Transcript Highlights:

• He represented public power on the Western Energy and Balance Market Nominating Committee, the launch
• notaries, platforms, and users by aligning statutory requirements with how online notarization will operate
• 1987 will help fund our state wildlife areas by making sure the fees they generate support their operation
• Unfortunately, wildlife areas face understaffing and insufficient operations and maintenance funding.

Summary: The Assembly convened without a quorum, then quorum was established and the chamber proceeded with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, journal approval, and a series of procedural motions. Members approved multiple unanimous-consent requests to suspend rules, re-refer bills to committees, and allow committees to notice bills pending re-referral. The day also included several guest introductions recognizing student leaders, public power executive Randy Howard, a family member of Assemblymember Gallagher, higher education leaders, Leadership Torrance, and the Vacaville PAL program. On the floor, the Assembly adopted several resolutions and heard extensive remarks in support of them. ACR 160, proclaiming April 2026 as Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month, was adopted by voice vote after co-authors were added. H.R. 98, designating California Holocaust Memorial Day, received broad bipartisan support and was adopted after 76 co-authors were added. H.R. 100, recognizing Vaisakhi, also passed by voice vote after 73 co-authors were added, with members highlighting Sikh history, service, and cultural contributions. The Assembly then took up several bills on the third-reading file. AB 1977, relating to online notarization and notaries public, passed 69-5. AB 1987, which would direct wildlife-area fees back to operation and maintenance of state wildlife areas, passed 69-0. Other items on the second- and third-reading files were passed and retained, continued, or placed on the consent calendar as noted by the presiding officer. The session concluded with adjournment-in-memory tributes for La Mesa Police Officer Lauren Craven, community organizer Cynthia Brantley Pierce, coach John Beam, and Ralph Cavallo. The Assembly then adjourned until Thursday, April 16, at 9 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• Randy has represented public power on the Western Energy and Balance Market Nominating Committee, the launch
• notaries, platforms, and users by aligning statutory requirements with how online notarization will operate
• 1987 will help fund our state wildlife areas by making sure the fees they generate support their operation
• Unfortunately, wildlife areas Wildlife areas face understaffing and insufficient operations and maintenance

Transcript Highlights:

• She is responsible for launching the Wash U Advocates program with data-driven tools and cutting-edge
• They really shouldn't have much of a say in its operation.
• House Bill 1839 simply requires that pornographic websites operating in Missouri use a reputable, audited
• My concern is that there is data that shows that when these websites leave the state and stop operating

Summary: The House opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the previous day’s journal by a 122-0 vote, and numerous introductions of special guests, including Special Olympics participants, occupational therapy and social work students and professionals, teachers, social workers, local officials, and community groups visiting for Hill Day and other advocacy events. Members also made announcements about committee meetings before the chamber recessed until 2 p.m. On the floor, House Bill 2974 was perfected and printed with little debate. Supporters said it would codify telehealth access in Missouri’s licensure reciprocity framework, helping seniors and rural residents continue to receive care. House Bill 2934, a bipartisan St. Louis convention center governance measure, also advanced after adoption of an amendment changing governor-appointed board seats to two city, two county, and one at-large member. The bill would merge existing entities managing the convention center and Dome, create a new board structure, and authorize a convention district tax framework and related financing rules; members discussed local control, revenue use, and the length of agreements under the bill. House Bill 2057, a technical fix for Osage Beach entertainment district authority, was adopted and perfected and printed. Supporters said it corrects an error from a prior bill and would allow Osage Beach to create an entertainment district similar to those in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Branson to support tourism and economic development. The chamber also took up House Bill 1839 and related bills on age verification for pornographic websites. Proponents argued the measure is needed to protect minors from online pornography and exploitation, citing the Supreme Court’s upholding of a similar Texas law and Missouri’s existing attorney general enforcement efforts; opponents raised privacy, enforcement, and unintended-consequences concerns, including whether less-scrupulous sites could become more accessible. After a motion for the previous question, the House adopted the committee substitute and perfected and printed House Bill 1839 by a 104-16 vote with 20 present.

Transcript Highlights:

• going to echo what the Judge said: that there's no real guidelines for what his role is and how we operate
• We are operating under a unique environment with the government shutdown, but we're very thankful that
• Innovative ways of operating on a national forest, but in some ways, they're kind of more of a traditional
• the forest plan, but we did get full support, and I feel like as we've signed that plan, it has launched

Committee: House House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• It would also request the implementation of formal policy and procedures for documenting DWR's operational
• The launch of California's first new state park in over a decade last year at Dos Rios State Park is
• agencies and nonprofit partners to address pressing needs for park access, infrastructure, and operations
• properties will also reduce the burdens of managing State Parks units by lowering or eliminating the operational

Summary: The committee heard and advanced several natural resources and water-related bills. SB 224 by Senator Hurtado would require the Department of Water Resources to implement audit recommendations, improve climate-informed water supply forecasting, and provide annual updates to the Legislature; supporters emphasized the need for better transparency and more accurate water planning, and the bill passed as amended to Appropriations. SB 556, also by Senator Hurtado, would fund floodplain restoration in the Tulare Basin to reduce flooding, recharge groundwater, and provide habitat and other community benefits; local officials and conservation groups supported it, some initial concerns about Proposition 4 were resolved, and the bill passed as amended. SB 630 by Senator Allen would streamline State Parks and other state real property acquisitions by raising review thresholds and reducing duplicative approvals; conservation groups and park advocates supported the measure, while some members raised oversight and fiscal concerns, and it passed as amended. SB 718 by Senator Allen would reduce hunting and fishing license costs for low-income Californians, framed as helping subsistence users and disabled veterans and seniors, and it passed as amended. The committee also approved SB 427 by Senator Blakespear, which extends the sunset of the Habitat Conservation Fund from 2030 to 2035. Supporters said the fund has protected more than 1.2 million acres, leverages other funding, and supports habitat, recreation, and climate resilience; members highlighted its importance for areas like the Salton Sea and the need to protect the funding stream from future sweeps. SB 586 by Senator Jones, an e-moto off-highway vehicle bill, was taken up with little discussion and passed as amended. SB 639 by Senator Ashby would extend the deadline for Sacramento-area flood protection projects in the Natomas Basin and Beach Lake subareas from 2025 to 2030 to allow completion of remaining work and avoid delays to infill housing; city, county, and flood agency representatives supported it, and it passed as amended. Throughout the hearing, witnesses and members repeatedly emphasized water reliability, flood protection, conservation funding, and reducing bureaucratic delays. Several bills drew broad support from local governments, water agencies, tribes, and conservation organizations, and multiple members requested to be added as coauthors. All of the measures discussed were reported out of committee, generally with amendments and with some items left open for add-on votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• within state agencies so that environmental justice is not a nice-to-have, but integrated into the operational
• I think they may be two operating in two separate spheres in how we're structured in state government
• So the HEAL Act introduces transformative changes to how government operates.
• The HEAL Act introduces transformative changes to how government operates.
• , That you only engage in HEAL Act assessments relative to internal agency operations, not agency operations

Summary: The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held a work session on HEAL Act implementation, beginning with an orientation from Environmental Justice Council member David Mendoza. He described the law’s purpose as integrating environmental justice into agency decision-making, community engagement, tribal consultation, strategic planning, and environmental justice assessments, with the goal of reducing environmental health disparities and improving accountability to communities and tribes. He also discussed the council’s role, the interagency work group, challenges with limited volunteer and agency capacity, and concerns about inconsistent assessment formats and future funding pressures. Committee members asked about council composition, including the balance of tribal, community, business, and other representation, whether the HEAL Act increases permitting time or costs, how “overburdened” and “vulnerable” populations are defined, and whether the council should be refreshed or audited. Mendoza said the statute is not limited to racial categories and can include rural and low-income communities, that the council has not quantified permitting delays, and that there is no formal audit requirement, though the council is discussing how to improve its work. Members also raised questions about the relationship between the Environmental Justice Council and the Office of Equity, with Mendoza saying the bodies are complementary but should coordinate more closely. The Department of Agriculture then reported on its HEAL Act work. Director of Equity and Environmental Justice Nicole Johnson said WSDA conducts environmental justice assessments for significant actions, applies an equity lens to licensing, funding, rulemaking, and strategic planning, and has completed 11 EJ assessments to date. She highlighted pesticide regulation, animal health, and weights-and-measures work as examples of environmental and economic justice, and said the department recently hired a full-time tribal consultant and has only 1.5 FTE supporting HEAL implementation. Members asked whether WSDA’s assessments apply to its role on boards such as the Forest Practices Board; Johnson said the department’s current understanding is that assessments are conducted on agency work. The Department of Natural Resources then presented on its HEAL Act implementation, focusing on strategic planning, community engagement, tribal consultation, environmental justice assessments, and equitable funding. DNR officials said environmental justice is being embedded in the agency’s 2025-2029 strategic plan, in its Community Access and Impact Plan, and in its advisory committee and board representation efforts. They reported conducting EJ assessments for sustainable harvest calculations, agency request legislation, and a prescribed burn manager certificate program, and said DNR has invested about $130 million in overburdened communities and vulnerable populations in fiscal year 2025 through wildfire resilience, youth education, and urban forestry programs. Committee members pressed DNR on how it identifies impacted communities, why landowners were not more visible in the process, how agency-request legislation is being assessed, and whether assessments are required for actions taken through other boards and commissions. DNR said its current interpretation is that assessments apply to internal agency actions, that some notices may appear on OFM’s notices page rather than the completed-assessments dashboard, and that it would follow up on specific questions about its posted assessments and process.

Transcript Highlights:

• this program, the state has optimized nearly $1.5 billion in federal funding for hospitals since launching
• It's primarily used to help, more recently, stabilize operations.
• But are any of these operating under managed services?
• I would have to double-check, but we're authorized to operate 25 different programs, and we have little
• The Commission was established in 1975, and in 2011, when it was closed, it had an operating budget of

Bills: SB21 , SB42 , SB81 , SB101 , SB139

Committee: Senate Senate Health & Public Affairs

Keywords: SB 21, Medicare supplement, Medigap, open enrollment, guaranteed issue, birthday month enrollment, health insurance, insurance regulation, senior health coverage, elderly, retiree, Medicare beneficiaries, preexisting conditions, underwriting restrictions, premium discrimination, New Mexico insurance law, superintendent of insurance, health care coverage, policy portability, healthcare

Transcript Highlights:

• That remaining savings will still ultimately matter, particularly for nonprofit builders operating on
• Costs, both operating and development, are increasing and hurting production in Spokane.
• Southport has never had a project fall out of affordability in its 30 years of operation.
• I have received the tax credit since it launched in 2022.
• I think we operate our policy goals based on principles of direct cash.

Bills: HB1717 , HB1859

Committee: House Finance

Keywords: affordable housing, sales tax, housing programs, tax incentives, economic development, religious organizations, development, housing opportunities, land use

Transcript Highlights:

• THE COMMISSION ON AI AND EDUCATION WAS LAUNCHED TO HELP STATES NAVIGATE THE REP DID EMERGENCE OF AI AND
• O'LEARY CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER FOR ST.
• LET'S TALK ABOUT OPERATIONS AND HR AND THEN ACADEMICS AS WELL IS THAT OKAY?
• >> Chair: ABSOLUTELY. >> Speaker: OPERATIONS I WILL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WE ARE USING OPERATIONS
• ARE YOU ABLE TO QUANTIFY THE INVESTMENT IN AI TOOLS THAT ARE BEING USED IN YOUR OPERATIONS?

Transcript Highlights:

• everything—our health care, our academic side, our athletics, our research—all is One UF instead of operating
• Operating in silos. And we're all pulling the wagon together in the same direction.
• federal tax filings required to maintain its status as a tax-exempt charitable organization, was operating
• We have a security operations platform technology driven by generative AI.
• I am the founder and CEO of Mentor Corporation, a digital services and consulting firm with operations

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Higher Education met to hear confirmation testimony for a large slate of university and state college trustees. Most of the discussion centered on the nominees’ backgrounds, ties to their institutions, and priorities such as student success, workforce development, financial sustainability, research growth, housing, and maintaining or improving university rankings. Several University of Florida trustees emphasized campus improvements, “One UF” integration, institutional neutrality, and ambitions to move UF into the top tier nationally. Other nominees highlighted goals for Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, UCF, Florida State, Florida Poly, the Florida Prepaid College Board, and several state colleges, with recurring themes of affordability, economic mobility, cybersecurity, and keeping Florida students in-state for college and careers. Public testimony was heard on the Florida A&M appointment, where Elijah Hooks spoke in opposition to the current administration and described his expulsion, arrest, and trespass from the university after protesting the selection of President Marva Johnson. During questioning of FAU nominee Tina Vidal-Duart, senators asked about her prior service on the Hope Florida Foundation board and about reports concerning CDR Health’s contracting practices; she said she was not aware of the foundation issues at the time and noted that CDR’s state contract was a flat daily rate, so subcontractor pricing affected only the company’s internal margins. Other nominees received little or no questioning. At the end of the meeting, the committee voted to confirm all nominees except Tina Vidal-Duart separately. Senator Bracy Davis requested the separate vote and opposed her confirmation, citing concerns related to her Hope Florida Foundation board service. Despite that objection, the committee ultimately voted to report Vidal-Duart favorably as well. The committee also noted that one University of West Florida nominee would be taken up at a later hearing because he was unable to attend.

Transcript Highlights:

• Family-owned and operated small business, I am hands-on in the day-to-day processes, and I am here to
• If we do not, this is the legal remedy to clear that unit so that we may continue operating and make
• House Bill 1093, which will help move our industry into modern operations, and allow us other options
• If they get cut, we could still have this and just operate without any grants?
• And so that may be civil enforcement, it may be forcing them to stop operations, it may just be.

Bills: HB186 , HB517 , HB 1093 , HB 1268 , HB1395 , HB186

Committee: House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development

Keywords: social media, children, account verification, data privacy, parental control, property owners' association, residential watering restrictions, vegetation, fine limitations, drought, technology, innovation, economic development, grants, Texas Economic Development, business funding, HB 1395, private passenger vehicle rental, car rental, vehicle rental

Transcript Highlights:

• Any decrease in federal funding would impact Caltrans' ability to operate and maintain the state highway
• As you know, many of these grants operate on a reimbursement basis.
• Absorbing the cost of affected grants would place considerably strain on our operating budget should
• To train workers on the installation, maintenance, and operation of the expanding EV charging network
• Looking at oversight and how we as a state are operating, there was a New York Times article today that

Transcript Highlights:

• Steel's operations already present in Pennsylvania, but also includes up to $4 billion for a new steel
• </c><00:06:22.240><c> already</c><00:06:22.720><c> present</c><00:06:23.039><c> in</c> Steel's operations
• already present in Steel's operations already present in Pennsylvania,<00:06:24.479><c> but</c><00:06
• Our district is home to millions of egg-laying hens and countless family-run poultry operations.
• Our district is home to millions of egg-laying hens and countless family-run poultry operations.

Transcript Highlights:

• from 8 to 5, maybe we operate from 6 a.m. to 12 and from 5 p.m. to 12 midnight.
• However, as drafted, SB 703 represents major operational challenges for the ports.
• However, as drafted, SB 703 represent major operational challenges for the ports.
• But to launch California as a clean energy leader, we have to do better on manufacturing.
• But to launch California as a clean energy leader, we have to do better on manufacturing.

Summary: The committee first took up SB 712, which would expand California’s smog-check exemption for classic vehicles by adding model years 1976 through 1986 in phases, with a sunset in 2032. The author and supporters, including lowrider advocates and the Specialty Equipment Market Association, argued the bill would preserve car culture, support a small class of rarely driven collector vehicles, and reduce burdens on owners who struggle to find equipment for older smog tests. Opponents, including air district officials, the American Lung Association, and other environmental groups, warned the bill would weaken an important emissions-control program and increase pollution. After discussion, the committee adopted the motion to do pass as amended to Appropriations on a roll call vote of 10-0, with the roll held open for additional votes. The committee then heard SB 800, which requires Caltrans, working with local governments, to assess mitigation measures for suicide prevention on locally owned overpasses crossing state highways. The bill was presented as a response to recent tragedies in Rancho Cucamonga and was supported by local officials, health organizations, and suicide-prevention advocates, who said the measure would help identify high-risk locations and lead to life-saving interventions. There was no registered opposition. The committee members expressed support, and SB 800 was passed to Appropriations on a unanimous roll call vote, with the roll held open. Next, the committee considered SB 30, which would prohibit California public entities from selling, donating, or transferring decommissioned diesel locomotives and railroad equipment with Tier 1 or older engines unless the engine is removed, while allowing Tier 2 and newer transfers under certain conditions. The author and supporters framed the bill as a climate and public-health measure to prevent older, dirtier locomotives from continuing to pollute elsewhere, while transit agencies opposed it, arguing it could limit useful transfers of equipment that still supports passenger service and could be better handled through case-by-case air-quality review. After debate, the committee voted 6-4 to pass SB 30 as amended to Appropriations, with the roll held open for later additions. The committee also heard SB 791, which replaces the flat dealer document processing charge cap with a 1% fee capped at $350, along with new disclosure requirements. Dealers and industry groups supported the bill as a way to recover costs and improve transparency, while consumer advocates opposed it as an unjustified increase that would burden buyers. The committee approved SB 791 on a 8-? roll call vote and held the roll open. The meeting then moved on to SB 34, a port-air-quality bill presented by Senator Richardson, but the transcript ends during testimony and debate on that measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• The proposal is intentionally narrow in scope and focuses on human services operations.
• We operate a dedicated line for the statewide backup provider system.
• As you may be aware, they're operating under a 1990 funding model.
• computer punch card operators that just don't apply today.
• It says state-operated facilities are, but not vendors.

Transcript Highlights:

• So this was really Our research was really launched.
• And so that takes time and money for the operator to find legal counsel.
• Why are fraudulent operators still accessing public funds?
• Core operational metrics are needed to manage health plans.
• Core operational metrics are needed to manage health plans.

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

Transcript Highlights:

• And this going to launch any day now."
• with interest from what we launched.
• </c><00:20:05.039><c> We</c> operate. They've asked to do that. We operate.
• :45.840><c> government</c> sorry, general operations of government sorry, general operations of government
• </c><02:00:51.920><c> of</c> Once you choose general operations of Once you choose general operations

Transcript Highlights:

• where they were in rolling out those trainings, and it looks like August of 2025 they were going to launch
• “They were going to launch a required e-learning course for students that use the IHRA definition and
• that's constructive right here, because I think that if you want to understand how anti-Semitism is operating
• right now, you actually can't understand how it's operating unless you situate it with the quite vicious

Summary: The Special Commission on Anti-Semitism met for its 11th meeting and approved the minutes from its August 7 meeting. Co-chairs said the commission had recently completed preliminary K-12 recommendations and would continue work on higher education, with additional topics such as workplace issues, the medical sector, and the arts to be addressed before the November 30 reporting deadline. They also said another public comment meeting would be held this fall. The first testimony came from Dr. Mark Posnansky of Harvard Medical School, who described anti-Semitism affecting STEM, research, and higher education. He said Jewish and Israeli students and faculty reported ostracism, gaslighting, intimidation, discrimination, and hiding Jewish identity, and he urged clear leadership statements, mandatory anti-Semitism education, and stronger reporting and discipline procedures. Commissioners asked about Harvard training, spillover into teaching hospitals, and whether anti-Semitic climates were causing students to leave; he said some students had turned down opportunities because of the environment and that concerns also affected healthcare settings. Lindsey Gabbo, a Harvard Law student and mother, testified that campus discourse after October 7 had made Jewish and Zionist students feel isolated and unwelcome, with protests, defaced hostage posters, and a student council BDS vote contributing to the climate. She said Harvard had sent some emails acknowledging anti-Semitism but that she had not seen meaningful steps to restore dialogue, and she argued the school needed more structured venues for conversation. Commissioners also asked about campus security, the effect on students’ mental health, and the impact of chants and protests that she said many Jewish students understood as calls to violence. A panel of concerned Jewish faculty and staff then offered contrasting views. Professor Jeremy Menchick argued the commission should use data carefully, include non-Zionist Jews in its analysis, and avoid reinforcing divisions within the Jewish community. Professor Hilary Lustick described restorative-practice approaches and said structured dialogue could address conflict without immediate punishment. Professor Jonathan Feingold warned that anti-Semitism was being weaponized by the Trump administration and right-wing groups to attack universities and DEI, and he urged the commission not to adopt approaches that could be used to undermine civil rights institutions. Commissioners pushed back on claims that the problem was being exaggerated or reduced to a “problem” rather than a “crisis,” and the discussion ended with continued debate over data, context, and how to balance anti-Semitism concerns with broader civil-rights protections.

Transcript Highlights:

• It also conducts smaller, irregular audits of various programs operated by individual campuses.
• by individual audit each year it also conduct smaller irregular audits of various programs operated
• Despite these ongoing investments, the California State University continues to operate Despite these
• I served overseas with Operation Iraqi Freedom, after which I received two Purple Heart Medals.
• on the campus. case. ...the full spectrum as far as those who are operating on the campus as well.

Summary: The committee first adopted its 2025-26 rules on a 7-0 roll call, then approved three consent items—AB 88, AB 240, and AB 313—on a due-pass motion to Appropriations. The hearing then moved to AB 648, which would give community college districts the same zoning authority as the UC and CSU systems to build student and staff housing on property they own or lease. The author and supporters argued the bill would help address severe housing insecurity and homelessness among community college students, while opponents and some members raised concerns about local control, zoning exemptions, and the impact on nearby communities. AB 648 passed the committee on a 5-2 vote and was sent to the Local Government Committee. The committee next heard AB 466, which would require California Community Colleges and CSU campuses to provide organ and tissue donor registry information during student orientation, and request UC campuses to do the same. Supporters shared personal stories about transplants and donation, saying college orientation is a good opportunity to increase registrations. Some members worried about information overload during orientation and suggested campuses have flexibility in how they present the material, but the bill advanced on a unanimous 7-0 vote to Appropriations. AB 326 followed, proposing campus-by-campus external audits of the CSU every three years and public release of the audits. The author, faculty supporters, and a student argued that systemwide audits do not provide enough transparency about how money is spent at individual campuses, citing examples of financial mismanagement and fee increases. CSU opposed the bill, saying it already conducts annual consolidated external audits and that campus-level audits would add cost without added benefit. After extensive discussion about transparency, audit scope, and implementation, the bill passed 6-1 to Appropriations. The committee then took up AB 335, which would create a California Black-Serving Institution Grant Program to support Black student success and broader underserved student services; supporters emphasized persistent equity gaps and low completion rates, while an opponent argued the bill needed to be carefully amended to comply with Proposition 209 and equal protection requirements. The transcript ends during that item’s discussion, before a final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Aren't they housed there and operating now that building?
• That we needed to fund our operating budget.
• A small amount from the general fund funds the operations.
• Currently being paid, but are not in their operating budget.
• They're requesting to put them in their operating budget.