Transcript Highlights:

• A lot of what we're asked to do is come in and provide the courts with alternatives to incarceration.
• I'm talking about alternative sentencing.
• The actual number of alternative sentencing treatment placements in 2023-24 was about 28,000.
• Just a comment, and then I'm really glad to hear that you're doing the alternative high school.
• Are college ready, so I'm really glad to hear that you're doing the alternative.

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, but there were also add alternates for additional elements of the build over time.
• So, I just want to kind of alternative.
• </c> Uh we also we also have an alternative Uh we also we also have an alternative amendment,<00:39:51.240
• Ought to pass fails, that leaves us to an alternative motion. Representative Seaver: I move ITL.
• Um, and then alternative to this particular gap would be again moving money around the lines.

Summary: Division Three of the Finance Committee met in work session on April 20, 2026, to consider Senate Bills 481, 603, and 663, with the discussion focused primarily on SB 481, relative to the sale of the Sununu Youth Services Center property. The chair explained that the bill was advisory only and that the committee’s recommendations would go to full Finance on April 27. For SB 481, members reviewed conflicting provisions in the prior budget law about whether sale proceeds should go to the general fund or the Youth Development Center Claims and Administration Settlement Fund, and the bill was described as a compromise that would direct proceeds to the general fund before June 30, 2027, and to the settlement fund after that date. It was noted that the settlement fund had originally received about $20 million and had roughly $10 million remaining. The committee also received an extensive update from DCYF Director Marie Noonan on the new Youth Development Center in Hampstead. She reported that construction remained on schedule, with major structural and interior work complete, substantial completion expected in late summer or early fall 2026, and occupancy anticipated in early 2027. The presentation highlighted the facility’s design features, including single-occupancy bedrooms, sensory rooms, an education wing, medical and clinical suites, visitation space, a gym, and multiple outdoor courtyards, all intended to support a trauma-informed setting. Members asked about the facility’s funding, square footage, fencing, and scanner; staff said the building is about 34,000 square feet, funded entirely with federal ARPA state recovery funds to date, and that the scanner is on site but not yet operational pending policy and staff training. Committee members also raised concerns about the facility’s design and security. In response, DCYF said some concrete walls are required for structural and safety reasons, but they are being painted to maintain a brighter environment, and that the fencing will be about 15 feet high with privacy netting because the campus is shared with Hampstead. Officials said the new facility is legislatively limited to a maximum of 12 youth, while the current center can house 12 to 18, and emphasized that courts ultimately determine placements. No votes or final actions were taken during the work session.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> to have certain amount of uh alternate to have certain amount of uh alternate alternate<01:04:12.480
• ><c> fuel</c><01:04:12.880><c> vehicles,</c><01:04:13.599><c> alternate</c><01:04:14.240><c> fuel</c>
• alternate fuel vehicles, alternate fuel alternate fuel vehicles, alternate fuel based<01:04:15.039><
• </c><01:04:23.839><c> Um,</c><01:04:24.160><c> we</c><01:04:24.400><c> have</c> amount of alternative
• Um, we have amount of alternative fuel.

Summary: The meeting was the first of the year for the Capital Planning Advisory Board. Members were called, a quorum was confirmed, new co-chairs and members were welcomed, and the board approved the prior year’s meeting minutes. The chair also reviewed the capital planning timeline, packet organization, and the list of agencies that submitted plans but would not testify. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services presented first, outlining priorities centered on public safety, protecting existing infrastructure, preventive maintenance, and improving service delivery. Its major requests included a $21 million maintenance pool for 14 campuses and 175 buildings, phase 2 construction funding for a new public health laboratory, an 18-bed psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents with severe mental health needs, and several projects at Western State Hospital, Western State Nursing Facility, Hazlewood, and Oakwood. Members asked about the youth facility’s relationship to a separate DJJ project, vacant buildings, the high per-bed cost of the children’s hospital, and how the cabinet determined the need for the youth facility. CHFS said the youth project would be a separate facility serving high-acuity youth, the cost reflected the specialized nature of the unit and an 18-bed cap, and the broader youth plan also includes prevention, in-home services, and coordination across agencies. The Kentucky Department of Education then described projects for its three state-operated facilities: the Kentucky School for the Deaf, the Kentucky School for the Blind, and the FFA leadership training center. It requested additional funding for the FFA classroom and activity building after bids came in higher than expected, plus funding for a new education finance application system to support SEEK budgeting. Other priorities included a maintenance pool, FFA pool renovation, electrical upgrades, campus education enhancements, lighting improvements, safety and security work, door and window replacements, and HVAC maintenance. Members asked about student outcomes, the size of the FFA pool, and construction cost assumptions; the department said it tracks students through the schools and short-course programs, the pool size figure may have been a typo, and current construction estimates are being adjusted upward because of inflation and supply-chain pressures. The Education and Labor Cabinet began its presentation with 12 priority projects, including a state labor exchange system to connect job seekers and employers, renovation of the McDow Vocational Rehabilitation Center, and a new adult education and family literacy management information system. The cabinet said the labor exchange would help match workers with employers at no cost, while the McDow renovation was needed because the 30-year-old facility has safety and code concerns. The adult education system was described as outdated and lacking adequate case-management and tracking capabilities.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that's to me, that's the burning question, is what is the alternative, right?
• </c> what the in your opinion the alternative what the in your opinion the alternative scenario<00:34
• right so we are what is the alternative right so we are trying<00:35:01.760><c> to</c><00:35:02.200>
• It said there would be a process where the PUC would consider alternatives, but then people made the
• So we changed the language to say the utility should show that they have considered alternatives.

Committee: House Energy & Environmental Protection

Summary: The committee on Energy and Environmental Protection heard testimony on Senate Bill 897, which would create a Wildlife Liability Trust Fund within DCCA for administrative purposes. The chair opened by noting the hearing had to end by noon because of floor session, and that written testimony would be considered if not all witnesses could speak. Testimony included support from DCCA, the Attorney General’s office, the Public Utilities Commission, Charter Communications, Ulupono Initiative, AES Hawaii, Hawaiian Electric, Clearway Energy Group, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, Hawaiian Telcom, and IBW Local 1260, with opposition or concerns from the Hawaii Association for Justice and some others. Hawaiian Electric strongly supported the bill and asked for amendments, saying the fund would help address wildfire liability, protect customers and the economy, and support restoration of investment-grade credit; it also proposed a larger shareholder contribution and said the bill was part of a broader effort to raise settlement funds and improve grid safety and resiliency. Committee members focused heavily on whether the bill would actually lower costs for ratepayers and improve credit ratings. DCCA said there was a nexus between limiting liability, creating a sufficiently large wildfire fund, and transparent mitigation requirements, but acknowledged there was no guarantee of a credit-rating improvement or precise estimate of rate impacts. Members questioned Hawaiian Electric about the assumptions in its cost comparisons, the 30-year securitization structure, and whether funding could be shifted later to shareholders after credit was restored. Hawaiian Electric responded that the bill assumes the fund is paid through securitization, that removing that presumption could undermine the credit-rating benefit, and that its models suggest credit-spread savings could offset the customer charge over time; it also said it would follow up with additional analysis. The company and Ulupono both described the measure as a difficult but potentially necessary way to socialize wildfire risk and avoid a larger crisis later. The Hawaii Association for Justice opposed the bill’s liability caps and raised concerns about consumer rights, oversight discretion, statute-of-limitations changes, and evidence rules. Hawaiian Telcom suggested amendments to clarify compliance with FCC pole-attachment agreements. No vote or final action was taken during the portion of the hearing provided, and members indicated they wanted more analysis before being comfortable with the bill’s long-term ratepayer impacts.

Transcript Highlights:

• the ability of health plans to review dosage increases, even when new clinical evidence, safer alternatives
• The alternatives, which is like, you know, the other alternatives that we have to use, also have very
• But just to be able to have that opportunity to have another alternative that was an organic alternative
• remain healthy and be able to move forward, and also show others that there are some other healthy alternatives

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard several bills on June 9. SB 1023 by Senator Laird would require insurers that cover injectable HIV PrEP under the medical benefit to also cover it through the pharmacy benefit, with supporters saying the change would reduce reimbursement delays and expand access, while health plans opposed it as an unnecessary mandate that interferes with benefit design. SB 964 by Senator Smallwood-Quivas would limit prior authorization for certain dose or frequency adjustments to covered medications, especially for chronic complex conditions; medical supporters said it would prevent harmful delays in care, while insurers argued it weakens safety and utilization controls. SB 1323 by Senator Rubio, as amended, would strengthen protections for people in immigration custody receiving medical care by requiring hospitals and facilities to inform staff how to respond to requests and allowing patients to notify family members of their location; it passed with one no vote. SB 1099 by Senator Reyes would clarify local governments’ authority to provide state and local public benefits to all residents under federal PRWORA rules, with supporters saying it would reduce legal uncertainty for safety-net services; it passed, though one member later changed a vote to no on the add-on roll call. The committee also took up SB 895 by Senator Wiener, a proposed $12 billion science research bond for the November ballot that would create a California scientific research funding institute. Supporters from UC, UAW, hospitals, and advocacy groups said the measure would help offset federal cuts, protect research jobs, and sustain California’s leadership in biomedical and other research; there was no opposition, and the bill passed on a party-line style vote with two no votes. SB 944, also by Senator Wiener, would stabilize Medi-Cal coverage for acupuncture, which supporters described as a cost-effective, non-pharmacological treatment for pain and other conditions that has repeatedly been threatened in the budget process; it passed unanimously. The committee also approved consent items SB 918 and SB 1202, and later cleared the remaining measures on call after roll votes and add-on votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• discuss is it adds a policy around local effort assistance, lowering the maximum enrollment in alternative
• in the public interest and that the project represents the least-cost and least-risk reasonable alternative
• in the public interest and that the project represents the least-cost and least-risk reasonable alternative
• at a minimum, when making this determination, including the total life cycle cost, reasonable alternatives
• I'm not sure why we continue to move that number continuously down and attack alternative learning experiences

Committee: House Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• The first Excel Center opened in October in Little Rock, offering adults an alternative path rather than
• So for ALE, the Alternative Learning Environment Fund, these students generate $5,086 per student, coming
• Okay, and then in the categorical, I know that you have the ALE, alternative learning environment, and
• then the The ALE, alternative learning environment, and then the English learner, that's slide 43, English
• One more quick question about the alternative learning environment.

Transcript Highlights:

• development in the state, a lot of stable water development, water resource development, is developing alternatives
• So there's been a lot of alternatives developed, and to a large extent groundwater use was developed
• as an alternative in developing the water uses and water supplies.
• And so we're trying to develop now alternatives to the alternatives.
• And over time, like I said, this groundwater is an alternative.

Committee: House Resources and Conservation

Transcript Highlights:

• If a temporary route is not possible, alternative measures such as providing free transport around the
• plans that address pedestrian access, maintain mobility on existing walkways when feasible, and use alternative
• We don't want a situation where the contractor would have to build alternative accommodations before
• And when sidewalks are closed without safe alternatives, people are effectively cut off from their bus
• stops, ...sidewalks are closed without safe alternatives, people are effectively cut off from their

Bills: SB6253 , SB6311 , SB6262 , SB6335

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: public transportation, governing bodies, transit authorities, local government, community planning, pedestrian safety, construction, accessibility, public safety, urban planning, vehicle weight, transportation, fees, public infrastructure, funding, state commission, infrastructure, traffic safety, responsibilities

Transcript Highlights:

• This is going to be a wide-ranging work session, summarizing what crisis response or alternative response
• which is a statewide association of co-response programs that are operating a human services or alternative
• House Bill 1811, introduced by Representative Asman Salahadine, that defines co-response as this alternative

Committee: House Community Safety

Summary: The committee held an interim work session on crisis response, focusing on how Washington can better connect people in behavioral health crisis to the right level of help through 988, 911, mobile crisis, co-response, and alternative destinations. Travis Parker outlined the Sequential Intercept Model and the crisis care continuum, emphasizing early intervention, regional coordination, and the need for navigators, peers, and case managers to help people avoid cycling back into crisis or the justice system. Several witnesses stressed that crisis systems should be integrated rather than treated as an either-or choice between 911 and 988. Washington practitioners described a range of local models. Brooke Bettner, Kim Hendrickson, and Dr. Jennifer Stuber discussed co-response and field-based crisis teams, noting Washington’s growth in 988, mobile crisis, and 911 co-response programs, but also flagging duplication, inconsistent coordination, limited training for fire/EMS, gaps in involuntary treatment processes, emergency room overuse, and first responder wellness. Laura Pippen, speaking for designated crisis responders, said staffing has dropped sharply statewide and described major barriers in getting law enforcement, hospitals, and facilities to carry out involuntary treatment holds and placements, especially for substance use cases. She said systems and policies remain fragmented and difficult to align. Researchers Dr. Evan Lowder and Dr. James Pine summarized the evidence base, saying it is still limited but generally shows that non-police and co-response models can improve linkage to services and reduce emergency department transport or involuntary detention in some settings, while longer-term effects are less clear. They emphasized the importance of dispatch triage, on-scene resolution when safe, clear diversion pathways, and ongoing evaluation. 911 dispatch leaders Katie Myers, Justin Rasmussen, and Angie Bunk described efforts to embed behavioral health expertise into call centers, create warm transfers to 988, and use shared triage to route calls more accurately; they also warned about under-triage risks, liability, and the need for funding and dispatcher support. The committee then heard national examples from Denver, Albuquerque, and Atlanta, where alternative response programs are dispatched through 911 or 311 and have reduced police workload, use of force, or unnecessary emergency responses. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• This new third factor in the formula does move the infrastructure towards alternatives to long-term incarceration
• We are hoping for sustainable alternatives to the Secure Youth Treatment Facility that are well designed
• So we instead recommend an alternative that would likely take some time to build out and this would require

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and so there's not a good alternative right now.
• Um they're a good alternative right now.
• There are alternatives. They have came up with short-chain PAS.
• There are alternatives. They have came up with short-chain PAS.
• There are alternatives. They have came up with short-chain PAS.

Committee: Joint Natural Resources & Energy

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate File 2154 creates an alternative pathway for these experienced professionals.
• </c> Senate file 2154 creates an alternative Senate file 2154 creates an alternative pathway<00:01:19.760
• </c> The bill also provides an alternative The bill also provides an alternative supervising<00:12:29.080
• Second, the bill provides an alternate supervising licensee.
• </c> This bill allows for an alternate This bill allows for an alternate supervisor<00:14:37.280><c>

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• , and finding the resources, to me, I believe, is very possible, and so I will be submitting an alternative
• It removes the requirement that the court grant an option C disposition alternative unless making that
• ...for offenders subject to the option B and C disposition alternatives who absconded from supervision
• This excludes violent offenses from eligibility for the option B juvenile disposition alternative.
• And we spend a lot of money to try to provide those less restrictive alternatives, so to speak, so that

Summary: The committee began with a public hearing on Substitute House Bill 1592, which would change how state public defense funds are distributed and, in the substitute version, keep current law on state funding responsibility while revising the allocation formula. Staff explained the bill would shift county and city distributions to a pro rata, caseload-based model, allow very low-density counties to request OPD to provide some or all public defense services, require additional data collection and reporting, and direct OPD to study caseload reductions and retention. Representative Peterson said the bill is meant to create a better structure for future state support of indigent defense without the very large cost of the original proposal. Testimony from counties, cities, OPD, defenders, and local officials was strongly supportive, emphasizing a statewide public defense crisis, rising local costs, staffing shortages, and the need for a fairer funding model. The committee then heard Substitute House Bill 1742 on environmentally sustainable urban design and Substitute House Bill 1906 on water system regulation and water rates. HB 1742 would create a center in Ecology to promote sustainable urban design, fund design competitions and grants, and establish an advisory council; the sponsor said the bill reflects a desire to support a pilot project through alternative funding, and there was no public testimony. HB 1906 would require more planning and notice for Group A water systems, add customer notice and right-of-first-refusal provisions for some ownership changes, and direct the UTC to consider external funding sources, capital planning, and rate smoothing when setting water rates. Water utility and PUD witnesses supported the goal of improving transparency and consolidation of failing small systems, while noting the substitute reduced some fiscal concerns. The committee also heard HB 2248 on Secretary of State corporate and charity filings, HB 2438 creating the SEED scholarship for early childhood education students, and HB 2515 addressing emerging large energy use facilities such as data centers. HB 2248 would redirect part of annual filing fees to the Secretary of State revolving fund, require initial reports from nonprofits and LLPs, and change trademark certificate procedures; the fiscal note showed modest revenue losses, and the division supported restoring the fee split for operational funding. HB 2438 would transfer $10 million annually from the GET account to fund scholarships and wraparound services for early childhood education degree seekers, with testimony from early learning advocates and a student describing workforce shortages and personal financial barriers. HB 2515 drew extensive testimony both for and against: supporters said it would protect ratepayers, water resources, and grid reliability by requiring tariffs, reporting, clean-energy requirements, and a fee on large energy users; opponents argued it singled out data centers, could hurt investment and jobs, and included unrelated labor and procurement provisions. After public testimony, the committee moved into executive-session briefing on several bills and amendments, including HB 1903 on statewide low-income energy assistance, HB 1909 on a court unification task force, HB 1982 on vacating certain convictions tied to treaty Indian rights, HB 2034 on LEOFF Plan 1 retirement changes, HB 2105 on employer notice of federal I-9 audits, HB 2210 on ranked-choice voting, HB 2215 on Climate Commitment Act fuel supplier obligations, and HB 2271 on post-consumer recycled content requirements. Staff summarized proposed substitutes and amendments, with several changes aimed at reducing or shifting fiscal impacts, narrowing agency duties, or striking provisions entirely.

Transcript Highlights:

• Alternatively, you can allow access for that viewing rather than take away the lease.
• The other alternative is renewing these leases and working with the lessee to allow for reforestation
• </c><00:37:55.599><c> like</c> looked into other Alternatives like looked into other Alternatives like
• you can allow access for alternatively you can allow access for that<00:38:12.359><c> viewing</c><00
• One follow-up question: has there been an alternative, if DLNR would not like to move this particular

Committee: House Agriculture & Food Systems

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:10:59.600><c> communication</c> augmentative alternative communication augmentative alternative
• </c><01:38:38.560><c> Uh</c> alternative communication devices.
• Uh alternative communication devices.
• /c> augmentative and alternative augmentative and alternative communication<01:39:33.199><c> devices<
• </c> augmentative and alternative augmentative and alternative communication<01:42:16.880><c> devices

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• And we've identified a few alternatives the Legislature could consider.
• Another area of alternatives to consider is around the MCO tax.
• Another area of alternatives to consider is around the MCO tax.
• Lastly, we support the county-proposed alternative to indigent care. Thank you. Good evening.
• I would also note that the alternative proposal we've shared with the committee would allow the state

Transcript Highlights:

• We've identified a few alternatives the Legislature could consider.
• Another area of alternatives to consider is around the MCO tax.
• Lastly, we support the county-proposed alternative to indigent care.
• Lastly, we support the county-proposed alternative to indigent care. Thank you. Good evening.
• Lastly, we support the county-proposed alternative to indigent care. Thank you. Good evening.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health held a May Revision hearing covering several health-related budget proposals and broader concerns about the state’s budget structure. The Chair opened by praising some May Revision changes, such as added health IT funding, county administration support tied to Medi-Cal changes, a delay in Medi-Cal cuts for some lawfully present immigrants, and additional support for Covered California subsidies, while criticizing proposed increases in Medi-Cal premiums, changes to senior eligibility, the lack of a Medi-Cal dental solution, and other reductions affecting counties, mobile crisis units, workforce incentives, and physician shortages. The Legislative Analyst’s Office said the state’s budget condition remains weak despite progress on the structural deficit, and the Department of Finance said the May Revision uses a mix of reductions, reforms, revenue proposals, and fund shifts to cut out-year deficits. The committee first heard Department of State Hospitals proposals, including adjustments to county bed billing authority, contract exemption language for online clinical/pharmacy subscriptions, reversion of unspent funds, a revised Metro Central Utility Plant replacement project, electronic health record implementation, and workforce development funded partly through Behavioral Health Services Act resources. DSH also described savings and realignments in incompetent-to-stand-trial and conditional release programs, including extending the independent placement panel program and shifting funds to support additional bed capacity and a mental health rehab center. Members asked about the use of BHSA funds for workforce programs, and the department said the proposal would replace General Fund support with BHSA reimbursements. The Emergency Medical Services Authority proposed funding for statewide behavioral health crisis response guidance and for enterprise system development, and the Department of Managed Health Care proposed modernization of its complaint system and claims-settlement data system to improve oversight and comply with AB 3275. The largest discussion centered on the administration’s BHSA spending plan under Proposition 1, including state-directed prevention, workforce, and other uses, plus General Fund offsets for existing programs. The LAO questioned whether some proposed offsets fit Proposition 1’s non-supplant and eligible-use requirements, while the administration argued the uses were consistent with the measure and that the state-directed share can be adjusted annually. The Commission for Behavioral Health’s proposals drew the most public and member concern. The administration proposed cutting the commission’s Innovation Partnership Fund from $20 million to $10 million and reducing the Community Advocacy Program by $6.7 million, while redirecting BHSA dollars to other state purposes and direct services. Commissioners, advocates, and several members argued the cuts would weaken community voice, reduce support for underserved populations, and disrupt grants already in process; they also objected to using BHSA funds to backfill General Fund commitments. Public commenters, including youth, disability, behavioral health, LGBTQ, tribal, veteran, immigrant, and community-based organization representatives, overwhelmingly opposed the cuts and urged preservation of prevention, advocacy, mobile crisis, and innovation funding. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• The second alternative that was included in the report is to modify the lookup table to allow for finer
• The second alternative that was included in the report is to modify the lookup table to allow for finer
• ><c> that</c><00:52:22.400><c> was</c> the second alternative um that was the second alternative um that
• </c><01:11:00.960><c> An</c><01:11:01.280><c> alternate</c><01:11:01.600><c> to</c><01:11:01.760><c>
• An alternate to an upfront sales tax exemption is a direct payment incentive, like a grant or a loan.

Committee: House Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, the alternative is to call the IRS and say you sold STVs and we haven't used it in six years
• The alternative is... there's a hundred... I'm not sure what you're saying.
• The alternative is there's $100 million that got moved into the state fair that the executive requested
• Chair, there is one alternative, and that is reducing the authorization for the disasters. ...which means

Bills: SB190 , HB247 , HB2 , HB8

Committee: Senate House Appropriations & Finance

Summary: The committee reviewed drafting instructions and spending sheets for House Bill 2, focusing on both recurring and nonrecurring appropriations, reserve levels, and several late changes. Staff explained that the package would leave reserves around 28% under the current scenario, with the possibility of rising to about 30% if a separate natural disaster reform bill is enacted. Members discussed how disaster funding would be handled through a replacement Section 8 and the appropriation contingency fund, and whether the operating reserve could be tapped with explicit authorization. There was also clarification on fund types, including other state funds and interagency transfers, and on how line items were reflected in the spreadsheets. A major point of debate was how to offset additions by reducing funding elsewhere. Members discussed shifting money from the state fair/multipurpose arena request, the Office of Natural Resources Trustee, and other capital items to accommodate changes. Several senators raised concerns about cutting the Office of Natural Resources Trustee too deeply and about the purpose of those funds, including possible land purchases and floodplain mitigation in Ruidoso. The committee also discussed whether the state fair money should be reduced, with some members supporting a $25 million restoration and others preferring to leave the executive’s request intact. Staff noted that some reductions were not true cuts but swaps or offsets, such as moving local road money and using excess capital outlay reserves. Other corrections and policy items were addressed, including an increase for UNM and NMSU stadium funding, a correction to a project distribution on line 105, and funding for the Health Council. Members also noted that the public employee 1% raise was no longer funded because recurring capacity was used elsewhere, and that no COLA was included. After discussion, Senator Woods moved to adopt the drafting instructions, Senator Gonzalez seconded, and the motion passed without objection. The committee then directed staff to prepare a catch-up cleanup version of House Bill 2 for later review and said House Bill 8 would be taken up the next morning.