Representative Gaines reflected on 16 years in the House, thanked mentors and colleagues, and highlighted initiatives she helped launch including the Jordan Scholars program and engagement through the Black Legislative Caucus.

David Yepsen, introduced as the day's speaker, told lawmakers "you need a raise," noting statutory pay of $100 a year would equal about $36,000 today and warned of a farm crisis comparable to the 1930s, wartime sacrifices, and the legislative challenges posed by technology and AI.