Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:03:01.200><c> and</c> joint legislative offices and joint legislative offices and commissions
• </c><00:03:30.159><c> that</c> offices and joint commissions. that offices and joint commissions. that
• It's with their day-to-day office.
• and the related offices.
• </c><00:33:43.919><c> Um,</c> Sergeant-at-Arms Offices. Um, Sergeant-at-Arms Offices.

Transcript Highlights:

• Moving on to agency 3, the state auditor's office.
• This two, Secretary of State's office.
• Originally they had reduced the office.
• </c><00:21:26.400><c> of</c> Moving on to agency 98, office of Moving on to agency 98, office of guardian
• Moving on, 270, Office of general fund.

Bills: SF0032 , SF0010 , SF0001 , HB0001

Committee: House Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the legislative director for the Attorney General's office.
• wages owed and non-discrimination a priority for our office.
• We are very efficient at the Attorney General's office.
• She gets to my office.
• I'm here to represent the Office of the Attorney General.

Committee: Senate Labor & Commerce

Summary: The committee first received an update from the Attorney General’s office on a new workers’ rights unit and two request bills. AGO staff said the unit would focus on wage theft and civil rights enforcement, using existing resources for a small team. They also described a bill expanding civil investigative demand authority for labor, wage theft, prevailing wage, and discrimination cases, and an Immigrant Worker Protection Act that would require employer notice when federal immigration agencies seek employee records, limit access to nonpublic work areas without a warrant, and restrict disclosure of personal data without proper legal process. Several senators asked about costs and funding sources, and the AGO said the unit would be funded by reallocation within the office and that the immigrant worker bill would cost a little under half a million dollars in general fund dollars. The committee then held an informational work session on workers’ compensation medical decisions. Labor and Industries presented an overview of claim processing, the medical provider network, prior authorization, utilization review, and the role of the medical director and appeals process. L&I said most claims are allowed, routine care is generally covered automatically, and exceptions can be requested and reconsidered through internal review and appeal. An invited panel of labor representatives, physicians, psychologists, injured worker advocates, and a firefighter union leader argued that the medical provider network and treatment guidelines can delay or deny needed care, especially for complex injuries, PTSD, and brain injuries, and that rigid use of guidelines reduces provider participation and can harm workers. Committee members asked about whether the concerns applied to both state fund and self-insured claims and about the role of the medical director. Finally, the committee heard a report from the Underground Economy Task Force in the construction industry. L&I said the task force met repeatedly over the year and identified misclassification, unregistered contractors, unpaid taxes and premiums, and weak enforcement as major issues. The report’s consensus recommendations included defining and regulating construction labor providers, improving interagency communication, increasing penalties for repeat offenders, giving L&I more authority over successorship accountability, reviewing agency penalties, and further studying cash payments. Majority recommendations included posting subcontractor notices on job sites, setting a threshold for independent contractor use that would trigger review, holding direct contractors liable for unpaid subcontractor wages, and expanding wage-and-hour enforcement triggers. The Attorney General’s office, labor representatives, and business representatives generally supported the report’s direction but differed on some recommendations, with business witnesses cautioning against new burdens on legitimate contractors and labor witnesses emphasizing stronger enforcement. The chair and Senator Conway thanked participants and said the report would be a starting point for future legislation.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the Chief Hearing Officer or agency head of the Administrative Hearings Office.
• Chairman, are you talking about the salary for my Chief Investment Officer?
• But I mean, we want good investment officers, right? And they're not cheap.
• Eric Mason, our Chief Executive Officer, and Alicia Martinez, our CFO.
• Chairman, the office requested a flat budget.

Transcript Highlights:

• That the Office of Grants Management.
• </c><00:09:29.920><c> of</c> forward it on to the office of forward it on to the office of legislative
• </c><00:09:40.000><c> of</c> report wrongdoing on the office of report wrongdoing on the office of legislative
• It houses it within the office, sort of parallel to the Office of Legislative Auditor, and I think that
• So, that's something we within the office sort of parallel to within the office sort of parallel to the

Summary: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee Chair Kristen Robbins opened by criticizing the governor’s fraud package as too focused on new spending and staffing, and not enough on culture change, accountability, eligibility rules, and an enterprise-wide IT/data strategy. She said the committee had heard a good overview from multiple commissioners, but she remained concerned that piecemeal technology investments and added staff would not address the root causes of fraud. Robbins also said she would introduce a bill based on issues raised in committee, including requiring grants management staff to complete Office of Grants Management training and certification. A major action announced was the launch of a new whistleblower portal at mnfraud.com, which legislators said will let people submit basic fraud allegations, after which staff will follow up and forward matters to the Office of the Legislative Auditor, BCA, law enforcement, or the attorney general as appropriate. Members noted that the Office of the Legislative Auditor already has a separate reporting portal, and there was a question about why the new site does not allow anonymous reporting; Robbins said contact information is needed so staff can follow up. She also said the portal is intended to centralize and triage reports from agency workers, service recipients, and providers. Republican members said the governor’s proposal still misses key pieces. Vice Chair Anderson argued the package mostly adds staff to agencies that failed to catch or act on fraud, and said Minnesota needs a statewide independent inspector general with authority outside agencies and a stronger whistleblower system. Representative Marion Rarick said the proposed criminal penalty increases are too small compared with federal penalties and criticized the package for adding only one forensic auditor at the BCA while DHS receives many more positions. She also argued that agency managers should face sanctions when fraud occurs under their watch and said the state needs a culture where employees can be rewarded for good work but also held accountable for failures. Members discussed several other ideas, including creating new crimes for kickbacks and theft of public funds, requiring fraud fiscal notes, improving data sharing and eligibility verification, and using better IT so systems can talk to each other. There was also discussion of whether government services should rely less on nonprofits and private contractors; one member said fraud often follows a particular business model rather than the sector itself, while another suggested capping salaries of top nonprofit executives receiving government funds. The committee also noted that the governor’s fraud package is being presented as a package but will likely move as separate provisions through different omnibus bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• of the Courts to develop educational materials for certain law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and
• These classes and materials must be provided to all covered law enforcement officers and prosecutors
• Of course, we want our officers to be best trained about everything that they interact with.
• We want our officers to be best trained about everything that they interact with.
• Police officers need to be trained as best they can.

Summary: The House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on HB 2095, which would create training requirements for law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges on negligent driving involving vulnerable users of public ways, and would establish a rebuttable presumption of negligence in certain civil claims when a vulnerable user is injured or killed in a protected area such as a sidewalk, crosswalk, bike lane, or similar designated space. Staff explained that the bill also allows recovery of actual damages, statutory damages, attorney’s fees and costs, and, in limited circumstances, punitive damages if the defendant has previously injured or killed three or more vulnerable road users. Members questioned the unusual nature of punitive damages, the burden-shifting presumption, the three-incident threshold, and whether the education component was tied to the bill’s purpose. The prime sponsor said the training is meant to improve reporting and understanding of existing vulnerable-road-user laws, and said the bill was intended to narrow liability to protected areas and could be amended further, including on the punitive-damages threshold. Supporters, including a widow whose husband was killed while bicycling, Washington Bikes, trial attorneys, a bicycle commuter advocate, and a physician, argued the bill would better protect pedestrians and cyclists, improve police reporting, and reduce the burden on injured people and families who currently must prove negligence after serious crashes. They said the presumption would encourage safer driving and align Washington with similar frameworks used elsewhere. Opponents, including defense lawyers, the Association of Washington Cities, the Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, the Washington Trucking Associations, and the Washington Liability Reform Coalition, said the bill would expand litigation, create uninsurable risks through fee shifting and punitive damages, and could draw cities, businesses, and taxpayers into lawsuits. Some opponents also urged narrowing the bill to individuals and clarifying the protected areas and training requirements. No vote was taken; the chair closed the hearing and encouraged follow-up and amendment requests before executive session.

Transcript Highlights:

• I represent the Governor's Office of Policy and Budget, his education unit.
• "I mean, I can definitely talk to the Office of Safe Schools.
• I mean, I can definitely talk to the Office of Safe Schools.
• To realize that there was not enough armed police officers to fulfill that mandate.
• And so every day we would see a Zephyrhills police officer, Officer Rinaldo, and he was our SRO.

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh next we have office you. Thank you.
• Next, we have the Office of &gt;&gt; Thank you.
• So relate to the office of the auditor.
• </c><00:22:19.840><c> I</c> committee's support of my office. I committee's support of my office.
• So, my office is a set up and you fund.

Bills: HB2240 , HB2272 , HB2273 , HB2274 , HB2275

Committee: House Finance

Keywords: appropriations, legislative expenses, auditor, legislative reference bureau, state ethics commission, ombudsman, government transparency, HB2272, Act 026, public employment cost items, emergency appropriations, collective bargaining, bargaining unit 11, BU-11, state employees, excluded employees, salary increases, cost adjustments, health premium payments, benefits

Transcript Highlights:

• She spent 18 years serving as a prosecutor before being elected to office.
• Americans who voted him back into office in November.
• Another has been killed in a shootout in an armed confrontation with police officers.
• And it is evidenced by what she left me on the day she left office.
• Bondi's nomination to serve as our nation's Chief Law Enforcement Officer.

Committee: Senate Senate Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• But anecdotally, from the perspective of the public defenders office, as the office that represents most
• </c> public defenders office um as the office public defenders office um as the office that<00:10:59.920
• Um, I officers and things like that.
• </c> It prohibits state and local officers It prohibits state and local officers from<00:13:37.279><c
• And we also have our Kauaʻi office.

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 1768, which would prohibit state and county law enforcement agencies and officials from entering into federal immigration-enforcement agreements under 8 U.S.C. 1357(g) and from assisting in certain immigration enforcement actions except in limited circumstances. The Office of the Public Defender, Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, the Legal Clinic, and the ACLU of Hawaiʻi all testified in strong support, arguing the bill would protect due process, reduce fear in immigrant communities, preserve trust in local police, and keep local resources focused on public safety. Testifiers said cooperation with immigration enforcement can chill court attendance, crime reporting, and cooperation with police, and they emphasized that the bill would not stop federal enforcement or affect other deputization agreements for environmental or other criminal matters. Committee members asked whether any 287(g) agreements currently exist in Hawaiʻi; testifiers said they were unaware of any and believed the bill would maintain the status quo. No vote was taken in the portion provided. The committee then took up House Bill 1548, which would reduce the maximum sentence for misdemeanors from one year to 364 days and allow people previously sentenced to one year to seek sentence modification. The Office of the Public Defender, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Legal Clinic, the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, the ACLU of Hawaiʻi, and the William S. Richardson School of Law immigration clinic all supported the measure, saying the one-day change could prevent severe immigration consequences such as detention, removal, and bars to relief that can be triggered by a sentence of 365 days or more. Testifiers stressed that the bill would not change criminal liability or public safety, but would align Hawaiʻi law with similar reforms adopted in other states. Members questioned whether the change would affect citizens or create an automatic immigration process; witnesses responded that the issue is the federal immigration consequence tied to the maximum sentence, not actual time served, and that citizens would not face that consequence. The transcript ends during continued discussion of HB 1548, with no final vote shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• John Austin, Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Governor's office.
• Sandy Hall, Lieutenant Governor's office. Thank you, and good morning, everyone.
• With that, there's three of us that are in the office full-time.
• This is for Elementary and Secondary Education and the Office for Early Childhood.
• coming out of your office and what’s coming out of Secretary Ward’s office.

Committee: All JBC-PERSONNEL

Transcript Highlights:

• Once it is submitted, they will then send it to the Attorney General's office.
• If a city has 487 officers, that's on paper. What does that mean?
• Well, you've got clarity on... with the officer.
• ... ...the number of sworn law enforcement officers.
• on line 58 or another officer… somebody?

Bills: HB287 , HB280 , HB57 , HB252 , HB286 , SB36 , HB287 , HB280 , HB57 , HB252 , HB286 , SB36

Committee: House County and Municipal Government

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> officer quarters and things like that. officer quarters and things like that.
• Yes, sir. from that office. from that office.
• </c> attorney, which is a separate office. attorney, which is a separate office.
• </c> done by a law enforcement officer. done by a law enforcement officer.
• Uh, it really only affects our police officers, our law enforcement officers.

Committee: House Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• Fourth, we'll have an update from the state chief data officer.
• Fourth, we'll have an update from the state chief data officer.
• And we have speakers here today from the State Procurement Office and from the State CIO's Office to
• The creation of the Chief Data Officer was created by mandate.
• But because there's all these, you know, we've got a chief data officer, we've got a chief privacy officer

Summary: The committee held a series of informational briefings on information management and technology issues. It first heard from ACLU representatives on data privacy, who argued that Oregon should strengthen protections against private data brokers, government purchases of personal data, reverse warrants, automatic license plate readers, and local police surveillance. They urged data minimization, limits on data sales and retention, and broader transparency and accountability measures. Members asked about practical uses of license plate readers, state sales of data, and how Oregon’s approach compares with other states; the presenters said similar proposals have been adopted elsewhere, including data minimization in Maryland and a state version of the Fourth Amendment Is Not for Sale Act in Montana. The committee then received a detailed update from the Department of Administrative Services and Enterprise Information Services on licensing system modernization for 14 boards and commissions with the most immediate need. DAS said it is seeking a shared procurement approach through an RFP that would create either one scalable system or two tiers of systems, depending on agency needs and security requirements, with contracts expected by September. Committee members emphasized the need for a more unified, user-friendly statewide login and service experience for businesses and residents, and raised concerns about small agencies “figuring it out on their own” without sufficient cybersecurity or technical expertise. EIS said it is overseeing the investment review, security and architecture review, and future implementation planning, and noted that multiple agency requests may still come back to the legislature in the next session. The committee also discussed a revised cybersecurity incident notification concept. Staff explained that the earlier bill had raised stakeholder concerns, so the co-chairs directed further interim work with the Oregon Cybersecurity Advisory Council and other local government and K-12 stakeholders. The goal is a narrower, voluntary “911-style” notification process that would let public bodies alert peers and potentially receive assistance after cyber incidents; a temporary voluntary process is being tested now, with a work group developing language for possible 2027 consideration. Finally, the committee heard updates from the new state chief data officer on data governance, data sharing, geospatial work, and the state transparency website, followed by a briefing on data centers from NCSL and the Technology Association of Oregon. The data officer described efforts to expand data inventories, data governance plans, data literacy, and interagency sharing, along with statewide aerial imagery, geospatial standards, and the open data portal. The data center discussion focused on national and state trends, including rapid growth in data centers, rising electricity and water demand, and legislative responses such as new rate classes, reporting requirements, and cost-allocation rules to protect ratepayers. No votes were taken; the meeting was informational only.

Transcript Highlights:

• So without further ado, the Auditor General's office is recognized. Megan, Mr. Chairman, Mr.
• It also requires our office to notify districts that have not complied with the USFR.
• Are there any questions for the Auditor General's office? Mr. Chairman? Mr. Chairman.
• J-LAC has also directed our office to conduct school-safety-related special audits.
• He is the new chief deputy for the county school superintendent's office.

Committee: Joint Joint Legislative Audit Committee

Summary: The committee first heard an update on Topok Elementary School District’s long-running noncompliance with Arizona’s Uniform System of Financial Records. The Auditor General’s office explained the USFR noncompliance process and reported that Topok had made substantial progress, correcting many deficiencies in areas such as open meeting law, procurement, payroll, attendance reporting, property control, and information technology. The district’s superintendent and staff described the corrective actions they had taken, the use of outside consultants, and their plan to maintain compliance through stronger leadership, training, and consistent procedures. Members praised the district’s progress and asked about the remaining deficiencies and the status of the 3% state-aid withholding, which the Auditor General said would be addressed by the State Board of Education. The committee then considered a request for a fourth school safety special audit, tied to concerns raised by Representative Martinez about Phoenix Union High School District and school violence response practices. The Auditor General said the proposed audit would be a new topic focused on policies and procedures for responding to credible threats of violence and allegations of staff misconduct affecting student safety, and could include Phoenix Union in the sample. Representative Martinez described a fatal 2024 shooting, weapons incidents, and concerns about district oversight. The committee approved the motion 10-0. Next, staff presented the fiscal years 2027-2028 school district performance audit schedule, describing 26 randomly selected school districts and career and technical education districts, plus 84 planned follow-ups. The Auditor General said the schedule is intended to shorten the average time between audits and that the school audits division is now fully staffed. Members asked about county coverage and the inclusion of ESA accountability, but the schedule was ultimately presented for review rather than approval. The committee also heard a detailed federal compliance audit presentation on the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) administered by DES. The Auditor General reported repeated findings involving missing provider documentation, questioned costs, and FFATA reporting errors, including a 2024 sample that led to questioning $2.88 million in costs. The office recommended stronger documentation, record retention, reporting procedures, and staff training; DES concurred and said it would correct the findings in 2026. Members discussed the limits of the single-audit scope, the possibility of a broader special audit, and the federal government’s recent actions on CCDF oversight in other states. Finally, the committee considered and discussed a special audit request for CCDF that would broaden review to provider oversight, licensing, site visits, and billing accuracy across multiple state agencies, with estimated costs of $547,000 to $625,000 and a projected report date of July 31, 2027.

Transcript Highlights:

• We can get back to your office on that and have that information for you.
• Association, and the Long Beach Police Officers Association.
• There was this misnomer that was told to a lot of officers, including myself, that you're an officer
• And thank you, officer, for coming and sharing your story. We appreciate it.
• ACWA appreciates our conversations with the author's office. SB 616.

Committee: House Insurance

Summary: The committee heard several insurance-related bills. SB 371 by Senator Cabaldon would reduce uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage limits for rideshare companies from $1 million to $100,000 per person and $300,000 per incident, with the stated goal of lowering fares and improving driver economics. Uber, Lyft, and business groups supported the bill, while consumer attorneys, labor groups, and other opponents argued it would cut passenger and driver protections and should include stronger guarantees that savings reach riders and workers. Members raised questions about data, fee breakdowns, and whether the bill should include a look-back or other accountability measures; the bill was passed on a do-pass vote as proposed to be amended in another committee. SB 487 by Senator Grayson would change how third-party recoveries are distributed when peace officers or firefighters are injured in the line of duty, ensuring injured public safety workers receive at least two-thirds of the at-fault party’s liability insurance limits in certain cases. Supporters, including injured officers and public safety organizations, said current law can leave injured first responders with little or no recovery after employer reimbursement, while opponents representing local governments argued the bill would reduce recovery of taxpayer-funded workers’ compensation costs and lacked sufficient data. The committee discussed the interaction with existing workers’ compensation and retirement benefits, and the bill was moved on a do-pass vote to Appropriations. SB 616 by Senator Rubio would create an independent community hardening commission within the Department of Insurance to develop statewide wildfire mitigation standards and post-catastrophe reports aimed at improving insurability and affordability. The Department of Insurance, local governments, consumer advocates, and fire-related groups supported the measure, while water agencies opposed provisions they said could improperly involve the commission in water infrastructure recommendations and create litigation and ratepayer concerns. The bill was approved on a do-pass vote to Appropriations, with some members voting no or not voting. The committee also considered SB 547 by Senator Perez, coauthored by Senator Rubio, which extends wildfire-related insurance moratorium protections to commercial property policies for one year after a state emergency in affected areas. The Department of Insurance and a broad coalition of local government, consumer, and business groups supported it, and the major insurance trade groups withdrew opposition after amendments. The bill was passed as amended to Appropriations. Separately, SB 770 by Senator Allen would remove an insurance requirement that an HOA be named as an additional insured for residents installing EV chargers in common-interest developments; supporters said the rule is a barrier to home charging, while community association representatives warned it could raise premiums for all members. The discussion focused on balancing EV access with HOA insurance costs, and the bill was supported out of committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• Legal management experience as Deputy General Counsel at HUD, I managed three offices within the Office
• As the son and nephew of career Air Force officers, the brother and father of two Army officers, and
• Secretary Turner, with regard to field offices, has been taking an inventory of all of our field offices
• whether to close offices or not.
• You know, historically, since the field offices have been in place, most of the time those offices were

Committee: Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee

Keywords: legislation, housing affordability, financial regulation, public testimony, accountability, oversight

Summary: The meeting involved significant discussions around key legislative proposals, primarily focusing on various bills such as HB2 and SB5. The committee examined the implications of these bills on issues like housing affordability and financial regulation. Notable members engaged in debates, providing differing perspectives on the potential economic impacts of the proposed bills. The meeting witnessed public testimony, which included a call for accountability in government actions and oversight of current financial policies. Members echoed concerns about following through on commitments to address critical issues affecting everyday Americans.

Transcript Highlights:

• All the revenues come into my account. office.
• Jason Constantouros, Legislative Analyst's Office.
• The Office has three main responsibilities.
• These procedures are overseen by a dedicated Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Privacy Officer
• Of the Office of the Department of Finance.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, the proposed Office of the Inspector General is a powerful office meant to address a critical
• </c> vast unprecedented power of this office vast unprecedented power of this office is<00:02:05.200>
• 52.319><c> of</c> This office, independent office of This office, independent office of inspector,<00
• </c> of this office. of this office. 750<01:31:33.120><c> years.</c> 750 years. 750 years.
• It's office. office.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:05:00.160><c> in</c> recovered by the AGO by our office in recovered by the AGO by our office
• </c> our office.
• You can also call our office our office.
• But regardless, we get a complaint in our office or a case in our office, and we pursue it.
• </c> not by our office but by other entities. not by our office but by other entities.