Transcript Highlights:

• We have San Diego Consumer Watchdog.
• So I think that we're taking the responsibility out of the hands of the consumer.
• It is incredibly frustrating trying to deal with customer service on these apps.
• And I wasn't voting for anything that was going to put costs on the consumer.
• I do know that not being able to reach a customer service person is...

Summary: The Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee met with a new membership roster and adopted its committee rules after quorum was established. The hearing then began with AB 412, the AI Copyright Transparency Act, which would require generative AI developers to provide copyright holders notice when registered copyrighted works are used in training data. The author and supporters, including SAG-AFTRA, the Transparency Coalition, voice actors, writers, labor groups, and other creators, argued the bill would give artists a practical way to learn whether their works were used and to vindicate their rights. Opponents, including EFF, CalChamber, RIAA, CCIA, Chamber of Progress, Bay Area Council, BSA, and TechNet, said the proposal was technically unworkable, could burden startups, conflict with existing law and pending litigation, and raise federal preemption concerns. Members discussed the bill’s amendments, including a fingerprinting approach and narrowing the bill to model developers, and the committee voted 8-2 to pass AB 412 as amended to the Judiciary Committee. The committee then heard AB 446, which would prohibit “surveillance pricing,” or the use of personal data to charge different prices for the same product or service. The author and supporters, including Consumer Watchdog, UFCW, labor organizations, and consumer/privacy groups, described examples of differential pricing tied to device type, location, shopping behavior, and digital price tags, and argued the bill would protect consumers from discriminatory and predatory pricing. Business and industry opponents, including CalChamber, grocers, retailers, travel, broadband, and other associations, said the bill could conflict with the CCPA, interfere with loyalty and rewards programs, and create confusion about personalized discounts and dynamic pricing. The discussion focused on how the bill would treat loyalty programs, whether existing privacy law already covers the issue, and whether the proposal would unintentionally affect legitimate discounts and promotions.

Transcript Highlights:

• . better than he found it due to his leadership, dedication, and service.
• as a service to Californians.
• I think that the state should be on the side of protecting consumers.
• I also want to address the point made about lack of consumer protections.
• to a consumer.

Summary: The Assembly convened after a quorum call, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, approved procedural motions, and recognized several guests and honorees, including CAUSE leadership academy participants, retiring FCMAT CEO Michael Fine, a Capitol intern, environmental leaders celebrating Black Conservation Week, family members of members, and NASA astronaut Captain Victor Glover Jr. The body also took up a number of routine file items and committee referral requests, with several bills referred to committees by unanimous consent and multiple items passed or retained on file. The main floor debate centered on ACR 214, the Juneteenth resolution. Members from the Black Caucus and other caucuses spoke in support, describing Juneteenth as both a celebration of emancipation and a reminder that freedom and equality remain unfinished work. Speakers emphasized Black history, civil rights, solidarity across communities, and ongoing issues such as education, housing, health, incarceration, and economic inequality. The resolution was adopted by voice vote after 66 coauthors were added. The Assembly also considered AB 2285 on blockchain staking and crypto regulation. The author argued the bill would provide consumer protections and clear rules for banks, credit unions, and crypto exchanges, while an opponent warned it could weaken securities oversight and consumer safeguards. The bill passed 45-1, and the author requested immediate transmission to the Senate. Later, SB 1036 on mitigation fee credits for redevelopment passed 55-0 after brief support for clarifying fee rules and reducing duplicative costs. The chamber then adopted the second-day consent calendar, including resolutions for Women’s Equality Day and the International Day of Yoga, along with several Senate bills, all by unanimous or near-unanimous votes. The Assembly announced it would not meet on Friday, June 19, would reconvene Monday, June 22 at 1 p.m., and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• can engage in digital asset service can engage in digital asset service provider<00:15:10.399>
• So the OC service as the OCC says.
• provides or provides other services. provides or provides other services.
• We service some clients directly, and others we service through either our wallets or our crypto-as-a-service
• coins as a service, crypto as a service coins as a service, crypto as a service and<01:01:01.119

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting began with roll call and introductions of commission members and guests, followed by approval of the agenda and a motion to approve the February 10 minutes with a correction clarifying that one quoted statement was misattributed. The commission then moved into presentations. The main presentation came from the Conference of State Bank Supervisors on implementation of the federal GENIUS Act for stablecoins. The speaker reviewed the OCC’s recent 367-page proposed rule, noting it raises many open questions and design choices for states, and discussed expected upcoming rulemaking from the FDIC, Federal Reserve, and Treasury. The presentation focused on six areas: permissible issuer activities, reserve assets and redemption, risk management and supervision, treatment of state-qualified issuers, capital/operational backstops, and foreign issuers. It also flagged unresolved issues around Bank Secrecy Act/AML requirements and the meaning of “digital asset service provider” activities. A substantial portion of the discussion addressed yield restrictions, with the presenter explaining the OCC’s broad definition of yield and its rebuttable presumption against issuer-affiliated or related third-party yield arrangements. The speaker said this likely forecloses many existing white-label structures but leaves some room for third-party payments depending on distance from the issuer, and noted ongoing Senate debate over similar provisions. The presentation also covered reserve valuation, liquidity and diversification requirements, redemption timing, and supervisory expectations such as third-party oversight, IT security, exam cycles, and reporting. No additional votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the amended minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• The state retains full authority to license and regulate commercial service providers, enforce consumer
• services, and money transmission. services, and money transmission.
• . consume. consume.
• calculate the new consumer price. calculate the new consumer price.
• some consumers. some consumers.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So when consumers.
• Everyone that I talked to, both consumers and um members of the legislature, I encourage consumers to
• And We have consumer protection is A major piece.
• We've got quite a few customer service.
• , the small business consumers.

Transcript Highlights:

• services we need to provide for residents.
• We can also fundraise for that service reserve so that we can say we have 10 years of services completely
• program, and the service reserve, which then allows us to have that adequate service budget to even
• in Minnesota utilizing a certain service.
• If you are not paying for a service, you are not the consumer. You are the product being sold.

Transcript Highlights:

• We protect and assist consumers.
• We have payday lenders, debt servicers, and mortgage servicers.
• <00:04:46.919> and<00:04:47.080> mortgage servicers and mortgage servicers and mortgage
• It would add some protections for mortgage servicing conduct and consumer protections and add new standards
• servicing conduct uh conduct<00:42:15.520> and<00:42:15.680> consumer<00:42:16.119>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For consumers, this matters as well.
• Most of that's in health services.
• But consumer sentiment kind of rolls up a lot of concerns that consumers have that influence consumer
• So this includes health services, legal services, educational services, but most importantly, housing
• services.

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: At the April meeting of the Finance Advisory Committee, staff presented an updated state revenue forecast that was more cautious than January’s because of heightened economic uncertainty tied to the Iran conflict and broader national risks. The general fund’s available resources were revised down from $577 million in January to $378 million in the April forecast, with the lower estimate driven by reduced revenue projections while spending assumptions were unchanged. Staff said the outlook depends heavily on how long the Middle East conflict lasts and noted that a prolonged disruption could weaken the forecast further, while a quick resolution could improve conditions. George Hammond of the University of Arizona gave a broad economic overview, highlighting geopolitical risk, elevated oil and gasoline prices, sticky inflation, weak Arizona job growth, and uncertainty around federal policy, tariffs, immigration, and AI-related investment. He said Arizona’s recent job growth has been very weak and concentrated mainly in health services, while most other sectors lost jobs, and he attributed much of the slowdown to low hiring rather than layoffs. He also discussed population growth, noting that Arizona remains above the national average but is increasingly dependent on net migration as natural increase slows, and he warned that housing affordability remains strained even as Phoenix inflation has moderated. Panelists generally echoed the cautious outlook but pointed to some offsets. Liz St. Clair said Arizona’s near-term revenues could benefit from tourism tied to spring training and the Final Four, though higher fuel costs could dampen discretionary spending. Other panelists noted that the federal policy environment, tariffs, and immigration changes are likely to restrain growth, while productivity gains, especially from technology and AI, may help businesses maintain output. Several members also discussed housing, saying single-family permits have fallen while rental supply has improved affordability, and they raised concerns about labor-force growth, wage disparities, and the reliability of recent employment data revisions. No formal votes or actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have, as I mentioned, the Consumer Services Division that handles consumer complaints, and those come
• that consumer services um division that consumer services um division that handles<02:28:55.600>
• We as regulators often get calls at the Insurance Department through our Consumer Services Division about
• <05:12:15.040> services<05:12:15.558> division<05:12:16.000> about consumer services
• division about consumer services division about patients<05:12:16.798> getting<05:12:17.558><

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on a non-germane amendment to HB 297 that would create the Granite State Home Mitigation and Resiliency Program. Insurance Commissioner DJ Beton, joined by department staff, explained that the proposal is intended to help homeowners afford insurance by funding proactive home improvements that reduce risk and improve insurability. He said the program would be funded by the first $1 million collected annually from the insurance premium tax, with grants of up to $10,000 available on a first-come, first-served basis. Beton described the problem as rising homeowners insurance premiums, hard-market underwriting, nonrenewals, and the resulting shift to more expensive surplus lines coverage. He said eligible projects could include roof fortification, exterior improvements, flood-related foundation work, and removal of hazardous trees or limbs. He cited similar programs in other states, especially Alabama, Louisiana, and North Carolina, as evidence the model can work and noted that industry representatives were present in support. He also said the program would use means testing aligned with the Department of Energy’s weatherization program to target lower-income applicants. Members asked about the non-germane process, who would administer the program, and how the bill would prevent misuse of grant funds. The commissioner said the department would administer the program using one repurposed existing position, with Treasury handling fund flow through an MOU. Staff explained that applicants would have to show completed work through a signed contract, itemized work, and a sworn contractor affidavit, with some upfront payment allowed for materials and the remainder paid after completion. The chair and members discussed that the amendment is being attached to a different bill only to move the proposal through committee and on to House Finance for further consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• As IHSS consumers age, of course their service needs naturally increase, and the assessment tool allows
• If they're cut off both services, that provider, they don't notify the consumer, which I've... services
• Because of this, the Legislature lacks information on the number of consumers using a particular service
• Because of this, the legislature lacks information on the number of consumers using a particular service
• And consumers connected to my program associated with me were denied services. Thank you.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:03:00.720> have ensures that that consumers have ensures that that consumers have meaningful
• <00:04:55.960> Finance regulated by state Consumer Finance regulated by state Consumer Finance
• <00:05:01.080> small updates state law on consumer small updates state law on consumer small
• It'll go to Health and Human Services.
• committee on Health and Human Services committee on Health and Human Services all<00:17:24.679><

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 101, having been read twice by title, is ordered printed and referred to the House Consumer
• House Bill 102, having been read twice by title, is ordered printed and referred to the House Consumer
• House Bill 104, having been read twice by title, is ordered printed and referred to the House Consumer
• House Health and Human Services Committee, Ranking Member Jenifer Jones (member_14063).
• We appreciate your service. Thank you."

Transcript Highlights:

• state-provided consumer protection. state-provided consumer protection.
• they're telling consumers, they're they're telling consumers, they're telling<00:40:42.720> the
• not offer their service in. not offer their service in.
• and safe for consumers in the state. and safe for consumers in the state.
• health, or chemical dependency service. health, or chemical dependency service.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I just want to speak to consumer choice.
• And to be honest, some consumers do not like it.
• They operate in retail, auto service, restaurant, gift shops—a very broad range of the service sector
• By contrast, a small fee, which is visible to the consumer and collected when the consumer buys a new
• WM is North America's leading provider of environmental services.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources held a heavily attended hybrid hearing focused primarily on plastics reduction bills, along with a few local and related waste-management measures. Chair Rauch and Chair Barber outlined strict testimony rules because of the large number of speakers. Before the plastics docket, the committee heard support for a local Sharon sewer-extension bill for a Sunrise Senior Living project, and the bill’s proponents said the project would help address senior housing needs and would still require MWRA and local approvals. The chairs also noted a separate local matter involving Sharon and the MWRA. A major portion of the hearing centered on the Plastics Reduction Act and related bills addressing single-use plastics, including plastic bags, polystyrene, black plastic, plastic beverage bottles, non-flushable wipes, skip-the-stuff provisions, and truth-in-labeling. Sponsors and supporters said the bills would reduce litter, microplastics, greenhouse gas emissions, and municipal waste costs, while creating statewide consistency and supporting environmental justice communities. Several speakers cited local bans already adopted by many Massachusetts cities and towns, and many urged the committee to advance comprehensive statewide action. The committee also heard testimony on a boat wrap recycling bill, a mattress recycling bill, and a bill to prohibit hotels from providing small plastic toiletries. Municipal officials and waste professionals supported extended producer responsibility for paint and labeling for non-flushable wipes, saying these measures would shift costs away from cities and towns and reduce strain on wastewater systems. The Massachusetts Municipal Association, Mayor Ruth Ann Fuller of Newton, and a Franklin County waste official all backed paint EPR and wipes labeling. Fire Chief Brian Nardelli testified for the Fire Chiefs Association in support of lithium-ion battery legislation, citing fire safety and disposal concerns. Other speakers, including environmental groups, local activists, and business representatives, supported bag and polystyrene bans, though the Retailers Association of Massachusetts urged any bag policy to be truly statewide and said any bag fee should be retained by retailers. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• One is a consumer-friendly price comparison tool for about 500 services with cost-sharing estimates made
• But then consumers also have direct access to estimated cost sharing for services covered by their plan
• Services.
• Those services specified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
• And some of these transparency tools allow consumers, for example, to shop around for different services

Summary: The committee began with an extended work session on the long-term care workforce. DSHS Assistant Secretary B. Rector described the new Home and Community Living Administration and outlined major workforce pressures: Washington had about 126,000 long-term care workers in 2022, with demand expected to outpace supply as the 85-plus population and dementia prevalence rise sharply. She emphasized that direct care workers are largely women, people of color, and immigrants, and that family caregivers are also a major part of the system. She highlighted recruitment and retention efforts funded through federal Money Follows the Person dollars, including high school training partnerships, a retention toolkit, transportation support, caregiver newsletters, tribal workforce navigators, and a remote caregiving pilot. Committee members asked about career pathways, technology use, and turnover drivers; Rector said wages, benefits, unstable hours, and workplace support are key issues and promised follow-up data. Aidan Swain of the Washington Health Care Association said skilled nursing and assisted living facilities face acute RN vacancies, wage pressures, and Medicaid reimbursement that does not cover costs, and urged modernization of training, better reimbursement, and continued support for facility-based care. Maddie Fouch of SEIU 775, representing about 55,000 caregivers, said low wages, weak benefits, lack of voice, and certification delays are driving turnover and shortages, and argued for higher compensation, better worker protections, and more transparent reimbursement. Catherine Smith of Behavioral Health Solutions described growing behavioral health needs in nursing homes, the role of expanded behavioral supports programs, and credentialing delays that slow hiring. No votes were taken; the panel was informational only. The second agenda item was an overview of the palliative care benefit work group report required by 2024 legislation. Nico Jansen of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner explained that the work group, convened with the Health Care Authority, studied a potential palliative care benefit for fully insured commercial plans and also Medicaid, PEBB, and SEBB. He said palliative care is a philosophy of care focused on symptom management, coordination, and support for serious illness, and is distinct from hospice because it can be provided alongside curative treatment. The actuarial analysis concluded that creating a new benefit would likely increase costs, estimating about a 28-cent per member per month increase overall and roughly $2.6 million to $4.5 million in annual state Medicaid costs if implemented in 2027. Jansen said the consultants did not find sufficient evidence to assume savings from avoided hospitalizations or long-term care, though several work group members disagreed and submitted response letters. Senators asked about other states, Medicare, health homes, and whether more research could clarify cost savings; OIC said some states, including Hawaii, are moving ahead with Medicaid palliative care benefits, Medicare covers some related services but not in the same way, and further evidence may emerge over time. OIC did not take a position on whether the Legislature should create the benefit. The final presentation covered health care price transparency tools in Washington and federally. Evan Klein and HCA Chief Data Officer Vishal Chaudry reviewed federal hospital and health plan transparency rules, the state all-payer claims database, prescription drug price transparency, the Health Care Cost Transparency Board, the Prescription Drug Affordability Board, and other reporting systems. They explained that the APCD contains claims from fully insured commercial plans, Medicaid, and public employee programs, but not self-insured employer data except for limited voluntary submissions. They also described how machine-readable files, consumer price tools, and aggregated dashboards are used, and noted that data limitations, delays, and complexity remain significant. Senators asked about voluntary self-insured participation, the role of AI in making data more usable, and whether transparency can really help consumers given access barriers and medical debt. HCA said AI is increasingly used by private entities to mine large transparency datasets, but state agencies still face limits in data access and analytic capacity. The committee did not take action; the session was informational and ended with a discussion of how transparency data might better inform policy and purchasing decisions in the future.

Transcript Highlights:

• rely on delivery services for their essential needs.
• rely on delivery services for their essential needs.
• And how does that hurt service stations in Minnesota itself?
• providing field to 20 25 service providing field to 20 25 service stations<00:47:43.760> with
• River and so this qualifying service River and so this qualifying service station<00:48:14.160><

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Minnesota House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee met on January 22, 2025, for its first meeting and took up House File 5, introduced by Representative Jim Joy and moved to the Tax Committee. Joy said the bill would make Minnesota more affordable by eliminating the Social Security tax, repealing the motor fuels tax inflator, removing the retail delivery fee, and changing vehicle-related taxes and metro-area sales tax allocations. Committee fiscal staff reviewed the bill’s fiscal effects, including impacts on the general fund, the Highway User Tax Distribution Fund, the Transportation Advancement Account, and the split between Metropolitan Council and metropolitan counties. Testimony was largely divided along stakeholder lines. The Minnesota Grocers Association and Minnesota Propane Association supported repealing the retail delivery fee, arguing it creates administrative burdens, requires costly software changes, and raises costs that are passed on to consumers; propane representatives said the fee is especially burdensome because most of their deliveries are exempt but still require tracking and reporting. In contrast, the League of Minnesota Cities, Minnesota Association of Small Cities, Metro Cities, and Minnesota Association of Townships emphasized the need for stable, predictable transportation funding for local roads and said they support the Transportation Advancement Account and related revenue streams, though some were neutral on the exact source of funding. The League and small cities groups said local governments need reliable annual revenue and that past funding has been inconsistent. Committee members asked about who pays the delivery fee, its exemptions, and how much revenue it has generated versus earlier forecasts. Fiscal staff said current estimates for delivery fee revenue are below original projections, and explained the fee’s exemptions and $100 transaction threshold. Representative Joy said his intent was to keep small cities and townships whole as the bill moves forward. No vote was taken in the portion of the meeting provided; the bill was heard and referred as noted at the outset.

Transcript Highlights:

• Even with home broadband services, consumers are cutting the cord with landline broadband connections
• Business services supported residential services.
• for your phone service.
• service standards, right?
• We have a consumer affairs branch that addresses informal complaints from consumers for billing, service

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection.
• Specifically, this bill prohibits the sale of consumer data and gives consumers more agency over the
• Leslie Lewis, Director of Social Services for St.
• Danny Kando, Kaiser, here on behalf of the California Low Income Consumer Coalition and National Consumer
• strong consumer protections.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He said the Office of the Consumer Advocate is tasked with advocating for the consumer, particularly
• of Consumer of Consumer Advocate<00:16:10.880> essentially<00:16:11.639> unchanged
• c> Advocate the assistant consumer Advocate Advocate the assistant consumer Advocate and<00:17:42.480
• Assuming the Department of Energy appoints the existing Consumer Advocate, assistant Consumer Advocate
• <00:44:11.240> Advocate independence of the consumer Advocate independence of the consumer

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The hearing focused on House Bill 610, which would fold the Office of the Consumer Advocate into the Department of Energy rather than fully eliminate consumer advocacy functions. The prime sponsor argued the current office is small, funded by a special assessment on ratepayers, and duplicative of DOE work. He said moving the function to DOE would streamline energy policy review, reduce bureaucracy, and better focus the larger agency on lowering residential energy costs. He also disputed claims that the Consumer Advocate is independent, saying the office is appointed through a political process similar to DOE leadership. Committee members and the sponsor discussed whether the bill would actually relocate existing positions or replace them, and whether the Department of Energy would absorb the cost of the transferred staff. The sponsor said the fiscal note shows roughly a million-dollar reduction in both revenue assessment and spending, and that the bill would effectively reduce the office from five positions to three. He also defended his cost estimates for energy-code-related housing impacts and said the Consumer Advocate has sometimes supported policies he считает increase costs, such as energy-efficiency measures and building code changes. He argued the office should focus more on energy supply and generation, including natural gas and nuclear, rather than efficiency alone. Representative Wendy Thomas testified in opposition, saying the Consumer Advocate is an important, fair, and impartial voice for ratepayers and warning that the bill was fiscally irresponsible because the incumbent could still be owed salary and benefits if the office were repealed. She also said the bill’s drafting was confusing and that the Consumer Advocate’s role is to push back on utilities on behalf of consumers. Other members raised questions about whether the DOE would simply inherit the same political appointment structure and whether the bill would meaningfully lower bills. No vote was taken in the excerpt; the chair indicated additional testimony would follow, and the Department of Energy was present to answer questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• That they cannot provide these services.
• , we do not license the scope of services.
• And that really is consumer protection.
• consumers.
• consumers.

Keywords: 1182, all