Transcript Highlights:

• </c> building community assets. building community assets.
• It's not just jobs community.
• When a jobs in the whole community.
• to a community differs from community<00:15:24.400><c> to</c><00:15:24.480><c> community</c><00:15:25.000
• ><c> and</c><00:15:25.120><c> we</c><00:15:25.280><c> really</c> community to community and we really

Summary: Senate leaders and supporters held a press availability focused on passing a state capital investment, or bonding, bill this session. Chair Sandy Pappas said the state has received more than $7 billion in project requests and is pushing for a $1.4 billion bonding package to address infrastructure needs such as clean water, state parks and trails, college and university repairs, sewer capacity for housing growth, and other public facilities. She and other speakers stressed that delaying projects raises costs and that they do not expect a special session, making action before adjournment especially important. Testimony from labor and legislative leaders emphasized the economic benefits of bonding. Anthony Wilkie of SMART Local 10 said public bonding projects create work hours for skilled trades and cited Fraser Hall at the University of Minnesota as an example of a project that employed union members. Senator Nick Frentz argued that bonding supports jobs, especially in greater Minnesota, and highlighted water infrastructure needs, including communities facing manganese contamination and high water rates if they must finance treatment plants alone. Senator Ann Johnson Stewart pointed to PFAS-related water treatment costs in Minnetonka Beach and said she would support higher education and water projects. Majority Leader Erin Murphy said the Senate is working toward the $1.4 billion target, noting the state’s AAA bond rating and the need to keep borrowing costs low. She also said the recent Metro Surge period led to about 4,000 lost construction jobs, strengthening the case for a bill this year. In response to questions, Pappas said negotiations with Senator Housley and House leaders were underway but still early, with no final target set yet; she said staff are preparing project lists and language, and that some items, such as HCMC, may move separately. No formal vote was taken in the exchange, but the speakers expressed optimism about reaching a bipartisan agreement before session end.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> me, in 2013 in support of the community me, in 2013 in support of the community solar<00:02:16.400
• </c> I don't work directly with community I don't work directly with community solar<00:10:11.600><c>
• </c> passed the community solar garden bill. passed the community solar garden bill.
• ><c> remained</c><00:12:18.560><c> one</c> But community solar gardens remained one But community solar
• ><c> garden</c> Minnesota's community solar garden Minnesota's community solar garden program<00:15:51.279

Transcript Highlights:

• To risk their own lives for the sake of their siblings in the community.
• We also know that this month offers something powerful, community.
• Hard-won access to health care for the TGI community.
• Of this year and to communities from Del Norte to Imperial County.
• We're dedicated to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and supportive community where the LGBTQ community

Transcript Highlights:

• We have brought in the environmental community, the business community, certainly the MPOs, and other
• I’m from the community of Tulare.
• It’s a need for our community to get water.
• Environmental justice communities, disproportionately low-income communities, and communities of color
• As a result, communities are left in the dark and the state—it's not just communities, it's also workers—are

Committee: Senate Environmental Quality

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on environmental, climate, transparency, water affordability, recycling, and refinery transition issues. SB 1087 would modernize SB 375 regional climate and transportation planning by extending planning cycles, clarifying target-setting and review processes, and reducing time spent on modeling and CEQA-related work; it drew strong support from MPOs and environmental groups with some opposition from clean air, housing, and industry advocates concerned about VMT, housing impacts, and agency authority. SB 1239 would require CARB to update its standardized regulatory impact assessment when major regulations are materially changed; manufacturers and business groups supported the transparency measure, while the chair opposed it as adding delay and inefficiency to rulemaking. SB 1125 would create the framework for a statewide low-income water rate assistance program; it received broad support from utilities, environmental justice groups, local governments, and community members, and the committee advanced it on a 3-1 vote. SB 1180 would set rules for spending from the plastic pollution mitigation fund created by SB 54, with broad support from environmental justice and conservation groups and opposed-unless-amended positions from industry groups seeking tighter limits and more oversight; it advanced on a 3-0 vote. SB 1161 would require CARB to present household-level cost impacts of regulations in plain language, and it advanced on a 4-0 vote despite late opposition from environmental groups. SB 955, updating beverage container recycling and redemption requirements, passed 5-0, and SB 1259, requiring refineries to disclose cleanup liabilities and decommissioning information to aid long-term planning, drew strong support from environmental and local government witnesses but firm opposition from petroleum, labor, and business groups; the committee began discussion but the transcript cuts off before a final vote on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have brought in the environmental community, the business community, certainly the MPOs, other stakeholders
• It's a need for our community to get water.
• Environmental justice communities, disproportionately low-income communities, and communities of color
• As a result, communities are left in the dark and the state—it's not just communities, it's also workers—are
• And this bill will give communities on—” “And this bill will give communities on the ground the information

Committee: Senate Environmental Quality

Transcript Highlights:

• However, business growth in communities varied because communities were designated as a Main Street community
• The blue dots are communities in urban counties. Green diamonds are communities in rural counties.
• And the blue dots are communities in urban counties.
• Green diamonds are community in rural counties.
• DAP also requires communities to report on some information on the change of business requires communities

Committee: Joint Citizen Commission for Performance Measurement of Tax Preferences

Transcript Highlights:

• And technology projects at the community colleges.
• . or in our neediest communities?
• It's been a high priority for many communities.
• In the community college budget, we want to uplift.
• Community Colleges.

Transcript Highlights:

• Community colleges also, we have seen enrollment growth in community colleges.
• Community colleges also, we have seen enrollment growth in community colleges.
• That is a key communication tool for our underserved communities.
• More work needs to be done on GGRF for AB 617 communities, who all my district represent, for community
• Community college transfers.

Committee: House Budget

Transcript Highlights:

• Latinos within the LGBTQ+ community have long been torchbearers in our community, helping guide the way
• for ...community have long been torchbearers in our community, helping guide the way for all members
• In the LGBTQ+ community, we know that Black LGBTQ+ individuals face intersecting... ...community, we
• , and understanding that when workers do well in their communities, the whole community does well.
• and understanding that when workers do well in their communities, the whole community does well.

Summary: The Senate opened with a prayer and Pledge of Allegiance, then spent much of the session on recognitions and resolutions honoring community groups and observances. Members welcomed the Far West region of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Los Angeles South Bay alumni chapter, and later recognized the 2026 Latino Spirit Award honorees after adopting SR 86 on Cinco de Mayo Week. Senators from multiple caucuses spoke in support of the resolution, emphasizing Mexican history, Latino resilience, and shared struggles for justice. The Latino Spirit honorees included leaders in higher education, philanthropy, labor, health, advocacy, business, environmental justice, journalism, culinary arts, and music, along with a legacy award for Los Tigres del Norte. The Senate also adopted SCR 146 declaring May Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month, SCR 154 establishing Green Star Veterans and Families Day, SCR 123 honoring California Peace Officers Memorial Day, SCR 164 recognizing Black Health Equity Advocacy Week, and SCR 103 designating Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week. Testimony and floor remarks focused on health disparities, mental health, veteran suicide, and the sacrifices of peace officers, with several caucuses speaking in support of the health equity resolution. Each of these resolutions passed by unanimous or near-unanimous roll call votes. The chamber then took up several appointments from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, confirming Kathleen Ratliff and Joseph Tuggle, Jason Johnson, Madeline McLean, Brian Bishop, and Sarah Larson, despite some protest votes from Senator Grove over the lack of action on another appointment. In third reading, the Senate passed SB 1159 on AI and public participation, SB 1416 on faster refunds for duplicate medical payments, SB 1273 on winery video advertising at instructional events, SB 941 limiting commissary markups in private detention facilities, SB 990 on a highway information sign near Ridgecrest, SB 1099 clarifying local authority to provide public benefits, and SB 1195 expanding tied-house exemptions for certain venues. The session concluded with adjournment memories for labor leader Kent Wong and Navy veteran-artist Vittaliano Victor Villar, and the Senate adjourned until May 7, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• It will also allow them to enroll at a community college, not just Cerritos College.
• Sienna Hornback, community member and mother of two community college graduates, in strong support.
• Help me save my community.
• Help this doctor bring the gift of health care to her community, especially in a community that desperately
• This especially matters in the community college context.

Committee: House Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:

• And continue donations to vulnerable communities.
• them down, Alturas, Bridgeport, these are all rural communities that are not necessarily tribal communities
• And I'm going to give you the story in our community.
• of grocery store or provider they want in their community, recognizing that not every community is the
• I do understand because we have a huge tribal, you know, community network in my community.

Committee: House Agriculture

Transcript Highlights:

• As of 2026, there have been 19 communities granted a community emissions reduction plan, or CERP, designation
• local community emissions reduction plans.
• Senator Reyes’ SB 1075 keeps the promise to pollution-burdened communities by strengthening local community
• Now, SB 1075, I hope we're clear, only applies to communities in the AB 617 Community Air Protection
• It doesn't apply to every single community.

Summary: The committee heard SB 1375 by Senator Cortese, which would streamline environmental review for certain transit and rail projects that have already undergone extensive prior review. Supporters, including VTA, San Jose transportation staff, BART, Caltrain, MTC, and Climate Reality Silicon Valley, said the bill would reduce duplicative analysis, save time and money, and help advance projects like the Diridon Station modernization in San Jose. Committee members emphasized the bill’s narrow scope and the added amendments requiring displacement planning, legal services for displaced residents, construction-impact mitigation, and natural resources planning. The bill was approved on a 5-0 vote and sent to Transportation as amended. The committee also took up SB 1031 on compostable plastics labeling and waste-stream impacts. The author and supporters such as Californians Against Waste argued the bill would reduce greenwashing, clarify labeling, cut contamination in compost and recycling streams, and direct OEHHA to study health and environmental effects. Opposition from manufacturers, BPI, retailers, and others focused on concerns that the bill would effectively ban compostable products in California, create costs, and fail to fix a separate federal/NOP labeling problem. After extensive discussion about composting capacity, labeling clarity, and costs, the bill passed 3-2 to Appropriations. SB 958 by Senator Weber Pierson addressed the Midway Rising redevelopment project in San Diego. The bill, as amended, would no longer create a full CEQA exemption but instead clarify CEQA treatment of building-height impacts in the project’s future EIR. Supporters said the project would deliver thousands of housing units, including affordable housing, along with parks, a new arena, and economic benefits on underused city land. The committee voiced support for the project’s housing and revitalization goals, and the bill passed 3-0 to Local Government as amended. The committee also heard SB 1075 on strengthening AB 617 community air protection plans, with environmental justice supporters backing stronger enforcement and local implementation while local governments, business groups, and air district representatives warned it could create uncertainty, raise costs, and function as a land-use mandate; the bill was held on a 2-2 vote after the author accepted several amendments and continued negotiations.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Pakistani American community contributes so much to the State of New York, and we honor the community
• AND PART OF THAT DIVERSITY IS A COMMUNITY OF VERY PROUD AND SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY, A HARD-WORKING COMMUNITY
• of color in rural communities.
• OF COLOR IN RURAL COMMUNITIES.
• can move forward without community input or oversight and agreement.

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and approval of the prior day’s journal, then moved through a series of introductions and resolutions recognizing Women’s History Month honorees, Prince Hall Masons and Eastern Stars, Agriculture Week, Pakistan-American Heritage Day, visiting Mercaz Academy students, and the 175th anniversary of Albany Law School. Several senators spoke in support of the commemorations, and each resolution was adopted. The chamber then took up a number of bills on the calendar. Among the measures passed were bills related to insurance, private housing finance, public health, mental hygiene, real property, elder law, public authorities, and environmental conservation. One bill on the Environmental Conservation Law drew a procedural challenge over a proposed amendment; the Chair’s ruling that the amendment was nongermane was upheld by a show of hands, after which the bill passed. Another bill amending the Emergency Tenant Protection Act was debated on the issue of vacant rent-stabilized units and LLC ownership transparency, with supporters saying it would help identify responsible owners and opponents arguing it was too broad and could impose unclear penalties; it ultimately passed. The most extended debate centered on a real property bill concerning electronic rent payment systems and automated clearinghouse fees. Supporters framed it as a transparency measure that lets tenants choose whether to use such systems, while critics questioned how fees would be handled and whether the bill would affect landlord costs. After debate, the bill passed. A public health bill sponsored by Senator Webb also passed after she explained it was intended to improve transparency and oversight of changes to maternity and perinatal services amid concerns about maternal health deserts and hospital closures. The Senate then completed the calendar and adjourned until the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• So that sending community doesn't have to pay any, or has to pay all the bill. ...community doesn't have
• Does the sending community lose the—can the sending community count that student in its population for
• My two children attend Warwick Community School, and I am a member of the Warwick Community School Foundation
• Rural communities matter. Rural students matter.
• engagement. ...community engagement.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Education

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education held a hearing on two late-file bills. H. 4867, relative to school choice, drew testimony from leaders, parents, and educators in Hancock, Warwick, Richmond, and Worthington, who said DESE’s interpretation of Chapter 76, Section 12B(k) requires small districts without high schools to pay secondary tuition for nonresident school choice students after they leave the elementary grades. Witnesses said the resulting gap between the $5,000 school choice payment and high school tuition of roughly $13,000 to $18,000 per student has forced some districts to stop accepting school choice students, hurting class sizes, budgets, and rural families’ access to local schools. Committee members questioned how the current rule works, whether students have home high schools to return to, and whether a broader statutory fix could address all districts without secondary programs; testimony indicated the affected districts are a small number of rural communities, with some others having found alternative arrangements. Representative Barrett described the bill as a general solution to an issue that had gone unenforced for years, and the hearing ended with testimony closed on the bill. The committee also heard H. 4927, relative to protecting access to applied behavior analysis (ABA). Educators and ABA providers testified that the bill would clarify that qualified ABA providers, including BCBAs and RBTs, may deliver services in schools while preserving school safety and operational rules. They argued that better access to ABA would help students with autism make progress on IEP goals, remain in the least restrictive environment, and reduce conflicts between families and districts. A parent described repeated delays in getting promised supports for her young son and said the bill would help ensure follow-through and accountability. The committee then closed testimony on H. 4927 and adjourned after a motion and second.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, that's great, but most community college students and community colleges largely exist because
• California Community Colleges, all in strong support.
• We've got community colleges, outstanding community colleges all over the valley, that are precluded
• was an orchard farming community.
• If we have community colleges offering bachelor's degrees, we have, If we have community colleges offering

Committee: Senate Education

Summary: The committee first heard SB 998, which would clarify and expand school discrimination prevention coordinator roles, including new coordinators focused on disability and anti-AAPI discrimination. The author and supporters said the bill would strengthen school climate, provide clearer guidance and training, and help schools address discrimination before it escalates. Support came from education, civil rights, and LGBTQ+ groups, while some witnesses expressed support if amended but raised concerns about gubernatorial appointments and preferred civil service hiring. Several senators debated whether the bill duplicated existing protections and whether it diverted attention from academic priorities, but the chair and coauthors emphasized it as follow-up legislation tied to prior civil rights commitments. The committee voted SB 998 out on a due pass motion to the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the bill was placed on call. The committee then took up SB 1082, which would streamline inter-district transfer appeals by requiring faster district action, concurrent review, and clearer notice when applications are incomplete. The author and sponsor said families often face long delays and inconsistent practices, and supporters argued the bill would improve fairness and reduce administrative burden without changing local approval authority. The California School Boards Association had an oppose-unless-amended position but said it was re-evaluating after amendments, and some other groups said they were removing opposition. The committee approved the bill on a due pass as amended motion to the Senate Appropriations Committee and placed it on call. Next, the committee heard SB 960 on community college baccalaureate degrees. The author argued the bill would create a statewide framework allowing community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees in unmet workforce areas when CSU programs are unavailable or effectively inaccessible because of impaction, while also limiting growth so community colleges do not drift from their core mission. Supporters said the bill would expand access for place-bound students and align with workforce needs, while CSU and faculty opponents warned it could duplicate programs, affect faculty jobs, and worsen pressure on the CSU system. Members debated the master plan, impaction, funding inequities, and whether the bill would siphon students from CSU. The committee ultimately moved SB 960 out on a due pass as amended motion to the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the bill was placed on call. Finally, Senator Blakespear presented SB 965, which would make it easier for 16- and 17-year-olds to obtain public library cards without a parent or guardian physically present. The author and her son described inconsistent local rules and said the bill would reduce barriers while preserving local library policies on checkout and liability. The transcript ended during testimony on SB 965, before any committee vote or further action was recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Community Safety Committee in the Washington State House of Representatives
• safety, and please understand that my next comment is in no way... ...and community safety.
• I have lived in my home community for 35 years.
• And in some communities, they're the only field-based infrastructure that people have.
• So they are doing a lot of the follow-up and the community-based medical care.

Committee: House Community Safety

Summary: The committee held an interim work session on crisis response, focusing on how Washington can better connect people in behavioral health crisis to the right level of help through 988, 911, mobile crisis, co-response, and alternative destinations. Travis Parker outlined the Sequential Intercept Model and the crisis care continuum, emphasizing early intervention, regional coordination, and the need for navigators, peers, and case managers to help people avoid cycling back into crisis or the justice system. Several witnesses stressed that crisis systems should be integrated rather than treated as an either-or choice between 911 and 988. Washington practitioners described a range of local models. Brooke Bettner, Kim Hendrickson, and Dr. Jennifer Stuber discussed co-response and field-based crisis teams, noting Washington’s growth in 988, mobile crisis, and 911 co-response programs, but also flagging duplication, inconsistent coordination, limited training for fire/EMS, gaps in involuntary treatment processes, emergency room overuse, and first responder wellness. Laura Pippen, speaking for designated crisis responders, said staffing has dropped sharply statewide and described major barriers in getting law enforcement, hospitals, and facilities to carry out involuntary treatment holds and placements, especially for substance use cases. She said systems and policies remain fragmented and difficult to align. Researchers Dr. Evan Lowder and Dr. James Pine summarized the evidence base, saying it is still limited but generally shows that non-police and co-response models can improve linkage to services and reduce emergency department transport or involuntary detention in some settings, while longer-term effects are less clear. They emphasized the importance of dispatch triage, on-scene resolution when safe, clear diversion pathways, and ongoing evaluation. 911 dispatch leaders Katie Myers, Justin Rasmussen, and Angie Bunk described efforts to embed behavioral health expertise into call centers, create warm transfers to 988, and use shared triage to route calls more accurately; they also warned about under-triage risks, liability, and the need for funding and dispatcher support. The committee then heard national examples from Denver, Albuquerque, and Atlanta, where alternative response programs are dispatched through 911 or 311 and have reduced police workload, use of force, or unnecessary emergency responses. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• We always serve the community in many ways.
• I think it's got some great information for communities.
• Our community and lowering the number of people and making a difference for the families in our own community
• to community?
• So that is all part of this organization. ...community to community?

Committee: House Government Efficiency

Summary: The Committee on Government Efficiency held a public hearing on House Bill 1817, which would require the Department of Social Services to publish monthly public-assistance data at the municipal level for places with populations of 1,000 or more. The sponsor said the bill was intended to give local nonprofits, churches, and community leaders better information to target aid, measure whether their efforts are reducing dependency, and identify underserved areas, while avoiding identification of individuals in very small communities. Supporters echoed the transparency and planning benefits, saying the data could help nonprofits allocate resources, spot gaps, and coordinate more effectively. Several members questioned whether the bill was necessary, whether the data was already available through public records or existing reports, and whether it would create busy work or divert staff time. Others raised concerns about the 1,000-person threshold as arbitrary, the possibility of discouraging assistance applications, and whether the bill would really improve outcomes or reduce fraud. The sponsor responded that the data is already being collected, that the software had already been funded, and that the bill would simply make the information publicly available in a more useful format. Testimony in opposition was not presented, and the public hearing on HB 1817 was then closed. The committee then moved into executive session and took up House Bill 1641. A House Committee Substitute was offered and adopted after brief discussion. The substitute bill was then voted do pass by a roll call vote of 12 ayes, 1 no, and 4 present. Representative Burton stated a present vote was appropriate because of concerns with some language in the bill, while other members supported the measure’s intent.

Transcript Highlights:

• Ivan Harrell, president of Tacoma Community College.
• and a member from the labor community.
• The Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence is affectionately known as the Oscars in the community
• And you know that community college education helps combat racism.
• So we know that the community college creates citizens, ethical community members.

Summary: The committee held a work session on the state of Washington’s community and technical college system with State Board executive director Nate Humphrey and Tacoma Community College president Ivan Harrell. They described the system’s open-access mission, 34 colleges serving more than 307,000 students, relatively low tuition, enrollment growth over 12 consecutive quarters, and strong outcomes such as more than 46,000 credentials awarded last year. They also highlighted system initiatives including guided pathways, I-BEST, dual enrollment, tribal partnerships, a new program search tool, and six colleges named Aspen Prize finalists. At the same time, they emphasized major challenges: high rates of student food, housing, and homelessness insecurity; sharply rising emergency aid requests; and federal funding disruptions affecting TANF, BFET, adult basic education, Carl Perkins, NOAA-related tribal work, and several federal grants. Members asked about SNAP impacts, declining high school graduates, and how BFET and TANF interact with other aid programs. The presenters also discussed system priorities such as AI, Workforce Pell, capital planning, nursing accreditation alignment, and the Washington College Grant. The committee then heard testimony from AFT Washington and the Washington Association of Higher Education on faculty and staff conditions in the community and technical college system. Jackie Kane and Suzanne Sutherland argued that classified staff, professional staff, and contingent faculty are essential to student success but face low pay, instability, and weak retention, and they urged lawmakers to protect existing funding and avoid further cuts. They said working conditions for faculty and staff are student learning conditions, and that underfunding leads to reduced services, shortened advising, and program instability. Marina Parr of the Workforce Board presented on federal H.R. 1’s new Workforce Pell provisions and the updated Career Bridge website. She explained that Workforce Pell would allow federal aid for short-term training programs of 8 to 15 weeks, with high completion, employment, and earnings thresholds and a requirement that credentials be stackable and portable. She said Washington is well positioned to implement the program because of its existing eligible training provider evaluation system and Career Bridge, which now has a redesigned public portal, digital portfolios, multilingual access, and performance data on programs. Members asked about rulemaking, possible gaps in state services, and how the wage and completion standards would be applied. The Washington Student Achievement Council then briefed the committee on the new Washington Completes FAFSA campaign created by executive order. Staff described an advisory board with statewide representation, a pilot that used microgrants and other supports at 25 priority schools, and a new goal of 46,000 FAFSA or WASFA completions this year. They reported that completion rates were tracking slightly ahead of last year, with 24% of high school seniors having completed a FAFSA by the end of November, and they showcased a public dashboard with subgroup data and a WIAA-based leaderboard. Members asked about outreach to rural and homeschool students, legislative communications, Pierce County representation, and barriers to FAFSA completion, and staff said they would provide toolkits and continue expanding outreach. The committee then began hearing from student presenters about affordability, access, equity, and student experience.

Transcript Highlights:

• , and identity. ...in California's economy, communities, and identity.
• Our direct support professionals are truly a critical role in this community.
• They are the backbone of that community.
• Our differences do not make our communities weaker; they make us stronger.
• It is pervasive in our society, in our community, and in our world today.

Transcript Highlights:

• They are a part of our identity, our history, and our rural communities.
• College Trustees, the national organization that represents community colleges.
• College Trustees, the national organization that represents community colleges.
• Thank you also for your service and commitment to community and our community and technical colleges.
• It's the economic engine, literally, of our community.

Summary: The Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee first waived the five-day notice rule and held a public hearing on Substitute House Bill 2525, which would establish a Heritage Orchard Program at Washington State University. Staff explained the bill was narrowed from the original version and would require WSU to maintain a registry of heritage orchards and a list of rare and lost apple varieties, with a null and void clause and fiscal note available. Representative Gloria Mendoza testified in support, describing Washington’s apple history and the effort to identify and preserve old apple trees still found on farms and trails around the state. Members asked questions about how the program would locate trees and preserve historic varieties, but no vote was taken on the bill during the hearing. The committee then heard several gubernatorial appointments to higher education boards. Representative Deborah Inteman was nominated to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Bryce W. McKibben to the Pierce College Board of Trustees, former Senator David Frockt to the Western Washington University Board of Trustees, and former Senator Christine Rolfes to the Olympic College Board of Trustees. Each appointee described their background in higher education, public service, and community college or university advocacy, and members asked about attendance, board service, and how they would help bridge legislative and institutional priorities. The committee also held a work session on Central Washington University’s geothermal and decarbonization efforts, with staff explaining the university’s open-loop geothermal system, planned geo-eco plants, and climate action goals tied to state clean building and decarbonization mandates. CWU officials said the project is intended to reduce emissions, support campus heating and cooling, and serve as a living laboratory for students. In executive session, the committee moved to report a panel of gubernatorial appointments, including the higher education appointments heard that day, with a recommendation that they be confirmed. The motion passed by voice vote, and the committee adjourned.