Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2351 relates to protecting emergency responders and emergency response operations in Washington
• The next bill is House Bill 2351, protecting emergency responders and emergency response operations in
• The legislature created an account, appropriated funds, and directed Commerce to distribute the funds
• we had already received funding, but it was going to be delayed, and those funds really made the difference
• In recent funding cycles, local boards have administered roughly 30% of CRP funds, leveraging those dollars

Summary: The Technology, Economic Development, and Veterans Committee first met in executive session on House Bills 2157, 2351, 2365, 2357, and 2446. Staff briefed proposed substitutes and amendments for each bill. HB 2157, concerning high-risk AI systems, was amended to exempt activities regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act and covered entities under HIPAA; members discussed balancing consumer protections with flexibility for developers and deployers. HB 2351, addressing protections for emergency responders and emergency operations, was described as clarifying definitions and procedures, including a mental health crisis defense and changes to emergency operation zone notifications; some members raised concerns about deconfliction and implementation details. HB 2365, on digital equity, was amended with several definitional and data-sharing proposals, though some amendments were rejected over fiscal concerns. HB 2357, creating the Washington Division of Civil Air Patrol within the Military Department, passed without amendment. HB 2446, on developing a quantum technology industry strategy, was amended to extend the strategy deadline, broaden who Commerce may contract with, and correct terminology; members noted concerns about industry involvement in the strategic plan and fiscal impacts. All five bills were reported out of committee with do pass recommendations, with recorded votes of 8-5 on HB 2157, HB 2351, and HB 2365, unanimous support for HB 2357, and 12-1 for HB 2446. The committee then held a public hearing on HB 2523, which would make the community reinvestment program ongoing, require periodic updates and reporting, and direct a study of fund distribution and use. Testifiers from workforce boards, tribal programs, reentry services, community organizations, and Commerce described successful uses of the program for job training, reentry, small business support, legal services, and economic mobility, and urged the bill’s passage. Some suggested strengthening accountability, reporting, and access for new organizations. Commerce staff said the program has served more than 190,000 people and supported over 400 organizations, and asked for technical adjustments to keep administrative costs low. The bill was then closed for hearing. The committee also heard HB 2606, which would revise the Office of Privacy and Data Protection’s duties and performance measures, remove some reporting requirements, and add review of agency AI projects. The prime sponsor described it as a “stay-in-your-lane” cleanup bill responding to JLARC recommendations, and the state chief privacy officer testified in support, saying the office could implement the changes within existing resources. After questions about local government support and public resources, the hearing on HB 2606 was closed and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's not going to have enough funding once the state funding runs out, right? Thank you, Senator.
• But then we keep getting new requests for new special funds and no way to keep funding it, so I just
• But then we keep getting new requests for new special funds and no way to keep funding it, so I just
• > whereas</c> emergency emergencies like this whereas emergency emergencies like this whereas there<00
• to testify on this measure. funds funds funds to<01:03:45.279><c> testify</c><01:03:46.279><c> on</c

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and then that emergency requires treatment and maybe post-emergency, postacute treatment, and much of
• It's not funded by county or state.
• Federal funds and if they didn't receive federal funds, which I'm not aware of any, but if they didn't
• Medicare funds.
• Um Something that's an emergency.

Committee: Joint Health Insurance Affordability Task Force

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Open up funding, sort of additional funding.
• We need to have some funding.
• How are you funded through those challenges we have in our state, and they're classified as emergencies
• Since 2018, VOCA funding, Victims of Crime Act funding, was significant in 2018.
• Madam Chair, we haven't lost funding; it's just been a decrease in federal funding.

Transcript Highlights:

• So municipalities are funding and Continuums of Care are funding individual programs.
• So municipalities are funding and Continuums of Care are funding individual programs.
• our funds have expired.
• When you're talking about emergency holds, who currently can do an emergency hold?
• It's called an emergency detention, which is an emergency observation unit (EOU).

Committee: House Intergovernmental Affairs

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The general fund is how these cost settlements are funded for the state share.
• The general fund is how these cost settlements are funded for the state share.
• those federal funds to be paid.
• So that it is a flow-through of state funds to pull down the federal funds.
• emergency hospital.

Committee: All ALC-HOSPITAL, MEDICAID, & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES STUDY SUBCOMMITTEE

Summary: The subcommittee met to review Department of Human Services hospital payments in Arkansas Medicaid, with DHS Secretary Janet Mann and Deputy Secretary Misty Eubanks presenting first, followed by Arkansas Hospital Association Executive Vice President Jody Ann Tritt and a brief comment from Arkansas Children’s. DHS outlined the main hospital payment streams: fee-for-service per diem payments, upper payment limit (UPL) supplemental payments, cost settlements, and smaller payments such as graduate medical education and disproportionate share hospital funds. Members asked for plain-language explanations of cost settlements, why per diem rates vary by hospital type, and why UPL applies to private hospitals. DHS said cost settlements and UPL are mechanisms to help offset Medicaid underpayment, with SFY 2025 hospital payments totaling hundreds of millions of dollars and no general revenue used for supplemental payments beyond the state share funded through hospital assessments and related financing structures. Committee members focused heavily on whether Arkansas hospitals are adequately reimbursed and why rural hospitals struggle. Tritt explained that critical access hospitals, rural emergency hospitals, PPS hospitals, and specialty hospitals operate under different federal and state rules, and said lower per diem rates for some facilities help with cash flow and later cost settlement adjustments. She said Arkansas hospitals are under financial strain, citing a negative patient services margin statewide and noting that Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial payers all contribute to the problem. She also said the association had just authorized a statewide survey of hospital finances and costs, which she expected would take about a year to complete. A major theme was commercial insurance reimbursement. Tritt argued Arkansas hospitals are paid far less than hospitals in neighboring states even though premiums are similar, and said administrative burdens, prior authorizations, and denials add to the problem. She said hospitals receive about 52 to 53 cents on the dollar for Medicaid costs without UPL and about 78 cents with UPL, still below cost. Members also discussed Medicare wage index issues, Medicare Advantage, and whether hospitals could use technology or alternative arrangements to improve finances. No votes were taken on the hospital presentation. At the end of the meeting, DHS provided a brief update on Living Choices and assisted living reimbursement. Officials said one assisted living facility, Pillars of the Community in Crossett, had announced closure, with nine waiver clients being transitioned to other settings. DHS said the current cost reporting period was underway and that a new rate study could be ready for review before the end of the fiscal year if reports were submitted on time. Members also asked about the broader waiver plan, and DHS said the next waiver iteration would likely be brought back to the committee in the summer.

Transcript Highlights:

• It operates as the state's true Rainy Day Fund. It's most like an emergency savings account.
• Funds are deposited into this reserve from the Oil and Gas Emergency School Tax, the severance tax, as
• They're really meant to just be part of an emergency fund. Then we have the permanent funds.
• We have funded emerging fund managers, and we've partnered with National firms that are highly aligned
• It's one of the few that looks more traditional, but it is an emerging fund manager, a Ravis Indigenous

Committee: House Investments & Pensions Oversight Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> funding.
• And for general uh fund funding.
• And can you talk a little bit about the funding, how it's currently funded?
• All the construction<01:26:34.960><c> funds.</c> construction funds. construction funds.
• </c> teachers around the emergency hires. teachers around the emergency hires.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We need funding to help fill the gap in preparedness training, expand partnerships, work with emergency
• We need funding to help fill the gap in preparedness training, expand partnerships, work with emergency
• We need funding to help fill the gap in preparedness training, expand partnerships, work with emergency
• When federal relief funding expired this year, we had to close our senior emergency shelter, displacing
• We are requesting $495,000 in emergency funds for meal delivery and social services for those who will

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: This joint informational briefing focused on Act 310 grants and aid, with committee members hearing one-minute testimony from organizations first in person and then by Zoom. At the outset, the chairs explained there would be no Q&A during the briefing and asked testifiers to focus on how federal cuts were affecting their work. The meeting was organized by registration number and included both neighbor island and Oʻahu applicants. Testimony centered on organizations seeking state support to offset federal funding losses or anticipated reductions. Health and social service providers described impacts from Medicaid, SNAP, ACA subsidy, Title X, and other federal changes, including Aloha Care, Community Clinic of Maui, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, West Hawaiʻi Community Health Center, Hawaiʻi Disability Rights Center, Hawaiʻi Youth Services Network, Alcoholic Rehabilitation Services of Hawaiʻi, and Kokua Kalihi Valley. Other groups highlighted losses affecting food security, housing, disaster preparedness, and climate resilience, including the Kohala Center, Feeding Hawaiʻi Together, Hawaiian Lending and Investments, Dynamic Community Solutions, and the Pacific Tsunami Museum. Several arts, youth, and education organizations also testified, including Hawaiʻi Literacy, Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony, Honolulu Theatre for the Youth, Sounding Joy Music Therapy, Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaiʻi, Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi, Kids Hurt Too Hawaiʻi, and US Vets, each requesting funding to preserve programs and staffing. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the briefing. The only action was procedural: the chairs moved through the applicant list, limited testimony time, and then transitioned from neighbor island in-person testimony to Oʻahu and later Zoom participants.

Transcript Highlights:

• It also authorizes counties to establish a Richie's Fund as part of their Maddie EMS Fund to provide
• The Maddie EMS Fund and Richie's Fund are funded through revenues generated from local penalty assessments
• The Maddie EMS Fund and Richie's Fund are funded through revenues generated from local penalty assessments
• of this very important bill to ensure that we have funding in our EMS fund.
• This fund is small, but it keeps emergency rooms open, ambulances rolling, and lives on track.

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard several bills focused on workforce access, consumer protection, behavioral health parity, and public health safety. AB 1591 by Assembly Member Michelle Rodriguez would create a podiatric medicine pipeline program to address shortages of podiatrists, especially in rural and underserved counties; it drew strong support from podiatrists and medical groups and no opposition. AB 2011 by Assembly Member Hart would codify federal mental health and substance use disorder parity standards into state law; supporters argued it would preserve access if federal enforcement weakens, while health plans and insurers opposed it as premature and potentially confusing. The bill was moved on a due pass motion to Appropriations and remained on call after a roll vote with several ayes and some noes. The committee also considered AB 2311 by Assembly Member Chiavo, which would allow public health care district hospitals to directly employ physicians. Supporters said the change would help district hospitals recruit and retain doctors and stabilize care in underserved communities, while CMA and emergency physicians warned it could weaken the corporate practice of medicine protections and physician autonomy. Members raised concerns about guardrails, but the author said the bill would continue to be refined; it passed on a due pass motion to the Business and Professions Committee. AB 2030 by Assembly Member Lowenthal would prohibit sales of over-the-counter diet pills and weight-loss or muscle-building supplements to minors, with supporters citing eating disorder risks and opponents objecting to scope, age-verification, and retail requirements. The bill passed on a due pass motion to the Judiciary Committee. AB 1864 by Assembly Member Berman would require screening of gene synthesis orders to prevent misuse for bioterrorism and would authorize enforcement penalties for noncompliance. Supporters from Stanford, Encode, and the medical community said the measure would align California with federal best practices and address growing biosecurity risks, while life sciences representatives raised concerns about operational burdens and supply-chain impacts. Members discussed whether the bill should include an urgency clause and how to keep the standards current; it passed to the Judiciary Committee. AB 2457 by Assembly Member Connolly would standardize and speed up Medi-Cal managed care credentialing for physicians, and it passed to Appropriations with broad support. Finally, AB 2302, presented on behalf of Assembly Member Celeste Rodriguez, would require infant formula manufacturers to test for toxic elements such as lead and arsenic and post results publicly; pediatric and disability advocates supported the measure as a transparency and infant safety bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• general fund appropriation.
• </c> fund appropriation. fund appropriation.
• funds, so it's not exactly offsetting within the same fund.
• </c> when the emergency ends, seclusion ends. when the emergency ends, seclusion ends.
• </c> about emergencies. about emergencies.

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• emergency being declared.
• It dictates the federal funds that are coming in.
• So with all, with these funds... Funding retained by the division to be used within the state.
• So with all these funds they retain, will these funds be used for hazard mitigation on state infrastructure
• So we actually needed funding for a forklift.

Summary: The Natural Resources and Disaster Subcommittee heard and acted on several bills related to wetlands, emergency management, fishing licenses, disaster recovery, the Florida Keys, brownfields, wastewater treatment, and spring protection. HB 1175 on mitigation banking drew the most discussion, with supporters saying it would create more predictable release of mitigation credits and help address shortages, while opponents warned it could weaken watershed-based wetland protection and allow credits to be used farther from the impact site. The committee adopted a strike-all amendment making the changes prospective after July 1, 2025, and then reported the bill favorably with committee substitute by a 12-3 vote. The committee also considered HB 1535, a broad emergency management strike-all that would expand local storm-preparedness information, debris removal coordination, shelter planning, permitting procedures after storms, limits on post-storm fee increases and moratoria, and changes to election procedures after disasters. Members raised questions about FEMA coordination, shelter standards, impact fees, and the 100-mile post-storm land-use restrictions. After adopting the strike-all, the bill was reported favorably with committee substitute on a 17-0 vote. HB 673, which would extend the same fishing-license convenience to freshwater guides that saltwater captains already have, and HB 705, which extends a public-records exemption for disaster recovery assistance applicants, were both reported favorably without amendment. Later, the committee approved HB 995 for the Florida Keys, which combines affordable-housing incentives, a Habitat for Humanity bond exemption, an extension of the Florida Keys Stewardship Act, and a modest increase in hurricane evacuation time to allow additional residential permits; it was reported favorably on a unanimous vote. HB 733 on brownfields received a technical strike-all and was also reported favorably. HB 645 creating a general permit for distributed wastewater treatment systems passed unanimously, and HB 691 on a reclaimed-water project tied to Outstanding Florida Springs passed 16-1 after concerns were raised about cost, water quality, and whether the bill could broaden the intent of existing spring-protection law. The meeting adjourned after all agenda items were completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then finally, emergency response.
• I was able to get our emergency operations plan, meet local emergency response leaders, and execute a
• When every high-water event becomes an emergency, it's no longer an emergency.
• And funding.
• and flood resiliency funding.

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on flood risk and flood management in California, with opening remarks emphasizing that flooding is a statewide and growing threat due to climate change, including the possibility of extreme losses in a worst-case event. Members noted recent flooding in places such as San Diego, the Tulare Basin, and Pajaro, and framed the hearing as a way to better understand prevention, response, and how to capture excess water for later use. Jeffrey Mount of PPIC gave the main overview, describing California’s high flood exposure, the different flood types the state faces, and the mix of structural and non-structural tools used to manage them. He stressed that levees, dams, bypasses, land-use planning, flood insurance, and emergency response all matter, but that risk is rising because current standards are based on past hydrology rather than future climate conditions. He also warned that flood management is underfunded, that the National Flood Insurance Program is weak, and that federal support is increasingly uncertain. Members asked about groundwater recharge, permitting, NOAA and federal cuts, and which communities are most at risk; Mount said recharge can help but does not eliminate flood risk, and that small Central Valley communities and heavily developed floodplains are especially concerning. State officials Laura Hollander of the Department of Water Resources and Jane Dolan of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board described the state’s role in forecasting, emergency response, grants, planning, and the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan. They highlighted aging infrastructure, the need for better coordination, and the state’s special liability in the Central Valley after the Paterno decision. Dolan reviewed the history of major floods and said the plan calls for about $1 billion per year over 30 years to meet current needs, while Hollander said the state works with local and federal partners on preparedness, response, and subventions projects. Both emphasized that floodplain planning, regional coordination, and faster permitting are important, but that more consistent funding is needed. A later panel from local flood agencies and districts reinforced those points, arguing that the state’s annual flood funding is below identified needs and that a proposed statewide flood and dam safety bond was reduced substantially in the broader climate bond package. Witnesses urged more routine maintenance funding, support for regional flood planning, and continued federal-state-local partnerships to reduce risk and maintain eligibility for federal assistance. No formal votes or legislative actions were taken during the informational hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• CDBG-DR funds are intended to be the funding of last resort for unmet needs.
• CDBG-DR funds are intended to be the funding of last resort for unmet needs.
• In addition to the funding that the state directly received, more than $3 billion in total direct funding
• Again, this is a 75% federal fund, 25% homeowner fund.
• Again, this is a 75% federal fund, 25% homeowner fund. No state funds are used.

Summary: The Committee on Community Affairs met with a quorum present and heard several housing and disaster-recovery items. The committee heard SB 48 by Senator Gates, which would require local governments to allow voluntary accessory dwelling units, preserve homestead treatment for the owner-occupied portion of the property, limit undue parking restrictions, require 30-day minimum rentals, extend certain density bonuses for military families, and allow reusable tenant screening reports. The bill drew strong support from the Florida Association of Mortgage Professionals and several others, and it was reported favorably. The committee also heard SB 34 by Senator Sharif, creating a historic cemeteries program to help preserve historic African-American cemeteries and allow sale of excess vacant land if proceeds are used for long-term maintenance; it was also reported favorably. The committee then considered and recommended confirmation of Fox Henderson to the Board of Directors of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. Members also received a presentation from the Department of Commerce on the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program and Rebuild Florida. Deputy Secretary Justin Domer described the state’s administration of HUD disaster recovery funds, including more than $4.3 billion received since 2017, housing repair and replacement programs that have completed 5,271 homes, and infrastructure and mitigation projects such as sewer conversion in Alford, the new Calhoun-Liberty Hospital, and the Florida Keys desalination plant. Members asked about average project costs, contractor oversight, corrective actions for deficient work, and audit procedures; Domer said the department uses inspections, vendor oversight, and financial penalties, and noted stricter contract consequences in newer programs. The Division of Emergency Management also presented on Elevate Florida, a federal mitigation program that allows homeowners to apply directly for elevation, reconstruction, acquisition/demolition, or wind-mitigation projects, with a 75/25 federal-homeowner cost share and no state funds. Director Kevin Guthrie said the program is designed to reduce repetitive flood losses and keep homeowners in place, and that it has received more than 12,000 applications, with about 1,500 prioritized, 500 on a wait list, and 305 submitted to FEMA for final approval. Members asked about the 25% match for seniors, the wait list, contractor procurement, and how projects are classified; Guthrie said the program uses insurance proceeds where available, has competitively procured 27 contractors, and may shift projects from elevation to reconstruction depending on damage and flood rules. The committee adjourned after the presentations and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• So funding our preservation work is the way to minimize those emergency closures.
• And when we respond to emergencies like we did, the funding to address wildfires and floods comes right
• of it is TIB funding, and traditionally one-third is federal funding.
• Our board is consistently chosen to fund well above the $1 million floor for funding.
• Our board is consistently chosen to fund well above the $1 million floor for funding.

Bills: SB5989

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: aircraft fuel tax, tax revenue distribution, aviation funding, transportation, state revenue, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The funds are being used to strengthen Minnesota's emergency planning and response work, to modernize
• That was a major purpose of this<00:36:47.440><c> funding.</c> this funding. this funding.
• FIG funding has also supported critical emergency planning, communications, and response, again particularly
• </c> So the funds we did so the funds because So the funds we did so the funds because of<01:11:13.679
• funds.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> uh recipients of these funds. uh recipients of these funds.
• from emergencies without its emergency<01:10:00.880><c> managers.
• Why is emergency management essential and emergency response?
• </c> union emergency manager? union emergency manager?
• </c><01:59:42.639><c> Um</c> sufficient funds. Um sufficient funds.

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Control Fund to the Agricultural Best Management Practices BMP Fund; providing requirements for the
• Recovery Fund; providing requirements for the use of the ARPA State Fiscal Recovery Fund; directing
• the Endowment Fund Investment Board; providing for the transfer of monies from earnings reserve funds
• from the general fund to the Water Management Fund for water projects, directing the use of funds for
• without those general funds.

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Through funding, we tried to prioritize funding every day. That is our paramount mission.
• , spending funding, and drawing eligible reimbursements into the Emergency Preparedness and Response
• Fund, EPRF.
• Our mantra, what we embrace, is that funding and disaster response is federally funded, state managed
• As some projects close out, new projects emerge.

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development

Summary: The committee received a program review from the Florida Division of Emergency Management on the 2024 hurricane season and FEMA reimbursement process. Deputy Director Keith Pruitt described the impacts of Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton, including major storm surge, flooding, tornadoes, debris removal, power restoration, flood-control deployments, sheltering, and logistics missions. He emphasized that Florida’s approach is “federally funded, state managed, locally executed,” and said the division has already obligated large amounts of public assistance funding and mitigation dollars while continuing to work on remaining missions and reimbursements. A major focus of the discussion was how local governments can better document and vet debris-removal and other disaster costs so they are eligible for FEMA reimbursement. Chair DiCeglie and other senators raised concerns about local planning, commercial debris collection, and whether counties and municipalities that spend money up front will be reimbursed. Pruitt explained that eligibility depends on documentation, scope of work, insurance, and FEMA rules, and that the state’s FROC process is intended to help counties identify eligible work before costs are incurred. He also said commercial debris may be eligible in some cases but is not guaranteed, and that counties should coordinate early with FDEM and FEMA. Senators also asked about possible FEMA reforms, the age of outstanding reimbursement claims, and a proposed state fund to advance money to fiscally constrained counties while they wait for FEMA payments. Pruitt said Florida’s system is a national best practice, but that more county-level training and clearer coordination would help reduce de-obligations and audit problems. He said the reimbursement-advance idea is still being developed, and that the state continues to look at ways to streamline mitigation through programs like Elevate Florida. The committee took no formal action beyond hearing the presentation, and the meeting adjourned after closing comments from senators praising FDEM’s work.

Transcript Highlights:

• the Medicaid funding.
• the Medicaid funding.
• the Medicaid funding.
• the Medicaid funding.
• the Medicaid funding.

Committee: House Health Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house