be coming up with wonderful ideas to spend the $200 million
• The... ...most rural residents.
• The only thing that my amendment is doing is putting the rural hospitals, the rural clinics, the rural

Bills: HB1623

Keywords: HB 1623, North Dakota, rural health, rural health transformation program, medical facility infrastructure loan fund, medical facility infrastructure loan program, rural health loan program, Bank of North Dakota, Department of Health and Human Services, HHS, federal grant, health care infrastructure, rural hospitals, critical access hospitals, nonprofit health care providers, gap financing, loan fund, public health funding, healthcare financing, Medicaid

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 1624, the “Universal Lunch Bill,” from Rep. Mike Nathie. He argued the proposal should be placed in Century Code rather than the Constitution so future legislatures can adjust it if state finances tighten, and said the bill would start the program a year earlier with a $65 million appropriation for one school year. DPI testified that the estimate did not include nonpublic schools that do not participate, and members questioned the impact on Title I, free-and-reduced applications, private-school accountability, breakfast mandates for schools that do not currently serve breakfast, and whether the funding could come from the DPI budget or other sources. Supporters, including North Dakota United, the North Dakota Catholic Conference, a pediatrician, and the American Heart Association, said universal meals improve student health and learning, reduce family costs, and are better handled in statute than by constitutional amendment. No opposition testimony was offered, and the chair closed the hearing for later work-session action. The committee then took up House Bill 1627, introduced by Rep. Tye Dressler, which would raise the income threshold for the state-funded school lunch program from 225% to 300% of poverty, with an estimated cost of about $7 million for 2026-27. Dressler said the bill is intended as a targeted, budget-friendly alternative to the ballot measure and emphasized that the state should maximize federal meal dollars while improving participation in the current program. Members questioned whether raising the threshold would actually increase utilization, whether a dollar amount would be clearer than a percentage, and how the change would affect federal reimbursements and application rates. DPI said it could quickly calculate additional percentage levels, and the chair closed the hearing, directing DPI to prepare more numbers for the work session. Finally, the committee opened Senate Bill 2403, presented by Sen. Schiable, to create a short-term bridge-loan program for financially distressed hospitals, centered on Jacobson Memorial Hospital in Elgin. The bill would authorize up to $5 million per loan, with a $10 million appropriation available on a first-come, first-served basis, and would run only through June 30, 2027. Schiable said the hospital’s debt and operating problems threaten local health care, ambulance service, and the community’s economy, and that the proposal was designed narrowly with Bank of North Dakota review to avoid creating a broad precedent. Committee members asked whether the appropriation could be reduced and whether the bank would still apply commercial feasibility and repayment standards; Schiable said yes, the bank would still evaluate the loan and could reject it if it was not sound.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's really for these rural areas associated with these rural hospitals and then health clinics.
• Accounting and procurement, you can understand that In the rural area.
• area and to have programs then that take facilities in the rural area.
• The gyms do qualify in the rural area.
• This is really important and it can be done in a rural area.

Bills: HB1623

Keywords: HB 1623, North Dakota, rural health, rural health transformation program, medical facility infrastructure loan fund, medical facility infrastructure loan program, rural health loan program, Bank of North Dakota, Department of Health and Human Services, HHS, federal grant, health care infrastructure, rural hospitals, critical access hospitals, nonprofit health care providers, gap financing, loan fund, public health funding, healthcare financing, Medicaid

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 1623, the appropriations bill tied to North Dakota’s Rural Health Transformation Program, which is funded through a new federal rural health care grant. Senator Bekkedahl explained the bill’s background, the interim committee process that developed it, and the federal conditions attached to the award, including spending deadlines, administrative cost limits, and restrictions on uses such as new construction, supplanting existing funding, and certain other costs. Legislative staff then walked through the seven sections of the bill, including appropriation authority, transfer authority, contingent appropriations for pass-through grants, procurement and public improvement exemptions, recipient reporting, legislative reporting, and immediate effective date. Commissioner Traynor and HHS staff described how the department plans to implement the program, emphasizing that the funding is intended to improve rural access, workforce recruitment and retention, technology and data connectivity, and community health initiatives. They said the department will rely on local applications, technical assistance, templates, listening sessions, and partnerships with providers, schools, public health units, tribal entities, and other community groups. Members asked about reimbursement timing, upfront costs, administrative expenses, sustainability after the five-year grant period, and whether CTE centers, public health units, gyms, grocery stores, and other community partners could participate; the department said yes, within program rules and with a focus on measurable outcomes and sustainability. Several supporters testified in favor. Mental Health America of North Dakota and the Mental Health Advocacy Network supported the bill and urged investment in community-based mental health, crisis response, children’s services, peer support, and mobile crisis teams. HIA Health described the grant as a chance to expand home-based and hospice care, noting that rural providers already have workable models but need funding to scale them. A cybersecurity representative also supported the bill, warning that the large amount of health data and AI-related tools will require strong data protection and professional support. The hearing was closed with no opposition testimony, and the committee announced it would return later in the day for further work on the bill and other measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• Irrigation non-expansion areas, as many of you are aware, draw a line around the areas that can't be
• I picked that area, that amount. “What’s a normal use of farmland in a different area?
• If that’s good enough for some areas, it should be okay for non-expansion areas.”
• “That figure, if it’s good enough for some areas, it should be okay for non-expansion areas.”
• “And what is that exactly, non-expansion areas? Irrigation non-expansion areas, if—is an INA.

Bills: HB2024, HB2053, HB2097, HB2116, HB2117

Keywords: water infrastructure finance authority, WIFA, water supply development, snowpack augmentation, cloud seeding, water augmentation, water financing, water infrastructure, Arizona water law, water conservation, groundwater recharge, stormwater recharge, reclamation and reuse, water rights, water supply projects, public-private partnership, long-term water augmentation fund, water provider, desalination, drought mitigation

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• Counties currently cannot regulate nighttime noise levels in unincorporated residential areas, leaving
• This is not just a Bastrop issue; this is a statewide rural Texas issue. Everybody has it.
• These all-night disturbances occur in dense residential areas, so it's important to realize this isn't
• The program will no doubt help and impact our rural counties in a positive way as follows.
• I appreciate being able to speak to y'all today on this legislation for rural counties.

Bills: HB1597, HB2364, HB2437, HB3205, HB3253, HB3310, HB3648, HB3906, HB4259, HB5645

Keywords: county jailer, jail training, veterans, Texas Veterans Commission, Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, TCOLE, criminal justice system, county jail, law enforcement training, mental health training, jail standards, correctional officers, veteran services, veteran interaction, occupations code, jailer licensing, parking, county courthouse, infrastructure, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• These are all areas where Texas can lead.
• Wildfire areas, helping us respond where the danger is greatest.
• A $30 million cap doesn't go a long way to address the needs of the rural areas of Texas.
• In my area, it's all over the state of Texas.
• So we're mostly in rural areas.

Bills: HB 104, HB2054, HB3459, HB3745, HB4486, HB4488, HB4601, HB104

Keywords: Texas Future Fund, investment review board, economic stabilization, innovative technology, national defense, HB 2054, Texas volunteer fire department assistance fund, Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program, volunteer fire departments, wildfire mitigation, wildland fire, rural fire protection, insurer assessment, insurance premium tax, state appropriations, firefighting grants, emergency services, high-risk wildfire areas, Texas Comptroller, Texas Government Code

Bills: HF4261, HF4263, HF4264, HF4787

Keywords: natural resources, motorboat, boating safety, personal watercraft, PWC, watercraft operator permit, boater safety exam, off-road vehicle, ORV, ATV, snowmobile, state trail pass, cross-country ski pass, horse pass, state park permit, game and fish, hunting license, fishing license, wildlife permit, invasive species