[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6244279,"mediaKeyId","3230594-a597b2fe6a5358fed166b13b2afc0512","parentId",3230594,"title","Senate committee adopts substitute for bill to regulate virtual‑currency kiosks after sponsor cites Iowa fraud findings","audioSeconds",357,"startMs",239000,"endMs",596000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3230594-a597b2fe6a5358fed166b13b2afc0512&start=239&end=596","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3230594-a597b2fe6a5358fed166b13b2afc0512/thumbnail_239000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6244279/Texas/Senate-committee-adopts-substitute-for-bill-to-regulate-virtualcurrency-kiosks-after-sponsor-cites-Iowa-fraud-findings","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6244279-b4a63589d82b57c15bbae81f717894b2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770516358&Signature=Ca07ItKUnh-Bb3t2dvYU4SVo0cbpUfx9m~OuWYTYaCSUWhzBSh3q6373hpT9XQEusBzO0N8SABpfir2J0jmwh32Gs14Qon-hjHpcebOiQP~NSe5pEvIU6mD2u2T7c8tUhvyMB2buBBipzrzZzXpPx5rQmzkfP-VBJ~J3q2bo-bW~iyR3LLWzso-P42XJ7hwyjescoWV4NC09xnuCcaJGN~nUs1Bu1fiaGK5HGhE3ED7Ab6uGNKZsDdwvkdNKlndJBhz3Qda1w-x9J~VkB3owoDXD8pFTxG7fiETMVZA~hS8TykaYUTkHSsHzV6fzuRB9a6k4eDqw7Xjqo4UTkKqcAA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Texas Legislature","date","2025-05-08T00:00:00Z","article","The Senate Committee on Business & Commerce adopted a committee substitute for Senate Bill 17‑05 to regulate virtual‑currency kiosks, commonly called cryptocurrency ATMs, and favorably reported the substitute to the full Senate.

Senator Parker, who explained the substitute, told the committee the revised measure was drafted to address misuse of kiosks for scams, money laundering and other illicit transactions. The committee substitute extends response times, clarifies receipt requirements (either physical or digital), creates mandatory enforcement mechanisms including cease‑and‑desist and consent‑order authority, provides administrative procedure and appeal rights, establishes fraud‑complaint and refund processes, imposes new signage and law‑enforcement contact requirements, and sets the bill’s effective date to Sept. 1, 2025.

During the briefing Senator Parker told members the committee had received a one‑page summary of an Iowa Department of Justice investigation that, according to his description, found that 98% of reported Bitcoin Depot transactions and 95% of reported CoinFlip transactions in Iowa were scams; he said most victims were over age 60. He presented that finding as an example of the fraud the bill aims to address. The committee adopted the substitute without objection and, on a roll call, the committee reported the substitute favorably by a vote of 8‑0 and sent it to the local and uncontested calendar.

The substitute adds administrative enforcement tools and consumer‑protection measures that sponsors said respond to law‑enforcement concerns; it also provides an appeal process for regulated actors. The committee did not take public testimony at the hearing segment that considered 17‑05, and the record reflects no committee amendments in the hearing transcript beyond the substitute described by the sponsor.

The committee action was a favorable report to the full Senate; further action will occur in subsequent floor or calendar committees.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Committee on Business and Commerce May 8, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Senate Committee on Business & Commerce adopted a committee substitute for Senate Bill 17‑05 to regulate virtual‑currency kiosks, adding enforcement tools, receipts and signage requirements and setting an effective date of Sept. 1, 2025.","taxTitle","Committee on Business & Commerce, Senate, Legislative, Texas","taxId",16850,"location","Texas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6244284,"Senate committee hears extended testimony on House Bill 14 to fund advanced nuclear projects",4504,1632000,6136000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3230594-a597b2fe6a5358fed166b13b2afc0512&start=1632&end=6136","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3230594-a597b2fe6a5358fed166b13b2afc0512/thumbnail_1632000.jpg","/articles/6244284/Texas/Senate-committee-hears-extended-testimony-on-House-Bill-14-to-fund-advanced-nuclear-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6244284-b9188c1bb73c4bbe5ad50c3e4eba1fb8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770516358&Signature=Q0H3mdMvlPXekbhJDzSXXmZ14G6FHOVWBvG6fc-jvVAf45tufJRKyxUJmgeDy62tbMda3S~PxghW5YqmIvMObdkxFVdFTvfeXSmXoEKvCQmYRXD5ltQ~1ogBmzHFnOH8bfCTyjKalI6cArzf8lcat98vbsr0~fEYnjTETrG-BIvFLclEeNkboAOt5RPcdw9dTppnX~qecffHAaar99kAgZ2sSyCCOy3n3OzPFYaIYH7Oz2KjI-o7TCZaYZ6cI46lXryACeQTO7uu1riQVEZhIFIMArcrFmGzfNUwRaSxbv1X5RimDf1VrH9NCefnU7FB~19B4g6tINTeUAORF23RWg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a hearing of the Senate Committee on Business & Commerce, senators heard more than three hours of testimony for and against House Bill 14, legislation that would establish a Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office, a nuclear permitting coordinator in the governor’s office, a Texas Advanced Nuclear Development Fund to award reimbursement-based grants, a completion grant program for advanced nuclear projects connected to ERCOT and a workforce-development program administered with state higher-education agencies.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Schwartner, told the committee HB 14 would “position Texas as a national leader in the next generation of nuclear technologies” and listed the bill’s core programs and grant vehicles. Proponents said the measure would help deploy dispatchable, low‑emission power and attract industrial customers. Griffin Perry of Fermi America said “nuclear is safe, reliable, [and] dispatchable,” and argued a state program would accelerate deployment. Billy Barton of Dow Chemical described a proposed 4×80 megawatt deployment at a Seadrift manufacturing site and said the bill’s support would “send an important signal to the market” and help build a domestic supply chain.

Opponents urged caution. Adrian Shelley of Public Citizen said the bill relies on grants rather than loans, warned that advanced reactor projects have historically been delayed and over budget, and recommended stronger milestone-based financial protections and lifecycle-safety criteria. Craig Daser of the Sierra Club and speakers from Texas Nuclear Watchdogs said advanced reactors and small modular reactors remain unproven at scale and criticized using taxpayer funds to underwrite large commercial projects.

Committee members pressed witnesses on timeline and cost. Witnesses gave wide ranges: one advanced‑reactor presenter said a construction-permit timeline at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) could be shortened to about 12–18 months under current process improvements but acknowledged permitting has historically taken years; another industry witness said long‑lead equipment deliveries could mean roughly five years from major procurement to grid delivery for some designs, while others estimated commercial deployments near the early 2030s. Estimates for per‑project capital needs ranged in witnesses’ testimony from hundreds of millions up to multiple billions of dollars depending on technology and scale.

Witnesses from Texas A&M described the RELLIS campus as a possible site for demonstration reactors and said the system had selected several vendors to pursue early‑site permitting. Industry and local utility representatives including CPS Energy and Paragon Energy Solutions argued a state role could attract manufacturing, jobs and data‑center customers. Several industry witnesses proposed hybrid models that bring natural‑gas dispatchable capacity online sooner to finance a later nuclear build.

Public‑interest groups, university and conservation witnesses urged strict guardrails. Suggestions offered during testimony included converting grant funding to loan or milestone‑based reimbursement structures; requiring projects to demonstrate grid benefits to ERCOT; stronger lifecycle waste‑management standards; and tighter criteria for state funding and clawbacks if projects fail to reach milestones.

At the end of the hearing the sponsor withdrew the bill; the chair said HB 14 would remain pending subject to the call of the chair, giving members and staff time to consider amendments, fiscal impacts and the larger supplemental appropriations discussion that several senators said is ongoing.

The hearing record shows robust technical, economic and policy debate but no committee vote on final passage. The committee’s next steps were not offered on the record at the hearing’s close.","At a hearing of the Senate Committee on Business & Commerce, senators heard more than three hours of testimony for and against House Bill 14, legislation that would establish a Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office, grant programs and workforce measures to support advanced nuclear reactors.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6244274,"Sponsor outlines bill to ban invasive surveillance by state contractors after reported probes; bill left pending",277,1299000,1576000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3230594-a597b2fe6a5358fed166b13b2afc0512&start=1299&end=1576","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3230594-a597b2fe6a5358fed166b13b2afc0512/thumbnail_1299000.jpg","/articles/6244274/Texas/Sponsor-outlines-bill-to-ban-invasive-surveillance-by-state-contractors-after-reported-probes-bill-left-pending","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6244274-4ca8c41d53a1ff9f6e90458b19adcb09/orig.mp4?Expires=1770516358&Signature=CKR8GVvPSnmSiOYoR491d8LpcG0E6JjDXK6jodqDQpn3XpFGbKsYD6IRrrsI2y~n0DKrT8sPXcd75NkchaZxjIp-9VwwG3ThI9jkhekQp5TQ~HyP7VOOQlEKsEgLzDC9IIxgztECy6QSObJtEXQ6~0cNtD8SPKbP4AiUUGzkvl9ewzlvJTnddAypMV6-QabyYSAowVEQMBcz4UOZbJRDVhOFl3Jr8yLZLJhmtseBhMbgoikbtzkpVBiWo7A6WInfHsaHaxyVoKhPtjI186J0g8eqFKhUYvHKJGP3iD5Hlm2JIRIPZU1mpdKhAD9cf3EZD5YFqfrSIu~lLd44R4TRRA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Schwartner presented House Bill 50‑61 to the Senate Committee on Business & Commerce as a legislative response to alleged improper surveillance and data practices by some state contractors. The sponsor said the House bill, authored by Representative Leach, would bar contractors from engaging in invasive surveillance, intimidation, coercion, extortion, undue influence or misuse of confidential information when contracting with the state, and would create reporting and enforcement mechanisms run by state authorities.

Sponsor testimony said state and federal investigations are active into some contractor practices and that one contractor, identified as Superior Insurance (a Centene subsidiary), and its former CEO were under investigation by the Texas Attorney General’s Office. The bill would establish a secure hotline and online portal managed by the State Auditor’s Office for confidential reporting and would authorize the Texas Rangers to conduct criminal investigations arising from those reports. Sponsor also said the bill includes whistleblower protections and potential administrative penalties including contract termination, administrative fines up to $2,000,000 and disqualification from state contracting for up to 15 years.

The committee called resource witnesses from the State Auditor’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General for technical briefing; no members of the public registered to give testimony for or against the bill during the hearing segment. After the resource witnesses answered members’ questions the committee closed public testimony and the chair left the bill pending subject to the call of the chair.

Because the hearing record reflects only resource testimony and no committee vote on final passage, HB 50‑61 was not adopted or reported at the hearing; the sponsor and committee left the bill available for future action.","Sponsor described House Bill 50‑61 as a response to contractor misconduct allegations and proposed prohibitions on invasive surveillance, whistleblower protections, a state auditor‑managed reporting portal and criminal investigatory authority for Texas Rangers; the committee took resource testimony and left the bill pending.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate committee adopts substitute for bill to regulate virtual‑currency kiosks after sponsor cites Iowa fraud findings

Senate committee hears extended testimony on House Bill 14 to fund advanced nuclear projects

Sponsor outlines bill to ban invasive surveillance by state contractors after reported probes; bill left pending