Transcript Highlights:

• It dug into even to details of performance measures.
• It dug into even to details of performance measures. Even to details of performance measures.
• We're performance-based, so we have set goals that are based on performance.
• So if you perform highly, you get a bigger raise.
• I guess if there's some sort of way to do some performance evaluation for contractors at the end of a

Summary: The meeting began with introductions from members of the Joint Transportation Committee and a presentation from the Association of Washington Cities and the public works directors of Richland, Kennewick, Pasco, and West Richland. The cities described the Quad Cities region as one of the fastest-growing in the state and outlined shared transportation priorities that align with the committee’s focus on safety, multimodal access, climate resilience, and economic development. They emphasized Vision Zero efforts, complete streets, ADA accessibility, regional trail and bike/pedestrian planning, and coordinated long-range transportation and land-use planning to manage growth. The city officials also discussed major funding and delivery challenges, including rising construction costs, project phasing, pavement preservation, right-of-way acquisition, and delays caused by state and federal permitting and review processes. They highlighted regional cooperation through the Benton-Franklin Council of Governments, Good Roads, and local funding tools such as impact fees, transportation benefit districts, REET, tax increment financing, and state and federal grants. Specific projects discussed included Richland’s SR 240/Aaron Drive complete streets project and downtown connectivity work, Kennewick’s Columbia Center Boulevard improvements and rail study, Pasco’s Court/Road 68, Sylvester Street corridor, I-182 bridge/interchange work, and a new north-south bridge study, and West Richland’s SR 224 Red Mountain corridor project, which officials said was awarded under budget and is scheduled to begin construction. Committee members asked questions about sidewalk connections to schools, state-agency right-of-way timelines, apprenticeship utilization, contractor selection, and whether complete streets requirements add burdens to pavement preservation projects. The city officials said new development is generally meeting sidewalk standards, but older infill areas remain a gap; that state right-of-way transactions can take much longer than expected; that apprenticeship requirements are common but harder for smaller contractors and local labor markets; and that low-bid contracting leaves little room to screen for performance history. They also said complete streets requirements are usually manageable on major projects but can be difficult to absorb in smaller preservation work. The committee then shifted to a JTC-funded study on transit-oriented development, presented by Urban Institute researcher Yona Freemark. The study examined TOD conditions in 33 cities in Snohomish, King, Pierce, Clark, and Spokane counties near rail and bus rapid transit stations. Freemark said Washington’s housing affordability crisis is severe, especially near transit, and found that high-cost cities have seen more development near stations but also signs of gentrification and loss of affordable housing, while lower-cost cities have had less development and worsening affordability relative to income. He identified barriers including high debt costs, land costs, infrastructure costs, zoning and parking rules, and limited subsidies for affordable housing. He recommended more neighborhood infrastructure funding near stations, stronger affordable housing investment, and better use of public land, noting that HB 1491 and related legislation are already changing some local requirements.

Transcript Highlights:

• or one bad year of performance has a dramatic impact on the condition of the plan.
• or one bad year of of performance or one bad year of performance<03:43:32.279> has<03:43:32.439
• it's not just looking at the performance it's not just looking at the performance and<04:45:02.400
• <04:46:47.480> is<04:46:47.878> performance<04:46:48.360> that that performance
• is performance that that performance is performance that that<04:46:49.040> were<04:46:49.200

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held an orientation for new and returning members of the House committee on agencies and administration, with introductions from members and staff. Chair Carol Maguire outlined her expectations for hearings: keep questions focused on the bill, be respectful to witnesses, and use the committee’s orientation opportunities to learn about the jail staff, retirement system, and Office of Professional Licensure. Members also discussed related assignments on other bodies, including the Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules and the Joint Committee on Employee Classification, and noted that some members already serve on those panels. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on the State Building Code and the committee’s upcoming workload. Members explained how the state code is intended to provide a common baseline while allowing limited local options, and why municipalities must formally adopt and publish any local amendments. They reviewed several anticipated bills: a consolidation bill to gather building-code enforcement materials in one place, a bill to update the state energy code, a bill to restrict municipal adoption of building-code changes, and a bill to update the electrical code. Members also discussed how building codes apply to older homes and commercial buildings, and why code updates are important for safety and clarity. The chair said the committee had 36 bills currently scheduled, including many early bills that must move by March 6 because they will be heard by two committees. She said the committee would use subcommittees for harder bills, with three subcommittees this year: pensions, licensing, and likely state building code. She also outlined the hearing schedule, including lighter bills on February 12 and the expectation of executive sessions later in the month. No votes were taken during the orientation, but members were told that public hearings do not require a quorum and that hard copies of bills would be distributed by committee staff.

Transcript Highlights:

• Most of that happens through our energy saving performance contract program, which is separate than this
• performance contract program which<00:45:33.359> is<00:45:33.480> separate<00:45:33.839
• We're being almost continuously audited by some entity, whether it be a federal agency or by the payment
• <01:25:22.679> by being almost continuously audited by being almost continuously audited by
• No, go ahead. that one extra step of auditing and that one extra step of auditing and ensuring<05:35:

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Department of Administrative Services presented its capital budget process and priorities, explaining how agencies assess facility needs, rank projects, and submit requests to the governor’s office. DAS described its Plant and Property division, which maintains 96 state buildings, and Public Works, which develops detailed cost estimates for selected projects. Officials said the governor’s office has traditionally narrowed requests into priority tiers, but this year all projects were estimated, creating more work and less detail. They also emphasized that the capital budget book functions as legislative intent and can be binding on how approved funds are used. On the substance of the request, DAS highlighted several priorities: continued funding for the state ERP system upgrade to the cloud, with about $5 million requested for sustainability and related Treasury functions; emergency fund and annex renovation work; a sprinkler replacement at DMV; and elevator repairs at the main building. Karen Rocky also identified maintenance projects that rose in priority after a facility condition assessment, including HVAC work for Portsmouth Circuit Court and Coos County Courthouse, boilers and controls for Carroll County and Lebanon Circuit Court, brick repointing at the main building and annex, window replacement at Spalding, and Brown building elevator replacement. Officials noted that the governor’s proposed capital budget included fewer DAS projects than in past years and no projects for the Bureau of Court Facilities. The committee also discussed lapses and reprogramming of prior appropriations. DAS said the first eight projects approved in 2023 remain under construction and should be extended, while many 2021 projects are delayed because of ARPA-related workload and broader construction backlogs. Members reviewed a 2019 project list and agreed to lapse project number 49, the Spalding roof project, with about $81,000 remaining. DAS also said some small 2019 balances, including courthouse generators, a boiler, cooling and controls, roof and exterior repairs, and the State House Annex elevator, could be redirected through Capital Budget Overview toward the Hillsboro County South Cell Block project. The hearing ended with questions about project schedules, ARPA deadlines, and the division of authority between DoIT and DAS for the ERP system.

Transcript Highlights:

• But it does require us to at least—I would hope that we had an audit up, you know, in 2019.
• But it does require us to at least—I would hope that we had an audit up, you know, in 2019.
• But it does require us to at least—I would hope that we had an audit up, you know, in 2019.
• But it does require us to at least—I would hope that we had an audit up, you know, in 2019.
• That was the position that was created by the audit.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee reviewed the Department of Corrections budget, with the chair initially noting that the overall numbers looked close to fiscal year 2024 spending, except for federal funds. Department officials explained that prior ARPA expenditures and delayed revenue recognition had distorted the comparison, and that the corrected general fund spend was about $169.7 million. Members then focused on whether the budget’s staffing assumptions were realistic, especially the shift from overtime to full-time lines and the use of vacant positions to offset overtime costs. The department said it is leaning on vacancy savings, but would return for additional appropriations if unforeseen staffing problems arise. A major portion of the discussion centered on recruitment, retention, and staffing levels. Officials reported a 42% vacancy rate in enforcement ranks, down from 51% in January 2023, with 28 new officers headed to the next academy and 33 new hires already tracked. They said overtime is more expensive than regular staffing because of benefits and that it takes about 11 months for a new hire to break even. Members also asked about the split between incarcerated and supervised populations; the department said it oversees about 1,970 inmates in facilities and just over 4,000 people in the community, with 77 positions supervising the community population and the inmate population remaining the most expensive area. The committee also discussed how sentencing and statutory changes affect incarceration levels, including misdemeanor/felony thresholds and theft thresholds, with the department agreeing that such changes can significantly affect prison and jail populations. Members asked about education and recidivism, and the department said base education is the most important foundation, followed by vocational training, while noting that many incarcerated men lack a high school diploma. The department also described a $1.3 million reduction in contracted forensic evaluation services, explaining that these evaluations are court-ordered competency assessments and are not statutorily required to be provided by DOC. Finally, members reviewed victim services funding and staffing, including VOCA-supported positions, and the department explained that a new victim witness specialist would help support survivors at parole hearings and safety planning.

Transcript Highlights:

• uh we have uh a jazz museum on performs uh we have uh a jazz museum on performs uh we have uh a jazz
• and even at his age he's performances and even at his age he's performances and even at his age he's
• still performing and doing an still performing and doing an still performing and doing an outstanding
• and how they do and and uh you perform and how they do and and uh you perform and how they do and and
• to see if clerks do an annual audit to see if clerks do an annual audit to see if there any unserved

Bills: SB 2

Keywords: 920, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Section two removes a requirement that PELSB annually report certain performance of teacher candidates
• Section two removes a requirement that PELSB annually report certain performance of teacher candidates
• <01:19:46.400> to information included with its audit to information included with its audit
• evaluation from its written performance evaluation from its authorizer<01:20:09.440> and<01:20
• , and other performance reviews, and other information<01:20:26.560> regarding<01:20:26.960>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Unemployment Insurance pays benefits, collects taxes, and performs payroll and other audits.
• <00:09:27.520> Um<00:09:27.840> UI performs payroll and other audits.
• Um UI performs payroll and other audits.
• And I one thing I can say after perform.
• expectations of performance. expectations of performance. Anything<03:12:56.600> else?

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:53:33.040> public<00:53:33.440> health deserve a high-performing public health
• deserve a high-performing public health system.<00:53:35.440> We<00:53:35.680> have<00:
• In addition, base funding for performed.
• Optometrists already perform procedures that require similar technical precision, like removing foreign
• Over 95% of the injections performed in optometry practice are intramural to deliver anti-inflammatories

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:52:25.440> and asset management performance and asset management performance and strategies
• We continue to receive unmodified, or clean, audit opinions for our financial statements, and we've also
• > We continue to receive unmodified or We continue to receive unmodified or clean<01:31:35.440> audit
• opinions<01:31:36.400> for<01:31:36.639> our<01:31:36.880> financial clean audit
• opinions for our financial clean audit opinions for our financial statements<01:31:38.560> and

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• c><00:23:40.400> know,<00:23:40.640> teachers Full-time teachers, as we know, often perform
• Barre allows the city council to retain 5% of any unexpended funds at the close of the fiscal year audit
• <01:15:56.040> as<01:15:56.200> an of the fiscal year audit as an of the fiscal year
• audit as an undesignated<01:15:57.280> fund<01:15:57.600> for<01:15:57.720> future<
• Subsection 601, payment of taxes, sub-section B: “At the close of the fiscal year audit, any unexpended

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House opened with a devotional by former member Jason Lorber, who spoke humorously about the difference between asking questions and making statements, urging members to be direct and add value in deliberation. The chamber then took up several resolutions: JRH 11, urging Congress to enact the National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025, was read and referred to the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development; JRS 51, setting weekend adjournment for May 1, 2026, was adopted in concurrence; and H.C.R. 261 was read, recognizing May 2026 as Older Americans Month and designating May 6, 2026 as Age Strong Vermont Day. Members also used announcements to welcome guests and highlight events, including the Age Strong Vermont initiative, a former member’s return, visitors connected to psychedelic medicine advocacy, an art social, fisheries and trout-in-the-classroom guests, a legislative intern, and a reminder about the May 16 NAMI walk. The House then took up Senate Bill 230, an omnibus labor measure relating to fair employment practices. The committee explanation described technical clarifications to parental and family leave for full-time teachers, expansion of protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, removal of outdated statutory language on mandatory retirement for tenured faculty, and clarification that elected and appointed municipal officers are not employees for minimum wage and overtime purposes. The main new policy in section 3B would prohibit non-compete agreements for non-exempt employees, with an exception for collective bargaining agreements, and would restrict certain non-compete and related clauses in health care provider contracts while preserving continuity of care and excluding non-clinical business support services. The committee reported extensive testimony and voted 11-0-0 to recommend the bill favorably with amendment; the House agreed to propose the amendment to the Senate and ordered third reading. The House also began consideration of Senate Bill 179, updating Vermont’s Uniform Disclaimer of Property Interests Act. The committee presentation explained that the bill would eliminate the current 9-month deadline for disclaimers, reflecting changes in federal tax law and the much larger modern estate and gift tax exclusion, and would modernize the statute in several ways. Proposed changes include clearer rules for jointly held property, allowing pre-death disclaimers, authorizing trustees and parents in limited circumstances to disclaim on behalf of trusts or minor children, permitting disclaimers by proxy for infirm persons, clarifying partial disclaimers and entity disclaimers, improving delivery rules for non-real-estate property, and specifying that a disclaimer is not a transfer for transfer-tax purposes. The bill was described as a response to outdated law in light of an impending large intergenerational wealth transfer, and the House proceeded with second reading discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Department of Labor will engage with employees and employers, and in the course of performing an
• <01:15:32.080> an<01:15:32.280> audit<01:15:32.679> of<01:15:32.960> or
• c> course of performing an audit of or course of performing an audit of or inspecting<01:15:33.639>
• like a workplace audit or inspection of the workplace and employee safety.
• <01:20:03.960> uh performing like a workplace um audit uh performing like a workplace um audit

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When sleep declines, attention weakens, academic performance drops, and anxiety rises.
• In fact, this is the very first generation, the first one in recorded history, that is performing worse
• These can materially impact a person's ability to perform at work without support. How often?
• And it also brings about more enforcement, which we realized we needed, requiring that biannual audits
• , we have public prosecutors who can comb through those audits and take legal action when necessary.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The committee heard several bills, with extensive testimony on AB 1557, AB 1770, AB 2075, AB 1864, and AB 1709. AB 1557 would clarify e-bike power limits and set lower speed restrictions for Class 1 and 2 e-bikes; the author and police chiefs framed it as a youth safety measure in response to severe injuries and deaths, while bicycle industry representatives warned it could conflict with federal standards and disrupt California businesses. AB 1770 would place large health care service plans’ binding arbitration under Attorney General oversight and require compliance with the California Arbitration Act; supporters described patient harm and biased arbitration, while Kaiser Permanente and the Civil Justice Association said they were still reviewing amendments and had concerns. AB 2075 would require fire suppression equipment to be kept on or near tractors and other work sites to prevent wildfire spread, and AB 1864 would require screening of gene synthesis orders to prevent misuse for bioterrorism; both were presented as common-sense safety measures, with AB 1864 drawing support from biosecurity experts and some industry groups raising amendment concerns. The most extensive discussion was on AB 1709, which would prohibit social media accounts for users under 16 on platforms with harmful addictive features and create an e-safety commission. The author and supporters argued that social media companies intentionally design addictive products that harm children’s mental health, citing internal company documents, research, and recent court rulings; teen, medical, and advocacy witnesses described cyberbullying, addiction, and other harms. Opponents, including EFF and other civil liberties and industry groups, argued the bill is overbroad, violates the First Amendment, increases data collection, and could cut off access to community and information for youth, especially LGBTQ+ youth and other vulnerable groups. Committee members raised questions about out-of-state users, parental use, dark web harms, and how to preserve community resources for teens; the author said the bill targets platform design rather than speech and emphasized continued work with stakeholders. No final votes were taken during the portion of the meeting provided. The chair repeatedly noted that motions would be taken later when quorum and agenda timing allowed, and several authors asked for aye votes or said they would continue working with opponents on amendments and clarifications.

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, they're heavily audited.
• 46.760> they're<00:29:46.960> they're<00:29:47.320> heavily<00:29:47.799> audited
• yeah they're they're heavily audited yeah they're they're heavily audited they're<00:29:48.840><
• , collection, payment, and managing agent of the Department of Budget and Finance in service of performing
• , collection, payment, and managing agent of the Department of Budget and Finance in service of performing

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee on Energy and Environmental Protection heard testimony on Senate Bill 897, which would create a Wildlife Liability Trust Fund within DCCA for administrative purposes. The chair opened by noting the hearing had to end by noon because of floor session, and that written testimony would be considered if not all witnesses could speak. Testimony included support from DCCA, the Attorney General’s office, the Public Utilities Commission, Charter Communications, Ulupono Initiative, AES Hawaii, Hawaiian Electric, Clearway Energy Group, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, Hawaiian Telcom, and IBW Local 1260, with opposition or concerns from the Hawaii Association for Justice and some others. Hawaiian Electric strongly supported the bill and asked for amendments, saying the fund would help address wildfire liability, protect customers and the economy, and support restoration of investment-grade credit; it also proposed a larger shareholder contribution and said the bill was part of a broader effort to raise settlement funds and improve grid safety and resiliency. Committee members focused heavily on whether the bill would actually lower costs for ratepayers and improve credit ratings. DCCA said there was a nexus between limiting liability, creating a sufficiently large wildfire fund, and transparent mitigation requirements, but acknowledged there was no guarantee of a credit-rating improvement or precise estimate of rate impacts. Members questioned Hawaiian Electric about the assumptions in its cost comparisons, the 30-year securitization structure, and whether funding could be shifted later to shareholders after credit was restored. Hawaiian Electric responded that the bill assumes the fund is paid through securitization, that removing that presumption could undermine the credit-rating benefit, and that its models suggest credit-spread savings could offset the customer charge over time; it also said it would follow up with additional analysis. The company and Ulupono both described the measure as a difficult but potentially necessary way to socialize wildfire risk and avoid a larger crisis later. The Hawaii Association for Justice opposed the bill’s liability caps and raised concerns about consumer rights, oversight discretion, statute-of-limitations changes, and evidence rules. Hawaiian Telcom suggested amendments to clarify compliance with FCC pole-attachment agreements. No vote or final action was taken during the portion of the hearing provided, and members indicated they wanted more analysis before being comfortable with the bill’s long-term ratepayer impacts.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's sales performance based retailer commission at 0.5% of the projected gross lottery sale. projected
• the proposals that we've developed, we would have the ability. to go in, we'd have the ability to audit
• So we've had those discussions in our legal subcommittee and our audit committee and our planning committee
• It requires people to do auditing.
• and members of the committee. is Rahul Srinivasan, I'm with Texas 2036, Director of Government Performance

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• information. technology IT, deliver enterprise IT services and telecommunications for executive agencies, perform
• So one of our performance metrics for our Office of Cyber Security is to get 85% of the patches completed
• So when studies like that are performed, and I think in Ray's exchange with the Senator before, We're
• But as studies like that are performed, those become a source for us, right, to be able to look at the
• services, even if they paid us immediately for those services, because those have to go through the audit

Transcript Highlights:

• reliability. ...more current data related to transmission, procurement, reliability, so that we can better perform
• , properly perform the functions that we are required to perform.
• agreement with the Department of Energy, the Energy Commission will be receiving invoices for work performed
• Commission to then adjust the future going-forward revenue requirement of the utilities based on their performance
• In order to respond to the audit, we have started some things with our existing staffing, including data

Summary: The hearing was an informational budget session on energy agency proposals, with no votes taken. Early discussion focused on Proposition 4 climate bond implementation, including funding for demand-side grid support, offshore wind development, and transmission financing. The Department of Finance said the budget includes allocations for demand-side grid support and offshore wind, but not yet for the $325 million transmission financing piece pending a required study. The Legislative Analyst’s Office urged the Legislature to consider whether to wait on offshore wind funding, whether to keep shifting funds into demand-side grid support, and how to direct future transmission financing. Members also raised concerns about local technical assistance for offshore wind, Salton Sea priorities, and the need for more information before final decisions. The California Energy Commission and CPUC then reviewed the broader energy package. The CEC highlighted the demand-side grid support program’s growth, distributed energy backup assets, long-duration storage, hydrogen grants, and the SIRP clean energy reliability program. CPUC testimony emphasized affordability, wildfire mitigation costs, rooftop solar cost shifts, and efforts to reduce rates while maintaining reliability and clean energy goals. Members questioned CPUC staffing, delays in proceedings, coordination with the CEC and CAISO, and the impact of rate increases on customers. The agencies also discussed the AB 3264 transmission financing study, with CPUC saying work on the study had already begun and was on track for the July 1 deadline. Several trailer bill and implementation items were also discussed. The committee reviewed a proposal to extend the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program surcharge, with members split over whether it should be handled in budget trailer bill language or policy legislation; the administration said the surcharge supports a critical program serving about three-quarters of a million Californians. The committee also heard a CPUC data-sharing proposal to allow nondisclosure agreements for transmission and reliability data, which members generally supported as a technical fix. DWR explained a proposal to clarify language for the Electricity Supply Strategic Reliability Reserve so it can potentially sell three gas-fired units it owns, and the CEC presented a federal transmission grant proposal tied to grid-enhancing technologies and ratepayer cost recovery. Finally, the committee discussed California Lifeline and possible broadband pilot reforms in light of uncertainty around federal Universal Service Fund support, with CPUC saying it is exploring a statewide standalone broadband option for eligible customers.

Transcript Highlights:

• understand how our system was performing understand how our system was performing in<00:14:02.720
• Looking at your program integrity standards, is there any kind of audit of the benefits as they're paid
• Looking at your program integrity standards, is there any kind of audit of the benefits as they're paid
• Are you talking about, you know, going back and auditing an individual claim per se?
• Chair, just as a kind of the principle like auditing helps us provide government services better, right

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And performance and audits over the previous fiscal years.
• At the end of the day, the performance the governor talked about yesterday, the performance that you're
• We actually have two performance measures related to the number of providers that are in the Five Star

Bills: SB2

Keywords: SB 2, State Highway Project Bonds, highway funding, transportation bonds, state road fund, motor vehicle fees, vehicle registration fees, electric vehicle fee, EV surcharge, plug-in hybrid fee, weight distance tax, road construction, infrastructure financing, Department of Transportation, State Transportation Commission, bonding authority, county road funds, municipal road funds, transportation improvement program, state highways

Transcript Highlights:

• aware of, you know, that's kind of a good reference of what's been happening with spending and performance
• and audits over the previous fiscal.
• At the end of the day, the performance the government talked about yesterday—the performance that you're
• We actually have two performance measures related to the number of providers that are in the five-star

Bills: SB2

Transcript Highlights:

• So we will ultimately perform services on behalf of state departments who either don't have the authority
• So we will ultimately perform services on behalf of state departments who either don't have the authority
• We realized quickly, because of the cost estimates that we performed and that CalVet or DGS performed
• Do what you can, but we need a complete audit of every dime, developers.

Summary: The hearing focused on the long-delayed Southern California Veterans Cemetery project at Gypsum Canyon in Anaheim, with opening remarks from Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, Senator Tom Umberg, and Assemblymember Avelino Valencia emphasizing the project’s importance to Orange County veterans and families. Anaheim city leaders, including the mayor pro tem and council members, voiced strong support and described the city’s role in planning, utilities, and final approvals. Quirk-Silva reviewed the project history, including prior legislation, county and state funding commitments, and the recent federal determination that the site meets VA criteria for a state veterans cemetery. The first panel, representing the veterans community, included the American Legion, American Gold Star Mothers, and Valor. They argued that Orange County—home to a large veteran population—still lacks a local veterans cemetery, forcing families to travel long distances to Riverside or elsewhere. Testimony stressed the emotional and practical burden on aging veterans and grieving families, and called for immediate action and possession of the property. Some speakers were sharply critical of CalVet and the pace of the process, saying veterans have waited too long and that the project should move forward without further delay. The second panel, from Orange County, described the county’s and cemetery district’s support and the unique opportunity to develop a shared site for a public cemetery and a separate state veterans cemetery. County officials said the county has dedicated land and funding, and that shared infrastructure—roads, utilities, grading, and access—could reduce costs substantially if the two projects are coordinated. They also said the county is ready to transfer the property to CalVet when appropriate and that the project has already cleared major local approvals and litigation. The final panel from DGS and CalVet explained the state’s feasibility study and current planning work. DGS said the 2023 study estimated the state’s portion of phase one at about $126 million, largely driven by site work and grading, though that estimate may change as assumptions are updated. CalVet said it is working with DGS and the county on a revised concept plan to lower costs and refine the timeline, and that legislative budget action will be needed to authorize spending from the Southern California Veterans Cemetery fund. No formal vote was taken; the hearing was informational, and the main action was continued coordination among the state, county, city, and veterans groups, with public comment at the end overwhelmingly urging faster construction.