Transcript Highlights:

• filled with hate had left safe enough to show up at synagogues, educational facilities, and public spaces
• In response, CSI launched our campus security initiative, working with campus Hillel's Chabad rabbis

Committee: Senate Aging (Special) Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• spending of course your life working with small businesses and for your work really in the mental. health space
• So our $300,000 loan limit has become somewhat obsolete. $300,000 doesn't necessarily help launch many

Committee: Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee

Keywords: SBA, 7A loan program, underwriting standards, loan defaults, Community Advantage Program, small business funding, testimony

Summary: The committee meeting focused on discussions regarding the SBA's 7A loan program and its implementation challenges. Members raised significant concerns about recent changes to the underwriting standards, which have been criticized for leading to an increase in loan defaults. Ranking members expressed a desire for a return to stronger guidelines to protect taxpayers and ensure the program remains a viable source for small businesses struggling to secure funding. Testimonies from community lenders highlighted their efforts to support underserved communities and stressed the importance of the Community Advantage Program.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for coming on this day that we launch the Treat Yourself First campaign. My name is Dr.
• really talking about a moral crisis, one where we are asked to care for others while being denied the space

Transcript Highlights:

• or funding for invasive plant control in addition to operating costs, such as staffing and office space
• As you can see in this graph, the launch of I've got one hotline has helped increase reports of non native

Transcript Highlights:

• and in order to have that space, we're going to need a new branch manager.
• Our libraries are a space that people come for comfort, especially when it's hot.
• that people come for Comfort are a space that people come for Comfort uh<00:21:14.880><c> especially
• After that, we'll be launching in March to the public.
• You have the parking lots, you have the play spaces, you have the cafetorium, you have the gym.

Summary: The Committee on Education held an informational/budget briefing with presentations from the State Library System, the School Facilities Authority, and the Department of Education. The chair opened the meeting by outlining the order of presentations and noting that members would hold questions until after all three agencies had testified. The discussion focused on each agency’s priorities for the upcoming biennium and their budget requests. State Librarian Stacy Aldridge described library usage and services, emphasizing strong demand for physical and digital materials, internet and Wi-Fi access, programs, Kanopy streaming, and PressReader. She highlighted digital literacy classes, RFID self-check and smart shelving improvements, and the role of libraries as community hubs. The library’s budget request included an additional $1.2 million for security guards, $48.484 million for FY 26-27 to support popup libraries during temporary closures and other needs, $500,000 for repair and maintenance, $2 million for Kap planning and design, and $25 million each year for lump-sum capital funding. Mallerie Fujitani said the lump-sum funding is needed to keep roughly 50 projects moving and to avoid delays in construction. School Facilities Authority Executive Director Ricky Fujitani explained the agency’s startup history and its programs for preschools, Central Maui schools, and workforce housing. He said the authority is using standardized, prefabricated, programmatic approaches to speed delivery and improve maintainability, citing prior preschool renovations as a successful model. He reported that of $389 million appropriated, $106 million was released, with $81 million for preschools, $20 million for Central Maui schools, and $5 million for workforce housing; he also noted the workforce housing program was reduced after Maui fire-related reallocations. He said the pilot workforce housing site at Mililani High School has been awarded and pointed to University of Hawaiʻi student housing projects as a model. Superintendent Hayashi then began the Department of Education presentation, introducing DOE leadership and outlining the department’s mission to support academic achievement, character development, and student well-being. He noted the department serves more than 152,000 students in 258 public schools and employs over 42,000 people, with nearly 54% of students facing significant challenges. He framed the budget request around the department’s strategic plan to prepare graduates for college, careers, or military service. The transcript ends during the DOE presentation, before any committee votes or formal actions are taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's no space if you break down. There's no space for safe merging and weaving.
• So you just create space for folks to get on and off.
• Did we consider using the light rail space?
• You would still need to build the sort of facilities to get up to that space and use that space even
• Would they be saying you don't need more space?

Summary: The committee first received an informational update on the Interstate Bridge Replacement Project from Carly Francis and Travis Brower. They described the project’s purpose as improving seismic resilience, safety, freight movement, transit, and bicycle/pedestrian access across the Columbia River, and said the updated cost estimate is $13.2 billion to $14.4 billion for the full corridor. They explained the increase from the 2022 estimate as driven by construction inflation, a more conservative inflation curve, schedule delays, more detailed engineering, and risk modeling. They also outlined the funding plan, including $2.1 billion in federal funds, $1 billion each from Oregon and Washington, and $1.5 billion in projected toll revenue, and said they are working to obligate federal funds by the end of September. The panel described a first funded phase that would include the bridge, highway connections, tolling infrastructure, bridge removal, and transit design, with light rail to Vancouver still intended but dependent on additional funding. Members questioned the risk of losing federal transit funds, whether bridge design decisions were being made with legislative input, and whether the space reserved for light rail could be used for buses if transit funding does not materialize. The committee then heard testimony on maintaining Oregon’s existing roads and bridges from representatives of Knife River, the Asphalt Pavement Association of Oregon, and CRH. Witnesses said pavement and bridge preservation is severely underfunded, with ODOT needing about $400 million per year for pavement preservation but receiving roughly $100 million annually. They showed examples of deteriorating highways such as U.S. 97 and I-84 and argued that delaying maintenance leads to much higher reconstruction costs, more safety risks, and higher user costs. Knife River described layoffs and reduced work in Oregon because of limited preservation funding, while witnesses also said rising wages, equipment costs, fuel, and permitting delays are increasing project costs. Committee members asked about the role of prevailing wage, diesel equipment, hauling distances, and whether preservation work could be prioritized more effectively. Finally, economist Joe Cortright presented on recent ODOT megaproject cost overruns. He said Oregon has experienced persistent overruns driven by overly optimistic revenue forecasts, heavy reliance on debt, consultant costs, inflation above forecast, and projects that have become much larger in scope than originally presented. He cited major increases in the Interstate Bridge, Rose Quarter, and Abernathy Bridge projects and argued that some designs are far wider and more expensive than necessary. Cortright said better accountability, clearer priorities, and more disciplined project sizing are needed, and committee members pressed him on why agencies proceed with larger designs even when consultants recommend narrower, less expensive alternatives.

Transcript Highlights:

• How do we have innovation in this space?
• The Carr Fire of 2018 caused me to enter the concrete 3D printing space.
• The car fire of 2018 caused me to enter the concrete 3D printing space.
• And I wanted to make space because I had a great history at Ottawa and I wanted to make space for those
• And I wanted to make space because I had a great history at Ottawa and I wanted to make space for those

Summary: The Select Committee on Housing Construction Innovation met to examine how industrialized construction, including modular, panelized, manufactured, and 3D-printed building methods, could help lower California’s housing costs and speed delivery. Chair Buffy Wicks opened by describing the committee’s purpose as a cross-cutting effort to address construction costs, drawing on visits to factories in Sweden, Idaho, and Indiana. Members from both the committee and invited participants broadly agreed that California’s housing crisis is driven not only by land use and permitting, but also by high construction costs, labor shortages, and a lack of scalable innovation. Ben Metcalf of UC Berkeley’s Turner Center provided the main policy overview, saying California needs roughly 2.5 million additional homes by 2030 and that multifamily construction costs in the state can be far higher than in Texas or Colorado. He said factory-built housing can reduce hard costs and timelines under the right conditions, but barriers remain in financing, local code and design review, uncertain demand pipelines, and fragmented research and data. In response to committee questions, he discussed possible state actions such as pro-housing incentives, state-backed purchasing or subsidies, more standardized approvals, and better research infrastructure. Members also raised the need to involve labor and building trades in the process. A panel of developers and builders then described projects and cost savings from factory-built and related methods. Caleb Rupp of Pacific Companies said modular construction can save about 20% on average and cited a project where modular delivery reduced the need for public subsidy by $18 million; he suggested incentives such as tax exemptions, state-owned sites, third-party inspections, and limits on local code variation. Lois Kim of Mutual Housing California described a pipeline of more than 660 units across six jurisdictions, saying a predictable factory pipeline can reduce construction time by about 40% and total development costs by at least 10%. Danny Haber of O’WOW said standardized design, componentized construction, and mass timber can cut costs substantially, while also criticizing outdated codes, utility hookup fees, and financing costs. Donna Jamian of Emergent Construction described California’s first code-approved 3D concrete printing projects, including homes in Redding and work on a commercial building and fire-recovery projects in Altadena. She said current codes have not caught up to the technology and asked for participation in local self-certification programs. Committee members asked about the role of state incentives, code alignment, financing support, and how to build developer confidence after failures like Katerra. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational and ended with plans for further hearings and a forthcoming white paper with policy recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Fagan of the Irish Pub Company, the two-story, 150-year-old space reflects Savannah's rich Hibernian
• The food, culture, and atmosphere make it a cherished spot for business launches, family dinners, and
• Fagan of the Irish Pub Company, the two-story, 150-year-old space reflects Savannah's rich Hibernian
• The food, culture, and atmosphere may make it a cherished spot for business launches, family dinners,
• cherished spot for businesses for it a cherished spot for businesses for business<00:40:04.440><c> launches

Transcript Highlights:

• And so our question is, at what point is it that we can launch a drone?
• :58.880><c> If</c><00:08:59.120><c> you</c><00:08:59.279><c> are</c><00:08:59.440><c> the</c> can launch
• If you are the can launch a drone?
• :22.880><c> person</c><00:10:23.200><c> flees</c><00:10:23.680><c> and</c><00:10:23.839><c> a</c> launch
• that uh if the person flees and a launch that uh if the person flees and a lot<00:10:24.079><c> of</

Transcript Highlights:

• programs Idaho offers to help students and families make post-secondary education affordable, such as Launch
• , Advanced Opportunities, Idaho LAUNCH, and the Opportunity Scholarships.
• Again, I think programs like Launch and Opportunities, the other things that the state of Idaho does

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• But my belief system with tangible results and said a few examples of an example includes the launch
• stakeholder advocacy that prioritize making APD's application for services available online, which launched
• Our approach was direct before we launched an online application.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Jones, please mind her personal space. Senator Grove. Thank you, Mr. President.
• that my colleague from Santee, the minority leader, did not adhere to your advice to stay out of my space
• those loopholes by requiring a full 180-day notice before approval, ensuring hearings are properly spaced
• AB 2075 clarifies fire safety standards during open space operations and ensures companies performing
• In 2017, the California Workforce Development Board launched the High Road Training Partnership Initiative

Transcript Highlights:

• We're competing for hearing space all the time, so I really do run a tight meeting.
• The bill before you recognizes medical health and fitness facilities and launches a pilot program that
• Our cemeteries are running out of space, especially in urban areas.
• It has been an immense honor to hold a sacred space for clients, witnessing firsthand how these medicines
• It has been an immense honor to hold a sacred space for clients, witnessing firsthand how these medicines

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Health

Summary: The committee hearing covered a wide range of public health bills, with much of the testimony focused on two major themes: expanding access to care and stabilizing health-related workforces and services. On House 2364, an act relative to medical health and fitness facilities, representatives from Dedham Health and Athletic Club argued for a pilot program recognizing supervised exercise as medicine, saying it could improve outcomes for chronic disease, fall prevention, and mental health while reducing costs. On House/Senate bills concerning community health workers (H. 359/S. 251), multiple witnesses from MACHW, Health Care for All, MHA, Cambridge Health Alliance, Mass General Brigham, Boston Children’s Hospital, Asian Women for Health, and the City of Somerville described CHWs as essential for navigation, trust-building, language access, and addressing social needs, and urged reimbursement by MassHealth, the GIC, and private insurers, along with workforce development measures. One pediatric neurologist also told the committee that losing grant-funded CHW support led to more avoidable ER visits and threatened clinic operations. The committee also heard extensive testimony on hospital closures and essential services. Witnesses including Dr. Alan Sager, MNA President Katie Murphy, nurses from Brockton Hospital and Providence Behavioral Health, and local officials and legislators from Norwood described the loss of hospitals and service lines, especially maternity, pediatric, and behavioral health care, and argued current closure processes are too weak to protect communities. They supported bills such as H. 2460/S. 1503 and H. 2534/S. 1574, which would require earlier notice, community input, stronger state oversight, possible receivership, and limits on reopening or expanding after closures. Testimony emphasized the impact of Steward’s bankruptcy, the closures of Carney and Neshoba Valley, and the need to preserve access to essential services in underserved areas. Several end-of-life and professional regulation bills were also discussed. On H. 2436, Representative Omar Gomez and funeral industry witnesses supported eliminating Office of the Chief Medical Examiner fees for the removal of a child’s body in cases involving children five and under, describing the bill as a small but important relief for grieving families. On H. 2444 and related Senate bills, cemetery and consumer advocates supported legalizing alkaline hydrolysis and natural organic reduction as environmentally friendly after-death options, while cemetery representatives opposed H. 2360, which would allow funeral establishments to operate crematories, arguing cemeteries should retain that role. The committee also heard support for H. 2382, which would exempt dentists and oral surgeons from a new office-based surgical center framework, and for H. 2461, which would create hospital efficiency standards; employers and retailers backed that bill as a way to address rising health care costs. Finally, the committee heard testimony on autism services and hospital governance. On S. 1414, behavior analysts and school representatives said Massachusetts already licenses assistant-level ABA providers but MassHealth does not reimburse them, causing long waitlists and limiting school and family access; an actuary testified that a three-tier ABA reimbursement model could reduce MassHealth costs by up to 6% per child served. Senator Lovely also testified in support of S. 1572, which would require at least one registered nurse on each acute care hospital governing board, arguing nurses’ frontline perspective would improve quality and retention. No votes were taken in the hearing excerpt, but many witnesses urged favorable reports on their respective bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Digital Equity Program must provide space for recording and broadcasting.
• There would be the opportunity to physically co-locate this in spaces that have multiple security domains
• We have the ability to launch alerts statewide through FEMA's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System
• We do a lot of cost share, like I mentioned, for defensible space and home hardening.
• But for the most part, allowing gaps, making sure that you have that space that doesn't allow for it

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on House Bill 2579, which would create a Public Media Broadcaster Program and a Digital Equity Program funded by a 20-cent-per-line monthly tax on wireless, prepaid wireless, VoIP, and landline service. Staff explained that 80% of the revenue would support public media grants, 20% would support digital equity grants, and a small share could be used for administration. The prime sponsor, Rep. Chris Stearns, and many public media, community media, and digital equity supporters testified that public radio and television provide emergency alerts, local news, education, training, and community connection, especially in rural and underserved areas, and that federal funding cuts have made state support more urgent. Several witnesses described how public media helped with emergency communications, youth training, Indigenous programming, and access to local information. Opposition came from CTIA and Washington Citizens Against Unfair Taxes. CTIA argued the tax would add to already high wireless taxes in Washington and would be regressive because low-income residents rely heavily on wireless service. Washington Citizens Against Unfair Taxes objected to the bill as another tax increase and said it would worsen affordability. One supporter said an amendment would be offered to address a misunderstanding in the fiscal note. No vote was taken on the bill during the hearing. The committee then received a cybersecurity and critical infrastructure briefing from state emergency management and cybersecurity officials. They described Washington’s layered cybersecurity model, the role of state agencies, the Fusion Center, WOTEC, the National Guard, and the Emergency Management Division, and the growing threat from ransomware, supply-chain attacks, and AI-enabled attacks. Members asked about volunteer cyber response capacity, the most vulnerable sectors, and whether the legislature should fund more real-time threat monitoring and intelligence sharing. Officials said the state is working to establish a volunteer cyber incident response team and that the main gap is real-time monitoring across participating local and private networks. The committee also heard updates on the December 2025 flooding response and wildfire resilience. Emergency management officials reported widespread flooding, landslides, power outages, evacuations, rescues, and infrastructure damage, but said mitigation investments helped prevent worse outcomes. They identified gaps in statewide alerting, search and rescue coordination, and local emergency management capacity, and said a statewide alert system like Oregon’s would require ongoing funding. In the wildfire update, DNR and partner agencies described increasing wildfire risk, the use of aircraft, AI-enabled detection cameras, and common operating pictures, and ongoing work on hazard and risk mapping, community wildfire preparedness, and home hardening. Members asked about predictive technology, sediment removal, and other mitigation tools, and officials said they are working with universities and federal partners to improve prevention and response.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our research was really launched.
• eliminate fraudulent, unlicensed activity while working with good operators in the behavioral health space
• want to go through a few comments that I've gotten from a lot of my clients and operators in this space
• And all of us can agree that unlicensed and fraudulent activity in the behavioral health space has had
• And all of us can agree that unlicensed and fraudulent activity in the behavioral health space has had

Committee: Senate Senate Health and Human Services COR

Summary: The committee continued its fourth hearing on fraud, waste, and abuse involving Arizona’s Medicaid and behavioral health systems, with a major focus on Access/ALTCS eligibility, behavioral health licensing, and payment delays. Senator Shamp presented findings alleging large gaps in ABD Medicaid asset verification, including that only a portion of enrollees were checked and that many with substantial liquid assets remained on the program. She argued the state’s waiver and lack of asset limits created a compliance and fiscal risk, and urged referrals to law enforcement, tighter verification, and broader reforms. Heather Dukes, representing behavioral health and sober living operators, testified that ADHS and Access have become overly punitive toward licensed providers, often sending technical paperwork violations straight to enforcement instead of allowing correction plans, and that zoning and licensing delays are harming legitimate businesses. Reva Stewart testified that patient brokering and fraudulent recruitment of vulnerable people into behavioral health and sober living settings remain ongoing, especially through social media, and called for stronger accountability and enforcement against bad actors. ADHS Deputy Assistant Director Tiffany Slater said the department has received more than a thousand complaints about unlicensed sober living operations, which has diverted staff from routine oversight of licensed facilities. She said ADHS has expanded enforcement tools for sober living homes, is using a new licensing system to flag repeat bad actors, and is trying to make the application process easier, while acknowledging that inspections can tip off unlicensed operators. Access Director Virginia Roundtree described steps the agency has taken since the prior hearing, including daily staff huddles, live dashboards, added project management support, an external claims vendor, and an independent review of the Division of Fee-for-Service Management. She said Access is trying to balance fraud prevention with support for legitimate providers, and committed to follow up on a specific provider payment dispute by early the next week. Committee members repeatedly pressed Access and ADHS on delayed claims processing, prepayment review, and whether the current system is driving providers out of business. Roundtable testimony from Access staff described the new Provider Resolution Roundtables, which are intended to work with a small number of providers facing the most claims and authorization problems. Members questioned why claims are being denied or held for long periods, why some providers are still waiting on payments from 2023 and 2024, and whether the agency’s actions are sustainable. Access also explained the Targeted Investment Program, saying it is a federally approved Medicaid initiative with large dollar amounts still being paid out on a delayed schedule, and agreed to provide more information on provider participation and payment timing. No formal votes or committee actions were taken in the portion provided, but the chair indicated the committee would continue reviewing the issue and requested additional reports and follow-up information from Access and ADHS.

Transcript Highlights:

• with an aging location, and we've got to redo sidewalks, walkways, crosswalks, and proper parking spaces
• We've grown considerably in getting the right faces and spaces, and the funding necessary to maximize
• When we see people unable to access SNAP or having some type of hindrance in that space where they have
• This ALICE data has stepped into a space where we really have local data rather than related to the state
• You know, that's what I did, and there are PCBs and things like that out there in the launch control

Transcript Highlights:

• How do we have innovation in this space?
• The car fire of 2018 caused me to enter the concrete 3D printing space.
• And I wanted to make space because I had a great history at Ottawa and I wanted to make space for those
• And I wanted to make space because I had a great history at Ottawa and I wanted to make space for those
• How do we innovate in this space? Because something's still not working.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Arreguín mentioned you've been working in this space for a while.
• Good afternoon, Tasha Newman, on behalf of Peninsula Open Space Trust and the Santa Clara Valley Open
• Space Authority, in support.
• There's a huge reservoir on one side of Highway 17, and there's redwoods and open space on the other
• And there's a project there that was being worked on for years by open space authority folks who have

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• So, I'm just wanting to bring you folks to the space, yeah? That's what it's all about.
• </c><01:29:38.640><c> That's</c><01:29:38.840><c> what</c> folks to the space, yeah?
• That's what folks to the space, yeah?
• </c> of usable public space. of usable public space.
• Thank you. space. The proposed site's 283 acres. space. The proposed site's 283 acres.

Bills: HB2459 , HB1616 , HB1799 , HB1604 , HB1732 , HB1736 , HB1931 , HB772 , HB2153 , HB2122 , HB2009 , HB2012 , HB1779 , HB2296 , HB2397 , HB2398 , HB1596 , HB2233 , HB1976 , HB1563 , HB815 , HB1655 , HB1851 , HB1941 , HB2037 , HB1635 , HB2201 , HB1943 , HB1163 , HB2452 , HB2429 , HB2148 , HB2306 , HB2007 , HB2049 , HB2616

Committee: House Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• So there is a lot we're already doing in the space to try to remove barriers.
• </c><02:27:21.600><c> to</c><02:27:21.840><c> think</c> in a headsp space to think in a headsp space
• And when they started to launch into adulthood, they obtained full-time employment at a local nursing
• ,</c><02:57:49.920><c> they</c><02:57:50.240><c> obtained</c> to launch into adulthood, they obtained
• So, as this person was starting to launch into adulthood in a time when it was critical to have these

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services