Transcript Highlights:

• And managed care can be thought of just as a service. as like health insurance, similar to employee-sponsored
• We contract with 16 managed care organizations which are health insurance companies or we call them health
• On slide 25, I'm going to just highlight. how we one way we manage or monitor access to services so we
• want to make sure people receiving Services through managed care across the state have access to doctors
• Our quality management. initiatives include having all of our managers, the management evaluations that

Bills: HB150 , HB869 , HB876 , HB 1043 , HB1494 , HB1522 , HB150

Committee: House Delivery of Government Efficiency

Keywords: cybersecurity, state command, information resources, data protection, incident response, information technology, classification officer, job descriptions, state positions, competency-based, information sharing, government efficiency, public sector, private sector, distributed ledger, title registry, real estate, property liens, pilot program, healthcare

Transcript Highlights:

• Department, Early Childhood Services.
• Forest Service and our State Forest Service.
• It was the Forest Service.
• And it was the Forest Service. The service that took it back. And we went there; we talked to them.
• Fish and Wildlife Service.

Committee: House Federal Funding Stabilization Subcommittee

Transcript Highlights:

• Associations will pay more for management, maintenance, and professional services, or they will struggle
• Our organization represents a majority of the property management firms representing the HOAs in Minnesota
• Today, I will focus on<00:36:53.599><c> management.</c> on management. on management.
• We organized That provides no services.
• I own a management company and we've managed properties like this.

Bills: SF1750 , HF704 , HF3479

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy

Keywords: common interest community, CIC, homeowners association, HOA, condominium, planned community, cooperative, unit owner, association board, declarant, declarant control, special declarant rights, assessment lien, foreclosure, late fees, fines, attorney fees, resale disclosure, annual report, maintenance plan

Transcript Highlights:

• But that's also our service providers, our regional centers, our advocacy organizations, some of the
• Organizations use these... ...best practices for safe alternative service delivery.
• The sequencing of services and health funding will be managed between the departments.
• There's also financial management service transition supports, and that is where that financial management
• We're having to manage dual caseloads where we also provide student services.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> nursing services in a day, the manager nursing services in a day, the manager build<00:10:20.800
• from managed care organizations.
• care</c> Human Services or from managed care Human Services or from managed care organizations.<01:03
• Um you know managed care organizations.
• <c> just</c><02:10:08.320><c> the</c> managed care organizations, not just the managed care organizations

Bills: HF3043 , HF2891

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Let's get them managed on the outside of the fences and wrap those services around.
• social service agency.
• There’s also the possibility of discussing uniformity of management tools, even if the management is
• We now have the space for it, and we now have the management techniques and tools we need to manage that
• We now have the space for it, and we now have the management techniques and tools we need to manage that

Summary: The commission opened an informal discussion focused on developing recommendations for its September report on correctional consolidation and cooperation. Chairs Dan Hunt and Senator Brownsberger emphasized that the group is still in an information-gathering phase, but should begin putting ideas on the table, including possible written recommendations, further hearings, and additional facility tours. Members discussed whether the commission should seek more input from frontline stakeholders such as sheriffs, probation, parole, reentry centers, unions, and the judiciary, and whether recommendations should be organized around specific issue areas like medical costs, programming, reentry, and facility operations. A major theme was the need for a more integrated and consistent correctional system. Participants raised concerns about fragmentation across DOC, county sheriffs, probation, and parole, and suggested exploring step-down pathways, minimum security, pre-release, day reporting, and regional reentry hubs to improve outcomes and reduce recidivism. Several speakers stressed the importance of uniform standards, evidence-based programming, better data on outcomes and spending, and clearer alignment between custody conditions and rehabilitation goals. There was also discussion of looking to other states and international models, as well as revisiting older reports and plans, including the 2009 commission report and the 2010 corrections master plan. Facility-specific issues were also raised, including the need to examine women’s facilities such as Framingham, Bridgewater, and restrictive housing practices in light of suicide concerns and mental health needs. Members discussed the relationship between correctional custody and behavioral health, the role of the judiciary in sentencing and reentry planning, and whether judges should be better informed about available programming and step-down options. There was broad agreement that collaboration, transparency, and accountability should be strengthened, with some members urging that recommendations be based on firsthand facts and data rather than opinion alone. The meeting also included presentation of a written set of eight high-level recommendations compiled by advocacy and legal organizations, which focused on clearer and more consistent programming, equitable application of rules, and reducing punitive conditions that function like solitary confinement. The chairs said the document would be shared with members and posted online. No formal votes were taken during the discussion, and the meeting ended with plans to continue the conversation at a future session, including possible follow-up on reentry centers, restrictive housing, and other systemwide reforms.

Transcript Highlights:

• , health care services, developmental services, and the Health and Human Services Agency to support eligible
• health care, legal assistance, and navigation case management services.
• as legal services, case management, and multilingual outreach.
• Which is legal services, case management, and multilingual outreach, to recommend sustainability beyond
• services and stabilization services when families first arrive.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Human Services held an informational hearing focused on the impacts of federal HR1 on CalFresh and Medi-Cal, along with related state mitigation efforts. CDSS, DHCS, DDS, county representatives, LAO, and Finance discussed automatic exemptions, data-sharing between departments, county workload, and the timing of implementation. CDSS said about two-thirds of adults ages 18 to 64 are already known to be exempt in CalFresh, and that administrative data matches could newly exempt about 200,000 of the roughly 955,000 adults potentially at risk. DHCS said Medi-Cal work requirements would begin in 2027 and the department is working to automate exemptions, including for IHSS recipients and some caregivers, while DDS said its population is expected to be covered by auto-exemptions. County welfare directors emphasized that individualized worker contact is critical, that counties need more staffing and stable funding, and that without it they expect delays, higher error rates, and reduced exemption screening capacity. Members pressed for written timelines, county-by-county impact data, and clearer guidance; the administration said it would provide follow-up materials and technical assistance. No votes were taken. The committee then heard a separate discussion on a proposed CFAP expansion or “CFAP Plus” concept to provide state-funded benefits to additional populations affected by HR1, including lawfully present non-citizens and ABODs. CDSS said implementation could not occur before October 1, 2027 because of policy and system-design constraints, and that adding unique eligibility rules would increase complexity and cost. Finance cautioned that any expansion would have General Fund impacts likely in the hundreds of millions to multiple billions. Members asked for cost estimates and technical feedback on trailer bill language, and CDSS said it would review the proposal and respond. The hearing also covered CDSS’s CalFresh strategic plan and mandated reporter training updates. CDSS said it is hiring a strategic plan lead to develop a long-term, data-informed CalFresh plan, and that the revised mandated reporter training is on track for launch in fall/winter 2026, ahead of the July 1, 2027 statutory deadline. The training will include updated content on structural racism, ICWA protections, implicit bias, and the distinction between reporting and supporting families. Members praised the work and asked for continued updates. Later panels focused on Promise Neighborhoods, Stop the Hate, and housing programs. Promise Neighborhood advocates and CDSS described the state’s prior $12 million investment, a positive evaluation showing roughly a 4-to-1 return, and a new proposal to support place-based partnerships and community schools through AB 1969. Stop the Hate grantees and CDSS reported that the program has provided direct services, prevention, and statewide coordination to millions of Californians, and urged reauthorization before funding expires; members asked for best-practice language and discussed focusing future funding on solidarity work, harm reduction, legal services, and education. Finally, CDSS presented on the CalWORKs Housing Support Program and Housing and Disability Advocacy Program, saying proposed General Fund investments of $105 million and $55 million would prevent funding cliffs and allow the programs to continue through 2026-27, while the absence of new funding would force reductions in housing assistance, subsidies, and enrollments.

Transcript Highlights:

• Are you referring to how much of the service—the whole agency, or just related to managing the waiver
• As far as services, services would be outsourced.
• providers to actually manage, case manage... yeah, thank you. ...to actually manage case management.
• services.
• The managed care plans also have the ability to provide in-lieu-of services, which are substitute services

Summary: The Health Care Budget Subcommittee took up two bills and then continued oversight discussions with APD and AHCA. CS/HB 27, the Social Work Licensure Interstate Compact, was presented as a way to let Florida social workers practice in other compact states and vice versa; AARP, the Florida Chamber, and NASW Florida supported it, and the bill passed favorably. HB 1127, a child welfare bill, would create a treatment foster care pilot for children with high behavioral needs, improve DCF data collection on commercially sexually exploited children, and expand recruitment for protective investigators and case managers; the bill also passed favorably after brief supportive testimony. The committee then questioned APD at length about the iBudget waiver waitlist, enrollment pace, spending projections, and provider capacity. APD said it had sent more than 1,100 interest letters in categories 3, 4, and 5, enrolled 1,124 people so far this year, and expects to spend about 96.4% of its waiver appropriation, leaving roughly $82 million unspent. Members pressed APD on why prior discussions suggested more reserve was needed, how long the SANS process takes, whether category 6 could be expanded, and whether the agency has enough waiver support coordinators and direct support providers. APD said it has about 1,061 waiver support coordinators statewide, adequate capacity for current enrollees, but would need further analysis if the legislature directed a much larger enrollment increase. Members also asked about outreach, annual maintenance of the waitlist, portability for military families, and whether communication efforts should be privatized. Finally, AHCA walked the committee through the 2023 Achieved Savings Rebate (ASR) report for Aetna and explained how the report is used for financial monitoring, rebate calculations, and transparency. AHCA said the ASR is separate from the medical loss ratio (MLR) calculation, though both are reviewed, and that Florida uses the ASR mechanism rather than an MLR remittance requirement to recover funds from plans. Members asked about related-party disclosures, CVS/Caremark relationships, expanded benefits, encounter data, network adequacy penalties, denials and appeals reporting, interest earned on capitation payments, and whether rate increases were reaching providers. AHCA and the outside auditors said they review the plans’ reported data, reconcile it to underlying records, and can assess liquidated damages for network adequacy violations; several members requested follow-up data on rebates, interest, provider capacity, and related-party reporting.

Transcript Highlights:

• is allowing it the same organization is allowing it the same organization<00:25:11.080><c> May</c><00
• :25:11.279><c> remove</c> organization May remove organization May remove it<00:25:14.039><c> well</c
• </c> charged with uh protecting and managing charged with uh protecting and managing our<01:51:32.960
• Farm Bureau is an organization of the 10 county Farm Bureau organizations, and our membership is made
• so the organization by the organization so the organization can<04:59:45.400><c> then</c><04:59:45.680

Committee: House Municipal and County Government

Transcript Highlights:

• I also talked about getting some project management resources so that we could help our Division of Fee-for-Service
• Management.
• Fee-for-service behavioral health plan prior authorizations turnaround by service type or provider.
• Historical quality-of-care outcomes data: The fee-for-service quality management team was not fully formed
• while requiring Access to contract its administrative and care management functions to a qualified managed

Committees: Senate Health and Human Services , Senate Senate Health and Human Services COR

Transcript Highlights:

• So it was a very effective management strategy.
• I'm the general manager for Kings River Conservation District, the KRCD...
• I'm the general manager for the Kings River Conservation District, or KRCD.
• service the parks properly, manage the forest, and manage the communities... ...or our ability to have
• people who can service the parks properly, manage the forest, and manage the communities.

Committees: House Water, Parks and Wildlife , House Water, Parks, and Wildlife

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on wildlife, water, parks, and transparency. AB 764 would expand the list of exotic non-game birds that can be legally managed, with the author and California Waterfowl arguing it would help control rapidly growing mute swan populations that threaten native species and wetlands. The bill passed to Appropriations with no opposition. The committee also adopted its 2025-26 rules and approved the consent calendar, which included AB 14 and AB 581; AB 514 had been pulled by the author. AB 616, dubbed “Parks for All,” would allow state parks day-use passes to be transferred to the State Library free of charge to preserve the library pass program and improve access to state parks for low-income families and first-time visitors. Supporters said the program has been highly successful and equitable, and the bill passed to Appropriations. AB 293 would require groundwater sustainability agencies to post board membership and link to Form 700 filings online; supporters emphasized transparency and public trust, while some members raised concerns about redundancy and added burdens. The bill passed to Appropriations on a split vote. AB 639 would create a narrow exception in the Water Code so certain weirs used for irrigation would not be treated as dams, with the author and district representatives saying the structures pose no safety risk and should not face unnecessary regulation. Members urged the bill be narrowed to the Kings River area, and it passed as amended to Appropriations. AB 679 would streamline land transfers for Big Basin Redwoods, Año Nuevo, and Butano State Parks after the CZU fire, with conservation groups supporting faster acquisitions and one member opposing on budget and state-management grounds; it also passed to Appropriations. AB 454 would remove the sunset on California’s Migratory Bird Protection Act to keep state protections for migratory birds in place despite federal changes, and it passed to Appropriations. Later, the committee took add-on votes for members who arrived late, and the meeting adjourned after all listed items were acted on.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> uh to those organizations. uh to those organizations.
• Including nonprofit thrift in the residential definition for waste management will impact organizations
• <00:57:26.720><c> will</c><00:57:26.880><c> impact</c><00:57:27.240><c> organizations</c> management
• will impact organizations management will impact organizations across<00:57:28.240><c> the</c><00:57:
• </c><01:08:20.839><c> service</c><01:08:21.200><c> charge</c> that the service service charge that the

Bills: HF495 , HF4321 , HF3902 , HF4161 , HF3755

Committee: Senate Taxes

Keywords: day care, tax subtraction, child care costs, licensed child care, dependent care assistance, HF4321, dependent care assistance programs, gross income exclusion, federal conformity, Internal Revenue Code, individual income tax, Minnesota tax law, tax conformity, child care assistance, employer-provided dependent care, taxable income, state income tax, retroactive tax change, family care benefits, housing tax credit

Transcript Highlights:

• organizations during the early stages of COVID to ensure veterans seeking services during the pandemic
• organizations during the early stages of COVID to ensure veterans seeking services during the pandemic
• the California Association of Veterans Service Organizations.
• organizations like swords and the county veteran service offices these funds monitored and distributed
• , and through dedicated case managers that are willing to work with service members to bring them from

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Military and Veteran Affairs held an informational hearing focused on the effects of federal budget cuts and policy changes on veterans, military readiness, and California’s veteran support systems. The chair and members emphasized that federal reductions to the VA, Medicaid/Medi-Cal, SNAP, and the federal workforce are disproportionately harming veterans by threatening health care, employment, housing, crisis lines, and suicide prevention services. The chair also highlighted California’s progress on veteran homelessness and the importance of preserving state programs that leverage federal dollars. Major General Matthew Beavers of the California Military Department described the department’s structure, its response to the Los Angeles fire emergency, and concerns that federal cuts could reduce readiness through less training, older equipment, and fewer resources. He also discussed state programs such as Work for Warriors, STARBASE, youth and community schools, and the counterdrug task force, saying they are valuable but vulnerable if funding is redirected away from readiness. Members asked about the impact of federal changes on the Guard and how the Legislature could help, and Beavers said the state should advocate for recapitalized equipment and continued support for key programs. A second panel focused on veterans’ benefits and claims support. CalVet, Los Angeles County, and Swords to Plowshares testified that county veteran service officers, legal aid, and community-based partnerships are essential to helping veterans access VA benefits, especially after the PACT Act expanded eligibility and increased claims volume. Witnesses said these services bring substantial federal dollars back to California, but county offices and legal providers are underfunded and overburdened. Members discussed data sharing, staffing shortages, and the need for more resources to reach veterans who are not connected to VA care. In the final panel on mental health and suicide prevention, CalVet and nonprofit providers described state-funded programs such as the Veterans Support Self-Reliance program and the California Veterans Health Initiative, which place services in permanent supportive housing and provide no-cost counseling statewide. Witnesses said these programs are showing measurable improvements in health, medication adherence, and emergency room use, but they depend on sustained funding and are vulnerable to step-down grants and federal instability. Committee members expressed support for the programs and raised questions about access, staffing, and the role of non-veteran family members in Vet Center services.

Transcript Highlights:

• Organ transplantation is not typically... ...to organ procurement organizations, eye banks, or tissue
• Organ transplantation is not typically... ...wound care and pain management.
• Organ transplantation is not typically done for orthopedics, wound care, or pain management.
• the recommendations for how we manage lands in the water management district.
• Thank you for your service. Thank you for your service. Thank you, Mr. President.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a series of member introductions recognizing interns, pages, volunteers, and the retirement of Pastor Gary Austin from the sergeant’s office. Leadership also announced that budget talks with the House were continuing and that senators would not need to plan on being in next week, suggesting progress toward a budget framework. After routine floor business, the chamber took up a major third-reading measure on citizen initiatives and several education bills, followed later by returning messages from the House on health and school-safety measures. The most extensive debate centered on the citizen initiative bill, which sponsors said was intended to protect the constitutional amendment process from fraud and abuse based on election-crime investigations and a large state report on petition fraud. Supporters argued the bill would add reasonable guardrails, prevent misuse of public funds, and preserve integrity while still allowing grassroots participation. Opponents from both parties argued it would make citizen-led amendments much harder by adding costs, deadlines, criminal penalties, and administrative burdens that would chill participation and favor wealthy or corporate interests. After lengthy debate, the Senate voted 28-10 to pass the bill. The chamber then passed several education measures with little or no opposition, including bills tied to Bright Futures, dual enrollment, Florida ABLE, teacher preparation, and other education policy updates, all by 38-0. Later, the Senate concurred in House amendments on a stem cell therapy bill, an EKG requirement for student athletes, and a cardiac emergency bill, each passing 37-0. The House also sent back a school safety bill with amendments affecting child care facility partnerships with law enforcement, temporary door locks during active assailant incidents, supervision windows, and funding for panic alarm systems; the transcript ends as that bill is being explained.

Transcript Highlights:

• We do everything we do maximize the service life.
• Everything is built around maximizing service life.
• So does an outstanding job of managing our finances.
• How can you set up an independent organization?
• Let's go to services for the management legal consultant, because we're going to be incrementally making

Transcript Highlights:

• There are multiple listing services.
• Perhaps more importantly, numerous other housing organizations, business organizations, and fair housing
• Our organization exists to create inclusive communities across our 23-county service area and combat
• It requires the Department of Commerce to contract with a private nonprofit organization to provide services
• It requires the Department of Commerce to contract with a private nonprofit organization to provide services

Summary: The Senate Housing Committee heard public testimony on several bills. SB 6091 would prohibit real estate brokers from marketing residential properties to limited or exclusive groups unless the listing is also marketed to the general public and all brokers, with exceptions for health or safety and private party sales. The sponsor and supporters, including Washington Realtors, Habitat for Humanity, Zillow, the Fair Housing Center, and others, said the bill promotes transparency, competition, and fair housing by preventing “pocket listings” and insider access. Opponents, including Compass representatives and some brokers, argued it would limit homeowner autonomy, harm privacy-sensitive sellers such as seniors, and create legal risk for brokers; the Attorney General’s office said it supported the competitive goal but wanted a different enforcement mechanism than WLAD. The committee later closed testimony on SB 6091 without taking final action in the hearing. The committee also heard SB 6200, which would allow tenants and residents in manufactured home communities to install portable cooling devices, subject to safety, code, and electrical restrictions, and would require landlords to notify tenants of their rights and limitations. The prime sponsor and many public health, tenant, and climate advocates said the bill is needed to prevent heat-related illness and death during extreme heat events, especially for renters in older or low-income housing who lack built-in cooling. Landlord and property management groups supported the idea of portable floor units but raised concerns about window-mounted devices, citing fall hazards, property damage, and insurance issues. Testimony emphasized that the bill includes liability protections for landlords and is intended as a narrow public health measure. The committee then heard SB 6096, which would require cities and towns collecting water and sewer connection charges to offer a deferred payment option for qualifying residential construction until final inspection or certificate of occupancy. The sponsor and builders’ groups said deferral would reduce upfront financing costs and help housing production. Cities and utility districts opposed the bill, arguing it shifts financial risk to utilities and ratepayers, complicates infrastructure planning, and could delay or reduce needed system investments. Finally, the committee heard SB 6153, which would create a senior independent housing ombuds program, require registration of senior independent housing facilities, and make certain landlord-tenant violations subject to Consumer Protection Act enforcement. The sponsor said the bill responds to complaints from seniors in independent living settings who lack an ombuds or other practical recourse, while staff noted the bill carries an estimated $4.4 million biennial fiscal impact.

Transcript Highlights:

• the Agency for Health Care Administration to seek federal approval and update managed care and fee-for-service
• care plans, yet little is publicly known about how managed care organizations use taxpayer funds and
• In practice, various shell games allow managed care organizations to sidestep program integrity safeguards
• services.
• Under tab 20, we'll take up HB 5207 by the Department of Management Services.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee considered a large agenda of bills and reported several measures favorably. Early action included SB 6, a settled claim bill involving the Department of Children and Families and a trust for Leila Estrada and Sapphire Williams, and CS/CS/SB 1266, which creates a cybersecurity experiential learning and clearance-readiness program through the Department of Commerce and Cyber Florida. The committee also approved SB 532 on clerks of court funding, allowing clerks to retain all excess Article V revenue rather than returning half to the state and clarifying foreclosure sale procedures. In addition, the committee passed CS/CS/SB 1602 and CS/CS/SB 1604 to create and fund a pilot housing program for veterans through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, and CS/SB 1110 to expand Medicaid and private insurance coverage for medically necessary orthotics and prosthetics, including testimony from affected families and advocates. The committee also adopted an amendment and then favorably reported CS/CS/SB 1012 on inmate services, removing the bill’s medical-services compensation provisions while retaining changes to the inmate welfare trust fund and related facility uses. It also adopted a delete-all amendment and then favorably reported CS/CS/CS/SB 1614, which was narrowed to remove a provision allowing local governments to use excess fees to construct new buildings. The committee spent substantial time on CS/SB 17, a Medicaid oversight and transparency bill. The sponsor said the measure would create a joint legislative Medicaid oversight committee, authorize the Legislature to retain its own actuary, modernize Medicaid statutes, strengthen managed-care performance standards, and increase accountability for pharmacy benefit managers and related entities. After amendment, the committee adopted changes removing several PBM-related provisions while retaining the broader oversight framework. Testimony from supporters emphasized transparency, fraud prevention, and cost control, while a PBM trade association asked to continue working on affiliate-manufacturer, network, and payment issues. The bill was reported favorably. The most extensive discussion centered on CS/SB 1758, which proposes major changes to Medicaid and SNAP. The sponsor described five reforms: stronger fraud and overpayment recovery authority, a Medicaid work requirement for certain able-bodied adults, expanded behavioral-health services through Medicaid waivers, pharmacy-program changes to obtain rebates and reduce institutional costs, and SNAP/EBT reforms including photo IDs and work requirements. The committee adopted two amendments: one adding a transitional “glide path” for people who gain employment but risk losing Medicaid, and another exempting hospice patients with six months or less to live. Supporters argued the bill would reduce fraud, improve accountability, and encourage work, while opponents warned it would increase administrative burdens, push eligible people off coverage, and conflict with federal law or guidance. The bill remained under debate with extensive public testimony from advocates, providers, and affected families, and the transcript ends before final disposition on the measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• Ten of those years were in management, where I managed an individual office, but I also covered a region
• c><00:21:22.960><c> an</c> management uh where I managed an management uh where I managed an individual
• budget and fiscal management office of budget and fiscal management with<00:38:57.480><c> which</c><
• </c><00:39:26.119><c> for</c> from the office of legal services for from the office of legal services
• </c> um but we are proud of the organization um but we are proud of the organization we<00:50:10.680>

Summary: The subcommittee met to discuss the guardian ad litem system, including appointment qualifications, training, payment, and whether any changes are needed. Roll was called, the February 25, 2025 minutes were approved, and the chair emphasized that the meeting was informational only and no vote would be taken. Representatives from the Court of Justice, including Chief Justice Deborah Henry Lambert and several family and district judges, testified about how the system has evolved since concerns raised in 2019 about overappointment and fees. Court witnesses said the judiciary responded to earlier concerns by requiring open appointment lists of trained and qualified attorneys, improving training, and increasing oversight of fee orders. They reported that statewide GAL fees have fallen from a little over $14 million in 2019 to about $12 million, even as caseloads have grown, and said the average payment works out to about $650 per case, with the statutory cap for trial-level GAL fees still set at $500 since 1986. They argued that the current local appointment model works well, especially in rural areas, and warned that moving to a DPA-style regional model would create serious scheduling and conflict problems because of overlapping dockets and related criminal cases. Judges from rural districts described shortages of available attorneys, high burnout, travel burdens, and the difficulty of finding enough counsel in smaller counties. They also said the Court of Justice cannot seek certain federal Title IV-E reimbursements, but urged the legislature to encourage the Finance and Administration Cabinet and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to pursue that funding through an MOU. One judge noted that some appointed attorneys are effectively underpaid relative to private rates and that better compensation would help attract and retain lawyers. The discussion also covered training standards adopted after the 2019 audit. Witnesses said Rule 37 now requires initial training and four hours of multidisciplinary continuing training every two years, with topics including child development, trauma-informed care, substance use, child welfare, forensics, ethics, and communication with clients. They said the Court of Justice has offered in-person regional trainings and remote options, and that the goal is to keep qualified attorneys on the appointment lists while improving representation for children and parents in dependency, neglect, abuse, and termination-of-parental-rights cases.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the Total Rewards Manager in HR Management Services, part of OMB.
• You can do it for an average for an organization.
• manageable, we did not solve all issues with that.
• My name is Marcia Havens, and I am the manager for the Labor Market Information Division at Job Service
• or payment for specified providers of services.

Committee: Joint Employee Benefits Programs Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• for will still be achieved as part of the integrated claim management system.
• for will still be achieved as part of the integrated claim management system.
• I'm with the organization Korea Town Immigrant Workers Alliance.
• Hello, my name is Eugene Day on behalf of the Crop Organization.
• I am currently a fellow in the CROP organization.

Summary: The subcommittee heard a series of budget and trailer bill presentations focused on labor and public employment programs. The first item covered EDD Next modernization, where EDD described progress on customer service improvements, fraud prevention, language access, and the Integrated Claims Management System. The LAO urged stronger legislative oversight as the project enters its most difficult phase, and members questioned the revised schedule, total cost, change orders, stress testing, SB 1090 implementation, and how race and ethnicity data will be protected. EDD said the overall project cost remains about $1.2 billion, that the work is being phased with disability insurance and paid family leave first, and that fraud has been greatly reduced since pandemic-era programs ended. Members also asked for follow-up information on SB 590 outreach and equity impacts. The committee then reviewed the California Workforce Development Board’s request to reduce staffing as one-time grant workloads wind down, along with trailer bill language to streamline reporting requirements. The board and Department of Finance said the staffing reductions reflect the end of surge funding and that the proposal would consolidate roughly 10 to 12 reports into one annual report, with additional reporting only if new funds are appropriated for certain programs. Senator Durazo questioned the policy direction of reducing workforce staffing, while the administration said the positions were tied to temporary grant programs and that current staffing is sufficient for ongoing duties. Members also asked about the board’s role in AI-related workforce planning and the rationale for using state funds for the High Road Construction Careers Program. A major portion of the hearing focused on the Subsequent Injury Benefits Trust Fund reforms and related staffing request at DIR. The administration and LAO described rapid growth in applications, backlog, and liabilities, saying the program’s eligibility has expanded beyond its original intent and that liabilities could reach about $30 billion by 2030 without reform. The trailer bill would tighten eligibility, apply the changes to open cases, and use the QME process and contemporaneous evidence to document preexisting disabilities. Members raised concerns about fairness to pending claimants, evaluator capacity, and the relationship to other SIBTF legislation, while the LAO said the proposal largely aligns with its prior recommendations. DIR also presented a request to eliminate vacant positions under a statewide vacancy sweep, which drew criticism from members who argued the cuts could weaken enforcement and backlog reduction efforts; the committee asked DIR to return with more detail on impacts and on its use of temporary-help authority. The final items addressed a request for additional Cal/OSHA investigative staff and a trailer bill to make permanent the revised Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board petition timeline. DIR said the BOI staffing would help investigate fatalities and serious injuries more quickly, while members emphasized the importance of family contact and timely investigations. For the WCAB item, the chair explained that the 2024 change to Labor Code section 5909, which starts the 60-day decision clock when a case is transmitted rather than when a petition is filed, has reduced pending cases and should be made permanent; the remaining backlog was reported at 460 cases, down from 637 before the change.