Transcript Highlights:

• And that is the rapid evolution of some of the most powerful technology every.
• That is powerful.
• So thank you for your powerful words. With that, I need a motion and a second. Second. Second.
• Their experiences serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of identifying fentanyl-related risks
• Thank you for your advocacy and your powerful story. I'm so sorry for your loss.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• 07:58.639> the<00:07:59.120> intent<00:07:59.520> of<00:07:59.680> the sources
• are seen as um the intent of the sources are seen as um the intent of the state<00:08:00.080> of<
• And then I add and distributed energy sources and storage capacities.
• And then I add and distributed<00:10:25.040> energy<00:10:25.440> sources<00:10:25.839>
• and<00:10:26.200> storage distributed energy sources and storage distributed energy sources

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• into Minnesota so I'm that Imports power into Minnesota so I'm familiar<00:31:35.639> with<00
• So we just look at the power plants from which the power is coming from and make those calculations,
• We look at the generation sources and make calculations from there.
• So we just look at the power plants from which the power is coming from and make those calculations,
• will be needed providing sources will be needed providing additional<01:26:50.280> mitigation

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• A guardian is a court-appointed individual, person, or entity that has the duty and the power to make
• They are the second referral source to guardianship. The first is family.
• <00:40:46.400> uh They are the second referral sources uh They are the second referral sources
• Whoever that referral source is to tell us that information.
• information from a variety of sources information from a variety of sources which<01:03:39.200><

Keywords: 1. Call to Order and Roll Call – 00:00:24 2. Discussion of The Center for Courageous Kids – 00:02:46 3. Discussion of Adult Protective Services and State Guardianship Programs – 00:25:22 4. Discussion of Annual Report of the External Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Panel – 01:00:34 5. Consideration of Referred Administrative Regulations – 01:33:41 6. Adjournment – 01:42:07, 958, all

Summary: The committee’s first interim meeting opened with roll call and a reminder that Kentucky had 8,641 children in out-of-home care with active placements as of June 1, 2025. The first presentation was from the Center for Courageous Kids (CCK), a donor-funded camp in Scottsville that serves children with lifelong illnesses and disabilities at no charge. Representatives described the camp’s history, its year-round family retreats and summer sessions, its medical and accessibility supports, and its impact on campers’ confidence and independence. They said CCK has served more than 43,000 campers from 46 states and 13 countries, including 22,000 from Kentucky, and noted plans to reach all 120 Kentucky counties. CCK also outlined future capital needs: a new art barn and a medical lodge. The organization said the art barn project would cost $2.5 million, with a legislative request of $1.5 million, and the medical lodge would cost $2.875 million, with a legislative request of $1.75 million. Members responded very positively, with several praising the camp’s work and one member asking about operational challenges. CCK said its main challenges are awareness, staff and volunteer recruitment, and expanding medical and housing capacity; it also said it is accredited by the American Camp Association and receives health and safety visits and audits. The committee then moved to a presentation on adult protective services and state guardianship programs from Jessica Wayne and Cliff Bryant of DCBS. They explained the legal framework for guardianship, the difference between full and limited guardianship/conservatorship, emergency appointments, and the state’s role as a last-resort guardian when no family member or private entity is available. They reported 4,464 individuals under state guardianship as of June 1, with most cases involving dementia, developmental disability, intellectual disability, nursing home or long-term care placement, severe mental illness, or brain injury. They also said the division has 89 field workers across 14 regional offices, with an average caseload of 52 and a goal of reducing that into the mid-40s through additional hiring.

Transcript Highlights:

• So they hire consultants to develop alternative income sources. That's what they did to us.
• They are all seeking what all of us want: a more sustainable water source and a compliant utility.
• water, with groundwater being the primary source. the source of water for most growth in the county.
• So, y'all are working on a source. Is it going to be Tarrant Regional? Who's going to help?
• Two sources: Tarrant Regional and another.

Bills: SB1169, SB1285, SB1583, SB1611, SB1898, SB1976, SB2160, SB2161, SB2658, SB2661, SB2662, SB2692, SB1055, SB1359, SB2660

Keywords: water service, sewer service, public utility, joint operation, infrastructure, municipality, compliance, SB 1285, bats, bat protection, wildlife protection, Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, Parks and Wildlife Code Section 63.101, hunting bats, bat possession, bat sales, bat trade, pest control, licensed pest control professional, animal control officer

Transcript Highlights:

• So instead of that, you can say, "I love this program, but I'm concerned that there's no funding source
• <00:04:48.520> and<00:04:48.640> I that there's no funding source and I that there's
• no funding source and I can't<00:04:49.000> support<00:04:49.400> it<00:04:49.560>
• of psychedelic medicine from natural sources.
• sources. So please welcome our guests sources.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House opened with a devotional by former member Jason Lorber, who spoke humorously about the difference between asking questions and making statements, urging members to be direct and add value in deliberation. The chamber then took up several resolutions: JRH 11, urging Congress to enact the National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025, was read and referred to the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development; JRS 51, setting weekend adjournment for May 1, 2026, was adopted in concurrence; and H.C.R. 261 was read, recognizing May 2026 as Older Americans Month and designating May 6, 2026 as Age Strong Vermont Day. Members also used announcements to welcome guests and highlight events, including the Age Strong Vermont initiative, a former member’s return, visitors connected to psychedelic medicine advocacy, an art social, fisheries and trout-in-the-classroom guests, a legislative intern, and a reminder about the May 16 NAMI walk. The House then took up Senate Bill 230, an omnibus labor measure relating to fair employment practices. The committee explanation described technical clarifications to parental and family leave for full-time teachers, expansion of protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, removal of outdated statutory language on mandatory retirement for tenured faculty, and clarification that elected and appointed municipal officers are not employees for minimum wage and overtime purposes. The main new policy in section 3B would prohibit non-compete agreements for non-exempt employees, with an exception for collective bargaining agreements, and would restrict certain non-compete and related clauses in health care provider contracts while preserving continuity of care and excluding non-clinical business support services. The committee reported extensive testimony and voted 11-0-0 to recommend the bill favorably with amendment; the House agreed to propose the amendment to the Senate and ordered third reading. The House also began consideration of Senate Bill 179, updating Vermont’s Uniform Disclaimer of Property Interests Act. The committee presentation explained that the bill would eliminate the current 9-month deadline for disclaimers, reflecting changes in federal tax law and the much larger modern estate and gift tax exclusion, and would modernize the statute in several ways. Proposed changes include clearer rules for jointly held property, allowing pre-death disclaimers, authorizing trustees and parents in limited circumstances to disclaim on behalf of trusts or minor children, permitting disclaimers by proxy for infirm persons, clarifying partial disclaimers and entity disclaimers, improving delivery rules for non-real-estate property, and specifying that a disclaimer is not a transfer for transfer-tax purposes. The bill was described as a response to outdated law in light of an impending large intergenerational wealth transfer, and the House proceeded with second reading discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• Let's give our state all the power and all the flexibility to negotiate in a position of power so that
• , powerful, powerful, but<01:26:18.719> I<01:26:18.880> mean<01:26:19.040> you<01
• from the federal sovereign power from the federal sovereign power as<01:38:00.719> an<01:
• of too much federal power of too much federal power and<01:38:38.320> an<01:38:38.560>
• There's an imbalance in the power. It's increased.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Those are things that are within the state's powers to control.
• <00:13:29.519> And the the state's powers to control.
• And the the state's powers to control.
• They may u seek that directly from<00:20:12.960> other<00:20:13.200> sources from other
• sources from other sources um um um for<00:20:17.120> both<00:20:17.760> fulfillment<00

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We switched the revenue source away from the Tobacco Settlement Program Fund to the general fund, and
• are some of the concerns, I think you all were just— they’re trying to wean away from this revenue source
• The reason I bring that up is because one of the revenue sources they're looking at...
• In this state, you all acted to use another revenue source, the Health Care Affordability Fund, which
• No worries, I just always provide a bit more for your reference in the back with source materials.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill before the committee offers a simple but powerful way to improve open government and public
• how you can think about that answer any questions you might have I've done a lot of work with open source
• So there's a massive amount of public and open source and free software available to do these kind of
• I'm here to offer the support of the open source ecosystem and open source people who are eager to help
• Presumably most of that, if not all of it, is from public sources.

Bills: HB 111, HB1545, HB2145, HB2467, HB2520, HB4136, HB4181, HB4214, HB4218, HB4219, HB4359, HB4437, HB4822, HB111

Keywords: Texas Public Information Act, open records, public records, government transparency, confidentiality, attorney-client privilege, governmental body, Chapter 552, public information law, nonprofit association, quasi-governmental entity, economic development, trade secrets, proprietary information, commercial financial information, Alamo restoration, local workforce board, TDCJ contract facility, civil commitment facility, water supply corporation

Transcript Highlights:

• For this group of people, we have pursued the use of administrative data sources that are external to
• We are looking to maximize the use of all the data sources to confirm eligibility without burdening our
• So that gives them another place to kind of proactively look up that income source and proceed without
• What makes this investment so powerful is that it prevents violence before it happens.
• What makes this investment so powerful is that it prevents violence before it happens.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and they connect with us. to be powerful and they connect with us.
• In the House of Representatives is the SCORE Act, supported by many of the Power Four.
• conferences being able to be powerful conferences being able to be powerful and<01:05:40.720>
• <01:09:45.520> Is had some uh sources of revenue there.
• Is had some uh sources of revenue there.

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call- 00:00:01 Approve Minutes from June 11, 2026- 00:00:40 Staff Report on 2026 Child Fatality Panel Update- 00:01:17 Panel Staff Response to Report-00:21:12 University of Kentucky Name, Image, and Likeness-00:44:34 Kentucky State Police Update on SERVS-01:17:55 Adjornment-01:33:05, 958, all

Summary: The committee first established a quorum and approved the minutes from the previous meeting. Members then received a staff report on the Kentucky Child Fatality and Near Fatality External Review Panel, including an annual LOIC evaluation of the panel’s operations, statutory compliance, case management system development, member experience, and written procedures. The report noted recent House Bill 778 expanded the panel’s access to records and to TWIST/I-TWIST, and recommended that staff request access and training promptly to avoid implementation problems. Analysts reported the panel has met statutory membership and meeting requirements, and that agency responses to the panel’s 2025 recommendations improved, with all responses meeting statutory content requirements though some were late. They also said the panel still lacks formal written procedures, so a prior recommendation was reissued. The report discussed the panel’s new case management system, now in testing with the Commonwealth Office of Technology, and a survey of panel members showing generally positive views of meetings and case discussions but recurring concerns about SharePoint access, time demands, virtual meetings, and the panel’s lack of enforcement authority. The report included a matter for legislative consideration suggesting the General Assembly may wish to seek additional testimony from agencies when responses are unclear or more information is needed. Panel staff responded that the work is difficult but important, said they are optimistic about gaining TWIST access, and acknowledged that written procedures have not yet been completed because they wanted to align them with the new system. They said both the system and procedures are hoped to be finished by the end of the year, with the new case management system expected to be implemented by September 1 after further testing and migration. Members also discussed trends in child fatality and near-fatality cases, including increases in reported cases since 2013, substance abuse, safe storage of firearms, and concerns about THC/CBD gummies reaching children. No formal votes were taken beyond approval of the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Several sources online that showed how... Do you know the sources? Just I wanted to check.
• They are about money and power.
• This power and responsibility belongs to parents and not to the state.
• there's nothing standing between him and absolute power over our lives.
• Many families using religious exemptions are not wealthy or powerful.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Health held a hearing on several vaccination-related bills, including proposals to eliminate non-medical or religious exemptions for school immunizations (notably H. 2554 and S. 1557), a bill to require or improve reporting and administration of immunization data and exemptions (described as the Community Immunity Act, S. 1618), and H. 2431, which would prohibit COVID-19, mRNA, or gene-altering vaccine requirements. The committee also heard testimony on H. 2463, which would classify funeral directors as public health workers for vaccine-priority purposes during emergencies. The chair reviewed testimony rules and repeatedly asked speakers to keep comments orderly and brief so the committee could hear as many people as possible. No votes were taken during the hearing. Testimony on H. 2554 and S. 1557 was sharply divided. Pediatricians, infectious disease specialists, public health advocates, and groups such as the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Massachusetts Medical Society, March of Dimes, Massachusetts Families for Vaccines, and several parents supported eliminating religious exemptions, arguing that vaccination protects medically vulnerable children and adults, improves herd immunity, and helps prevent outbreaks of measles, pertussis, and other diseases. They cited local school data showing pockets of lower coverage and incomplete reporting, and several speakers referenced outbreaks in other states and the need for stronger, more consistent reporting and exemption management. Opponents argued the bills would infringe on religious freedom and parental rights, force families to choose between faith and education, and unfairly target a small number of families; some also said Massachusetts already has high vaccination rates and that the real issue is incomplete data or the gap population rather than religious exemptions. H. 2431 drew testimony from supporters who said COVID-era mandates caused job losses, privacy concerns, and harm, and that the bill would prevent future requirements for COVID, mRNA, or gene-altering vaccines in schools, workplaces, and public settings. Supporters described personal experiences with alleged vaccine injury or mandate-related hardship. H. 2463 was supported by the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association, which argued funeral directors work in infection-facing settings and should be eligible for vaccine priority during public health emergencies. The hearing featured extensive public testimony but no committee action beyond hearing the bills and taking questions from members.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is being covered by local sources most of the time.
• So, we're really excited about that opportunity so that we don't continue to pull from local sources,
• building how essential art can be to teach our cultural heritage, our history, and how arts can be a powerful
• Yes, we're still talking about APA, but in a good sense, we have seen how powerful the 10 million standalone
• So the power of public art to drive cultural economic opportunity, but then also brand Oklahoma with

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Those are the four that you have rolled together. power lines underground in order to power lines underground
• It's funded from two sources: from the 2024-26 maintenance pool in the amount of $1,549,200 and the 2022
• At one point, a representative asked that we provide all of the sources that were going to be utilized
• He worked for an underwriter and wanted to identify any conflicts with the sources.
• Nonetheless, in the description of the total project cost, we provide every single source and the max

Keywords: 0:00:08 Call to Order and Roll Call 0:00:38 Approval of Minutes 0:01:02 Information Items 0:02:17 Lease Rpt from Postsecondary Institutions 0:06:42 Project Rpt from Finance and Administration Cabinet 0:15:03 Lease Rpt from Finance and Administration Cabinet 0:24:00 Rpt from OFM – KY Infrastructure Authority 0:42:55 Economic Development Fund Grants 0:53:38 Rpt from OFM – New Debt Issues 1:16:33 Remaining 2025 Meeting Dates 1:16:45 Adjournment, 958, all

Summary: The committee first handled routine business, including roll call, approval of the July minutes, and several informational reports. Those reports included a University of Kentucky restricted-fund medical equipment purchase for Chandler Hospital, debt issues for five school districts, Eastern Kentucky University’s planned model laboratory school using construction management risk delivery, a Division of Real Properties lease advertisement, Kentucky Communications Network Authority quarterly project reports, and EKU asset preservation revisions. Members then heard and approved a new UK St. Clair Urgent Care Clinic lease in Morehead and an amendment expanding space for the UK Family and Community Medicine Clinic at Turflin Clinic. Testimony explained that both properties are privately owned, the Morehead lease predated the UK/St. Clair arrangement, and the Turflin Clinic is tight on space. The committee also approved three new projects and an appropriation increase: two Department of Military Affairs projects, a Window Ford Training Center underground electric project and a Williamsburg Readiness Center interior repair project, a Fish and Wildlife property acquisition adjoining Veterans Memorial Wildlife Management Area, and an $8.113 million increase for the Department of Revenue integrated tax system (DORIS). The DORIS increase was described as needed for change orders tied to legislation and to complete the unified tax system. The committee next reviewed no-action items, including a $3 million emergency flood-damage repair project for the Bush Building and Vest-Lindsay House in Frankfort, and three pool projects over $1 million: a Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women window replacement phase 2 project, a Department of Criminal Justice Training interior refurbishment at Thompson Hall, and the Muddy Gut Branch stream mitigation project in Johnson County. The flood project was confirmed to be fully reimbursed by insurance proceeds. Finally, the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority presented six loans and nine grants. Action items included water and sewer financing for Cumberland County, Lebanon, Northern Kentucky Water District, Lewisport, and Providence, plus a major Taylor Mill treatment plant project and several cleaner water grants and reallocations. Members asked about loan rates, local rate increases needed to repay debt, and the Providence emergency water interconnect; staff explained that Lewisport had begun a rate increase process, and that the Providence project would connect Webster County Water District and the city of Providence to stabilize pressure after a systemwide failure. All action items were approved.

Transcript Highlights:

• You waited to receive grant money from some third-party source.
• I think the power was out everywhere by now.
• I brought them a 3,000-pound water trough and a power washer.
• We've talked about those, atmospheric sources, local sources, private sector sources, mesonets.
• And that's what makes FIRST so powerful.

Summary: The joint Senate and House disaster preparedness hearing convened in Kerrville with quorum, public testimony limited to three minutes and invited testimony to 10 minutes. Leaders from both chambers, along with the lieutenant governor and speaker, framed the hearing as an unprecedented joint effort focused on learning from the July 4 flood, honoring victims, and identifying actions to reduce future loss of life. The committee also heard opening remarks about decorum, logistics, and the intent to continue work in future sessions. The first panel included Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, Sheriff Larry Leitha, Emergency Management Coordinator William B. Thomas IV, Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr., Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice, Upper Guadalupe River Authority representative William Rector, Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk, and Real County Judge Bella Rubio. They described the flood as sudden and catastrophic, with Kerr County reporting 108 deaths and two missing. Local officials emphasized that they received no timely warning of the scale of the event, that responders and volunteers acted heroically under extreme conditions, and that communications, cell coverage, and rural emergency resources were strained. Several witnesses said the county’s existing alert systems were limited by geography, sparse broadband, and the speed of the flood. Testimony focused on possible improvements, including real-time flood gauges and predictive monitoring, stronger rural emergency management staffing and training, better interoperability and alerting tools such as IPAWS, CodeRED, WENS, and sirens, and expanded broadband and radio coverage. Kerrville asked for a flood warning system before next summer and state help for stormwater, floodplain, and disaster recovery funding. UGRA described its past and current flood-warning and mitigation efforts, including gauge funding, a new software-based flood prediction project, and consideration of additional retention dams. Kendall and Real counties highlighted successful or needed alerting and evacuation practices, while also stressing the difficulty of funding and maintaining such systems in small rural counties. Members asked detailed questions about the timeline of the flood response, low-water crossings, communications failures, sirens, bridges, and whether regional consolidation or additional infrastructure could improve future preparedness.

Transcript Highlights:

• are supposed to base our rules<00:36:43.680> upon<00:36:44.680> the<00:36:44.800> source
• <00:36:45.079> of<00:36:45.240> my<00:36:45.400> reservations rules upon the source
• of my reservations rules upon the source of my reservations Madam<00:36:46.319> speaker<00:36
• fair discussion of the abstract powers fair discussion of the abstract powers of<00:47:08.079>
• of the role of the role of ice powers of the role of the role of ice speaker<00:47:46.119> is

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House convened, completed roll call with 48 members present and three excused, deferred reading of the journal, and received Senate communications noting adoption of House Concurrent Resolutions Nos. 1 and 2. The chamber also recognized several visiting groups and guests, including Congresswoman Jill Tuda, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii participants and students, Okinawan visitors, Farrington High School students, James Campbell High School students, and Waiau High School students, many of whom were introduced in connection with Chamber Week activities and educational presentations. The main business was unfinished business on House Resolutions 6 and 7, which adopted the House rules for the 33rd Legislature, including rules for the Committee on Standards of Conduct. Members generally supported the rules package as a transparency and modernization update, citing earlier public access to testimony, a public list of Speaker appointees, changes to conference committee eligibility, telework for staff, social media guidance, and a public list of bills introduced by request. Several members raised reservations or opposition, focusing on concerns about staff involvement in approving written remarks, budget information timing, the Vice Speaker’s role, social media/free speech issues, and whether some changes reduced public access or conflicted with constitutional open-meeting requirements. No vote on the rules package is recorded in the excerpt. The debate ended with multiple members yielding time and the discussion continuing on the merits of the proposed rule changes, especially the balance between transparency, internal House procedure, and public participation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Because property tax is largely based on the powers and limitations in the Florida Constitution, much
• If we are looking at this seriously, then maybe we look at another type of tax or another revenue source
• local governments more flexibility for other revenue generators, because if you consolidate all the power
• I wanted to urge a moment of caution here as we look around for sources to help patch up the loss of
• particular proposal is its predicate assumption, which is that, well, we have not gotten rid of the source

Summary: The Select Committee on Property Taxes held its first meeting with opening remarks from the co-chairs and ranking member framing the committee’s task as developing property tax legislation for next session. Staff then gave a high-level overview of Florida property taxes, explaining how ad valorem taxes work, the roles of property appraisers, tax collectors, taxing authorities, value adjustment boards, and the Department of Revenue, and reviewing key concepts such as just value, assessed value, exemptions, taxable value, millage rates, homestead exemptions, Save Our Homes, and portability. The presentation also emphasized that property tax law is largely rooted in the Florida Constitution and that local governments choose millage rates, which affects collections. No public comment was taken. The committee then discussed five Speaker-proposed concepts. Proposal 1 would require cities, counties, and special districts to hold a referendum on eliminating property taxes on homestead properties; members raised concerns about local funding, public safety, special districts, renters, and the need for extensive voter education, with some suggesting countywide elections or town halls instead. Proposal 2 would create a new $500,000 homestead exemption for non-school taxes and a $1 million exemption for seniors 65+ or long-term homesteaders; members split between seeing it as meaningful relief for seniors and warning it could devastate local tax bases, especially in lower-value or rural counties, while also potentially trapping older homeowners in place. Proposal 3 would authorize the Legislature to raise homestead exemptions by general law; some liked the flexibility, but others worried about statewide one-size-fits-all impacts, political difficulty in reversing changes, and the need for local revenue replacement. Proposal 4 would change assessment caps for homestead and non-homestead property; several members said it would not provide enough relief and could shift burdens to rental properties and non-homestead owners. Proposal 5, eliminating foreclosure on homestead property for tax liens, drew the strongest opposition, with members saying it would undermine lien priority, mortgage and title systems, and incentives to pay taxes. Throughout the meeting, members repeatedly stressed the need to understand local fiscal impacts, including police, fire, infrastructure, and other services funded by property taxes, and to consider alternative revenue sources or offsets if taxes are reduced. The co-chairs said the committee is still in the information-gathering stage, that all ideas remain on the table, and that members should do “homework” by meeting with local taxing authorities and learning how property taxes are set and spent in their districts. The meeting ended with no votes on the proposals and adjournment after a motion to rise.

Transcript Highlights:

• while there I intern and later worked for on Capitol Hill for United States representative to like a power
• kind of rely on my doctoral expertise in the behavioral sciences to help them do their job better. 10 power
• county commission prior to the consideration to submit an application I serve on the board of Career Source
• Central Florida and I review programs and training for career source and our partners on C College.
• I also served on both the audit Committee and Finance Committee for Career Source Central Florida as

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You can never get information out fast enough, and information is power.
• We are a nonprofit, community-powered wildfire alert system.
• situational awareness, as they let us know they were getting more information from us than their internal sources
• As one fire official has told us, this is his go-to source on and off duty.
• replace anybody—firefighters, law enforcement—but we want to amplify those messages as a redundant source

Summary: The joint informational hearing focused on California’s emergency alert and warning systems, especially in light of recent Southern California wildfires and the January 9 evacuation alert that was mistakenly sent to millions of residents. Opening remarks emphasized the loss of life, the strain on first responders, the importance of timely warnings, and concerns that public trust in alerts has been undermined by delays, confusion, and over-alerting. Members repeatedly raised questions about how to improve speed, accuracy, coordination across jurisdictions, and public understanding of the difference between evacuation warnings and orders. Cal OES staff described the state’s alert and warning framework, including SEMS, the State Warning Center, IPAWS, WEA, and EAS, and said local governments retain primary responsibility for issuing alerts because they know local roads, shelters, and hazards best. They said Cal OES supports local agencies with training, technical assistance, testing, and backup alerting help when requested, and that local alerting authorities must test their systems every 30 days and complete FEMA-required training. Members pressed Cal OES on gaps in smaller or under-resourced jurisdictions, the lack of a statewide unified system, compliance monitoring, redundancy for people without reliable technology, and whether the state should take a more active role. Cal OES said it could assist smaller jurisdictions and step in during emergencies, but that a statewide system would require further analysis and funding. Sheriff Eric Taylor of San Benito County emphasized that local control is essential because counties differ widely in structure, geography, and alerting responsibilities, and he described the challenges of rural areas, limited cell coverage, and multiple platforms such as Nixle, Reverse 911, and social media. Nick Russell of Watch Duty said the nonprofit fills gaps by providing fast, geospatially detailed wildfire information from volunteers and public data, and argued that context and redundancy are critical because official alerts often arrive too late or lack enough detail. Members praised Watch Duty’s usefulness and asked about incorporating similar capabilities into state systems. Public commenters also raised the need for broader redundancy, including earthquake-warning partnerships, and wildfire survivors urged the committee to address the confusing patchwork of alerts and to honor prior compensation commitments to PG&E fire survivors. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational only and adjourned after member questions and public comment.