Transcript Highlights:

• Child protective investigators and child protection teams rely on qualified medical professionals with
• The amendment also helps protect parents who may be wrongfully accused.
• Let me be clear: protecting children from real abuse is essential...
• Let me be clear: protecting children from real abuse is essential, but we must also protect families
• the families that need to be protected.

Bills: S0042 , S0196 , S0878 , S0902 , S0914 , S1092 , S1168 , S1340 , S1404 , S1414 , S1684 , S1686

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services met to hear and vote on a series of health, human services, and education-related bills, along with a presentation of the committee’s proposed HHS budget. The budget was described as increasing by more than $2.1 billion over the current base, with major funding highlighted for Medicaid and KidCare, rural health, provider rate increases, child welfare, mental health and substance use, opioid treatment, Alzheimer’s initiatives, cancer research, ADAP, veterans’ services, and IT modernization. Public testimony on the budget focused heavily on AIDS Drug Assistance Program funding and concerns about Department of Health changes affecting access, premium assistance, notice, and continuity of care for people living with HIV/AIDS. Among the bills reported favorably were measures on podiatric medicine and tissue-based products (SB 1092), background screening and clearinghouse procedures (SB 1168), child protective investigations involving specific medical diagnoses and second opinions (SB 42), clinical laboratory personnel licensure standards (SB 878), uterine fibroid data tracking and research (SB 196), medical marijuana treatment center oversight and related health provisions (SB 902), dyslexia and dyscalculia screening and intervention in schools (SB 1340), memory care licensure for assisted living facilities (SB 1404), congenital CMV education materials (SB 1414), Parkinson’s disease registry and related public records exemption bills (SB 1684 and SB 1686), and occupational therapy dry needling licensure standards (SB 914). Several bills were amended before passage, including SB 1092, SB 42, SB 902, SB 1684, and SB 1404. Testimony generally came from professional associations, advocacy groups, and affected stakeholders, with support voiced for most measures. The committee adopted amendments on the floor, heard no opposition during debate on the bills described, and then voted to report each measure favorably. At the end of the meeting, senators requested to be recorded in the affirmative on selected bills, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And also, they're going to ask, are other children who are opted out going to be protected?
• This bill would actually protect schools.
• They're not protected. Parents don't have the option to opt in.
• They'll be protected.
• They are protected by this law; they don't have to hear or be exposed to anybody.

Summary: The A&B Subcommittee on Education heard and advanced several bills, beginning with HB 4491, which would allow virtual charter, charter, and homeschool students to participate in extracurricular activities in their resident school district. The sponsor said the bill was intended to expand student opportunity and was still being worked on, especially on eligibility and proximity requirements. Members raised concerns about accreditation, fairness, and potential disruption, but the bill was reported out 8-2. The committee then approved HB 4146, which moves the state-paid maternity benefit for teachers to begin in a teacher’s first year of employment, and HB 4149, which grants up to 10 years of service credit for certain prior experience, including out-of-state or out-of-country teaching, active-duty military service, law enforcement, and firefighting. HB 4158 raised the income cap for O-TAG grant eligibility to $80,000, and HB 4159 allowed parents to request dyslexia screening after formative assessments at any time during the year, with notice from the State Department; both passed with little opposition. A more contentious debate surrounded HB 3242, which sought to clarify voluntary religious expression in schools and provide Attorney General guidance and legal protections for districts. Supporters argued it protected First Amendment rights and gave schools guardrails, while opponents warned it could expose schools to litigation, create power imbalances, and blur the line between voluntary student expression and school-sponsored religious activity. After debate, the bill passed 6-4. Finally, HB 3718 was heard to address delays in special education evaluations by starting the 45-school-day timeline from the date of request rather than the date of consent, with the sponsor citing families missing scholarship deadlines because evaluations took too long. Members discussed federal timing rules and district practices, and the bill passed 7-3. The chair closed by noting it was the subcommittee’s final House bill meeting of the session.

Transcript Highlights:

• It upholds multi-generational understanding of protection.
• It doesn't just protect the individual; it protects a lot of people because that's a very violent potential
• the people that need to be protected.
• the people that need to be protected.
• No, let's fix it, let's protect these, let's protect women in these spaces. That's the objective.

Committee: House State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• these very, very important health, safety, and discrimination protections.
• I appreciate your openness and the dialogue that we had on protecting California's youth.
• Data is encrypted and remains protected until it reaches school personnel.
• End-to-end encryption is an important aspect of protecting data privacy.
• First, classified employees do not currently have a clear and fully protect students.

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Secretary Tepper said the Healey-Driscoll administration's environmental bond bill is about protecting
• Second, the Mass Ready Act cuts red tape and protects consumers.
• Third, the Mass Ready Act protects water and nature.
• Third, the Mass Ready Act protects water and nature.
• So a rural community that's doing a lot of land protection or watershed protection may have a certain

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets

Summary: The committee held a hearing on S.2542, the Mass Ready Act, a $3 billion environmental bond bill aimed at climate resilience, water infrastructure, conservation, and related permitting reforms. Secretary Rebecca Tepper and administration officials described the bill’s major investments in flood control, coastal resilience, DCR roads/bridges/dams and parks, drinking water and wastewater upgrades, PFAS remediation, land conservation, food security infrastructure, and expanded Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness funding. They also explained proposed streamlining measures for environmental permitting, flood risk disclosures, a Connecticut River Resilient Commission, and a new Resilience Revolving Fund to provide low-cost financing for municipal resilience projects. Committee members asked about affordability, useful life of projects, how the revolving fund would be capitalized, and how the bill would help communities such as Lawrence, Methuen, and coastal towns; officials said the fund would initially use existing trust resources, not new fees, and could later support special obligation bonds once it has a track record. Several witnesses supported the bill but urged larger authorizations or additional provisions. Boston Harbor Now asked for more funding for MVP and the state’s resilient coast plan, and supported permitting reforms for nature-based and hybrid solutions. The Massachusetts Rivers Alliance urged inclusion of drought-management language from separate bills, plus a statewide flood buyout program and a water reuse commission. Green Roots called for dedicated funding for outdoor and indoor air quality monitoring and indoor air quality improvements, especially in environmental justice communities affected by traffic and airport pollution. Conservation and forestry advocates requested more funding for urban tree canopy, local nurseries, and workforce training, while also raising concerns about PFAS impacts and the need for clearer municipal reforestation language. Agriculture and water infrastructure groups focused on food security and drinking water needs. The Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership and the Mass Food System Collaborative backed the food security infrastructure grant program and farmland protection funding, warning that the program needs continued support in fiscal 2027 and that farmland loss is accelerating. The Massachusetts Waterworks Association said the bill does not go far enough on drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure, citing large statewide capital needs and PFAS compliance costs, and asked for recurring funding and broader eligibility for climate resilience grants. A Product Stewardship Council representative also urged funding for a waste reduction needs assessment, citing growing landfill constraints and rising disposal costs. No votes were taken during the hearing."}{

Transcript Highlights:

• Doing away with basic SMA permitting that protects our shoreline... permitting that protects our shoreline
• It protects the integrity of our elections.
• </c><01:48:13.360><c> Hawaii</c> safe in there to protect Hawaii safe in there to protect Hawaii interests
• It protects student athletes. It protects the university.
• We protected Medicaid. We funded food banks. We gave the middle class another income tax cut.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Budget Subcommittee Number 2 on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy will come to order
• It could protect the state's natural resources.
• We said Cal Fire, but it's the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
• We say Cal Fire, but it's the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
• And we do have to protect it. Any other questions? All right.

Transcript Highlights:

• And this would align our statutes that we have with other firearm provisions as far as protection of
• </c> firearm provisions as far as protection firearm provisions as far as protection of<00:17:06.319>
• So, this is an attempt to really tighten up protections against red flag gun confiscation orders and
• </c><00:22:30.559><c> We</c> protections. We need both. Not one. We protections. We need both.
• </c><00:22:48.000><c> to</c> but we also need criminal protections to but we also need criminal protections

Bills: SF0069 , SF0084 , SF0050 , SF0109 , HB0069 , HB0098

Committee: Senate Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• We must protect them.
• To a place that has meaning and protection for all.
• So members, in order to protect our workers and their jobs and protect our streets, I respectfully ask
• They're not already protected under federal law.
• However, it would ensure that federally protected rivers in California could be considered for protection

Transcript Highlights:

• That's why responsible policymaking to protect families is imperative.
• But the law was created to protect children.
• Its protections are desperately needed.
• Its protections are desperately needed.
• The California Apartment Association strongly believes in protecting the rights and protecting victims

Summary: The committee heard several bills, with the most detailed discussion focused on AB 316, AB 251, AB 474, AB 1201, AB 464, and AB 614. AB 316 would prevent AI developers or deployers from arguing in civil cases that an AI system’s alleged autonomy absolves them of responsibility. Supporters framed it as a narrow guardrail to protect families, especially children, from harms like dangerous chatbots and deepfakes; opponents, including TechNet and the Chamber of Progress, raised concerns about possible strict-liability implications. The bill was moved out of committee to Privacy and Consumer Protection. AB 251 would let judges lower the burden of proof in elder abuse cases when a skilled nursing facility or RCFE intentionally destroys evidence. Supporters said the measure is needed because elder abuse victims are often unable to testify and records are vulnerable to spoliation, while opponents argued existing sanctions are sufficient and warned of more litigation. The bill passed, with committee members emphasizing the vulnerability of elder abuse victims. AB 474 sought to expand nonprofit home-sharing programs, including tax incentives for low-income homeowners and changes to housing law and lodger rules. Supporters said it would help older adults and low-income Californians avoid homelessness, but several members and the California Apartment Association raised concerns about removing lodger-law protections for homeowners; the author committed to keep working on the issue. The bill passed to Human Services. AB 1201 would give courts discretion to provide family reunification services to parents with certain violent felony convictions, rather than applying an automatic bypass. Supporters from Starting Over Inc. described personal experiences with permanent family separation and argued the bill would give parents a fair chance when the conviction is unrelated to child safety. Some members supported the measure but questioned whether domestic violence histories should be treated differently; the author said the bill still allows courts to deny services when reunification would endanger a child. The bill passed to Human Services. AB 464 addressed sexual abuse and retaliation in state prisons by extending reporting time after release, adding 90-day monitoring after reports, barring rehiring of confirmed abusers, and strengthening reporting and anti-retaliation rules. Survivors testified about abuse, retaliation, and failures in CDCR’s response; the bill passed to Appropriations. AB 614 would standardize the Government Claims Act filing deadline at one year for all claims. The author and supporters argued the current six-month deadline for injury and wrongful death claims is too short for victims to learn the process, find counsel, and gather evidence, while businesses often get a full year. A civil rights attorney and a family member of a deceased jail detainee testified in support, describing how the current deadline can block meritorious claims. The bill was presented for committee consideration as the hearing continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• services that protect the most vulnerable citizens.
• It only adds a layer of protection.
• You can get an order of protection, even as a candidate, if you need to.
• I don't talk about a lot of this stuff often, but this is to protect us.
• We are not protecting the public health.

Summary: The House convened, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, approved the journal, and then moved through a lengthy third-reading calendar. Early bills included SB 1135 on workers’ compensation, which passed 49-4, and SB 1127 on family offenses, which failed 5-50 after Rep. Gress said he supported the policy but voted no to allow reconsideration. SB 1133 on nominating procedures passed 32-23 without the emergency clause, and SB 1136 on workers’ compensation passed 54-1. Members then debated several health-related and regulatory measures, including SB 1145 on behavioral health behavior analysis, SB 1165 on health insurance coverage for breast exams, SB 1175 on child welfare, SB 1184 on condominiums and planned communities, SB 1205 on municipal regulations, SB 1210 on private post-secondary education institutions, and SB 1233 on state agencies, with mixed votes and several floor explanations focused on costs, insurance mandates, and public health benefits. The chamber also considered SB 1243 on court-ordered treatment, where supporters framed it as protecting vulnerable people and opponents warned about guardianship abuse and indefinite confinement; it passed 50-7. SB 1246 on condominium and planned community notices passed unanimously, while SB 1253 on Safe Haven providers passed 57-0. SB 1259 on campaign-related address confidentiality drew extensive debate about candidate safety, threats, and residency rules, and passed 43-14. Additional measures passed included SB 1271 on municipal authority, SB 1286 on veterinarians, SB 1292 on the public safety personnel retirement system, SB 1366 creating a towing and impound advisory committee, SB 1446, SB 1497 on school insurance, SB 1561 and SB 1564 on health care institutions, and several final-read House bills. On final reading, the House concurred in amendments to several bills and passed HB 2082, HB 296 on WIFA, HB 2557 on patient records, HB 2749 on reclassifying certain felony convictions to misdemeanors under strict conditions, and HB 4001 on nicotine products and youth access. HB 4001 drew the most extended debate, with supporters emphasizing youth protection, stronger penalties for sales to minors, and anti-vaping enforcement, while opponents criticized the bill as regulatory overreach or insufficiently focused on taxation and education. The House also adopted a motion to request the Senate return SB 1456 for reconsideration, heard a memorial resolution honoring James Hong Shee, and received remarks and a proclamation on National Gun Violence Awareness Day before recessing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We need to do something to protect our liberties. And look, I am not a COVID denier.
• We did everything we could to protect our drivers. Isn’t that though, respectfully, Mike?
• , as well as I want my kids to be protected.
• It protects the physicians as well as the integrity of the investigation process.
• The bill is not about protecting bad doctors.

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Summary: The House Committee on Health and Welfare met on April 23 and first disposed of several items without hearing them, including HB 1093 and HB 1145, and voluntarily deferring HB 946. The committee then quickly reported HB 1095 favorably without objection. That bill would require nursing facilities to have fuel or another alternative power generation source to maintain power, and supporters said it preserves existing backup-power safety requirements while giving facilities more flexibility as technology changes. The committee then took up HB 926, which concerns vaccination status and admission to public buildings and seeks to prohibit medical mandates. After adopting an amendment set and additional changes clarifying exclusions for licensed health care providers and facilities, medical masks, and child welfare/school-related provisions, the committee heard testimony both for and against the bill. Supporters framed it as a civil-liberties measure limiting vaccine-card requirements for public buildings, while opponents warned it could interfere with public health measures, school immunization rules, and the ability of health care facilities to protect patients. The bill was reported favorably on an 8-4 vote. HB 1220, a cleanup bill for the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, was then reported favorably after a technical amendment set. HB 1227, which would require complaints involving medical judgment to be reviewed by a three-physician panel before formal disciplinary action, drew extensive testimony from a physician sponsor, a doctor describing his disciplinary experience, and the board’s executive director, who said the board already uses practicing physicians, nurses, and experts in its process and warned the proposed panel system could be impractical because physicians are difficult to recruit for such reviews. At the sponsor’s request, the committee voluntarily deferred HB 1227 for further work. Finally, the committee reported HB 1217 favorably with amendments to a pharmacy benefit manager transparency bill, after supporters said it would expose hidden pricing and rebate practices and opponents argued some provisions were duplicative or unnecessary. HB 1028, setting minimum Medicaid reimbursement rates for non-emergency medical transportation, was reported favorably and referred to Appropriations after supporters described the need for higher rates and members discussed funding. The committee also reported HB 1185 favorably, with amendments preserving the existing Rural Hospital Preservation Act while extending similar protections to additional rural-lookalike hospitals, and adopted HCR 76 to continue the Health Inequities and Disparities in Rural Areas Task Force for another year.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is about protecting Idaho from risk. These funds come with commitments.
• Those reforms focus on accountability and protecting taxpayers.
• One part protects taxpayers. This part protects rural patients.
• Those reforms focus on accountability and protecting taxpayers.
• One part protects taxpayers. This part protects rural patients.

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• The summary also says protecting small businesses.
• Is there any guaranteed protection?
• , who are you willing to protect?
• , who are you willing to protect?
• How will we protect our critical services?

Summary: The House met in special session, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, approved the journal, and adopted the special order report setting the day’s calendar. The chamber then took up CS/House Joint Resolution 1F, the Governor’s property tax proposal, which would raise the homestead exemption for non-school taxes, lower the annual assessment cap on non-homestead property from 10% to 5%, and restrict county and municipal ad valorem revenue to public safety and certain other uses. Sponsor Rep. Overdorf said the measure would return money to homeowners and give local governments flexibility, while opponents repeatedly argued the ballot language was misleading and that the proposal could create large local revenue shortfalls, shift costs to other taxpayers, and threaten local services and debt obligations. Members debated a series of amendments aimed at protecting specific programs from the bill’s effects. Rep. Bartleman’s amendment to exempt Children’s Services Councils and Children’s Trusts was defeated 25-74 after supporters said those entities fund child care, mental health, aftercare, and family support, while opponents said local governments could still choose to fund them. Rep. Cross’s amendment to include water management districts in allowable uses of ad valorem taxes was also defeated, despite testimony that the districts are essential for flood control, water supply, Everglades restoration, and drought response. Rep. Eskamani’s amendment to require the Legislature to backfill public safety funding failed 25-71 after debate over whether the proposal could reduce police and fire budgets and response times. The House then rejected Rep. Woodson’s amendment to require state backfill for senior services, with supporters citing Meals on Wheels, transportation, adult day care, and other aging services, and opponents saying the state already funds senior programs. Finally, Rep. Gant’s amendment to protect veteran services was introduced and debated, with members emphasizing housing, mental health, transition assistance, and homelessness concerns for veterans; the transcript cuts off before the vote on that amendment. Throughout the debate, sponsors and supporters of the main resolution maintained that local governments would retain spending discretion and could use other revenue sources, while critics argued the measure lacked clear backfill provisions and could force cuts or tax shifts at the local level.

Transcript Highlights:

• I want to thank Assemblymember Gibson for authoring this important consumer protection bill.
• In the face of federal inaction, California must once again lead to protect public health.
• Would we be needing to fight every single day to protect our water?
• Would we be needing to fight every single day to protect our food resources?
• Altogether, I think these bills help protect our youngest children across the spectrum.

Committee: House Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials

Transcript Highlights:

• Similarly, as Californians, our civil rights should be protected because if they're not protected, we're
• So there were a lot of protections there.
• My children don't feel protected. I did not feel protected in public schools. Thank you.
• I did not feel protected in public schools.
• This narrow carve-out risks dividing communities into protected and less protected groups, which undermines

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee held an informational hearing on AB 715, followed by discussion of SB 48. AB 715 was presented by Assembly Members Zbur and Addis as a response to rising anti-Semitism in California schools. They described incidents involving harassment, swastikas, biased classroom materials, and students feeling unsafe, and said the bill would create an Office of Civil Rights with coordinators to address anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination, provide prevention resources, and support school districts. Witnesses in support, including a rabbi and a student who described personal experiences with anti-Semitic harassment, urged immediate action to protect Jewish students. Opposition testimony came from the California Teachers Association, county superintendents, school board groups, labor organizations, civil liberties advocates, ethnic studies educators, and many community members. Their main concerns were that the bill was rushed, had not been fully vetted in the Assembly Education Committee, and could chill classroom speech or create constitutional problems, especially around language requiring instruction and materials to be “factually accurate” and not based on advocacy, bias, or partisanship. Several opponents argued that anti-Semitism should be addressed through education, training, and restorative practices rather than new statutory restrictions. Some witnesses also raised concerns about the bill’s impact on ethnic studies and free speech. Committee members then debated the bill’s process and substance at length. The authors said the bill had been narrowed through negotiations with education stakeholders and the Senate, that some disputed provisions would be revisited in cleanup language, and that the urgency of anti-Semitic incidents required action now. Several members expressed support for the bill’s goal but criticized the late release of the final language and the lack of consultation with the Assembly committee. Others emphasized the need to protect Jewish students immediately and argued the bill was a necessary response to a real crisis. The transcript does not show a final vote on AB 715 in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• protection pretty robust whistleblower protection but<00:41:33.360><c> this</c><00:41:33.560><c> bill
• ><c> state</c> expands protection for our state expands protection for our state workers,<00:43:21.640
• </c> going to protect on this. going to protect on this.
• </c> enough to protect enough to protect the<00:52:11.480><c> grain</c><00:52:11.800><c> buyers,</c><
• :54:21.560><c> a</c> keeping the protections and getting to a keeping the protections and getting to

Transcript Highlights:

• So this amendment isn't to protect illegal actors.
• Let's focus on protecting survivors of rape, protecting survivors of trafficking, protecting survivors
• They are protective. They protect the person who is pregnant. They protect her.
• We're protecting our kids.
• then are somehow less worthy of protection now.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum present, then adopted the special order report for the day. The chamber took up House Bill 167 on former phosphate mining lands. Sponsor Rep. McClure said the bill removes strict liability for previously mined phosphate lands if a Department of Health study is completed at the owner’s request and the former mining status is recorded publicly. Opponents, led by Rep. Cross and others, argued the bill relies too heavily on buyer-beware principles and does not adequately notify future buyers or renters. The bill passed 87-24 after debate. Members then considered House Bill 145 on suits against the government. Rep. McFarland said it updates Florida’s sovereign immunity caps, raising them to $500,000 per person and $1 million per incident, with a later automatic increase, while preserving the liability shield and improving access to compensation for people harmed by government negligence. The bill also aligns the statute of limitations with private claims and allows entities to settle above the cap. After brief debate, the House passed the bill 104-7. The House next debated CS/HB 289 on wrongful death for an unborn child, which would expand Florida’s Wrongful Death Act to allow claims involving unborn children and their parents. The bill prompted extensive questioning and debate about damages, definitions, medical care, surrogacy, and whether the measure could affect abortion access or expose doctors, friends, family members, and surrogates to lawsuits. Multiple amendments sought to carve out protections for mothers, health care providers, abortion care, perinatal professionals, surrogates, and victims of rape, incest, or human trafficking, but each was defeated. The final vote on the bill itself was 33-78, so the motion failed and the bill did not advance.

Transcript Highlights:

• protection in the court and protection in their workplace.
• Ending these practices would protect workers without harming their employers.
• And the protection of the workers.
• And the protection of the workers and honest businesses at the same time.
• Legal protections that cannot be enforced in practice do not function as real protections.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Commerce and Tourism considered several bills. SB 1338, by Senator Burton, would strengthen protections for charitable endowment gifts by creating a legal pathway to enforce written donor agreements and by requiring legislative approval for certain charity reporting requirements. The sponsor and Philanthropy Roundtable supported the measure as a way to honor donor intent while protecting nonprofits, and the bill was reported favorably. SB 1080, by Senator DeSigley, would require FDOT to adopt rules allowing direct payments to first-tier subcontractors in certain circumstances; transportation industry testimony supported it as a rare but needed statutory remedy, and it also passed favorably. The committee also adopted a strike-all amendment to SB 1582, by Senator Yarbrough, which would require secondhand dealers, secondary metal recyclers, and pawnbrokers to submit transaction data to FDLE for statewide sharing through systems such as LInX. The sponsor said the bill was developed with law enforcement to improve theft and fraud investigations, while a recycler representative spoke against it. The amended bill was reported favorably. SB 1672, by Senator McLean, creating a home buyer workforce tax credit for employer contributions to help employees make a first-time Florida home purchase, drew support from the Florida Chamber of Commerce and was also reported favorably. A large portion of the meeting focused on SB 1112, by Senator Garcia, which would amend the Florida Labor Pool Act by prohibiting placement fees when a temporary worker is hired permanently by a client employer and by requiring annual registration of labor pools with the Department of Commerce. The sponsor and many speakers from Beyond the Bars, labor advocacy, and reentry communities argued the bill would improve worker protections, transparency, and pathways to stable employment, especially for formerly incarcerated workers. A few cards were filed against, but the bill received broad supportive testimony and was reported favorably. SB 1324 was temporarily postponed, and the committee adjourned after recording members who wished to be noted as voting in the affirmative on the day’s bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> 148 seeks to strip those protections 148 seeks to strip those protections from<00:41:21.119><c>
• these protections.
• </c> penis whose privacy was being protected penis whose privacy was being protected in<02:03:40.159>
• </c> take away civil rights but to protect take away civil rights but to protect civil<02:17:26.160><
• You aren't protecting women or children. You aren't protecting the trans community.

Summary: The House Judiciary Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 148, with the chair limiting testimony to two minutes and asking for no outbursts so the committee could get through eight bills that day. Representative Kofalt, the prime sponsor, said HB 148 was the same as last year’s HB 396, which passed both chambers but was vetoed by the governor. He explained the bill would allow, but not require, separation by biological sex in bathrooms, locker rooms, houses of correction, and certain athletic competitions, leaving local school boards and administrators discretion to set policies. He argued the bill was meant to address safety and privacy concerns and cited a Milford incident and concerns in several school districts as examples of why local flexibility was needed. Committee members questioned the lack of a definition of “biological sex” and how the bill would be applied. Kofalt said he did not think a definition was necessary because males and females are generally understood, and he said the bill would give local policymakers latitude to make practical rules. He also said the bill was intended to address situations where people might misuse transgender claims to access spaces inappropriately. In response to questions, he said he was aware of issues in Kearsarge, Milford, and Mascoma school districts and had heard of discomfort in the State House, though he did not know all the details. Several opponents testified that the bill would discriminate against transgender and non-binary people and create enforcement problems. Executive Councilor Karen Hill said the bill would roll back New Hampshire’s anti-discrimination protections and conflict with the state’s Live Free or Die values. Alice Wade, a trans woman, said she had used women’s restrooms without incident and argued the bill would invite invasive enforcement and harassment. Representative La Selig said the bill was discriminatory and that bathroom concerns were being confused with unrelated harassment by cisgender males. Betsy Harrington supported the bill, citing a girls’ soccer game at Kearsarge that she said was disrupted by a boy playing on a girls’ team. Rosie Emer and her child testified against the bill, saying bathroom restrictions would increase anxiety and risk for trans and non-binary children. Stephen Scaer and Wendy Stallings supported the bill, arguing sex is biologically fixed and that excluding males from female spaces should not require genital inspections. No vote or final committee action was taken in the portion of the hearing provided.