Transcript Highlights:

• </c> white offenders were charged at a rate white offenders were charged at a rate 1.7<00:15:37.800><
• rate.
• victimization rates facing our Black communities.
• victimization rates facing our Black communities.
• </c> these disproportionate offender rates these disproportionate offender rates will<00:23:57.640><c

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• So if this bill should pass, Washington's new 9.9% rate on the highest earners would yield a top rate
• So if this bill should pass, Washington's new 9.9% rate on the highest earners would yield a top rate
• So the rate schedule was changed last year, so generally speaking, those rates went up.
• But after this, under this bill, those rates will be referred back to the previous rate schedule.
• That rate impact would apply to both state and local, and then whatever the L&I rate impact would be,

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee met on February 6, 2026, and first voted to suspend the five-day notice rule for all bills on the agenda. Senators Braun and Gildon objected, arguing the bill needed more public review and that the fiscal note had only just been released, but a roll call vote passed 15-9 and the committee proceeded to Senate Bill 6346. Staff briefed SB 6346 as a proposal to create a 9.9% income tax on Washington taxable income above a $1 million per-household standard deduction, with a $50,000 charitable deduction, apportionment rules for nonresidents and certain professions, quarterly estimated payments, and credits for capital gains tax and certain business taxes. Staff said the tax would begin in 2029 and eventually raise about $3.5 billion annually from roughly 30,000 taxpayers. The bill also would expand the Working Families Tax Credit, create a sales tax exemption for grooming and hygiene products, increase the small business B&O tax credit and filing threshold, and end the B&O surcharge on high-grossing businesses one year early. Members questioned the bill’s constitutionality, its exemption from referendum, treatment of student athletes, natural-resource industries, and whether real estate gains would be captured. Public testimony was sharply divided. Supporters, including labor groups, educators, health care advocates, counties, child care workers, and some business owners and high-income individuals, said the bill would make the tax code more progressive and provide stable funding for health care, education, child care, public defense, and other services, while expanding the Working Families Tax Credit. Opponents, including many small business, construction, housing, and taxpayer advocates, argued the measure would function as a tax on pass-through businesses and retained earnings, harm housing production and investment, encourage wealthy residents and businesses to leave the state, and violate the state constitution or the will of voters. No final action on SB 6346 was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• and that, you know, instead of really a very small percent death rate, but a high death rate for people
• </c> a 50% death rate a 50% death rate and<00:31:05.440><c> that</c><00:31:06.799><c> you</c><00:31:06.960
• small percent death rate but a high<00:31:15.360><c> death</c><00:31:15.600><c> rate</c><00:31:15.840
• :21:22.159><c> in</c><01:21:22.320><c> New</c> the cancer rates increased in New the cancer rates increased
• </c><01:29:20.400><c> of</c> um that there was the failure rate of um that there was the failure rate

Summary: The New Hampshire House Special Committee on the COVID Response Efficacy met to continue its fact-finding review of the state’s pandemic response, with the chair restating the committee’s mission and focus on federal guidance, federal funding, emergency use authorization vaccination efforts, long COVID, patient rights, and vaccination policies. The chair said the committee had previously reviewed materials about the U.S. Supreme Court declining to hear a COVID vaccine case and CDC internal emails about vaccine risks, and introduced additional research on CDC testing and communications failures. A large portion of the meeting was devoted to summarizing articles and a recent U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report titled *Unmasked: How Biden Health Officials Purposely Turned a Blind Eye Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Signals*. The chair argued that CDC testing and guidance were flawed, citing delayed data publication, confusing guidance, a faulty early COVID test, missed opportunities to study silent spread, and alleged suppression of safety information. The Senate report was described as alleging that FDA and CDC officials knew their surveillance systems could mask vaccine safety signals, that officials discouraged internal analysis from being shared externally, and that newer analytical methods identified multiple statistically significant adverse-event signals. The chair also discussed the V-safe system, VAERS, and claims that federal officials downplayed or concealed adverse-event data. Members and the chair connected these federal issues to New Hampshire, noting changes in the state’s health care landscape since the pandemic, including more urgent care facilities and satellite ERs. The chair suggested New Hampshire should develop independent scientific assessment resources to validate federal information in future emergencies. Representative Wheeler noted that the materials would be entered into the committee record and made available on the House website. No votes were taken; the committee discussed the materials, invited further questions, and indicated that a proposed committee communication would be revisited later after additional supporting information is gathered, with a goal of issuing a statement by the end of June.

Transcript Highlights:

• capital projects to consumers and the impact of the projects on rates.
• And we should all want recidivism rates to be lower. No question about it.
• But the recidivism rates happen after the victimization, right?
• And the bed rate is probably not the increased bed rate that we had before is probably not even half
• And so the one-size-fits-all solution on bed rates probably isn't the right way forward.

Bills: HB2104 , HB1903 , HB1909 , HB1982 , HB2034 , HB2105 , HB2210 , HB2215 , HB2271 , HB2345 , HB2355 , HB2384 , HB2389 , HB2397 , HB2418 , HB2429 , HB2442 , HB2479 , HB2481 , HB2681 , HB2688 , HB2714

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: aviation, wildland fires, funding, disaster relief, emergency response, energy assistance, low-income, utility costs, state program, energy affordability, court unification, task force, Washington courts, judicial administration, court reform, access to justice, local court rules, uniformity, centralization, rural courts

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> it would save rate payers money. it would save rate payers money.
• reduction effect for produces a rate reduction effect for rate<02:15:17.040><c> payers.
• </c> rate payers. rate payers. Changes<02:15:19.240><c> to</c><02:15:19.400><c> empower.
• </c> Rate report transparency provisions. Rate report transparency provisions.
• </c> because of the rates. because of the rates.

Transcript Highlights:

• the right rate.
• We have is taxed at a particular rate.
• revenues, but they will call it a compensating rate and other types of rates.
• </c><01:26:15.120><c> and</c> They may still take certain rates and They may still take certain rates
• </c> they will call it a compensating rate they will call it a compensating rate and<01:26:24.360><c>

Committee: House Appropriations & Revenue

Transcript Highlights:

• , but H.R. 1, for the specific emergency-only program, reduces the match rate to the regular rate, which
• Chandler, a 14% capitation rate increase — is that normal?
• You heard if the payment error rate is above 6%. You're at 9.
• Medicaid, it's a lower threshold, 3% for the Medicaid error rate.
• Of the value, the dollar value of our error rate?

Bills: HB2190 , HB2202 , HB2233 , HB2251 , HB2252 , HB2396 , HB2437 , HB2689 , HB2796

Committees: House Health & Human Services , House House Health & Human Services Committee of Reference

Keywords: physician assistants, licensure compact, medical services, multistate practice, patient care access, healthcare workforce, military families, adverse actions, dementia care, telementoring, healthcare education, rural communities, grant funding, HB 2233, rural health transformation, rural health transformation program, AHCCCS, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, Joint Legislative Budget Committee, JLBC

Transcript Highlights:

• At the rate that we mine between 25 million tons...
• It was around a 3% forced outage rate for both those years.
• And a big part of that is our rate case.
• I saw a rate increase relative... Base rates for all the consumers in the end-use system.
• That's going to impact rates, I believe, 14 or 15% now on the base rate to your consumers versus just

Committee: Joint Energy Development and Transmission Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• That was really where the peak of the market was, as far as rates.
• Prior to August 8th, Hawaiian Electric's credit rating was as high as A minus.
• So, you know, that's why it's so urgent that we get some support to improve the credit rating.
• So, you know, that's why it's so urgent that we get some support to improve the credit rating.
• </c> improve the credit rating. Yeah. improve the credit rating. Yeah.

Committee: House Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• The executive budget produces a 33% reduction in day service rates, dropping the rate from 1081 per unit
• and the rate cuts to the day service.
• The turnover rates are incredibly low, and the rates of abuse and neglect are almost non-existent.
• It is also important to note that the proposed rate reduction is not supported by any formal rate study
• for SDSPA and medical PA rates.

Committee: House Budget

Summary: The committee first heard the State Auditor’s fiscal year 2027 budget request. Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick described rebuilding the office after staffing had fallen to a historic low, explaining that the office has grown from 92.5 to 119 FTE but still needs several years to reach full staffing, especially at the manager level. He said most of the budget is payroll, noted the office’s use of lapsing general revenue while staffing is rebuilt, and outlined requests including core operating funds, a small sports betting audit NDI, and a $290,000 increase to the CPA stipend to address recruitment and retention problems. Members also discussed the auditor’s authority to audit state agencies and subrecipients, the office’s role in performance audits, and the meaning of “E” appropriations and the auditor’s recent general revenue conditions report. The committee then moved to public testimony on House Bill 10, focusing on Department of Health and Senior Services and Department of Mental Health issues. One witness from the American Heart Association supported continued funding for cardiac emergency response planning in schools, citing AEDs, CPR training, and about 480 schools served. Another witness from the Alzheimer’s Association urged rejection of a proposed $1 million reduction to the Missouri caregiver program, arguing it supports families caring for people with dementia and helps avoid more expensive institutional care. Most of the testimony concerned proposed cuts to developmental disability services, especially day habilitation and self-directed supports (SDS). Providers, family members, and workers said the proposed reductions would force service cuts, reduce wages, and threaten community-based care that keeps people at home and out of more costly facilities. They argued the cuts would shift costs to emergency, residential, or institutional settings and asked the committee to preserve current funding levels. Several members asked questions about provider rates, the share of services delivered by private providers, and the cost difference between SDS and institutional care. The hearing ended with the chair apologizing for earlier tension, explaining the schedule, and recessing the committee to return later because of House floor obligations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Dismang continued: “This lowers the top rate from 3.9% to 3.7%.
• It also reduces the corporate income tax rate to 4.1%, and that will be effective at the start of next
• What is that rate now, if there is a minimum or a maximum? What's the maximum?
• Senator, I seem to recall in 2013 when we started cutting the income tax rate, that the income tax rate
• has, their effective tax rate has decreased by 45% since 2013.

Summary: The Senate convened, took leave requests, heard prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then moved into the morning business agenda. Senator Irvin announced a Hunger Caucus fundraiser, Serving Up Solutions, and invited members to sign up to wait tables. The chamber then took up Senate Bill 1, which would reduce income tax rates for individuals, trusts, estates, and corporations, continuing a series of tax cuts begun in 2013. Senator Dismang presented the bill, explaining that it would lower the top individual rate from 3.9% to 3.7% effective January 1, 2026, and reduce the corporate rate to 4.1% starting next year. In questions, senators discussed local sales tax limits, the impact of the cut on funding for Medicaid, education, and educational freedom accounts, and whether federal fiscal uncertainty should affect the state’s decision. Supporters argued Arkansas’s conservative budgeting and reserve set-asides made the cut sustainable and that returning money to taxpayers was the best use of surplus funds. Senators Tucker and Leding spoke against the bill, saying the state should prioritize early childhood education, health care, maternal health, and public schools over tax cuts, and that the reduction would mainly provide small benefits to most taxpayers while reducing resources for other needs. Senator McKee spoke in favor, arguing the money should be returned to the people who earned it. The Senate then passed Senate Bill 1 by a vote of 29 yeas to 6 nays and transmitted it to the House. After the vote, members were told the Revenue and Taxation Committee would meet after House adjournment if the House version of the tax bill was transmitted. The Senate then announced it would adjourn subject to clearing the desk and reading a House bill across, with the body set to reconvene the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 1 by Senator Dismang et al, to reduce the income tax rates for individuals, trusts, states
• This lowers the top rate from 3.9% to 3.7%.
• And what is that rate now, if there is a minimum or a maximum? What’s the maximum?”
• Senator, I seem to recall in 2013 when we started cutting the income tax rate, that the income tax rate
• has, their effective tax rate has decreased by 45% since 2013.

Transcript Highlights:

• getting care through state programs, birth control access dropped by 41 percent, and teen pregnancy rates
• rates.
• As Darcy mentioned, Texas already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country, and
• black women are dying at disproportionate rates due to inadequate access.
• As has been mentioned, Texas has the highest rate of teen pregnancies.

Keywords: Texas, healthcare, reproductive health, Care No Matter What Act, Planned Parenthood, maternal mortality, teen pregnancy, funding cuts, community health

Summary: The meeting addressed critical health care concerns in Texas, highlighting the consequences of funding cuts on access to reproductive health services. Key speakers emphasized the urgent need for the Care No Matter What Act, which aims to restore funding to healthcare providers like Planned Parenthood. They underscored the alarming statistics of maternal mortality and the rising rates of teen pregnancies, particularly in Black and Latina communities. Testimonies shared during the meeting illustrated the real-life impacts of healthcare access issues on individuals and families across the state, illustrating the necessity for legislative action to ensure comprehensive reproductive health services.

Transcript Highlights:

• Wyoming's cost of living is going up at a higher rate.
• About 18 months later, that was then included in that rate-setting process.
• on what happened as far as the rate increase is concerned.
• This is the governor can give rate holidays.
• I would imagine the take-up rate would be quite low there if we said, "Gotcha...

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• At last check, we had a 15% error rate.
• At last check, we had a 15% error rate.
• And we are an embarrassing outlier with an error rate at 15%.
• Because previously we did not have this very high error rate.
• Do we know why our error rate spiked over the last four years?

Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for former Senator Donnell C. Childers, the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognition of Officer Antonio Richardson as law enforcement officer of the day. A quorum was announced, the journal was approved, and the Speaker said the chamber would take up 11 budget conference reports, with debate and final votes on each report. The first report considered was HB 7031E, the tax package, followed by HB 501E, the state budget appropriations bill. On HB 7031E, Chair Duggan explained that the conference report included a range of tax reductions and tax-related changes, including sales tax holidays, property tax and homestead-related provisions, reductions in certain taxes and fees, and new exemptions or administrative clarifications. He said the package also added items such as sales tax relief for certain university construction projects, a tennis admissions exemption, and changes to agricultural property tax treatment, and that the amendment reduced state and local tax revenues by $272.2 million. Members questioned the bill about the child care tax credit reduction from three years to one, the homestead exemption provision for certain diplomats and foreign service personnel, the absence of gas tax relief and combined reporting, and the inclusion of firearm accessories and tennis tickets in sales tax holidays. After structured debate, the House adopted the conference report and passed HB 7031E by a vote of 88-11. The House then began the conference report on HB 501E, the $114.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2026-2027, which was described as below the prior year’s spending level and leaving more than $14 billion in reserves. Subcommittee chairs outlined major allocations across education, higher education, IT, health care, transportation and economic development, justice, state administration, and agriculture/natural resources. Highlights included increased FEFP funding and veteran teacher raises, full funding for Bright Futures, major IT modernization projects, Medicaid and behavioral health funding, transportation and local infrastructure spending, correctional and law enforcement investments, fire station and emergency response funding, and large environmental and water-quality appropriations. Members asked detailed questions about school voucher fraud oversight, scholarship funding, teacher raises, preeminence funding, ADAP changes, SNAP data tools and error rates, Medicaid rate changes, prison wastewater monitoring, and other budget items, but the transcript ends during the budget questions before final action on HB 501E is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• we perhaps just put an across-the-board rate increase not tied to inflation?
• provider rates.
• provider rates.
• provider rates.
• provider rates.

Transcript Highlights:

• These vacancy rates below 10%? Am I understanding this right? Yes, correct.
• We had a 90% fill rate, and we were not achieving that in multiple classifications.
• Women over 55 have the lowest recidivism rates. Please summarize.
• Women over 55 have the lowest recidivism rates. Please summarize.
• And our recidivism rate, as far as we can tell from our surveys, is less than 6 percent.

Summary: The committee heard an overview from the Office of the Inspector General and California Correctional Health Care Services on prison oversight, medical care, reentry, and related budget requests. The OIG requested $275,000 General Fund for two additional intake analysts, citing a sharp rise in complaints from 3,200 in 2022 to 7,860 in 2025 and explaining that the unit reviews and routes complaints, including PREA and staff misconduct allegations, within 30 days. Its medical inspection unit reported on cycle seven prison health inspections, noting generally adequate case-review performance but weak policy-compliance results, especially in medication management and health care environment indicators, and said it was beginning cycle eight with revised inspection methods. Members questioned the OIG about what kinds of complaints were driving the increase, whether the office tracks validity or systemic patterns, and how it distinguishes duplicative complaints from those already handled by CDCR. OIG said the largest categories were prison conditions and staff misconduct, that it does not determine whether complaints are “valid” in a statistical sense, and that it forwards issues to CDCR or other entities as appropriate. Senators also asked about the medical inspection findings, the remaining prisons not yet delegated back from federal receivership, and whether more detail should be provided in future reports. LAO and Department of Finance staff said they had no concerns with the OIG proposal. The committee then reviewed the correctional health care budget, including staffing, pharmacy, contract medical costs, and the state’s progress toward ending the Plata medical receivership. CDCR said it is trying to reduce vacancies through hiring events, social media outreach, new classifications, and more on-site care, while also using CalAIM to improve reentry services; CalAIM officials reported 89% Medi-Cal activation at release, 87% managed care assignment, 88% reentry care plans, and 59% warm handoffs, with about $14.7 million in reimbursements to date. Members pressed staff on the cost of receivership, the pace of delegation, whether more care could be consolidated into fewer facilities, and whether the state should seek more federal reimbursement or alternative staffing models. Finally, the committee discussed the new mental health receivership and a telemental health staffing proposal. The receiver’s office requested $33.9 million from the Mental Health Special Deposit Fund, including $8.2 million for the receiver’s office and $25.3 million to make court-ordered bonus payments permanent; CDCR also sought about $8.9 million for telemental health staffing, growing to $13 million ongoing. LAO recommended approving the action plan and portions of the telehealth request, but urged the Legislature to monitor progress, consider out-of-state recruitment and expanded telehealth, and avoid across-the-board salary increases; Finance cautioned that out-of-state licensure would require major statutory changes and that staffing-ratio changes would need receiver approval. Senators raised concerns about the high cost of receiverships, vacancy-driven fines, the need for more detailed benchmarks, and whether the state should consolidate mental health populations and better target recruitment to fill hard-to-staff positions.

Transcript Highlights:

• , why is it so hard to predict the rate up to 12 months?
• ...hard to predict the rate up to 12 months?
• During that same period, apartment rents, 56% rate increase.
• Projecting rates one year out is well beyond the predictable horizon for storage rates, and so operators
• It's called the existing customer rate increase.

Committee: House Judiciary

Summary: The committee first took up several Senate bills by Senator Umberg. SB 253, the annual State Bar fee bill, would keep fees unchanged while requiring two years’ notice before changing the multiple-choice question vendor for the bar exam and restoring a more traditional exam delivery method after the February exam problems. SB 25, the Pre-Merger Notification Act, would give the California Attorney General earlier access to federal merger filings to improve antitrust review; supporters said it would reduce delays and duplication, while members discussed how it would work alongside federal review. SB 36 would strengthen California’s price-gouging laws after the January 2025 firestorms by requiring reporting from listing platforms, expanding consumer enforcement, and allowing warrants in housing-related cases; it drew support from consumer advocates and opposition from business groups. After quorum was established, the committee approved the consent calendar and moved SB 25, SB 36, and SB 253 out of committee, with SB 36 receiving some no votes and being placed on call before final action. The committee then heard SB 413 by Senator Allen, which would streamline access to juvenile case files in certain civil cases brought by the subject of the file against child welfare or probation agencies. Supporters, including Los Angeles County and county associations, said the bill would reduce costly and repetitive petitions and speed litigation while preserving redactions and confidentiality protections. The Youth Law Center opposed unless amended, warning that bypassing juvenile court review could expose sensitive information and weaken long-standing privacy protections for youth. After discussion about who could access the records and what safeguards remained, the committee passed SB 413 as amended to Appropriations. Next, Senator Becker presented SB 770, which would remove the requirement that a homeowner installing an EV charger in a common-interest development name the HOA as an additional insured. Supporters argued the insurance requirement is confusing, difficult to obtain, and an unnecessary barrier to EV adoption; opponents from HOA and property groups warned it could shift liability and costs to associations. Members focused heavily on insurance and indemnity questions, and the bill was moved out of committee to Insurance. Finally, Senator Wahab presented SB 436, which would extend the residential pay-or-quit notice from three days to 14 days. Supporters said the longer notice would help tenants cure late rent, avoid eviction, and prevent homelessness, while opponents argued it would burden landlords, could be misused repeatedly, and might inadvertently affect commercial leases. The committee engaged in extensive debate over landlord hardship, tenant protections, and possible guardrails; the bill was ultimately held on call for further action.

Transcript Highlights:

• , and how to get payment rates really fair.
• So my amendment takes care of that by channeling all these extra costs back into the rates to raise rates
• because the underlying law does bring the rates back to the fee-for-service rates, and that is a concern
• But if the rates don't get established in law in two more years, then the rates are at the fee-for-service
• rates.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um and that has some federal ties on reimbursement rates, some state ties, and then of course local ties
• So, if you're only going to get it reimbursed at a real low rate on a large population, that messes up
• </c><00:05:19.880><c> on</c> get it reimbursed at a real low rate on get it reimbursed at a real low
• And that population is part of that reimbursement rate that's smaller than larger.
• rate that's smaller than<00:14:56.320><c> larger.