#43 - Wes Benedict: Bridging Policy and Community with Texans for Reasonable Solutions

Ep 48: Powering the AI Revolution: Data Centers, Grid Resilience & the Future of Texas Energy

The Texas grid is the most-watched piece of energy infrastructure in America. In this episode of Bills & Business, host Laura Davis sits down with Jason Ryan — EVP, Regulatory Services & Government Affairs at CenterPoint Energy — to break down what's actually coming for Texas energy policy, where the regulatory pressure is real, and what government affairs teams should be tracking right now.Learn more about Jason Ryan via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonryantexas/🎙️ Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/22ZWg9VVb2AEGqyV14osNi🍎 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bills-and-business-by-uslege/id1781059329📺 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BillsandBusinessABOUT USLEGEUSLege is the AI-powered legislative tracking platform built for government affairs teams. We automate the most time-consuming parts of state, local, and federal legislative monitoring across all 50 states.Book a demo: https://uslege.ai/demoBills & Business Episode 48Hosted by Laura Davis, co-founder of USLege.📲 Follow Laura Davis 🐦 Twitter: @Laura_USLege https://x.com/Laura_USLege 💼 LinkedIn: / laurauslege 📸 Instagram: / thereallauracarr 🛍️ ShopMy: https://shopmy.us/shop/lauraluise?Sec... ✍️ Substack: https://lauraluise.substack.com/ 🔗 Links: https://lauraluise.carrd.co/📲 Follow USLege ✨ Instagram: / uslege.ai 📘 Facebook: / uslegeai 🐦 Twitter: @USLege_ai https://x.com/USLege_ai 💼 LinkedIn: / uslege-ai #TexasPolicy #EnergyPolicy #GovernmentAffairs #TexasGrid #ERCOT #PUC #Lobbying #BillsAndBusiness

#47 - Pavan Kumar: The Future Of Wearables with Ultrahuman

Welcome to Episode #47 of Bills & Business. In this episode, Laura Davis, Co-Founder of USLege, sits down with Pavan Kumar, General Manager of Ultrahuman's advanced health tech facility, to explore what happens when cutting-edge biosensor technology meets the realities of smart manufacturing, FDA regulation, and federal policy advocacy. Pavan brings a rare combination of credentials to the conversation: a PhD in mechanical engineering from UT Dallas, a decade running a maker space and fab lab in India, and a fellowship in Washington DC that introduced him to the world of policy and advocacy. At Ultrahuman, he led the buildout of one of the first smart wearables manufacturing facilities in the United States, managing a team of 100 people while driving automation and reshoring strategies designed to make domestic production viable at scale. His work has since taken him from the factory floor to Capitol Hill, where he is actively advocating for an open, competitive wearables market that protects consumer choice and prevents monopolistic patent abuse in the health tech space. In this conversation, Laura and Pavan cover the full arc of the wearables revolution, from CGMs and smart rings to ambient home monitoring and women's health, and unpack why the future of preventative healthcare depends not just on better devices but on better policy. They also dig into what automation really means for manufacturing jobs, why the US is the global leader in wearables adoption, and why every company building in a regulated industry needs to be at the table when the rules are being written. Don't forget to subscribe to Bills & Business on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube for more deep dives into policy and business news. 📲 Follow Laura Davis 🐦 Twitter: @Laura_USLege [https://x.com/Laura_USLege] 💼 LinkedIn: @Laura Davis [https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurauslege/] 📸 Instagram: @thereallauracarr [https://www.instagram.com/thereallauracarr/] 🛍️ ShopMy: @lauraluise [https://shopmy.us/shop/lauraluise?Section_title=latest-finds&tab=collections] ✍️ Substack: @lauraluise [https://lauraluise.substack.com/] 🔗 Links: @lauraluise [https://lauraluise.carrd.co/] 📲 Follow USLege ✨ Instagram: @uslege.ai [https://www.instagram.com/uslege.ai/] 📘 Facebook: @uslege.ai [https://www.facebook.com/USLegeai] 🐦 Twitter: @USLege_ai [https://x.com/USLege_ai] 💼 LinkedIn: @USLege [https://www.linkedin.com/company/uslege-ai/] 🎧 Subscribe to Bills & Business ▶️ YouTube: @BillsandBusiness [https://www.youtube.com/@BillsandBusiness] 🎵 Spotify: Bills and Business by USLege [https://open.spotify.com/show/22ZWg9VVb2AEGqyV14osNi?si=jH3hL0jXR9aJ7Y4YFwglcw] 🍎 Apple Podcasts: Bills and Business by USLege [https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/bills-and-business-by-uslege/id1781059329] 🎥 TikTok: @billsandbusiness [https://www.tiktok.com/@uslege] 📲 Follow Pavan Kumar 💼 LinkedIn: @Pavan Kumar, Ph.D. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavan-kumar-ph-d-05a3259/] 🎬 Produced by USLege [https://www.uslege.ai/] 📞 Want to see USLege in action? Schedule a demo today! [https://www.uslege.ai/demo]

#46 - The American Innovators Network with Megan Mauro

Welcome to Episode #46 of Bills & Business. In this episode, Laura Davis, Co-Founder of USLege, sits down with Megan Mauro, President and CEO of the Texas Association of Business and Texas Chapter President of the American Innovators Network. Megan brings a dual perspective to the conversation, representing both established companies and the startups and entrepreneurs that make up little tech. Laura and Megan dig into one of the most important distinctions in tech policy today: regulating behavior versus regulating technology. Megan argues that innovators should not be penalized for unintended consequences, and that the most effective policy outcomes happen when industry comes to lawmakers early with solutions, not just grievances. The episode also covers AI's real impact on workforce creation, the growth of traditional manufacturing tied to the tech sector, and why founders and operators in heavily regulated industries need to be in the room where policy decisions are made. Whether you are a founder, an operator, or a policy professional, this episode is a clear-eyed look at how to protect innovation while keeping consumers and communities protected too. Don't forget to follow Bills & Business for more insightful conversations on policy and business. 📲 Follow Laura Davis🐦 Twitter: @Laura_USLege [https://x.com/Laura_USLege]💼 LinkedIn: @Laura Davis [https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurauslege/]📸 Instagram: @thereallauracarr [https://www.instagram.com/thereallauracarr/]🛍️ ShopMy: @lauraluise [https://shopmy.us/shop/lauraluise?Section_title=latest-finds&tab=collections]✍️ Substack: @lauraluise [https://lauraluise.substack.com/]🔗 Links: @lauraluise [https://lauraluise.carrd.co/] 📲 Follow USLege✨ Instagram: @uslege.ai [https://www.instagram.com/uslege.ai/]📘 Facebook: @uslege.ai [https://www.facebook.com/USLegeai]🐦 Twitter: @USLege_ai [https://x.com/USLege_ai]💼 LinkedIn: @USLege [https://www.linkedin.com/company/uslege-ai/] 🎧 Subscribe to Bills & Business▶️ YouTube: @BillsandBusiness [https://www.youtube.com/@BillsandBusiness]🎵 Spotify: Bills and Business by USLege [https://open.spotify.com/show/22ZWg9VVb2AEGqyV14osNi?si=jH3hL0jXR9aJ7Y4YFwglcw]🍎 Apple Podcasts: Bills and Business by USLege [https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/bills-and-business-by-uslege/id1781059329]🎥 TikTok: @billsandbusiness [https://www.tiktok.com/@uslege] 📲 Follow Megan Mauro🐦 Twitter: @MeganMauroTX [https://x.com/MeganMauroTX]💼 LinkedIn: @Megan Mauro [https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-mauro-14863326/] 🎬 Produced by USLege [https://www.uslege.ai/]📞 Want to see USLege in action? Schedule a demo today! [https://www.uslege.ai/demo]

#45 - Laura Davis: Turning Capitol Pain into Product with USLege

Welcome to Episode #45 of Bills & Business. In this episode, Laura Davis, Co-Founder of USLege, sits down with Laura Davis, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at USLege. In this special Season 2 kickoff, Laura Davis shares how her career spanning the U.S. House, Senate, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Texas Capitol led to the creation of USLege. After years of navigating inefficient legislative processes, she transformed firsthand frustration into a platform designed to simplify policy tracking and empower businesses, advocates, and government professionals. The conversation explores how USLege approaches growth across sales, marketing, product, and account management. Laura highlights how companies can shift from viewing policy as compliance to seeing it as a strategic advantage, while also sharing insights on building tools for time-constrained professionals and maintaining trust in high-stakes legislative environments. Don’t forget to follow Bills & Business for more insightful conversations on Texas policy and business. 📲 Follow Laura Davis 🐦 Twitter: ⁠@Laura_USLege⁠ [https://x.com/Laura_USLege] 💼 LinkedIn: ⁠@Laura Carr⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurauslege/] 📸 Instagram: ⁠@thereallauracarr⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/thereallauracarr/] 🛍️ ShopMy: ⁠@lauraluise⁠ [https://shopmy.us/shop/lauraluise?Section_title=latest-finds&tab=collections] ✍️ Substack: ⁠@lauraluise⁠ [https://lauraluise.substack.com/] 🔗 Links: ⁠@lauraluise [https://lauraluise.carrd.co/] 📲 USLege Team💼 Luke Markey: @Luke Markey [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukecmarkey/]💼 James Herring: @James Herring [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrussellherringjr/]💼 Jess McDonald: @Jess McDonald [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessmcdonald90/]💼 Eric Davis: @Eric Davis [https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-in-tech/] 📲 Follow USLege✨ Instagram: @uslege.ai [https://www.instagram.com/uslege.ai/]📘 Facebook: @uslege.ai [https://www.facebook.com/USLegeai]🐦 Twitter: @USLege_ai [https://x.com/USLege_ai]💼 LinkedIn: @USLege [https://www.linkedin.com/company/uslege-ai/] 🎧 Subscribe to Bills & Business▶️ YouTube: @BillsandBusiness [https://www.youtube.com/@BillsandBusiness]🎵 Spotify: Bills and Business by USLege [https://open.spotify.com/show/22ZWg9VVb2AEGqyV14osNi?si=jH3hL0jXR9aJ7Y4YFwglcw]🍎 Apple Podcasts: Bills and Business by USLege [https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/bills-and-business-by-uslege/id1781059329] 🎥 TikTok: @billsandbusiness [https://www.tiktok.com/@uslege] 🎬 Produced by USLege [https://www.uslege.ai/] 📞 Want to see USLege in action? Schedule a demo today! [https://www.uslege.ai/demo]

#44 - Hope Osborn: Building Community for Women in Texas Politics with Pink Granite

Welcome to Episode #44 of Bills & Business. In this episode, Laura Carr, Co-Founder of USLege, sits down with Hope Osborn, Co-Founder of The Pink Granite Foundation. Hope shares the story behind The Pink Granite Foundation, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to uplifting, connecting, and supporting women in Texas politics. She discusses the organization’s beginnings, its commitment to bipartisan community, and the impact of the 2025 Pink Granite Party. Hope also highlights Pink Granite’s year-round programming, mentorship models, and the essential role community plays for women working in high-pressure legislative environments. The conversation also dives into why women’s leadership in politics matters, the barriers that still exist, and how organizations like Pink Granite help build pathways for the next generation of leaders. Hope reflects on the cultural and policy implications of women’s involvement in public service and shares what’s ahead for the organization. Don’t forget to follow Bills & Business for more insightful conversations on Texas policy and business.