Transcript Highlights:

• some reason.
• One thing the task force did in 2022 is an environmental scan.
• They've been forced into it.
• So we know that it's not... ...chosen prostitution; they've been forced into it.
• They've been forced into it.

Summary: The committee met to approve prior minutes and then heard a presentation from Dr. Ramona Danielson on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), focusing on the economic and public-system impacts in North Dakota. She explained that ACEs are a population-level measure, not a diagnostic tool for individuals, and said higher ACE exposure is consistently associated with more chronic illness, mental health challenges, child welfare involvement, justice-system contact, and reduced workforce participation. She emphasized that precise dollar estimates are difficult because of the many interacting factors across a person’s life course, but said the direction of the impact is clear and that evidence-based prevention and protective factors can reduce harm. Members asked about definitions of a “healthy family,” same-sex couples, divorce, substance abuse, historical trends in ACEs, and the role of positive childhood experiences and home visiting. The committee then heard from Allison Mahoney and Missy Barranco about evidence-based home visiting programs in North Dakota, including Healthy Families, Early Head Start, Nurse-Family Partnership, and Parents as Teachers. They described home visiting as voluntary, relationship-based, and tailored to family needs, with referrals coming from hospitals, WIC, human service zones, pregnancy navigators, self-referrals, and other community sources. A parent, Abby, shared that home visiting helped her family after premature births and NICU stays by providing support with postpartum mental health, breastfeeding, developmental screenings, referrals, and parenting guidance. The presenters said the programs are funded through a mix of federal MIECHV/Title IV-E dollars, Medicaid targeted case management, state and tribal funds, philanthropy, charitable gaming, and grants, and they noted that current funding is fragmented and insufficient to serve all eligible families statewide. Members discussed whether the state should expand or better fund these services and how to improve outreach and referrals. Later, the committee received a memorandum on artificial intelligence and sexual exploitation, followed by a presentation from a BCI special agent on how AI is already affecting child exploitation investigations in North Dakota. The memo and testimony described AI-generated child sexual abuse material, deepfakes, sextortion, and risks posed by chatbots, along with relevant federal and state law and recent executive orders. The agent said North Dakota saw 2,698 cyber tips in 2025, the highest on record, and that investigators are increasingly encountering AI-assisted exploitation that is harder to detect and verify. Members discussed the need for child-safety protections, the limits of executive orders, and broader concerns about AI undermining critical thinking and spreading misinformation. No votes were taken on the AI materials during the portion provided, and the committee recessed briefly after the report.

Transcript Highlights:

• > the<00:03:37.920> executive There's no reason that the executive There's no reason that
• of force training. of force training.
• Uh members, this uh language reasonable.
• charged needs to be a reasonable charged needs to be a reasonable fee.<01:00:35.119> And<
• We struggled for some of the reasons that Mr. Bruce and Mr.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The conference committee met late on Friday evening to discuss the Public Safety and Judiciary budget agreement, beginning with a brief exchange among members about concerns that the executive branch had been delaying the committee’s work by waiting to approve legislative decisions. Members emphasized that the legislature should retain its independence while still allowing normal collaboration with the governor’s office. The committee then moved through several outstanding policy items and adopted them without opposition, including the A38 amendment addressing data-sharing concerns involving disability-related information, a study of firefighting services by the state fire marshal, and an A46 amendment governing access to unredacted portable recording system data in collision investigations, with guardrails on disclosure and use. The committee next reviewed the spreadsheet and budget targets. Fiscal staff explained the judiciary side of the agreement, including funding for court operating costs, a one-time Justice Partner Access Program appropriation, forensic exam rate increases, guardian ad litem funding, public defense, human rights, the competency attainment board, the cannabis expungement board, and fee increases for civil filings and motions. On the public safety side, staff described the target as well as the discretionary items funded, including nonprofit security grants, BCA staffing changes, fire marshal initiatives, a 10-year arson statute of limitations, prosecutor training grants, legal representation for children, E911 funding for critical infrastructure, Philando Castile Training Fund support, corrections-related savings from the Stillwater phased closure and sentence-to-serve elimination, a mandatory minimums task force, a victims of crime account transfer, a decommissioning study, in-service use-of-force training, and extensions of several expiring appropriations. The committee also noted a correction to a spreadsheet label related to the Stillwater closure item. After the spreadsheet walkthrough, the committee took testimony from Chief Justice Natalie Hudson and State Court Administrator Jeff Shorban on behalf of the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Hudson thanked the committee for its work and said the agreement covers some unavoidable costs, including insurance, lease expenses, forensic examiner pay, and the new access system, but argued it does not adequately address the judiciary’s most urgent problem: staffing and judicial compensation. She said court employees are leaving for better-paying jobs, judicial salaries are frozen for two years, and applicant pools for judgeships have declined, especially in greater Minnesota. She also said the judicial branch was not meaningfully consulted on the budget target and urged lawmakers to recognize the courts as a constitutional obligation rather than a discretionary program.

Transcript Highlights:

• > become<01:06:13.440> a forces health trust to become a forces health trust to become
• But I can tell you the reason my head.
• <01:52:04.880> why fundamental problem and the reason why fundamental problem and the reason
• And the reason I say that is I I that.
• the current issue which is the reason the current issue which is the reason why<01:55:26.800>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The subcommittee continued work on Senate Bill 297 and a new amendment dealing with pooled risk management programs and whether they should be regulated under the insurance department. Lisa Duket, executive director of SchoolCare, testified at length that the draft language could allow co-mingling of public entity risk funds, could trigger producer-licensing requirements for staff who are not actually brokers, and may not fit public entity risk pools because they are not insurance companies. She also raised concerns about the March 1 reporting deadline, the proposed uniform accounting language, aggregate excess insurance, examination costs being charged to the program, and confidentiality provisions that she argued may conflict with right-to-know principles for public entities. She urged the committee to slow down and consider a study committee or more time for review, saying the regulated entities were not adequately involved in drafting the proposal. Chairman Hunt and the department responded that the bill is intended to create a licensure-based regulatory model, similar to other licensed industries, and that the pooled risk management program would be exempt from producer licensing while anyone else selling or negotiating such coverage would need a producer license. The department said failure to comply would be handled through an administrative licensing process, with denial or nonrenewal of a license and appeal through the department process. On the reporting deadline, the department said March 1 is a standard filing date used for financial analysis and that the filing can be the most recent annual report, regardless of fiscal year end. They also explained that the confidentiality language was taken from existing RSA 5B, that aggregate excess insurance was included as a solvency measure, and that the draft was intended to preserve familiar language while adapting it for pooled risk programs. The discussion did not include a final vote or formal action on the bill in the portion provided. The committee appeared to be compiling follow-up questions for the insurance department and considering whether additional revisions or a slower process would be needed before moving the bill forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:14:22.360> and dissatisfied for variety of reasons and dissatisfied for variety of reasons
• , different directions for good reasons, different directions for good reasons, but<00:52:27.640>
• out of safety reasons. out of safety reasons.
• So, one of the reasons that I was asked by the governor to head up the MMIP task force is because I chair
• Task Force and have done so since 2016. Task Force and have done so since 2016.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• contracted PBMs forced them to live on.
• And the reality is, because of the PBMs and the forced contracting that's happening, the PM and their
• that very much to be able to see whether or not we could target it because it seems like if they're forced
• same fee, the same dispensing fee, that they have to pay to their own subsidiaries, that for some reason
• If they say it will cost consumers' prices to go up, it's because they choose it for no other reason.

Bills: SB1673, SB1500, SB1447, SB1646, SB2007, SB1275, SB2074

Keywords: prosthetics, health insurance, medical necessity, patient rights, insurance liability, pharmacy benefits manager, healthcare providers, claims processing, reimbursement, insurance regulation, employees insurance, contract awarding, certifications, state procurement, insurance plan, mental health, substance use disorders, utilization review, benefit coverage, pharmacy

Transcript Highlights:

• reasons, or someone may not be feasible to be in VR for several reasons. initial evaluation and then
• , medical reasons or justifiable reasons, medical reasons or um<00:13:23.680> someone<00:13:24.000
• , uh what I heard uh sounds reasonable, uh what I heard uh sounds reasonable, you<00:32:42.799>
• expectation or a reasonable >> a reasonable expectation or a reasonable goal<02:15:30.159>
• you think a reasonable goal would be? you think a reasonable goal would be?

Bills: HB1946, HB1515, HB1514, HB1648, HB1644, HB1619, HB1571, HB1810, HB2475, HB1645, HB2301, HB1889, HB1840

Keywords: time shares, registration, renewal, real estate, Hawaii, Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, workers' compensation, functional capacity examination, occupational therapy, physical therapy, employer responsibilities, injured workers, medical stabilization, vocational rehabilitation, injury recovery, employment services, return to work, nonprescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, healthcare providers

Summary: The committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce met on February 26, 2026, and heard several bills, mostly in the areas of workers’ compensation and consumer protection. HB 1946 HD1 on timeshare registration renewal drew support from DCCA’s timeshare program and major industry groups including Hilton Grand Vacations, the American Resort Development Association, and Marriott Vacations Worldwide, with no opposition noted. HB 1515 HD1, which would allow an attending physician to request a functional capacity examination without employer permission, was supported by DLIR and the Department of Human Resources Development and had no other in-person testimony; the bill was then moved on without questions. The committee spent substantial time on HB 1514 HD1, which would streamline workers’ compensation vocational rehabilitation by clarifying provider selection and requiring vocational plans within 90 days. DLIR supported the intent but asked for amendments, saying the 90-day deadline was too rigid given case-by-case complexity, limited staffing, and the need for coordination among injured workers, employers, and counselors; members discussed possible extensions and whether a 120-day timeline or other flexibility would be better. Testimony on the bill included one individual in support and seven in opposition. HB 1648 HD1, concerning workers’ compensation and physician dispensing of non-prescription drugs, drew support from DHRD and comments from DLIR and industry witnesses. DLIR said the bill should be narrowed so it does not restrict medically necessary over-the-counter medications or oral guidance from providers, while Aloha Billing Company and Solera Integrated Medical Solutions urged tighter limits on physician dispensing and raised concerns about pricing abuse through average wholesale price. Members discussed clarifying the bill’s language so it targets written prescriptions rather than oral advice. HB 1644 HD1, requiring a standardized disclosure form for residential solar contracts, received support from the Hawaii Solar Energy Association and Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative, while DCCA’s Office of Consumer Protection supported the consumer-protection goal but proposed stronger remedies, including a three-day cancellation right, voidability for missing disclosures, and possible lender liability; members questioned how those remedies should apply to lenders, and no vote was taken on the measures in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Importantly for us, Yvonne serves on California's CCRC task force convened by the Department of Social
• But in practice, there are a lot of reasons why a resident may hesitate to file a complaint.
• But in practice, there are a lot of reasons why a resident may hesitate to file a complaint.
• So I think you should look to California... ...it has improved even through that task force that I've
• Is there a reason why you don't have data that's more recent than that?

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The commission’s fifth meeting focused on consumer protections and resident rights in continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), with a presentation by Yvonne Choyah of UC Law San Francisco. She described California’s CCRC framework, including entrance fee structures, monthly fee increases, contract types (A, B, and C), disclosure requirements, and regulatory oversight. A major theme was that residents often do not understand the contracts they sign, while providers retain broad discretion over fees, transfers, terminations, and changes to the physical plant. She also emphasized that California’s regulator is understaffed and not well suited to oversee the complex financial and insurance-like aspects of CCRCs, and that resident complaints and litigation can be slow and difficult. Choyah and commission members discussed several consumer-protection issues, including refundable versus repayable-on-resale entrance fees, rising monthly care fees, the decline of life care contracts, and the need for clearer disclosures and better comparative data for prospective residents. She noted that California requires annual disclosure statements, resident bill of rights materials, and some fee-related reporting, but that enforcement and accessibility remain weak. Members raised questions about resident board representation, accreditation, refund requirements, and whether state agencies or resident associations could help explain contracts to consumers before admission. Choyah suggested stronger oversight, more financial expertise in regulation, and better transparency about ownership and fee-setting. The meeting ended with discussion of the commission’s next steps toward its August report. Staff said a draft report would be prepared from the commission’s discussions and circulated for comment before final revisions. The chair also announced staff transitions: Jennifer would be leaving the State House role, and Juliana Fernandez and Vicky Halal would be the main contacts going forward. The commission adjourned after thanking Choyah for her presentation and answering member questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's the reason we are before your committee today.
• That's the reason we are before your committee today.
• For these reasons, we ask for your I vote. Thank you so much.
• Why are we forcing a private operator to pay for a cooling center?
• It forces families to choose between food and shelter.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development heard a long agenda focused mainly on housing production, higher education facilities, homelessness, and permitting reform. Early items included AB 6, which would direct HCD to convene a working group on allowing three- to ten-unit “missing middle” housing to be built under the Residential Code rather than the Building Code; AB 48, a higher education bond proposal that would fund campus repairs, modernization, disaster recovery, and student/employee housing; and AB 76, which would clarify a Chula Vista university innovation district exemption so the project can include academic buildings and housing without conflicting with surplus land rules. Supporters emphasized affordability, cost savings, student housing needs, and access to education, while members raised questions about implementation, affordability requirements, and project scope. The committee later took votes on these items, with AB 6, AB 48, and AB 76 all moving forward on unanimous or near-unanimous votes to Appropriations. Members also heard AB 595, which would create a state homeownership tax credit pilot to support affordable for-sale housing. The author and supporters argued that California’s homeownership rate is at historic lows and that the bill would help close racial wealth gaps by financing homes working families can buy. The committee approved AB 595 and sent it to Appropriations. The consent calendar, including several other housing-related bills, was also approved unanimously. A major portion of the hearing was devoted to AB 1165, the California Housing Justice Act of 2025, which would require ongoing state investment and a financing plan to address homelessness and housing affordability. The author and witnesses described the scale of homelessness, the limits of one-time funding, and the need for sustained, accountable funding streams. After testimony from housing advocates and people with lived experience, the committee passed AB 1165 on a 10-0 vote to Appropriations. Finally, the committee heard AB 609, a CEQA reform bill that would create a simplified exemption for qualifying infill housing projects in already developed areas. Supporters framed it as a targeted way to reduce delays and costs for housing near jobs and transit, while opponents from environmental justice, labor, and tribal groups warned it could reduce public participation, weaken protections for disadvantaged communities, and create consultation concerns for tribal cultural resources. The author said the bill would not change zoning or affordability tools and would continue to work with opponents on amendments. The bill was moved forward after extensive discussion, with members noting ongoing negotiations on tribal consultation and labor concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• For these reasons, we urge our support of AB 462. Thank you. And thank you.
• There was a task force, I don't believe we referenced it here in the beginning, but a task force has
• worked on this for the last 12 months, a large task force across various stakeholders.
• Districts and special assessment districts for the reasons that they're created.
• For these reasons, we support AB 540. Thank you. Thank you for joining us. Welcome.

Keywords: 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For that reason, I respectfully request your aye vote on AB 126. Thank you.
• For those reasons, I respectfully ask for an abstention from this bill.
• Their work often takes place out of public view, but its impact is felt across our armed forces and our
• Base and the United States Air Force.
• Let's observe a moment of silence for the lives lost at Edwards Air Force Base.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For that reason, I respectfully request your aye vote on AB 126.
• For those reasons, I respectfully ask for an abstention from this bill.
• Their work often takes place out of public view, but its impact is felt across our armed forces and our
• Base and the United States Air Force.
• Let's observe a moment of silence for the lives lost at Edwards Air Force Base.

Summary: The Assembly met with an initial quorum call, then proceeded through routine floor business, guest introductions, and several procedural motions. Members approved requests to suspend rules for adjournment-in-memory remarks and guest seating, removed some bills from the consent calendar, and re-referred or withdrew several measures. The chamber also took up a number of second-reading and concurrence items later in the day. Two major bills drew floor debate. SB 762, a tax measure allowing eligible local governments to seek voter approval for transactions and use tax rates above the statutory cap, was presented as a response to local fiscal pressures and was described by supporters as giving voters local choice rather than imposing a tax increase. It passed with an urgency vote of 54-13 and was sent immediately to the Senate. AB 126, the education budget trailer bill, was presented as a major investment in TK-12 education, special education, community schools, and educator leave; one member supported many provisions but objected to policy changes affecting charter schools being included in a budget bill. The Assembly concurred in the Senate amendments on AB 126 by a vote of 56-1. The Assembly also concurred in AB 35, an urgency environmental protection bill intended to speed implementation of Proposition 4-funded projects by narrowing administrative delay; supporters said it would accelerate wildfire prevention, water, and other environmental projects. The measure passed unanimously, 66-0. The consent calendar was then adopted, including AB 2796 on criminal history information, which passed 67-0. The session concluded with multiple adjournment-in-memory tributes, including remarks honoring victims of a B-52 test flight crash at Edwards Air Force Base, former West Covina Mayor Lloyd Johnson, civil rights leader Harold Brown, educator and activist Kiyoko Nancy Oda, and Auburn Mayor John Mike Holmes, followed by announcements of summer recess and adjournment until August 3.

Transcript Highlights:

• THIS IS THE REASON INTRODUCING THAT EVAN B HARTL ACT INTO THE FLORIDA K-12 EDUCATION SYSTEM RIGHT NOW
• FRUIT THOSE REASONS I ASKED FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
• THE TASK FORCE WOULD INCLUDE 14 APPOINTEES, THE TASK FORCE SHALL EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TEACHER
• Davis: YOU SAY THE SENATOR, THIS TASK FORCE WOULD BE SET TO DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO BY 2028.
• Simon: YOU ARE RECOGNIZED TO GO BACK AND FORTH. >> ACTUALLY, THE TASK FORCE DUTY WOULD BE TOO REPORT

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:03:42.400> and<01:03:42.480> in<01:03:42.560> connection Case Task Force
• and in connection Case Task Force and in connection therewith<01:03:43.200> implementing<01:03
• <01:03:53.960> for<01:03:54.080> 13 force, continuing the task force for 13 force,
• continuing the task force for 13 years,<01:03:54.640> and<01:03:54.720> changing<01:03:
• And for that reason, I ask for a no vote on House Bill 1136. Thank you. Senator Lundberg.

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, approved the journal, and received several committee reports and appointment recommendations. Committees reported favorably on a number of bills and appointments, including local government, health and human services, transportation and energy, business/labor/technology, and judiciary items. The chamber also announced a change on the Senate Finance Committee, with Senator Adrian Benavidez appointed to replace Senator Julie Gonzales for the remainder of the session. A major floor item was House Bill 1136, creating the Pathways to Public Service Program in the Department of Personnel and Administration to identify coursework that could qualify students for entry-level state government jobs. Supporters said it would help attract young people to public service and fill state vacancies using existing resources; opponents argued it promoted government employment over private-sector careers and could expand government unnecessarily. After debate, the Senate adopted the bill on second reading, and the Committee of the Whole report later reflected that HB 1136 passed second reading and was ordered revised and placed on the calendar for third reading and final passage. The Senate also adopted House Joint Resolution 1023 recognizing Latino/Latina Advocacy Day after reading it at length and hearing remarks in support of civic engagement and Latino participation in policymaking. In addition, the chamber concurred with House amendments to Senate Bill 74, which clarifies penalties and procedures related to excessive claims in public construction performance bond disputes; the bill then passed again on re-passage. Several other bills, including Senate Bill 63 and remaining calendar items, were laid over to later dates, and the Senate also considered and began processing consent-calendar gubernatorial appointments.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh part of the reason that we do this.
• That reasons we restrict the repeating.
• I will tell you that the reasons.
• system was a reason for leaving. system was a reason for leaving.
• Uh so that any reason whatsoever.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That could just be in >> Business entity forced resolution for >> Business entity forced
• Yin. business entity force dissolution for business entity force dissolution for fraud.<03:07:08.080>
• Speaker, what this bill does is if a person has to use reasonable defensive force to defend themselves
• What this bill does is if a person has to use reasonable defensive force to defend themselves and then
• Speaker, what this bill does is if a person has to defend themselves using reasonable defensive force

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So is 12 weeks reasonable?
• <00:14:57.360> I unexpectedly so is 12 weeks reasonable I unexpectedly so is 12 weeks reasonable
• of the labor force, but we took our current labor force and we applied that 2001 mild recession unemployment
• but so we took our current labor force but so we took our current labor force<00:44:05.000> and
• <04:20:03.680> and doing it through coercion and force and doing it through coercion and force

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• you forcing it on everybody else?
• > federal<02:33:57.720> government being forced by the federal government being forced
• There's a reason they're never charged. There's a reason they take forever.
• There's a reason they're never charged. There's a reason they take forever.
• There's a reason they take forever. There's a reason they take forever.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is an issue that is forcing them to put homeowners insurance on credit cards.
• force.
• Explain to me what the reason for this new form of clarification or whatever is needed. Yes.
• And the only reason they're looking at it is to look at transactions in question.
• And that's the only reason that they're looking at it. Okay.

Summary: The House Insurance Committee met on April 23 with a quorum present and first deferred HB 1142. The committee then heard HB 1187, which would direct any excess Louisiana Citizens emergency assessment funds, after related debt is paid, toward the Louisiana Fortified Homes Program or future Citizens debt. Representative Sawyer and Commissioner Tim Temple said the bill would likely redirect about $50 million in one-time surplus funds and would help expand a popular roof-mitigation program that has already awarded more than 4,600 fortified roofs. The bill drew support from several witnesses and was reported as amended without objection. Next, HB 1210, dealing with insurance claim disputes and a pre-suit review process for Louisiana Citizens claims, was discussed. Representative Dana Henry said he was voluntarily deferring the bill and instead pursuing a study resolution after hearing concerns from members and stakeholders. Department and Citizens officials said the proposal was modeled on Florida’s process and could help resolve disputes faster and cheaper, but the bill was ultimately voluntarily deferred after testimony and some opposition cards were noted. The committee then took up HB 1199, which requires coverage for genetic testing and treatment related to SCN2A-associated disorders. Representative Jordan and the Diedon family gave emotional testimony about their daughter Emily’s diagnosis and the importance of timely genetic testing. The bill was amended to require that testing be ordered by a provider and deemed medically necessary by the health plan, with discussion about whether a neurologist should be involved; members said that issue could be refined later. HB 1199 was reported as amended. Finally, the committee considered HB 880, the Louisiana Artificial Intelligence Insurance Fairness Act, which would regulate AI use in underwriting, rating, and claims. After a lengthy discussion about state insurance regulation, McCarran-Ferguson, and concerns that the bill could jeopardize federal broadband funding, Representative Jordan voluntarily deferred HB 880, and HB 920 was also deferred. The committee then heard HB 1221, which would limit the policy data collected for the Louisiana Fortified Program Fund. Former Representative Bowler argued the bill was needed to protect policyholder privacy, while the Department of Insurance and Commissioner Temple said the data is needed for surplus-lines premium tax audits, fraud detection, and consumer assistance after disasters. The discussion continued with questions about what data would be visible and how it would be used, but the transcript ends before a final action on HB 1221 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Many of our cities will be forced to make painful cuts in addition to this, including cutting services
• You would sue them so we could start negotiations, and that is the reason why we have done that.
• And that's probably the link that each county has, although they have them for very different reasons
• There's a lot of reasons for that. Why? Affordability. There's a lot of reasons for that.
• This is really going to force higher education... Manufacturing, robotics, as well as AI itself.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And then finally, we have our youth and community programs task force.
• I mean, these are last-chance schools for a reason.
• Is there a reason why they don't do that now?
• Is there a reason why they don't do that now?
• Then in December 2024, we lost another 32 beds for comparable reasons.

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