Transcript Highlights:

• And I don't see any benefit to interim study either. So I'll be supporting the ITL.
• So I'll benefit to interim study either.
• And again, no obvious reason to interim study it either. Anybody else?
• I' I'd an interim study uh scenario.
• ,</c> because even if we go interim study, because even if we go interim study, nothing's<02:29:33.760

Summary: The committee met in a transportation work session and executive session, with the chair explaining the format change to allow fuller discussion and possible expert input before votes. The committee first took up House Bill 209, which would have allowed a new vehicle purchased in the model year or before to be inspected in the second year after purchase. Members said the bill was rendered unnecessary by the broader repeal of vehicle inspections, and the committee voted 16-0 to deem it inexpedient to legislate (ITL), with consent. The same outcome followed for House Bill 212, which would have allowed a 180-day operation waiver when a motor vehicle failed an emissions control test, and House Bill 533, which concerned civilian employees and commercial truck inspections. In both cases, members said the inspection repeal made the bills unnecessary, and in the commercial truck bill there were also concerns that the language did not fit federal requirements and referenced state inspection laws rather than federal ones. Both bills were voted ITL 16-0 and adopted by consent. House Bill 298, dealing with vehicle identification number-related issues and antique vehicle authenticity, also received an ITL recommendation 16-0. Members said the proposal raised fraud concerns and could affect the value and authenticity of antique vehicles, and several said the bill needed more work before any future consideration. The committee then moved to Senate Bill 150, which would define electric vehicle charging stations and establish annual testing fees for the Division of Weights and Measures. That bill drew the most discussion: Representative Sykes described a personal experience with a malfunctioning charging station and a large, unclear bill, arguing that consumer protection regulation is needed. Representative Miller said the fee structure seemed high compared with other inspections and that third-party inspectors were not allowed, though he acknowledged some need for consumer protection. Senator David Watters, the sponsor, said the bill should be improved and suggested a lower annual fee and a fund-based approach to build an inspection program over time. Cheryl, the director of Weights and Measures, testified that the division needs authority, staffing, licensing categories, and expensive test equipment to oversee EV chargers, and that current rules do not adequately cover this emerging technology.

Transcript Highlights:

• They said, 'I don't think we should do this,' and Sweden did a study and they found out that this in
• , were used on the keys in the DHS study, they would get a different result.
• </c> disconnect with the agency is a study disconnect with the agency is a study that<01:24:51.440><c
• They get a on the keys in the DHS study.
• :31:39.920><c> have</c> in the EU, scientific studies that have in the EU, scientific studies that have

Committee: House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• long-term care issues and studied long-term care issues and supports<00:35:03.640><c> increasing</c>
• Another handout is a Vantiv study, an independent study showing what this bill, this concept, would do
• And lastly, a handout taken from an AARP study, issued a year ago in January of 2024, that shows you
• </c><01:28:00.840><c> that</c> inflation there are recent studies that inflation there are recent studies
• So they studied what happened with generic drugs and brand-name drugs.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• I am here to tell you about there will be Bible study tomorrow in room 109 at starting at 7:15.
• </c><00:19:46.240><c> will</c><00:19:46.440><c> be</c><00:19:46.600><c> Bible</c><00:19:46.960><c> study
• </c> tell you about there will be Bible study tell you about there will be Bible study tomorrow<00:19
• There will be Bible study tomorrow in Room 109 starting at 7:15 tomorrow morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Finally, the amendment establishes the Study Committee on Secure State Mental Health Facilities to make
• long-term feasibility of secure state mental health facilities or other care models, and outlines study
• So in the bill, it allows us to study to go into a compact. So right now, they don't know.
• So in the bill, it allows us to study um So in the bill, it allows us to study to go into a compact.

Summary: The caucus briefly reviewed House Bill 2307, which addresses the placement and treatment of dangerous, incompetent defendants when no secure mental health beds are available in Arizona. Staff explained the Senate amendments would allow one such defendant to be housed temporarily at the Arizona State Hospital in a secure setting, require DHS to study the cost of building or converting a secure facility on ASH grounds, create a study committee on long-term secure mental health facility options, and include an emergency clause. The sponsor said the bill is intended as a temporary fix while the state works toward a permanent secure facility, and noted the individual would receive mental health treatment aimed at restoring competency to stand trial. Members asked about where the person would be housed, whether treatment would be provided, and whether out-of-state compacts might be used if needed. The group then discussed House Bill 272, which as passed the House would have created an optional state certification program for lactation care providers and a related advisory committee under the Arizona Department of Health Services. Staff reported that the Senate adopted a strike-everything amendment turning the bill into an emergency measure repealing Dr. Cesar Estrada Chavez Day. The sponsor, Representative Fink, was reported to concur with the Senate amendments. No votes were taken during the caucus discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> While some canabonoids have been studied While some canabonoids have been studied for<01:13:44.719
• Laboratory studies like opioids.
• Um, there are people who said that it's not studied. There's been over 450 scientific studies.
• There's been over 450 studied. There's been over 450 scientific<02:55:27.600><c> studies.
• </c><03:06:17.520><c> in</c> semiynthetic products for studying in semiynthetic products for studying

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to call your attention to the regulatory alignment study, which looked at food safety, water
• Last year, DWR released detailed studies that we refer to as our watershed studies, which examine how
• These watershed-scale studies should give local water managers abundant information about likely future
• This is the regulatory alignment study.
• Both projects point... canals with Turlock Irrigation District piloting a study with UC Mercedas our

Transcript Highlights:

• The study was completed in 2020. An interim study was requested at that time.
• So under this study, $40-some million, what would it be today then?
• Is that in the study? I'm sorry to interrupt. Is that in the study that's being looked at? Mr.
• Chairman, no, that is not part of the study.
• And as you guys are working on that study, to see what we did.

Summary: The committee met to review the Attorney General’s budget and related agency operations, beginning with Legislative Council staff walking members through compliance reports and a blue-sheet base budget document. Staff highlighted current-biennium items such as FTE changes, one-time appropriations, litigation funding, opioid settlement receipts, continuing appropriations, and major special and federal funds. Members asked for clarification on items including the Missing Indigenous People Grant Fund, the Internet Crimes Investigation Fund, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit grant funding. Assistant Attorney General Clare Ness then gave an overview of the office’s structure, staffing, and budget pressures. She emphasized the office’s broad statutory duties, the value of its legal services to state and local government, and concerns about attorney pay lagging behind other agencies. Members discussed whether attorney compensation should be benchmarked more consistently across state government and whether some legal work could be consolidated within the AG’s office. Ness also addressed questions about AG opinion turnaround times, boards-and-commissions training, the new-and-vacant FTE pool, operating expense cuts, office leases, and the state’s criminal justice information systems. The crime lab presentation drew significant attention. Director Jennifer Penner described severe space, safety, and infrastructure problems at the current lab, including cramped work areas, glycol leaks, outdated fire and burglar alarms, air-handling limits, and equipment failures that have delayed toxicology work. She said the 2024 study projected a much larger facility would be needed and that the preferred location would be near the current health department site, but in a new building. Members asked about possible evidence risks, backlog status, and whether the proposed building would solve the current problems; Penner said it would and noted backlogs have improved overall, though some delays remain. The committee also heard from the new Medicaid Fraud Control Unit director, who described the unit’s civil and criminal work, federal-state funding split, and examples of fraud such as billing for services not provided or upcoding. The gaming division reported continued growth in charitable gaming and e-tabs, with members expressing concern about large trust-account balances, site competition, and possible misuse of proceeds. Finally, BCI outlined its caseload, cybercrime work, missing Indigenous persons task force, and the surge in CSAM cyber tips; members asked about AI-generated CSAM, and the AG’s office noted that last session’s law increased penalties and expressly allowed AI-generated CSAM to be prosecuted like other CSAM. No formal votes or actions were taken beyond approval of the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• If it passes, do you do, like, an impact study on how this is going to affect the city infrastructure
• If it passes, do you do, like, an impact study on how this is going to affect the city infrastructure
• If we did regulations, we would have to do a fiscal impact study.
• And again, only areas where there is water and sewer, so not technically an impact study, but I think
• Much of this academic literature studies Massachusetts in particular.

Summary: The Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions held a public hearing on Initiative Petition 25-03, House Bill 5000, which would allow single-family homes on small lots in areas with adequate infrastructure. Committee chairs outlined the Article 48 process and the hearing format, then heard first from two subject-matter experts. Under Secretary Chris Clutchman of Housing and Livable Communities explained that the proposal would amend Chapter 40A’s Section 3 (the Dover Amendment) to require most municipalities, except Boston, to allow single-family homes on residentially zoned lots of at least 5,000 square feet with 50 feet of frontage and access to public water and sewer, while still allowing reasonable local regulations on setbacks, height, bulk, and short-term rentals. He distinguished the proposal from Chapter 40Y starter-home zoning, said implementation would likely require regulations to address issues such as wetlands, infrastructure capacity, and nonconforming lots, and answered committee questions about lot subdivision, MBTA Communities, and the relationship to existing zoning tools. Attorney Susan Murphy testified that the petition would significantly override local zoning and could create conflicts with existing statutes, including Chapter 40A Section 6 protections for certain nonconforming lots, subdivision control law, and other residential zoning districts. She raised concerns about how “access” to water and sewer would be defined, whether the measure could apply in business or industrial districts where residential uses are allowed, and whether the proposal could allow large homes on small lots without any affordability limits. She also warned that the measure could have significant infrastructure impacts and argued that the Legislature should consider broader, more comprehensive housing legislation rather than expanding exceptions to the zoning framework. Committee members asked both experts about frontage, lot size, infrastructure capacity, and how the proposal would interact with 40Y and MBTA Communities. The proponents, led by Andrew McCulla of the Legalized Starter Homes Coalition, argued that Massachusetts faces a severe housing shortage and affordability crisis, citing high home prices, high rents, declining listings, and outmigration of younger residents. They said the measure would legalize modest single-family homes on smaller lots, increase housing supply, and help first-time buyers and downsizing seniors, while leaving most other local rules in place. Other proponents, including representatives from Abundant Housing Massachusetts, the Charles River Regional Chamber, and individual residents, emphasized workforce retention, the need for more starter homes, and the view that large minimum lot sizes are a major barrier to production. Committee members pressed the panel on the lack of any home-size or affordability requirement, possible effects on 40B compliance, the number of new lots and homes that might result, and the fact that the ballot initiative would not be amendable by the Legislature. The hearing then turned to opponents from the Massachusetts Municipal Association, who urged the committee to take no action. MMA leaders said zoning should remain a local decision made by residents and elected local officials, and argued that the proposal would preempt local control with a one-size-fits-all mandate. They also said the measure is impractical because many communities with water and sewer are already at or near capacity, so infrastructure availability does not necessarily mean development capacity. The hearing ended during the MMA’s testimony, with no vote or final committee action taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I love your idea, and I think the idea of a study resolution is great, and I look forward to your
• Is there some study material that you found in your studies?
• But there's, I didn't read every study.
• There have existence of tablet forms, other forms. every study.
• But let's go into a study and see what works best if we can. Perfect. Thank you. Thank you.

Committee: House Insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• as well and Suzanne Art Arnson has done a fantastic job and and has testified and was part of the study
• </c> testified and was part of the the study testified and was part of the the study group<00:04:10.400
• The rest of the barriers cited in<00:08:27.199><c> the</c><00:08:27.360><c> study</c><00:08:27.759><c
• are affecting a metric we in the study are affecting a metric we hold<00:08:29.360><c> our</c><00:08
• </c> talked about it in in the the study talked about it in in the the study group<00:26:42.480><c> as

Summary: The committee heard House File 3585, as amended, which would create an interagency council on student attendance and re-refer the bill to education finance. Representative Keeler moved the bill and an A1 amendment that corrected the council’s placement from the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to the Department of Education; the amendment was adopted. Keeler and Representative Bakeberg described the bill as the product of several years of bipartisan work on chronic absenteeism and truancy, emphasizing that attendance problems involve multiple systems and require ongoing coordination rather than a single-agency response. Testimony was strongly supportive. Matt Shaver of Allies cited statewide chronic absenteeism data and argued that schools cannot solve the problem alone because root causes such as housing, transportation, health, and economic instability lie outside school control. Assistant Commissioner Angela Mansfield of MDE said the task force and pilot districts showed coordination gaps and supported the council, while also noting MDE’s Compass staff would need permanent funding to carry out the work. Ashley High Totower of Hennepin County’s BEET program said attendance is a public health, child welfare, transportation, housing, and economic issue, and Kenneth Avon of the Minneapolis Foundation said absenteeism is an ecological problem requiring cross-sector coordination. Student witnesses also supported the bill but urged stronger youth representation. Henry Brick of Catalyst for Systems Change said students understand the causes of absenteeism best and proposed expanding student seats on the council from one to five. Ava Northrup of the Minnesota Youth Council said youth voices should be more than symbolic and suggested two youth representatives, one from the metro and one from greater Minnesota, plus additional youth task forces or panels. In member discussion, Representative Lawrence questioned whether the council duplicated existing MDE work, asked who would coordinate the group, and raised the lack of a sunset; Keeler and Bakeberg said the Department of Education would coordinate and that a sunset could be considered later. Other members asked about fiscal impact, and the chair said a fiscal note had been requested and the bill would move on to education finance.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then the second case study is really interesting, too.
• The other part to this study that... ...was so elegantly described and studied was there was a correlation
• We've had it published in rat studies, for instance, where you can see what happens in rat brain.
• Theoretically, conceptually, and as a secondary endpoint, if you would, in studying these studies, you
• So the previous study went into eight weeks. Can it go into 12? Can it go into 24?

Summary: The Assembly Select Committee on Biotechnology and Medical Technology held a hearing on California’s medical technology landscape, with opening remarks emphasizing the sector’s size, economic impact, and role in jobs and innovation. The first panel contrasted MedTech with biopharma, describing MedTech as hardware- and manufacturing-oriented, more incremental in development, and more dependent on supply chains, land use, and mid-skilled workforce pipelines. Witnesses argued California is the epicenter for MedTech because of its mix of engineering, software, hospitals, and manufacturing ecosystems, and cited clusters in places like Irvine, Fremont, Carlsbad, and the Bay Area. They also highlighted examples such as Penumbra and Vyaire Medical Systems to show how local manufacturing, community college training, and reshoring can support growth. The panel discussed cybersecurity, trade relations, supply chain disruptions, and the need for better coordination with hospitals and regulators, while AdvaMed stressed that medical devices are already heavily regulated by the FDA and should generally be exempt from broader state laws that could create a patchwork of requirements. Members also discussed AI in MedTech, workforce training, and the possible effects of federal NIH funding cuts, with witnesses saying MedTech is less dependent on NIH than biopharma but still benefits from a strong innovation ecosystem. Committee members then asked about AI, affordability, patient satisfaction, women’s health, and the R&D tax credit. Witnesses said AI is helping reduce errors, redundant testing, and imaging time, while keeping clinicians in the loop, and that digital pathology and robotic surgery are improving diagnosis and treatment. They also noted that packaging, plastics, and recycling can affect FDA approvals, and that FemTech is an active and growing area for investment and acquisition. Several members raised concerns about California’s regulatory and incentive environment, including the loss of the R&D tax credit, and witnesses said the absence of tax incentives has made it harder to keep companies and jobs in the state. The second panel featured company representatives from Lyca Biosystems, Intuitive, Saravia Neurosciences, and Newman. Dr. Monroe described digital pathology as a way to digitize tissue slides, improve access to subspecialty review, and enable AI-assisted diagnosis, especially for cancer care and rural areas. Intuitive highlighted robotic-assisted surgery, including the da Vinci system and the Ion bronchoscopy platform, and said its technologies improve precision, reduce complications, and support clinician-led care. Saravia Neurosciences presented an early-stage neurotechnology for dementia that uses MRI-guided transcranial magnetic stimulation and AI-driven personalization, and argued California needs a state translational fund to bridge the gap between discovery and commercialization. Newman, a startup working on home diagnostics, said California’s permitting, zoning, and manufacturing rules make it difficult to scale advanced manufacturing locally and urged streamlining, reduced red tape, and incentives to keep manufacturing jobs in-state. Committee members again focused on tax credits and asked how the state could better support manufacturing, translational funding, and the retention of high-paying MedTech jobs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chairman, one of the studies was done in Fort Collins, Colorado, a mile above sea level.
• This area has just grown exponentially, but this study is long overdue.
• So many of these other projects that want to study it are up in the millions.
• So many of these other projects that want to study it are up in the millions.
• I am glad that we're going to have the Transportation Infrastructure Study Committee.

Bills: SB1001 , SB1035 , SB1056 , SB1065 , SB1138 , SB1161 , SB1204 , SB1207 , SB1248 , SB1274 , SB1284 , SCM1002 , SCM1006 , SCR1020

Committee: Senate Appropriations, Transportation and Technology

Keywords: appropriation, economic security, blind individuals, older adults, state funding, Arizona Department of Corrections, ADC, corrections, prison, jail, correctional officers, prison guards, staffing, retention, salary increase, pay raise, wage increase, general fund, state budget, private prisons

Transcript Highlights:

• The study must include analysis of a variety of factors. December 31, 2028.
• The study must include analysis of a variety of factors, including state-specific areas of study that
• You see Riverside is doing some great studies on coyote populations.
• House Bill 2327 deals with the JLARC study of the state forest land trust.
• House Bill 2327 deals with the JLARC study of the state forest land trust.

Summary: The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held public hearings on several bills, with most of the discussion focused on tribal representation and natural resource management. On HB 2117, which would add a tribal representative to the Board of Natural Resources, the prime sponsor and DNR officials said the bill would strengthen government-to-government relationships without replacing existing consultation duties. Tribal leaders from the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation testified in support, as did the Commissioner of Public Lands and DNR’s tribal relations director. County and timber interests said they were not opposed to tribal representation but raised concerns about trust responsibilities, beneficiary interests, and whether the representative should come from a tribe with commercial forest management experience. The committee later closed testimony on HB 2117 and read into the record 192 pro, 124 con, and zero other sign-ins. The committee also heard HB 2516, which would impose a two-year moratorium on the use of certain anticoagulant rodenticides and bromethalin after a Department of Agriculture report and while the Washington State Academy of Sciences studies alternatives and impacts. The prime sponsor argued the bill balances rodent control with concerns about wildlife, groundwater, and human exposure, while opponents from the pest management industry warned it would remove effective tools and worsen rodent problems, especially for low-income and manufactured-home communities. Supporters included the Washington Poison Center, wildlife rehabilitators, Birds Connect Seattle, the Stillaguamish Tribe, and other advocates who cited poisonings in wildlife and children and pointed to non-toxic alternatives and integrated pest management. The committee read into the record 754 pro, 176 con, and five other sign-ins. For HB 2554, which would repeal RCW 77.110 and related language tied to Initiative 456 and tribal fishing rights, the sponsor and the Attorney General’s Office said the statute is unconstitutional and inconsistent with federal treaty law and court rulings. The Department of Fish and Wildlife also supported repeal, describing the measure as removing an unenforceable anti-tribal statute. The committee then moved on to HB 2327, a bill directing JLARC to audit the county forest board lands trust and DNR’s management of those lands. The sponsor, former Rep. Jim Buck, county representatives, and forest industry witnesses supported an independent review of the trust structure and performance; some asked for amendments to address reconveyance options, broader legal and ecological considerations, and consultation with tribes and the Board of Natural Resources.

Transcript Highlights:

• The consultant for the Border Highway Connector Phase Two study has been selected.
• had a chance to look at that study.
• GSA did a very, very simple feasibility study, and that is a problem.
• So we are kicking off the study in July and August. Many of you are already...
• All of that has to be analyzed according to the studies that have to be done.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> compensation G Gap a recent Market study compensation G Gap a recent Market study revealed<00:13
• told us we need to do mark Market study told us we need to do which<00:14:01.040><c> is</c> which is
• ><c> they</c><00:28:56.519><c> are</c> uh all the studies show that they are uh all the studies show
• In 2023, the Rand Corporation did a study of 17 different state caseload studies and came up with a national
• of 17 different state um case load study of 17 different state um case load studies<00:56:55.160><c>

Committee: House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law

Transcript Highlights:

• And you're study on Senate Bill 637.
• </c> conversation, you know, um when we study conversation, you know, um when we study the<02:34:16.080
• </c><02:34:31.680><c> helping</c> I don't think we need to study helping I don't think we need to study
• So I'm against the interim<02:34:48.800><c> studies.</c> interim studies. interim studies.
• study. >> All those in favor of interim study say I. >> I. >> All those opposed say nay. >> Nay. >>

Committee: Senate Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> from even studying a digital dollar. from even studying a digital dollar.
• Currency Study Act. Chairman Hill also Currency Study Act.
• Please read the study. Even if you don't like studies, read it anyway. Thank you very much.
• Please read the study. Even if payments. Please read the study.
• </c> you don't like studies, read it anyway. you don't like studies, read it anyway.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> social studies consultant. social studies consultant.
• </c> today with social studies standards. today with social studies standards.
• academic studies?
• And we had a study done. Dr.
• And we had a study done. Dr.

Committee: Joint Select Committee on Tribal Relations

Transcript Highlights:

• And so they've GRS has basically study.
• They will go through a study.
• </c><00:53:36.319><c> Uh</c> conducting this experience study. Uh conducting this experience study.
• So, how the experience study comes out.
• They'll be for the experience study.

Summary: The meeting opened with a quorum call, the Pledge of Allegiance, a prayer, and approval of the prior meeting minutes. The first presentation was from Bo Craycraft of the Judicial Form Retirement System, who gave an update on investment performance, asset allocation, cash flow, and projected employer costs. He reported strong fiscal year 2025 investment results, with both the legislative and judicial retirement plans outperforming their actuarial assumed rates of return and benchmarks, driven largely by U.S. equity performance. He also noted the plans remained near their target asset allocation and continued to experience negative cash flow, though he said that was manageable in context of strong asset growth. Craycraft then discussed a recent experience study and actuarial assumption changes, especially a revised salary growth assumption and a higher cash balance interest credit rate. He said these changes increased projected employer costs, with contributions rising from about $700,000 to a projected $2 million in later years, though he expected the eventual 2025 valuation and investment gains to reduce that estimate. Members asked about mortality assumptions, the impact of the experience study on liabilities, and the sharp increase in the judicial plan’s projected employer cost. Craycraft explained that the increase was driven mainly by the updated assumptions and that no other major plan changes were involved. At the chair’s request, Craycraft also addressed the recent rise in Medicare Advantage premiums for the plan’s health coverage, saying the 2025 increase was largely tied to Part D changes and the Inflation Reduction Act and had been about 45%, but that future growth was expected to be under 5%. After his presentation, the committee moved to the Kentucky Public Pensions Authority update, where the next speaker began by saying the funds had exceeded actuarial assumed returns for the fiscal year.