Transcript Highlights:

• Undergraduate research is a proven high-impact, evidence-based practice that deepens learning and drives
• been massive funding cuts of billions of dollars in crucial and potentially life-saving university-based
• skills, and their ability to write and communicate.
• So. computing skills to look at criminal justice reform.
• -based guarantor.

Summary: The Assembly Higher Education Committee held an oversight hearing on how federal actions are affecting California higher education, with opening remarks from the chair and members emphasizing the importance of state-federal shared governance and the need to protect access, affordability, and campus diversity. The first panel included leaders from the CSU, University of the Pacific, California Community Colleges, and UC, who described broad impacts from federal grant terminations, changes to student aid, loan limits, visa and immigration policy, and proposed reductions to research support. Testimony focused on the elimination of Grad PLUS loans, caps on Parent PLUS and Pell-related changes, the loss or suspension of hundreds of grants, and the resulting harm to student support services, research, workforce pipelines, food assistance, and health care training. UC and CSU representatives warned of major losses in research funding, indirect cost reimbursement, and student opportunities, while community college leaders highlighted uncertainty around federal grants and the need to maintain services for low-income, first-generation, undocumented, and other vulnerable students. Committee members asked how the state could respond, including through intersegmental partnerships, dual enrollment, transfer pathways, and support for basic needs and nutrition programs. Witnesses said California could help by sustaining financial aid, protecting minority-serving institution programs, and investing in research, housing, and workforce development. Several speakers stressed that federal changes were creating instability for students and campuses, and that the effects would likely be long-lasting, especially in health care, teaching, STEM, and social work pipelines. A second panel then focused on equitable access. The California Student Aid Commission described state efforts such as the $3.9 billion investment in aid programs, the Cal Grant system, the Dream Act, and possible reforms to better serve adult learners, foster youth, undocumented students, and students with dependents. The Los Angeles Community College District reported that federal cuts and policy shifts are discouraging students from applying for aid, threatening TRIO and MSI/HSI-funded services, and reducing support for basic needs, counseling, and workforce programs. The Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities and the CSU Academic Senate echoed concerns about FAFSA confusion, international student restrictions, grant losses, and the erosion of equity-focused programs. No formal votes or legislative actions were taken during the hearing; the committee primarily received testimony and discussed possible state responses.

Transcript Highlights:

• and many people on that base.
• Differently based on payer source.
• We operate 26 air medical bases in California.
• The department is adjusting policy based on feedback from implementation partners, based on what we've
• services and alternatives to skilled nursing.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Gaming.
• Do you work with Game and Fish on this?
• So with that understanding, that's how the Game and Fish sees it.
• Can you tell me how many acres, The tax base of the county.
• They had 30% of their tax base was tax exempt. 30% of their tax base was tax exempt, and there were some

Committee: Joint Tribal and State Relations Committee

Summary: The committee met at Spirit Lake Tribe and heard an extended discussion with Spirit Lake tribal leaders and program directors about government-to-government relations with the state. Chairwoman Street and others outlined a number of concerns and requests, including taxation of tribal and trust lands, state school support for non-beneficiary students, homelessness services, Indian-managed health care, gaming/e-tabs, the Feather Alert system, industrial farming near waterways, tourism and cultural issues, and the need for more consistent tribal consultation. Committee members responded that many of these issues had previously been passed along without direct action, and several members emphasized the committee’s role in education, communication, and preparing possible legislation or resolutions for the next session. Tribal representatives also offered to provide training on treaties, IHS 638, and compact services to help legislators better understand tribal jurisdiction and billing issues. A major portion of the meeting focused on Spirit Lake Fish and Wildlife concerns, especially jurisdictional “gray areas” around hunting and fishing on the reservation, recognition of tribal licenses, and the boundary of the reservation around Spirit Lake/Devils Lake. Tribal officials said they wanted a co-stewardship agreement or MOU with the state to clarify jurisdiction, improve cooperation, and address invasive species and aquatic nuisance species. Committee members discussed whether to draft legislation or a resolution directing the executive branch and state agencies to negotiate such an agreement, and they asked for further input from the North Dakota Game and Fish Department at a future meeting. The committee also discussed county involvement in land status changes and trust land issues, with Spirit Lake leaders describing a past Benson County resolution that tried to block fee-to-trust transfers and saying it was later rescinded. The committee then heard from Benson County tax equalization director Randy Thompson, who explained how the county values land and handles tax-exempt, inundated, and fee-to-trust parcels. Members asked about the impact of tax-exempt lands on county services and discussed prior legislation that helped counties with large tax-exempt bases. The committee also received a presentation from Dr. Steven Smith of Sisseton Wahpeton College, who described the college’s programs, economic impact, and funding needs, including support for non-beneficiary students and workforce training. Members asked about expanding tribal college education into correctional settings, and Smith said the idea was worth exploring through the tribal college system. Finally, HHS interim medical services director Christoph Framing presented remotely on 1115 Medicaid waivers and the IMD exclusion, explaining current state funding mechanisms for inpatient and residential behavioral health services and the bill draft directing HHS to pursue a waiver for IMD payments.

Transcript Highlights:

• Historically, the WCCA is a newcomer to the game.
• historically the wcca is a newcomer to historically the wcca is a newcomer to the<00:01:44.759><c> game
• workers compensation system has the game workers compensation system has been<00:01:47.640><c> in</c
• and we have I believe served the base and we have I believe served the people<00:13:46.720><c> of</c
• The PERB will be judged by its stakeholders based on its neutrality and efficiency.

Committee: Senate Labor

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're self-insured, so we have skin in the game.
• We have, we're self-insured, so we have a skin in the game.
• It's also hard to recruit based on salaries.
• You retire based on your salary.
• I built a budget last year based on a forecast of 3,200 students in my district.

Committee: Senate Education Pre-K - 12

Summary: The Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee met to discuss the needs of rural school districts and the role of Florida’s three regional education consortia: the Panhandle Area Education Consortium, Northeast Florida Educational Consortium, and Heartland Educational Consortium. Executive directors and several rural superintendents described the consortia as member-led organizations that provide shared services, professional learning, leadership development, grant support, cooperative purchasing, risk management, IT/cybersecurity help, and back-office assistance that small districts could not afford to provide on their own. They emphasized that rural districts are often very small, have limited staff, and must still meet the same state reporting and compliance requirements as large urban systems. Testimony focused heavily on teacher recruitment and retention, alternative certification, and the difficulty of staffing specialized roles such as CFOs, MIS directors, IT staff, and content-area teachers. Superintendents said many new hires are career changers or alternatively certified teachers who need consortium-supported training, and several argued for more flexibility in funding so districts can raise salaries and compete with neighboring districts and nearby states. Members also asked about the impact of declining enrollment, homeschooling, and voucher-related school choice; superintendents said those trends are reducing FTE and creating budget instability, while also requiring districts to right-size staff and programs. Several speakers described the financial strain on rural districts, including rising insurance costs, transportation costs, and the challenge of forecasting budgets when enrollment changes after the school year begins. One superintendent recounted major hurricane damage and said consortium risk-management support was essential to recovery. Others said the consortia help districts pool resources for property and health insurance, payroll, student data systems, and procurement, and that this shared approach saves money and improves services. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you look at line 21 on page 16, those are some amendments we added that the gaming people and some
• It is also unlawful to cause or allow, through an act of omission, a denial of a transaction based on
• for declaratory injunction, put it into the courts to see if this is really, they are being denied based
• And which aren't diagnosable under the DSM based on science.
• The testimony and opinions I'm expressing are my own, based on personal experiences and beliefs.

Committee: Senate Commerce and Human Resources

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There are various fee-for-service models available that are results-based.
• Such programs typically cost more in the short term than a skilled nursing-based program, but if they
• Such programs typically cost more in the short term than a skilled nursing-based program, but if they
• We also have these blood-based biomarkers that are coming onto the market.
• Dula Care, a Massachusetts-based 501(c)(3) organization.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Financial Services

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Financial Services held a lengthy public hearing with testimony on a wide range of health insurance and access-to-care bills. Early testimony focused on prescription drug pricing and pharmacy reimbursement, with supporters of H. 1326 arguing that pharmacy benefit managers and MassHealth managed care arrangements reimburse independent pharmacies too little, contributing to pharmacy closures and “pharmacy deserts.” The committee also heard repeated support for H. 1151/S. 742 on cognitive rehabilitation for acquired brain injury, H. 1288/S. 716 on telehealth parity for nutrition counseling, H. 1309/S. 761 on full-spectrum pregnancy care without cost-sharing, H. 1312 on insurance coverage for doula services, H. 309 on prompt access to health care by removing deductibles for certain services, H. 809/H. 1227 on biomarker testing, H. 1162/S. 810 on reducing inequities in access to medical procedures by limiting insurer cuts tied to Modifier 25, and S. 726 on insurance coverage for mobile integrated health. Testifiers included legislators, physicians, pharmacists, dietitians, emergency and rehabilitation clinicians, and patients and family members. Supporters of the brain injury bill said cognitive rehabilitation is medically necessary, improves long-term outcomes, and can reduce institutional care and public costs; they noted the bill has been heard repeatedly and has support from the Brain Injury Commission and prior favorable committee action. Supporters of the pregnancy care and doula bills described out-of-pocket costs as a barrier to maternal health and shared personal stories of high bills and unmet support needs. Biomarker testing advocates and cancer patients said coverage gaps deny patients access to precision treatment, can lead to avoidable suffering, and should be standardized across insurers; several speakers said insurers often deny claims despite clinical benefit. Dermatology witnesses said insurers’ use of Modifier 25 cuts reimbursement for same-day evaluation and procedure visits, forcing separate appointments and increasing patient burden. Mobile integrated health supporters described home-based care as a way to reduce emergency department use and hospital readmissions, especially for patients with transportation or mobility barriers. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the hearing itself.

Transcript Highlights:

• Which is really a game changer.
• The reason why I think that's important is we are proposing an oil and gas-based solution for oil and
• gas, uh, based challenges that we see in the state.
• Uh, in South Texas is, is we're, we're playing a big game of catch up, uh, after years of, uh, maybe
• Obviously oil and gas is a commodity, ah, it's a commodity-based industry, um, but we have two things

Bills: HB188 , HB 265 , HJR35

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: emergency preparedness, flood-prone communities, Texas Rural Emergency Preparedness Fund, disaster relief, funding, youth camp, safety regulations, advisory committee, child welfare, health standards, summer camp, camp safety, child abuse reporting, child neglect, mandatory reporting, background check, criminal history check, sex offender registry, CPR training, first aid

Transcript Highlights:

• This fund is really a game changer.
• It's a children's-based program, but they're all operating, I guess you'd call them trailers or mobile
• The reason why I think that's important is we are proposing an oil and gas-based solution for oil and
• gas-based challenges that we see in the state.
• that energy-impacted areas, particularly the Permian Basin in South Texas, is we're playing a big game

Bills: HB188 , HB265 , HJR35 , HJR47 , SB1901 , HB188 , HB265 , HJR35

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: Texas STRONG defense fund, severance tax revenue, oil and gas revenue, constitutional transfers, rainy day fund, economic stabilization fund, state highway fund, oil and gas production, qualifying county, county grants, water infrastructure, first responders, public safety, DPS staffing, commercial motor vehicle safety, gang violence prevention, human trafficking prevention, economic development, TxDOT grants, school districts

Transcript Highlights:

• People that make these decisions based on Spirit Lake tribal members.
• Do you work with Game and Fish on this?
• So with that understanding, that's how the Game and Fish sees it.
• Can you tell me how many acres, ...the tax base of the county.
• They had 30% of their tax base was tax exempt.

Committee: Joint Tribal and State Relations Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And it's a decision based on risk and cost.
• This uses that aqueous-based reprocessing technique.
• So in the center, you see those base metals that were mining.
• needs based on these balance of priorities.
• It's not, to me, a base gas.

Summary: The meeting opened with remarks about the value of public engagement and the quality of questions from the group, followed by a series of technical presentations from Idaho National Laboratory staff. Joe Renovitz described recent nuclear regulatory changes tied to presidential executive orders, including NRC Part 53 for advanced reactors, the forthcoming Part 57 for very small reactors, and DOE updates to reactor authorization standards. He emphasized efforts to align DOE and NRC processes, use risk-informed and performance-based licensing, support reactor deployment for AI/data centers and national security, and use AI to speed communications and crosswalks between DOE and NRC requirements. In response to questions, he said there was no plan to merge agencies, but rather to improve coordination and public outreach through groups like GAIN and NEI. David Tolman then discussed the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium mining, conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication, spent fuel storage, transportation, disposal, and reprocessing. He explained high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), why it is needed for advanced reactors, and DOE’s HALEU Availability Program and related investments in enrichment, transportation, deconversion, and supply chain development. He also covered spent fuel management, the possibility of centralized storage or a fuel-cycle campus, the Center for Used Fuel Research, and ongoing work on high-burnup cask testing and reprocessing technologies. Tolman described aqueous, pyrochemical, and fluoride-volatility reprocessing approaches, noting the advantages and waste characteristics of each, and said several companies are working with INL on these technologies. Ashley Shields presented INL’s AI and nuclear work, focusing on the Genesis initiative and the Prometheus effort to use AI to design, license, build, and operate reactors with far less human intervention. She described INL’s broad use of generative AI tools, the need to manage large volumes of legacy technical data, and applications in reactor design, materials discovery, autonomous laboratories, and digital twins. Shields said AI is being used to reduce the enormous documentation burden in nuclear licensing and to support autonomous or remotely operated reactor demonstrations, while stressing that humans remain in supervisory roles. In discussion, she addressed data security, model access, and the continued need for software engineers. The session then recessed briefly and resumed with Mitch Kerman beginning a presentation on critical minerals and materials.

Transcript Highlights:

• The graduation rates do adjust based on the number of students.
• And they determine need based on three-year averages that include teacher supply and demand.
• As you want to note there, 'in need of support' is a designation based on the ACT Aspire.
• But that's based on the ACT Aspire and not the ATLAS assessment.
• But that's based on the ACT Aspire and not the ATLAS assessment.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a game, a messaging play that hasn’t worked.
• So video games Mr. Ward, you are recognized to open on the matter. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
• Video games have become the largest single entertainment market in the world.
• game operator pulls support, a player who paid $60 or $100 or more can be left with nothing.
• I come from... ...with job training and skills.

Summary: The Assembly met in session, established a quorum, approved dispensing with the previous day’s journal, and then took up a long third-reading file. Early procedural actions included moving AB 1589 to the inactive file and continuing reconsideration items. The chamber then considered a series of bills largely focused on immigration enforcement, detention, worker protections, child care, voting access, and related public services. Several immigration-related measures passed, including AB 2393 on damages for false imprisonment/arrest, AB 1994 on an immigrant victims’ rights and resources card, AB 1929 on health plan investment disclosures, AB 1633 imposing a tax on for-profit detention facilities, AB 1650 requiring decals on rental vehicles used for enforcement, AB 1655 protecting CalWORKs benefits when a child is detained, and AB 1896 disqualifying people who participated in immigration enforcement from certain public employment. AB 2230, which would bar immigration enforcement near polling places and child care facilities, also passed after extensive debate. Supporters framed these bills as accountability and protection for vulnerable communities; opponents argued they targeted federal law enforcement, were unnecessary, or raised constitutional concerns. AB 1851 on statewide school mental-health guidance also passed unanimously. After the midday recess, the Assembly returned and continued with more bills tied to immigration impacts and child welfare. AB 2379 passed with urgency, requiring child care providers to be informed of constitutional rights and trained on protections when confronted by immigration enforcement. AB 2460 passed to update school behavioral-health referral protocols for students affected by immigration enforcement trauma. AB 2495 passed to expand prohibitions on employer immigration-related threats, and AB 2662 was presented as a way for California to monitor and document federal enforcement actions and report on their community impacts. Throughout the day, the floor featured repeated exchanges over whether the bills addressed real problems or were political messaging, but the measures that came to a vote generally advanced with majority support.

Transcript Highlights:

• based on their quality.
• Um, so you can see that the base for this general fund base for this committee is just over 17 billion
• fund base for this for this general fund base for this committee<00:47:32.560><c> is</c><00:47:32.720
• Okay, I can uh base budget amounts?
• So it's in the base budget of this committee. Oh, so the $20 million is in the base budget.

Committee: Senate Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So when do you anticipate the fund to return to, based on what we know right now?
• I mean, just like the charter school I mentioned, they learned how to game the system.
• If you game the system, we're going to catch you. Well, in my argument back, Mr.
• Chair, Senator Lanier, the base rate stays no matter what. So, Mr.
• Chair, Senator Lanier, the base rate stays no matter what.

Bills: SB241 , SB145

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Keywords: child care, child care assistance, child care subsidy, early childhood education, early childhood care, daycare, preschool, pre-K, Head Start, Early Head Start, Children's Code, early childhood education and care department, ECECD, child care facilities, licensed child care, registered child care, copayments, waitlist, subsidy, federal poverty level

Transcript Highlights:

• This is about more than individual company policies or skilled trades training.
• This is about more than individual company policies or skilled trades training.
• You know, while we're a construction company, we're based on all the projects we have.
• </c> we're based on all the projects we have. we're based on all the projects we have.
• You're not going to your little league T-ball games, the soccer games.

Committee: Senate Labor

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are going to tailor it based on the curriculum for other tasks that we currently have.
• We are going to tailor it based on the curriculum for other tasks that we currently have.
• However, when a patient is already in a secure medical facility, the skills of officers However, when
• a patient is already in a secure medical facility, the skills of officers to locate, apprehend, and
• Now, if the individual is arrested, it is a completely different ball game.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 2433, which would require insurers offering Medicare supplement policies to people 65 and older to also offer them to Medicare beneficiaries under 65 with ALS or end-stage renal disease, with enrollment periods and premium protections tied to 65-year-old rates. Supporters, including dialysis and ALS advocates, said the bill would help a small population facing high out-of-pocket costs and could improve access to transplants and care; opponents argued it would shift costs onto older seniors and raise Medigap premiums. The committee recommended the bill do pass on a 12-0 vote. The committee also heard House Bill 2593, appropriating $1.5 million to the University of Arizona for the Arizona Perinatal Psychiatry Access Line. The sponsor and physicians testified that the line helps obstetric and pediatric providers quickly consult on perinatal depression, postpartum psychosis, suicidality, and other mental health crises, improving outcomes for mothers, children, and families and reducing costly emergency and crisis care. The bill received a do pass recommendation on a 10-1 vote. House Concurrent Resolution 2013, proclaiming June 2026 as Celebrate Life Month, drew emotional testimony from a young woman with spina bifida and another speaker supporting the sanctity of life. Some members objected that the state should focus on practical supports such as paid leave, child care, and health care access, while others supported the resolution as a statement of human dignity. The resolution passed the committee 7-5. The committee then approved House Bill 4010, creating a Board of Genetic Counselors and licensure standards, after testimony from genetic counselors and a patient advocate about the need for qualified counseling and better access; it passed 11-1. Later, the committee approved House Bill 2196, which would require pharmacy benefit managers to reimburse non-affiliated pharmacies at least their acquisition cost and pay a dispensing fee, and establish an appeals process. Independent pharmacists and their coalition said PBM practices are driving closures and unfairly favor affiliated pharmacies, while PBM and employer representatives warned of major cost increases and said the bill would interfere with private contracts; the bill passed 11-1. The committee also adopted a strike-everything amendment to House Bill 2182 requiring insurers and health plans to report claims denial and prior authorization data to DIFI, and then gave the amended bill a 12-0 do pass recommendation. Finally, the committee approved House Bill 2189, directing the Board of Nursing to update rules for licensed health aides and collect annual data, with the sponsor and board staff saying it would help implement routine ventilator care in the home; it passed 12-0. The committee then began hearing House Bill 2404, a strike-everything amendment on inter-facility transports for behavioral health patients, but the transcript cuts off before action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Bill 528 was a call to action, and the response has been the Campus for Hope project, an evidence-based
• the larger-scale project as a whole at Campus for Hope will be built by a locally sourced, highly skilled
• Paul Anderson with Boyd Gaming here in full support of the bill.
• So we are coming to the table resolving larger bills that are broad-based for the community.
• Without clear limits on THC, weight-based metrics still allow heavier items, such as drinks, edibles,

Committee: Senate Commerce and Labor

Keywords: 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When men have access to mental health care without stigma, rates of gender-based violence decline.
• Curtinbach here on behalf of the Washington State Building Trades, still representing thousands of skilled
• Crucially, supporting boys and men is not a zero-sum game.
• House Bill 2419 expands the list of individuals who are eligible to apply to ACP based on being a target
• The amendment creates a new Class C felony, which is pretty much the standard in the gaming industry

Bills: HB2198 , HB2401 , HB2462 , HB2419 , HB2210 , HB2205 , HB2249

Committee: House State Government & Tribal Relations

Keywords: regulatory efficiency, permitting, licensing, executive order, state government, commission, gender equity, boys, men, advocacy, state policy, unpiloted aircraft, drones, regulation, airspace safety, privacy, address confidentiality, administrative law judges, privacy protection, staff employment

Transcript Highlights:

• This includes proposals to improve access to community-based care, address continuity of treatment for
• individuals with spinal cord injuries and other forms of paralysis at Spalding rehabilitation sites based
• care facilities, which include long-term care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and skilled
• Post-acute care has allowed her to become extremely skilled at monitoring her own health and built her
• My base wage now is $22.58 an hour, far below what's needed to live in Boston.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Health Care Financing

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Health Care Financing held a public hearing focused largely on senior long-term care issues, family caregiving, post-acute care access, and direct care workforce pay. Testimony strongly supported bills to raise the personal needs allowance for nursing home and rest home residents (including H. 1411, S. 482, and related bills), with speakers from Mass Senior Action, Dignity Alliance, nursing home residents, providers, and former state officials arguing that the current $72.80 monthly allowance has been unchanged since 2008 and is inadequate for basic items like clothing, toiletries, haircuts, and transportation. Witnesses also backed bills to increase MassHealth asset and income limits for seniors and to stop counting life insurance as cash, describing the current rules as outdated and harmful to low-income elders. The committee also heard testimony on bills allowing family members, including spouses and guardians, to be paid caregivers (H. 1394/S. 886), with supporters saying this would help families keep loved ones at home and reduce reliance on costly institutional care. Another set of bills (H. 1412/S. 903) drew support from a physician who said clearer MassHealth communication and improved post-acute care determination processes would help reduce delays and backlogs for patients awaiting skilled nursing, rehabilitation, or other post-acute placement. Several speakers emphasized that better home- and community-based care can prevent hospital readmissions and support independence. A major portion of the hearing focused on S. 877, which would establish an enhanced care worker minimum wage of $25 per hour, indexed to inflation, for certain home care and human services workers. Union representatives and direct care workers from SEIU Local 509, 1199 SEIU, and the AFL-CIO described severe staffing shortages, burnout, low wages, and high turnover across home care, mental health, disability services, and crisis response. They argued that higher pay is necessary to recruit and retain workers and to stabilize services for vulnerable residents. Committee members asked about costs, comparisons with other states, and whether non-wage incentives could help, but witnesses repeatedly said wages were the central issue. The hearing concluded after all registered testimony was heard, with the committee noting it would continue accepting written testimony and then adjourning.