Juan Hinojosa — Asked whether fusion centers are created by the legislature.
Juan Hinojosa — The chair announces that Senator Hinojosa will be recognized next.
Juan Hinojosa — Was credited with working on the fuel trafficking issue last year.
Bob Hall — Confirmed present during roll call.
Bob Hall — Confirmed present during roll call.
Bob Hall — Addressed by the chair after the chief of staff introduction.
Bob Hall — Spoke about protecting individual rights and liberties as technology creates new challenges and opportunities.
Bob Hall — Senator Hall thanks the witness and says the testimony is interesting, then follows up by noting his own background building model airplanes and remote-control aircraft, which makes the topic especially relevant to him.
Bob Hall — Asks whether the team has interdiction authority over drones or only observation/data collection authority.
Bob Hall — Addressed by name as the next speaker or questioner.
Bob Hall — Senator Hall was referenced as having asked for a wish list of needed solutions within 30 days.
Tan Parker — Tan Parker was acknowledged during roll call, then recognized by the chair and delivered remarks thanking Chairman King. He emphasized the importance of the committee’s work on homeland security issues, including fuel trafficking and drones, and continued with comments about the need for vigilance and ongoing legislative efforts in these areas.
Tan Parker — Thanked the witness and began questioning about vulnerabilities and border defense.
Tan Parker — Senator Parker was called on and then thanked the witness for the testimony, linking it to broader concerns about critical infrastructure.
Tan Parker — The speaker said they have had conversations with Senator Parker about critical infrastructure gaps and secret-level lists.
Tan Parker — Made the motion to recess the committee subject to the call of the chair.
Kevin Sparks — Confirmed present during roll call.
Kevin Sparks — The chair said he would recognize Senator Sparks next.
Kevin Sparks — Called on next by the chair.
Kevin Sparks — Spoke about cartel activity and oil field theft affecting West Texas.
Kevin Sparks — Referenced as having reviewed rule number five with the speaker.
Kevin Sparks — Recorded as voting aye in the roll call.
Kevin Sparks — Noted as having left to go to another committee.
Kevin Sparks — The chair asks Senator Sparks if he has anything before continuing.
Kevin Sparks — Asked about drone protection for schools and drones capable of incapacitating a perpetrator.
Kevin Sparks — Senator Sparks first asked for the average cost and typical life expectancy of a standard public-safety drone. A few minutes later, that earlier question was referenced as an example of simply asking agencies what they need, reinforcing the same practical, needs-based line of discussion.
Kevin Sparks — Asks about personnel requirements and whether Texas education should emphasize robotics and AI fluency.
Kevin Sparks — Senator Kevin Sparks is recognized and then raises a question about what additional considerations are needed to help build prosecutable cases and improve the prosecution of crimes.
Dylan Sanders — Introduced as committee director.
Jack Harrell — Introduced as committee clerk.
Ashley Weston Hoover — Introduced as chief of staff.
Suzanne Tomlin — Recognized as being with the lieutenant governor's office.
Luis Moreno — Introduced as chief of staff and jokingly described as 'the real senator.'
Kelly Hancock — Likely the intended reference for 'Senator Hull said,' though uncertain; preserved as questionable in text.
Kelly Hancock — Referenced indirectly through the phrase 'this administration' and the committee discussion; no direct speech attribution is explicit in the transcript.
Savannah Mann — Savannah Mann is introduced as Senator Parker’s legislative director and is further described as having an undergraduate degree from the University of North Texas and recently completing a master’s degree.
Adeline Utley — Introduced as Senator Sparks's staff member.
Angela Paxton — Senator Parker is referenced as making the motion; the transcript says 'Senator Parker' without first name, matching expected member Angela Paxton is not applicable here, so this is likely Senator Parker from the prior context, but no exact member ID is available from the provided list for 'Parker' in this committee context.
Angela Paxton — Likely the intended speaker reference is 'Senator Parker' in the transcript context, but the name is uncertain; the transcript says 'Senator Parker.'
Brian Birdwell — Recorded as voting aye in the roll call.
Dr. Michael McGee — Dr. Michael McGee is introduced as the first invited witness and identified as an expert in advanced drone technologies. The chair notes having attended his presentation on the threats posed by these technologies, reinforcing his expertise and relevance to the discussion.
Michael McGee — Michael McGee states his name for the record and begins testimony on border protection and drone threats, explaining that drones are cheap, widely available, difficult to detect, and commonly used by cartels and other criminal organizations.
Keith Bell — Border Patrol and DPS vehicles were referenced in the context of border surveillance; no direct speech by the member was identified.
Dr. McGee — Thanked for the presentation and testimony on procurement and counter-UAS manufacturing.
Dr. McGee — Referenced as having briefed earlier on spectrum management.
Dr. McGee — Described as a collaborator on the drone program since about 2017 and a great help to the witness's team.
Dr. McGee — Referenced as having made an earlier point that something bad is going to happen if the equipment is not available or authorized.
Dr. McGee — Referenced as having previously explained the difficulty of distinguishing drones from other objects.
Corey Balke — Corey Balke is identified as the El Paso Police Department lead for the task force and is referenced again as part of the coordinated El Paso counter-UAS effort.
Mark Tomerlinson — Introduced himself as Chief Pilot for the Texas Department of Public Safety Aircraft Operations Division and said he would discuss the drone first responder program.