Transcript Highlights:

• district for the delivery of CAP water if it intends to store the water in an underground storage facility
• That's a challenge, there's no question, but we shouldn't operate our policy from being scared.
• savings facility, a GSF, on state lands or private lands.
• To two the Gila River Indian Community's Overdam facility, what's called Mar 5.
• And, Madam Chair, how long has that facility been closed? I feel like it's been too long.

Committee: House House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee heard and took action on several water, energy, housing, and natural resources measures. House Bill 2099, as amended, was advanced on a 6-3 vote after testimony from water utilities, CAP, ADWR, Phoenix, and agricultural interests about long-term storage credits, Colorado River shortages, and the need to preserve flexibility in underground storage. House Bill 2263, also amended, passed 6-3 despite concerns from CAP, Colorado River Indian Tribes, and others that it would restrict where Colorado River replenishment water could be stored and reduce operational flexibility. House Bill 2264, requiring the University of Arizona to promote Arizona history and the five Cs through the mining museum effort, passed 9-0. House Bills 2330 and 2341, both relating to power plant and transmission line siting criteria, passed 6-3 after the sponsor argued they would better account for an area’s character and for speculative projects lacking known off-takers. House Bill 2918, ending certain tax breaks for renewable energy and storage equipment after 2026, passed 6-3. House Bill 2889, appropriating $1 million for uranium contamination monitoring and a statewide registry, passed 9-0 after discussion of tribal health impacts and possible amendment to shift implementation to ADEQ. House Concurrent Resolution 2057 supporting geothermal permitting reform passed 9-0, and House Concurrent Resolution 2020 supporting certain housing developments outside designated provider service areas passed 6-2. The committee also heard House Bill 2843 on portable plug-in solar devices, with the sponsor and supporters arguing it would lower bills and expand access for renters and apartment dwellers. Electric co-ops and utilities raised safety, backfeed, inspection, and liability concerns, and the chair held the bill for further work rather than taking a vote. House Bill 2782, dealing with utility rate transparency and regulatory assets, drew testimony from the sponsor and constituents about alleged double-charging in Santan Valley; after a motion to suspend committee rules to consider a late amendment, the amended bill passed 5-3. House Bill 4025, creating a study committee on gasoline and petroleum refineries, passed 6-3 after the sponsor argued Arizona relies heavily on imported gasoline. House Bill 2912, requiring integrated resource plans and independent review for electric utilities, passed 6-2 after amendment. Finally, House Bill 4100, requiring notice to customers about potential rate impacts if CAP water is lost, drew opposition from municipal and private water providers who said the required estimates would be speculative and could not be prepared by the deadline; the bill was discussed with an amendment expanding its scope, but the transcript ends before a final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• It looked like it was operating funds, but it was not.
• We'll treat it as operational funds.
• If it's operational dollars, it's another.
• If it's operational dollars, it's another.
• operational funds.

Committee: All LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING-EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Summary: The committee met to review education audit reports and adopted the minutes. Legislative Audit reported 103 education audits total, with 89 having no findings and 14 containing findings. The committee first heard from Camden Fairview School District, which had findings for spending operating funds on an end-of-year employee banquet and for unauthorized credit card charges. District officials said they had implemented stronger internal controls, stopped using the affected card, and would limit future events to comply with state law and constitutional requirements. Members questioned the district about prior practices, donated funds, and how teacher appreciation could continue without using operating funds; the report was filed as reviewed. The committee then reviewed Forest City School District, which had a finding for spending $33,000 in operating funds on an off-campus end-of-year celebration and entertainment event. District representatives said the money came from a long-standing Pepsi-related donation fund, but acknowledged confusion over whether it should be treated as operational funds and said they would stop using it that way and provide training to staff and the board. Members discussed whether the funds were private donations or operating funds, the lack of a formal board vote, and whether the event was intended to recognize staff and growth; the report was filed as reviewed. The committee also received notice of more serious findings that were referred to the prosecuting attorney and attorney general, including Conway School District for misuse of district funds and resources by former maintenance employees, Magnolia School District for undeposited activity funds, Westside School District for undocumented and personal credit card charges, and Boonville School District for paying a board member’s son in excess of the statutory limit without an approved exemption. The remaining eight reports with findings were filed en masse as reviewed, and the 89 reports with no findings were also filed en masse. The committee adjourned after noting that most districts reviewed had no findings.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:19:42.720><c> uh</c> 15 um units that may be operating uh 15 um units that may be operating uh
• We are doing facility plans for each of our four regional treatment facilities, and each of these facility
• facilities and each Regional treatment facilities and each of<00:29:10.559><c> these</c><00:29:10.840
• ><c> facility</c><00:29:11.399><c> plans</c><00:29:12.039><c> costs</c> of these facility plans costs
• We began operations in June of 2023.

Transcript Highlights:

• . facility. facility.
• And as a material recovery facility, we operate as a public health and environmental health extension
• Our facilities operate in highly regulated environments under MDH, MPCA, OSHA, CMS, Joint Commission,
• And before the counties owned and operated the facility, waste was not required to come there.
• facility.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• This provides valuable operational environmental data over multiple hydrologic cycles and can inform
• We operate a 65 million gallon per day drinking water treatment plant.
• existing recharge facilities, but... ...existing diversion facilities and existing recharge facilities
• And these were existing facilities.
• They... ...prior to a recharge activity, and these were existing facilities.

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

Transcript Highlights:

• And we also operate a direct service program that delivers fresh produce boxes to over 550 households
• The rejection of a significant payer contract modification by the provider or facility may not affect
• You can see from the sign-ins, this is providers, facilities... ...of House Bill 2106.
• We operate a critical access hospital, a rural health clinic, and an ALS and ambulance service.
• We provide anesthesia for GI physicians, hospitals, facilities, dentists, every type of facility that's

Bills: HB1904 , HB2106 , HB2211 , HB2247 , HB2329 , HB2339

Committee: House Health Care & Wellness

Keywords: animal welfare, cats, declawing, animal rights, pet care, healthcare, contract modifications, provider notifications, insurance carriers, health facilities, HB 2211, medically tailored meals, medical nutrition therapy, medical assistance, Medicaid, Health Care Authority, Department of Social and Health Services, nutrition support, chronic disease, dietary accommodations

Transcript Highlights:

• The rejection of a significant payer contract modification by the provider or facility may not affect
• This bill came about because I've been hearing reports from providers and facilities that the health
• That is not good for carriers, providers, or facilities, and it's certainly not good for patients who
• We operate a critical access hospital, a rural health clinic, and an ALS and ambulance service.
• We provide anesthesia for GI physicians, hospitals, facilities, dentists, every type of facility that's

Summary: The committee heard public hearings on several health-related bills. House Bill 1904 would prohibit cat declawing except for therapeutic purposes, with staff explaining definitions, fines, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements. The prime sponsor and animal welfare advocates described declawing as cruel and linked it to pain and behavior problems, while the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association supported the substance of the bill but asked to remove the added reporting and disciplinary provisions as redundant and burdensome. House Bill 2211 would provide guidance for medically tailored meals under existing Medicaid-related nutrition supports, including standards for Washington-based nonprofit providers where possible, menu review, and nutrition requirements. The sponsor said it would clarify implementation without expanding the program, and supporters from meal providers, food distributors, and local farms said it would improve health outcomes, keep dollars local, and support Washington jobs and agriculture. House Bill 2329 would allow licensed midwives to delegate certain tasks to medical assistants and to supervise medical assistants, with the sponsor and birth center operators saying it would fix an omission in current law and help rural and under-resourced birth centers operate more efficiently. Supporters said it would improve staffing and financial stability, while the sponsor indicated the lactation consultant language would likely be removed because those consultants are not regulated by the Department of Health. The committee then returned to House Bill 1904 for additional testimony from humane organizations, veterinarians, shelter leaders, and local officials, all supporting a ban on declawing and emphasizing animal pain, shelter impacts, and available alternatives. House Bill 2247 would expand and clarify veterinary telehealth and veterinarian-client-patient relationship rules, allowing a VCPR to be established in certain telehealth circumstances and setting guardrails for consent, practice standards, and when in-person exams are still required. Supporters from shelters, animal welfare groups, mobile clinics, and veterinarians said telehealth would improve access in rural and underserved areas, reduce shelter intake, and help animals receive care sooner; the veterinary association supported the bill with amendments to clarify recordkeeping and access-to-care findings. House Bill 2339 would update nursing license terminology and processes for advanced registered nurse practitioners, including title changes, controlled substance rules for CRNAs, transcript submission, and interim permits. Nursing board and ARNP representatives supported the technical updates, while the hospital association and medical association raised concerns about title language for clinical nurse specialists and the deletion of a reference to the medical profession. Finally, House Bill 2106 would require health carriers to give 90 days’ notice of significant mid-contract payer modifications and provide the actual modification language, with the sponsor and hospital and provider representatives saying insurers are increasingly making unilateral changes that affect payment, services, and patient access. UW Medicine and a rural hospital district described examples where insurers changed imaging or preventive service coverage mid-contract, causing financial losses and forcing difficult choices about network participation. Carriers were noted as opposing the bill, while providers and facilities argued it would improve transparency and prevent one-sided contract changes that disrupt care.

Transcript Highlights:

• operated by the or a feral hog hunting facility operated by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture,
• in in the amendment, the line that a feral hog hunting facility operated by ODAFF.
• So we just needed to nix that, except allow this facility, these facilities to operate.
• And that would be a feral hog hunting facility that's operated by the Oklahoma Department of Ag, Food
• If you go hunt on a controlled-hunt facility, some of those, or not a controlled-hunt facility, pardon

Bills: SB2108 , SB2121 , SB2171 , SB2061 , SB2112 , SB2138

Committee: Senate Agriculture and Wildlife

Summary: The committee laid over several bills at the start of the meeting, including SB 1550, SB 2173, and SB 2114, and announced a new rule prohibiting video recording on phones in the committee room. The committee then took up a series of agriculture-related measures, with most of the discussion focused on feral hog control, lab-grown meat, hunting regulations, local food policy, open-range cleanup, and prescribed burn liability coverage. SB 2108, as amended, was presented as a feral swine control bill. Supporters said it would reduce property damage, disease spread, and regulatory barriers for landowners and hunters, while opponents raised concerns about people who capture hogs for food and the impact on self-provisioning. The committee adopted the amendment and passed the bill 10-2. SB 2121, which would ban the sale of cell-cultured, lab-grown meat, drew debate over free-market choice versus protecting Oklahoma agriculture and food safety; it passed 9-3. SB 2171, which would extend the residency requirement for a lifetime fishing license from six months to one year and create a velvet buck season under controlled hunts, passed 12-1 after debate about trophy hunting, commercialization, and deer management. SB 2061 would create an Oklahoma Food Policy Council within the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to coordinate local food networks and producer-to-consumer access. Testimony from the agency said some related work is already being done through its Market Development Division, but the council would formalize broader representation; the bill passed 12-1. SB 2112, as amended, cleaned up prior open-range language to include leased land and passed unanimously. SB 2138 would establish a prescribed burn indemnity fund to help cover damages from escaped prescribed burns; members discussed coverage levels, funding, and whether it primarily protects the burner or neighboring landowners. It also passed unanimously. The meeting ended with an announcement about a Marshallese group performing in the rotunda and then adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• O stands for operate. That's our daily work.
• So after operating costs, we spend our...
• So after operating costs, we put our priorities on preserve and restore.
• Doing this type of work helps our facilities to last longer.
• Today we operate with 135 fewer employees than we did just 10 years ago.

Committee: House Transportation and Defense

Transcript Highlights:

• becomes operational?
• sector job, and we, we consider him, and he's a good operator, um.
• , somebody has to maintain and manage that facility.
• And, and they're not going to run and operate in the same manner.
• Currently, right now, Clovis is operated by a private company.

Transcript Highlights:

• utility-scale onshore wind energy facilities, and green hydrogen production and storage facilities.
• FSEC most commonly oversees energy generation facilities.
• However, FSEC may also oversee transmission facilities.
• We're also operating in kind of a strange time.
• We're also operating in kind of a strange time.

Summary: The committee held a work session on state environmental policy act (SEPA) implementation and carryout bags. Ecology staff Diane Buterak described the Clean Energy Programmatic Environmental Impact Statements (PEISs) completed for utility-scale solar, onshore wind, and green hydrogen, plus a new PEIS underway for sustainable aviation fuel. She explained that PEISs provide broad planning-level analysis to help developers and agencies avoid or mitigate impacts, but do not replace project-level review. Members asked about permitting timelines, greenhouse gas emissions from different hydrogen production methods, water use, agricultural land conversion, battery fire risk, and tribal consultation. Buterak said the PEISs identify potentially significant impacts and mitigation measures, including fire response planning, early tribal outreach, and agrovoltaics as an option for solar projects. EFSEC’s Amy Hofkimer then presented the transmission-facility programmatic EIS required by SB 5165 for 230 kV and higher transmission projects. She said the statewide review covers new lines and certain upgrades/modifications, analyzes impacts to water, cultural and tribal resources, habitat, and other areas, and uses general measures, design considerations, avoidance criteria, and sensitivity maps to guide siting and corridor planning. She said the final document would be issued in early October. Questions focused on reconductoring, tribal lands, scenic areas, and whether the review could affect existing lines crossing tribal lands. A Grant County planning director, Jim Anderson Cook, said Ecology’s PEIS would help with cumulative impacts for clustered solar projects, but noted tight local review timelines and the need for strong pre-application coordination, especially on cultural resource studies and decommissioning plans. Yakama Nation attorney Shona Leverett argued SEPA is only an assessment tool and said tribes face barriers from short comment periods, limited confidential tribal input, weak cumulative impact analysis, and challenges in the FSEC process; she urged better upfront developer diligence and more effective tribal coordination. Puget Sound Energy’s Sarah Leverett said the utility needs efficient and predictable permitting to meet clean energy mandates while maintaining reliable service and aging infrastructure. She described the scale of needed clean energy and transmission buildout, including a 10-year process for the Energize Eastside transmission rebuild, and said more consistent SEPA and PEIS processes could help. Members asked about future generation sources, reliability, and hydropower as a firming resource; she said PSE is pursuing an “all of the above” approach and would welcome more firm, dispatchable clean energy options. The committee then shifted to carryout bags. Staff Jacob Lipson and Tracy Taylor reviewed Washington’s bag law, its preemption of local ordinances, the current 8-cent charge, the scheduled increase to 12 cents, and the 2025 change delaying the 4-mil thickness requirement until 2028 while adding a temporary 4-cent penalty for thicker bags. Ecology’s Peter Lyon said the agency emphasizes education and complaint-based enforcement, has received 872 reports, and has not yet imposed any fines. Commerce’s Kirk Esmond summarized a WSU study finding fewer plastic bags distributed but more plastic by weight, and said Commerce and Ecology support keeping the 2.25-mil standard and not allowing thinner single-use bags again. Retail industry testimony from Brandon Housekeeper said grocers comply with the law but oppose the added 4-cent penalty and thicker-bag requirement, citing higher costs and confusion in the policy changes.

Transcript Highlights:

• This entity operates today in several states successfully, connecting mothers, This entity operates today
• This has nothing to do with setbacks on facilities.
• There is one health system in the state that has medical facilities and a mental health facility that
• You could call that facility right then and know. You could call that facility right then and know.
• It would come from whichever mental health facilities—the inpatient, acute inpatient mental health facilities—would

Bills: SB1983 , SB444 , SB1503 , SB1561 , SB592 , SB1501 , SB1946 , SB1567 , SB1833 , SB2026 , SB904 , SB2178 , SB1651 , SB1558 , SB1565 , SB1553 , SB1257 , SB65 , SB1749 , SB1242 , SB1642 , SB640 , SB667 , SB1436 , SB1484 , SB1562 , SB1794 , SB1644 , SB1533 , SB933 , SB1555

Committee: House Health and Human Services Oversight

Summary: The committee opened with prayer and then heard a long series of Senate bills, many of them agency request or cleanup measures. Early bills included SB 1983, directing DHS to provide foster care data to resource family partners to better identify foster family needs; SB 444, allowing hospice personnel to control or destroy controlled substances after a patient’s death; and SB 1503, a PCS related to pregnancy resource center outreach and in-state referrals, which drew discussion about virtual versus face-to-face support and was reported out after members agreed to continue working on the language. Other measures advanced included SB 1561 on progressive discipline for certain M.T.M.S. personnel, SB 592 and SB 1946 on alcohol-related licensing/sales issues, SB 1501 and SB 1567 as cleanup or implementation bills, and SB 1833 codifying a SNAP waiver barring candy and soft drinks purchases. The committee also considered several health and human services bills. SB 2026 expanded access to military discharge papers to grandchildren; SB 904 addressed public funds and state facilities, with members raising concerns about legislative interference in medical decision-making and liability; SB 2178 modified alcohol licensing insurance requirements; SB 1651 updated Oklahoma Medical Board license language; SB 1558 clarified the definition of a child for level E group homes; SB 1565 promoted Food is Medicine efforts to improve maternal and infant outcomes; and SB 1553 required psychologist review of appealed adverse determinations involving mental health claims. SB 1257, with a policy recommendation, expanded THC/controlled substance language to align with federal guidelines, and SB 1749 made a cleanup change related to food trailers and LP gas inspections. Later in the meeting, the committee advanced SB 65 with a policy amendment adding fentanyl and xylazine test strips; SB 1242, which included OMMA education and abandoned grow cleanup provisions; SB 1642, allowing shorter acute prescriptions to help reduce addiction risk; SB 640, treating abandoned grow facilities as public nuisances so local governments can abate them; SB 667, clarifying accreditation language for chiropractic programs; SB 1436, requiring hospitals to provide information on obtaining records after stillbirth or miscarriage; SB 1484, codifying medical examiner practices in infant or child deaths; SB 1562, addressing hospice patient solicitation; SB 1794, creating a mental health bed-availability database; SB 1644, seeking data on alpha-gal syndrome to support federal research funding; SB 1533, ensuring burial assistance for Oklahoma veterans who die out of state; SB 933, creating a right-to-try pathway for individualized treatments; and SB 1555, aligning the definition of intellectual disability with federal law. Most bills were reported out do pass, with recorded votes ranging from unanimous to a few nays on some measures. SB 1304 was laid over, and the committee adjourned at the end of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Army and all forces in the Special Operations Command.
• And I know there was a lot of conversation on the nurse, on the assisted living facilities.
• Inadvertently, there were a couple of inconsistencies that relate to how timeshares operate.
• Inadvertently, there were a couple of inconsistencies that relates to how timeshares operate.
• Shall govern the management of timeshare facilities.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, prayer, pledge, and several recognitions, including remarks from Senator Berman on Democratic priorities and introductions of military leaders and an intern. The chamber then moved through a long special-order calendar, with many bills substituted to House companions, amended, and passed, while several others were temporarily postponed. Major measures approved included the dangerous dogs/Pam Rock Act (SB 572/HB 593), which tightened penalties and procedures for dog attacks and passed 36-0; local government land regulation (SB 1080), which was amended to remove agricultural enclave language and passed 26-8; vessel/freedom-related legislation (SB 1388/HB 1137), which passed 35-0; blood clot screening and treatment (SB 890/HB 1421), which added registry and training provisions and passed 36-0; fleeing or eluding law enforcement (SB 468/HB 113), which increased offense levels and passed 36-0; concealed carry/licensing for certain officers and service members (SB 490/HB 383), which passed 33-3; timeshare management (SB 496/HB 897), which clarified governance and annual meeting requirements and passed 36-0; background screening education (SB 614/HB 531), which created a public webpage and passed 36-0; utility service restrictions (SB 1002/HB 1137), which preempted local energy-source restrictions and passed 36-0; Medicaid oversight (SB 1060), which created a joint oversight committee and passed 35-0; health facilities authorities (SB 68), amended to make fentanyl urine screening more discretionary, and passed 36-0; and veterans’ nursing home beds (SB 78/HB 797), which authorized veteran- and spouse-designated beds and passed 36-0. The chamber also passed disability history and awareness instruction (SB 540/HB 447), a highly personal bill honoring Evan Hartzell that drew extended debate about disability language, inclusion, and education; it passed 35-0 after 35 co-sponsors were added. Manufacturing policy bills SB 600 and SB 602 were approved after amendments to add reporting, ranking metrics, and fee-use restrictions, both passing 35-0. Educational opportunities for military children (SB 1528) passed 36-0 after testimony from student sponsors and senators praising the bill’s origin. Several other bills, including Medicaid oversight, mammograms, Parkinson’s disease, condominium/cooperative associations, waste management, human trafficking, and Bright Futures, were postponed or not taken up during this segment.

Transcript Highlights:

• As an alternative to complying with the sulfur limits on fuels, a person operating a vessel may provide
• Agencies cannot impose greenhouse gas requirements on a coal facility in operation prior to 2011 that
• Emissions from a coal-fired electric generation facility in operation on or before July 22, 2011, are
• Amber Carter here on behalf of the Columbia River Steamship Operators Association.
• The cruise lines operate...

Summary: The committee heard testimony on three main bills. House Bill 2284 on reducing litter would remove a scheduled increase in plastic bag thickness, preserve the existing penalty on thicker bags, and create a litter solutions task force to use existing data and recommend further actions. Supporters from business, retail, agriculture, food industry, and the Department of Ecology said the bill takes a data-driven approach and could help reduce litter without imposing a full bag ban, while Ecology noted it already has a statewide litter study underway and raised cost and membership concerns. Opponents and other commenters generally favored the bill’s direction but emphasized the need for more study and careful implementation. No vote was taken. House Bill 1652 would require certain ocean-going vessels in Washington waters to use fuel with no more than 0.1% sulfur, with recordkeeping, Ecology oversight, penalties, and a substitute clarifying vessel coverage and exemptions. The prime sponsor and environmental and public health advocates said the bill would reduce air and water pollution from scrubbers and protect the Salish Sea, orcas, salmon, and nearby communities. Ports, shipping interests, and industry groups raised concerns that the bill could effectively discourage scrubbers, create burdens for irregular callers and cargo traffic, and affect port competitiveness, while some said the bill should be narrowed or further stakeholdered. The hearing also included discussion of a proposed substitute and possible impacts on vessels and port operations. House Bill 2367 would end special coal-related exemptions by limiting the cap-and-invest exemption to pre-2026 emissions, removing limits on additional greenhouse gas regulation for the coal plant, and repealing coal sales and use tax exemptions. Supporters said the bill would align state law with the planned closure of the Centralia coal plant, reinforce Washington’s climate policies, and remove outdated carve-outs. Business and petroleum representatives warned that if the plant were brought back into the cap-and-invest program, the allowance market could be affected and Ecology might need flexibility to adjust the program. The committee heard extensive testimony on all three bills but took no recorded votes or final action in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're talking about extensive renovations in existing detention facilities, which would disrupt operations
• . facilities. facilities.
• </c> each of the two facilities. each of the two facilities.
• </c><01:09:36.560><c> I</c> to operate. It's a huge facility. I to operate. It's a huge facility.
• </c> facility of the correctional facility facility of the correctional facility and<01:37:38.400><c>

Summary: The committee approved the September 18 minutes and then heard testimony on House Bill 534, which would automatically seal dismissed eviction filings and protect youth from public disclosure in forcible detainer cases. Rep. Susan Tyler Whitten and George Ecklan of the Coalition for the Homeless said the bill is aimed at reducing housing barriers for Kentuckians, especially those with dismissed cases, while preserving landlords’ rights to pursue rent, collections, damages, and other legal remedies. They said the proposal was developed with input from landlords, clerks, judges, AOC, and service providers, and noted that similar laws exist in other states. Several members, including Sen. Neimes, Rep. Deetsz, Rep. Cole Carney, and Sen. Thomas, expressed support while emphasizing that the bill is narrowly tailored to dismissed cases and should not affect legitimate landlord claims; Sen. Wheeler raised concerns about cases involving settlements or delays and whether future landlords should know about them. The sponsors responded that the bill only covers dismissed actions, that dismissals require a judge’s order, and that the goal is to remove barriers created by records that remain publicly visible even when a case is resolved. The committee then took up Senate Bill 111 on juvenile justice. Commissioner Randy White, Kentucky Hospital Association President Nancy Galvanny, and Dr. Clark Lester of the University of Kentucky said the bill would require a secure state-run facility for youth with high-acuity mental health needs in detention and, until that is built, create a process with incentives for private hospitals to provide inpatient treatment with safeguards and increased compensation. They argued that detention is not an appropriate setting for severely mentally ill, violent youth and that private psychiatric hospitals often refuse these referrals or discharge them early. Dr. Lester cited recent referral data showing high denial rates for juvenile justice youth in private hospitals in August and September, often due to aggression, and described a case in which repeated placement attempts failed because of violent and self-harming behavior. The presenters said the bill is intended to fill a service gap and improve safety and outcomes for youth, staff, and hospitals, but no vote or final action on the bill was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Most of the care within the facilities is optional to our patients.
• Some of those, you mentioned, operating the empty beds.
• And so it's complicated, depending on where the facility is.
• We operate inside San Quentin, CCWF, and RJD.
• We operate inside San Quint, CCWF, and RJD.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee hearing focused on the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s handling of mental health care in prisons and allegations of sexual abuse, retaliation, and excessive force in the state’s women’s facilities. CDCR officials described their PREA-based prevention and response efforts, including training, oversight, body-worn cameras, retaliation follow-up, and partnerships with outside groups. The Office of the Inspector General explained its monitoring role, noting increased authority under SB 1069, but also limited staffing and the ability to monitor only a portion of cases. The Legislative Analyst’s Office added that prison population trends could allow the state to close a prison and save over $100 million, with some savings potentially redirected to prevention or response efforts. Advocates and formerly incarcerated witnesses from Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition and the California Coalition of Women Prisoners testified that meaningful systemic change has not occurred and that retaliation, blocked programming, and unsafe reporting conditions remain widespread. They described alleged barriers to community-based services, forced or coercive treatment concerns involving Suboxone, and the need for survivor-centered reentry support, trauma-informed care, and more independent oversight. Sandra DeAnda gave detailed testimony about alleged staff abuse, retaliation, denial of mental health care, and a large use-of-force incident at Central California Women’s Facility, while Amika Mota and April Grayson urged release or resentencing for survivors housed with their abusers and greater investment in outside programs. Members of the committee pressed CDCR and OIG on accountability, use-of-force standards, criminal referrals, disciplinary outcomes, and whether investigations are completed within statutory timelines. CDCR acknowledged cultural problems at both women’s prisons and said it was retraining staff and working on reforms, while OIG said it had monitored 161 investigations and found most grievance routing appropriate, though some cases had lapsed due to time limits. Later exchanges revealed that CDCR has over 13,500 active cases and 109 investigators, and that some cases have exceeded deadlines, prompting concerns from members about whether the current system can adequately investigate misconduct and impose consequences. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• facility.
• We are practically at capacity with our current facility and the annex facility that the agency received
• I expect to begin moving into the new facility by the fall of 2026.
• Nau: The second request is for key business operations.
• Over 50 of those locations are in VA facilities.

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• >> Both of these in general seem to be a nice example of kind of a state operated facility. >> We don't
• UK doesn't own either facility.
• </c><00:04:54.479><c> facility.
• </c> state operated facility. state operated facility.
• </c> grid and paint in the in this facility. grid and paint in the in this facility.

Summary: The committee first handled routine business, including roll call, approval of the July minutes, and several informational reports. Those reports included a University of Kentucky restricted-fund medical equipment purchase for Chandler Hospital, debt issues for five school districts, Eastern Kentucky University’s planned model laboratory school using construction management risk delivery, a Division of Real Properties lease advertisement, Kentucky Communications Network Authority quarterly project reports, and EKU asset preservation revisions. Members then heard and approved a new UK St. Clair Urgent Care Clinic lease in Morehead and an amendment expanding space for the UK Family and Community Medicine Clinic at Turflin Clinic. Testimony explained that both properties are privately owned, the Morehead lease predated the UK/St. Clair arrangement, and the Turflin Clinic is tight on space. The committee also approved three new projects and an appropriation increase: two Department of Military Affairs projects, a Window Ford Training Center underground electric project and a Williamsburg Readiness Center interior repair project, a Fish and Wildlife property acquisition adjoining Veterans Memorial Wildlife Management Area, and an $8.113 million increase for the Department of Revenue integrated tax system (DORIS). The DORIS increase was described as needed for change orders tied to legislation and to complete the unified tax system. The committee next reviewed no-action items, including a $3 million emergency flood-damage repair project for the Bush Building and Vest-Lindsay House in Frankfort, and three pool projects over $1 million: a Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women window replacement phase 2 project, a Department of Criminal Justice Training interior refurbishment at Thompson Hall, and the Muddy Gut Branch stream mitigation project in Johnson County. The flood project was confirmed to be fully reimbursed by insurance proceeds. Finally, the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority presented six loans and nine grants. Action items included water and sewer financing for Cumberland County, Lebanon, Northern Kentucky Water District, Lewisport, and Providence, plus a major Taylor Mill treatment plant project and several cleaner water grants and reallocations. Members asked about loan rates, local rate increases needed to repay debt, and the Providence emergency water interconnect; staff explained that Lewisport had begun a rate increase process, and that the Providence project would connect Webster County Water District and the city of Providence to stabilize pressure after a systemwide failure. All action items were approved.

Transcript Highlights:

• As far as our facilities, we have eight publicly operated facilities and one contract at a facility where
• And in that situation, we take up about a third of the facility.
• , facility per diems, and so forth.
• In our prison facilities, we do not.
• Shiprock is the largest community of the Navajo Nation, and we don't have a facility a detention facility

Transcript Highlights:

• So the DESE facilities, they're owned by the state.
• OA's Division of Facilities Management, Design, and Construction helps with the maintaining and the operating
• So the DESE facilities, they're owned by the state, our OA's division of facilities management design
• and construction helps with the maintaining and the operating of those.
• schools are operated by DESE across the state.

Committee: House Corrections and Public Institutions