Transcript Highlights:

• So through CPRA funding streams, we are actively involved in many parishes, whether it's HUD monies or

Summary: The House Natural Resources Committee met to consider House Resolution 1, which approves the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s annual State Integrated Coastal Protection Plan for fiscal year 2026-27. CPRA officials Michael Hare and Gordon Dove presented the plan, describing about $1.54 billion in proposed spending authority, a three-year outlook near $1 billion annually, and a portfolio of 143 projects focused largely on construction and implementation. They highlighted major work in multiple regions, including marsh creation, shoreline protection, levees, land bridges, barrier island restoration, the Birdsfoot Delta, Grand Isle, and the Barataria and Terrebonne basins, and said the plan is intended to restore roughly 12,000 acres and support coastal jobs and labor income. A major portion of the discussion focused on non-structural flood protection, especially home elevations and related measures being pursued with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Representative Sauer questioned whether this approach represented mission creep and whether CPRA and the state should be responsible for such programs. CPRA staff responded that non-structural measures have been contemplated in the master plan, but are now treated more programmatically and at a local level; they said the state is already involved as a non-federal sponsor in many projects and has used CPRA, HUD, and FEMA funding to help offset costs. Members also discussed the scale of the program and the need to determine which agencies should lead it. Chairman Dove emphasized that the coastal program is moving forward through regional, multi-parish projects and praised cooperation among parish leaders, levee boards, ports, state officials, and federal partners. He also stated that the Mid-Barataria sediment diversion is fully defunded, its permit and coastal use authorization have been terminated, and related contracts have been settled or are still being resolved in court. Members asked follow-up questions about the diversion settlement, project tracking, and the status of expropriation-related litigation tied to the canceled project. No vote on HR 1 was recorded in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Among its housing supply provisions, it directs HUD to develop model code guidance for single-stair buildings

Committee: House Business

Transcript Highlights:

• have negotiated, we have a contract with federal partners in the fair housing context; we have it with HUD

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on State Administration met to hear the Civil Rights Department’s budget items, with the chair opening by emphasizing that agency directors should appear in person if they want their items heard. Go-Biz was not heard because its director was absent. The department outlined four chaptered-legislation implementation items: SB 464 on updated pay data reporting categories, AB 822 extending the Commission on the State of Hate, AB 935 expanding data collection and reporting, and SB 518 creating the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery. The Department of Finance and Legislative Analyst’s Office had no concerns with these proposals. Members then asked about the department’s broader workload and role in responding to discrimination, hate incidents, and immigration-related fears in communities. CRD explained that it handles complaints in areas such as housing, employment, public accommodations, hate crimes, and human trafficking, but does not have jurisdiction over the federal government or landlord-tenant law generally. Officials said filings and open matters have risen sharply, with the department nearing 12,000 open matters, and described outreach in multiple languages, immigrant-serving work, and support for victims through T and U visa-related assistance. They also discussed the Commission on the State of Hate, the California vs. Hate hotline, and coordination with Stop the Hate grantees and community organizations. The committee also heard items on ongoing workload for AB 2188, AB 1041, and AB 1949, which would convert limited-term resources to permanent positions because workload has met or exceeded initial estimates. The LAO had no concerns. A final item requested $502,000 for ongoing security guard services at CRD public counters after more than a dozen threats to staff since July 2024; the LAO again had no concerns. Members expressed support for the security request and discussed the need for safe public-facing offices. No votes were taken, and each item was closed after discussion and public comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• think the we're HomeWise Is familiar with being able to do mortgages on tribal land, and there's a HUD

Committee: House House Commerce & Economic Development Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• assistance, rental move-in assistance, and home repair assistance to tribal members who do not qualify for HUD

Summary: The joint House and Senate committee meeting heard public testimony on tentative tribal-state gaming compact amendments for the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe and the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe. Staff from the Washington State Gambling Commission explained the compacting process, the role of ex officio legislative members, and that the amendments would next go to the Gambling Commission for a January 8, 2026 vote before possible governor review. The Port Gamble S'Klallam presentation emphasized how gaming revenue supports tribal government services, health care, housing, education, language revitalization, natural resources work, and community investment projects in Kitsap County. For Port Gamble S'Klallam, the proposed changes include expanded credit and wager limits, more gaming stations and player terminals, language for a second facility, and adoption of an electronic table games appendix similar to other tribes. Members asked about pre-screening for high-limit tables, including how the tribe would define problem gambling and self-exclusion; tribal counsel said internal minimum control standards were still being developed and more detail would follow. A question about green crab removal in Port Gamble Bay was deferred for follow-up because the natural resources director was not present. The Upper Skagit Indian Tribe described its history, sovereignty, gaming operations, and how gaming revenue supports member programs such as nutrition assistance, education aid, homeownership down payment help, and charitable giving in Skagit County. Its amendment would allow electronic table games after the tribe removed traditional table games due to staffing and cost pressures, with the goal of remaining competitive. Committee members also asked about air quality and smoking-related provisions in the compact; the tribe said it maintains separate smoking and non-smoking areas and supports smoking cessation efforts. Chairs from both chambers closed by thanking the tribes for their contributions to members, local communities, and natural resource protection.

Transcript Highlights:

• Arkansas's SB 170 preempted those rules and allowed for flexibility in building materials, allowing for HUD-code
• 51:37.280><c> materials</c><00:51:38.640><c> allowing</c><00:51:39.040><c> for</c><00:51:39.280><c> HUD
• </c> in building materials allowing for HUD in building materials allowing for HUD code<00:51:39.920>

Summary: The committee approved the minutes from its June 4, 2025 meeting and then heard a series of presentations focused largely on housing and land-use policy. Senator Robbie Mills and Representative Josh Bray discussed two 2025 housing measures: Senate Bill 50, which would create residential infrastructure development districts to help local governments finance infrastructure for new housing developments through special assessments and local debt, and House Bill 7, which would let local governments identify development areas and rebate new property tax revenue to developers as an incentive for housing growth. They said Kentucky faces a statewide housing shortage of roughly 210,000 units, projected to grow if building patterns do not change, and argued that regulatory relief and financing tools are needed to increase supply. Representative Rebecca Rymer presented House Bill 371, which would require local permitting when an industry’s residual waste landfill is located in a different county from the industry itself. She said current law lets such landfills bypass local review, leaving host counties with no say despite road impacts and other local burdens. She said the bill would preserve the existing exemption when the landfill and industry are co-located, and noted support from KLC and KO. Representative Steve Doan also described House Bill 806, a statewide backyard chicken bill that would allow domesticated hens, prohibit roosters, set a minimum of six hens that local governments could not go below, and preserve local authority over setbacks, sanitation, maintenance standards, and egg sales. He said it would override outright local bans but not HOA restrictions, and cited a current Northern Kentucky dispute and ADA litigation as reasons for the proposal. The committee then heard a broader discussion on housing and land use from Charlie Gardner of the Mercatus Center and Nolan Gray of California YIMBY and the Bluegrass Institute. They outlined categories of land-use regulation, described the recent growth of state-level housing reforms nationwide, and cited examples such as ADU legalization, smaller lot sizes, reduced parking minimums, streamlined permitting, and single-stair or other building-code reforms. They argued that housing shortages are a statewide concern, that localities often have incentives to block growth, and that state intervention can reduce costs and uncertainty without compromising health and safety. Members asked about the housing shortage estimate, the effect of red tape on safety and local authority, and how state reforms could be phased in; the presenters said reforms often include lead time, can be targeted to larger jurisdictions, and should focus on reducing time and cost while maintaining basic standards.

Transcript Highlights:

• Housing counseling agencies are certified by HUD, and we work with those entities discussing homeownership
• You told us earlier on the existing stuff that you guys do basically you administer HUD funding for that
• , so the federal government’s giving you the money and... ...HUD funding for that, so the federal government
• You also serve those constituents that don't fit into the income tier that HUD allows, up to 60, sometimes

Committee: Senate Government Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• The GLO is currently operating two different types of funding from HUD: CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT, both of
• which are only eligible for use in FEMA- and HUD-defined counties by event.
• look and for Texas must be related to resolving a flooding or hurricane-related issue, but again in HUD-defined

Committee: House Land & Resource Management

Transcript Highlights:

• permanent supportive housing for the homeless community under legally binding agreements with the Navy and HUD
• permanent supportive housing for the homeless community under legally binding agreements with the Navy and HUD
• We also have planned, ...with the Navy and HUD.

Committee: Senate Environmental Quality

Summary: The committee heard presentations on several energy, environmental, and consumer protection bills while operating at times without a quorum. Senator McNerney presented SB 925, which would direct the California Energy Commission to develop a statewide roadmap for fusion energy, and SB 1350, which would expand the use of green hydrogen in the power sector by allowing renewable portfolio standard credit for power plants using hydrogen. Supporters said both bills would help California maintain leadership in emerging clean-energy industries, attract investment, and create jobs. Opponents of SB 1350 raised concerns about greenwashing, resource shuffling, and increased NOx emissions from hydrogen combustion, while supporters said committee amendments added guardrails against those outcomes. Senator Ashby presented SB 1010, a manufacturer-funded extended producer responsibility program for refrigerants in appliances; supporters said it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve recovery, while opponents argued existing laws already regulate refrigerants and that the bill could raise costs and disrupt recycling markets. Senator Grayson presented SB 1145 to streamline CEQA and federal reuse procedures for qualifying projects in the Concord Reuse Project Area, which supporters said would help deliver long-planned housing, jobs, and open space, while one housing group sought stronger affordable-housing guarantees. Senator Cabaldon presented SB 1341, which would give CalRecycle authority to reduce processing fees for wine and spirits bag-in-a-box containers when fee collections exceed program needs; supporters said the current fee increase was abrupt and excessive, while opponents warned against giving the agency too much discretion. Senator Padilla presented SGR 13, urging the U.S. to secure enforceable commitments to eliminate transboundary sewage pollution in the Tijuana and New River watersheds during the 2026 USMCA review, and SB 1033, which would require testing and disclosure of heavy metals in protein products; SGR 13 drew strong support from border and environmental justice advocates, while SB 1033 drew support from consumer and health groups and opposition from industry groups concerned about labeling burdens and scope. Senator Caballero presented SB 1183, requiring a state study of the environmental, land-use, and economic impacts of industrial solar in the Central Valley; farm and land-use advocates supported the bill, while solar industry groups opposed unless amended, saying it should better reflect solar’s benefits and existing state analysis. After testimony, the committee took roll and adopted several measures on a 4-0 or 3-0 basis, with bills including SJR 13, SB 925, SB 1350, SB 1145, SB 1341, SB 1033, and SB 1010 advanced on call to Appropriations or, in the case of SB 1010, already voted with a 3-1 result before being held on call.

Transcript Highlights:

• One is we’re working very closely with the governor’s office on funding that comes through from HUD specifically
• And HUD is prepared to make a significant change in their NOFO, the notice of funding opportunity, in
• It's the HUD FYI Foster Youth Initiative that is asking states to do more to ensure that children aging

Committee: House Appropriations

Summary: The committee first heard a budget presentation on LSU Health Care Services Division and Lallie Kemp Medical Center. Staff reviewed HCSD’s roughly $74.7 million budget, much of it tied to legacy obligations for former LSU hospital systems and support for Lallie Kemp. Committee members asked about prisoner care, risk management costs, declining admissions and emergency visits, and the hospital’s 340B drug program. Lallie Kemp officials explained that prisoner care serves multiple state and local facilities, that lower admissions largely reflect more patients being placed in observation status, and that the in-house 340B program provides major savings to patients and the prison system. Members also asked about care for unhoused patients and the hospital’s discharge practices, and the hospital said social services works to find placement when possible. The committee then moved to the Louisiana Department of Health budget, which was presented as just under $23.5 billion, with Medicaid making up more than 90 percent of the total. The presentation covered the Office of the Secretary, Office of Public Health, Office of Behavioral Health, Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, and Medicaid. Major items included the new Rural Health Transformation Program, the transfer of several functions from DCFS to LDH under the One Door initiative, changes to SNAP administration, and large Medicaid adjustments driven by enrollment, utilization, and federal policy changes. Testimony also highlighted the statewide crisis hub and 988, the commodity food program for seniors, women’s health and maternal outcomes, and the department’s efforts to modernize technology and reorganize services. Members questioned LDH officials on a wide range of budget and policy issues, including the rural health grant, crisis services, Medicaid redeterminations, provider taxes, physician and hospital supplemental payments, nursing home rates, HCBS funding, and the impact of the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act. LDH said the rural health grant would support workforce, technology, and care-delivery improvements; that the crisis hub and mobile crisis units are being expanded to improve access and reduce emergency room use; and that the department is working to keep the SNAP error rate below 6 percent to avoid a projected state cost increase. Officials also said they expect to return next year with additional funding requests for HCBS and other programs, while emphasizing that current budget changes are largely meant to realign funding with actual expenditures and new federal requirements. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• For example, HUD Atlanta, who we report to, they went from hundreds of staff members to under 10 people
• For example, HUD Atlanta, who we report to, they went from hundreds of staff members to under 10 people
• For example, HUD Atlanta, who we report to, they went from hundreds of staff members to under 10 people

Committee: House Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• negotiated; we have a contract with federal partners in the fair housing context, and we have it with HUD

Transcript Highlights:

• assistance, rental move-in assistance, and home repair assistance to tribal members who do not qualify for HUD

Summary: The joint House and Senate committee meeting heard public presentations on tentative tribal gaming compact amendments for the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe and the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe. Staff from the Washington State Gambling Commission explained the compacting process, the role of ex officio legislative members, and that both amendments would next go to a Gambling Commission hearing on January 8, 2026, where commissioners and ex officio members would vote on whether to forward them to the governor or send them back for further negotiation. Port Gamble S'Klallam Chairwoman Amber Caldera described the tribe’s history, lands, and how gaming revenue supports government services such as health care, housing, education, language and culture, natural resources, and community investment. Commission negotiator Johnny Bray summarized the proposed compact changes for Port Gamble as updates to Appendix F, including higher credit and wager limits, more gaming stations and player terminals, language for a second facility, and adoption of Appendix G for electronic table games. Members asked about pre-screening for high-limit tables and the tribe’s handling of problem gambling and self-exclusion, and tribal counsel said internal minimum control standards were still being developed. A question was also raised about funding for green crab removal, but the tribe said it would follow up with more details. Upper Skagit Indian Tribe attorney David Hawkins gave a historical overview of the tribe, its gaming operations, and how gaming revenue supports member programs such as nutrition assistance, education, and down payment aid, as well as local charitable contributions and emergency housing. He said the tribe is seeking the amendment to add electronic table games after removing traditional table games before COVID, in order to remain competitive. Committee questions focused on air quality and smoking areas, and Hawkins said the tribe maintains a non-smoking floor with separate smoking rooms and supports smoking cessation efforts. Chair Kauffman closed by thanking both tribes for their contributions to tribal members and the broader community, including education, housing, culture, health care, and natural resource protection.

Transcript Highlights:

• Agencies, the Metro counties, homeless outreach workers, and **SOAR** case managers, federal **VA HUD

Committee: House Veterans and Military Affairs Division

Transcript Highlights:

• Manufactured homes are being hit with overlapping energy mandates from HUD and the Department of Energy
• Manufactured homes are being hit with overlapping energy mandates from HUD and the Department of Energy
• Manufactured homes are being hit with overlapping energy mandates from HUD and the Department of Energy
• Manufactured homes are being hit with overlapping energy mandates from HUD and the Department of Energy
• Manufactured homes are being hit with overlapping energy mandates from HUD and the Department of Energy

Bills: HB4593 , HR780 , HR977 , HR979 , HR978

Keywords: showerhead, regulation, energy policy, consumer protection, overregulation, gridlock, policy priorities, House resolution, legislative process, procedural motion, committee, House of Representatives, Mr. Knott, ethics, membership, Doug LaMalfa, memorial resolution, condolence, death of a member, adjournment in honor

Transcript Highlights:

• So I negotiated agreements with SSA and IRS and VA and HUD, CMS, you name it.
• protected that data and was recording any and all you... negotiated agreements with SSA and IRS and VA and HUD

Committee: Senate Senate Committee on the Census

Summary: The hearing focused on census data privacy, administrative data sharing, and the role of state and local governments in improving census accuracy, especially for the 2030 census. Dr. Philip Rocco testified first, arguing that the census is increasingly intergovernmental and that state and local investments in address list work, outreach, and complete count commissions can materially improve self-response and reduce undercounts. He emphasized that hard-to-count communities are most affected when states delay planning, politicize census work, or lack capacity, and he pointed to examples such as LUCA participation, outreach funding, and group quarters review as important tools. He also warned that recent federal actions and a broader climate of distrust could threaten 2030 operations, and urged Massachusetts to begin readiness planning now. Members then questioned Dr. Rocco about the use of administrative data such as DMV, TANF, SNAP, and WIC records, and about group quarters enumeration. He explained that those data-sharing efforts were voluntary agreements with the Census Bureau, unlike group quarters data, which are often provided by facility administrators and sometimes state agencies. He said the Trump-era effort to use DMV and other records was tied to Executive Order 13880 and was widely resisted because states had confidentiality and legal concerns, and because the stated purpose appeared to shift toward citizenship-related uses. On group quarters, he described e-response, paper response, in-person enumeration, and administrator-provided directory information, noting that privacy issues arise mainly from FERPA limits on university data and from missing demographic details in administrative records. A second panel, Beth Giroz and Amy O'Hara, then explained how administrative data are used by the Census Bureau and why data quality and privacy concerns matter. They described administrative data as records collected for operational purposes, useful for frame-building, nonresponse follow-up, enumeration, and post-enumeration evaluation, but often incomplete or mismatched on key census variables such as race, ethnicity, household relationships, and residence timing. They highlighted that some sources, like IRS, Medicare, USPS, SSA, and Bureau of Prisons records, are especially valuable, while others such as SNAP, TANF, WIC, Medicaid, CHIP, foster care, and driver’s license data vary in completeness and sharing. They stressed that privacy means collecting only what is needed, and that the Bureau typically uses limited header or roster data rather than full records. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing, and the committee recessed briefly before continuing testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I negotiated agreements with SSA and IRS and VA and HUD, CMS, you name it.
• that data and was recording any and all you... ...negotiated agreements with SSA and IRS and VA and HUD

Committee: Senate Senate Committee on the Census

Transcript Highlights:

• The project has already secured investment from HUD. ...and deliver services to communities.
• The project has already secured investment from HUD, King County, and a $1 million congressional allocation

Summary: The committee first heard a briefing on the proposed Senate capital budget, Substitute Senate Bill 6003, which would spend about $723 million total using debt-limit bonds, Climate Commitment Act funds, and other cash resources. Staff described major investments in housing and homelessness, human services, local infrastructure, flood response, water conservation and clean energy, K-12 school modernization and seismic work, and higher education projects. Members then took public testimony from a wide range of advocates and project sponsors, most of whom urged the Senate to preserve or increase funding for specific projects in the final budget, including affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, child care facilities, food banks, behavioral health and substance use treatment centers, tribal courthouse relocation, school modernization, community colleges, university projects, floodplain restoration, community forests, and local civic or cultural facilities. Several witnesses also asked the Senate to match or approach House funding levels on items such as the Housing Trust Fund, permanent supportive housing, the Community Forest Program, Floodplains by Design, and CCA-supported clean energy and water projects. The chair noted that amendments to the capital budget were due the next day at noon. The committee then received a briefing on Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 2251, which would restructure Climate Commitment Act accounts by repealing three existing accounts and replacing them with two new accounts: a CCA operating account and a CCA capital account. Staff explained that the bill would preserve most existing uses while changing revenue distribution formulas, capping Ecology administrative costs, expanding allowable uses for EV-related costs, housing, and carbon capture/sequestration, and changing reporting and tribal consultation provisions. The bill also shifts some reporting from annual to biannual and modifies the thresholds for tribal-supported and overburdened-community investments. The fiscal note was described as relatively small, with the main impact being the revised revenue allocation structure. Public testimony on the CCA bill was mixed. Supporters, including the League of Women Voters, said the restructuring better aligns spending with the intent of the CCA and could improve investments for tribes and overburdened communities. Critics, including the Washington Policy Center, argued the bill still lacks strong requirements to ensure CCA spending is effective and objected to reducing the frequency of the state’s climate-spending report. No votes were taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• But coming from HUD, I have to tell you that I witnessed and got to learn a lot from implementations
• I'm speaking on behalf of my communities and coming in with the lens of HUD at the national level, which

Bills: SB211 , SB131 , SB183 , SB222 , SB246 , SB254

Committee: Senate Senate Health & Public Affairs

Keywords: appropriation, local government, Las Vegas, Rodriguez Park, public facilities, zoning reform, building regulations, residential apartments, commercial use, multigenerational housing, local government authority, healthcare, urgent care, emergency services, feasibility study, medical facilities, physician training, medical residency, New Mexico, massage therapy

Transcript Highlights:

• And there is a distinction not just through HUD, but also how we sometimes think about that.
• Thank you. not just through HUD, but also how we sometimes think about that.

Summary: The committee heard a long agenda focused heavily on housing, local government, Brown Act teleconferencing, and public agency administration. Early bills included AB 39, which would require larger cities and counties to adopt electrification planning for EV charging and building decarbonization; AB 76, which clarifies Chula Vista’s university innovation district housing requirements; AB 259, AB 409, and AB 467, which extend or modernize Brown Act teleconferencing provisions for local agencies, community college student bodies, and Los Angeles neighborhood councils; and AB 428, which would let water corporations join joint powers authorities for pooled insurance. Supporters emphasized climate planning, housing access, public participation, safety, and cost savings, while several bills were amended to address stakeholder concerns. Most of these measures advanced on bipartisan votes, generally 6-1 or 7-0, and were left open for additional members to add on later. The committee also heard AB 632, which would strengthen local enforcement tools for serious code violations, fire hazards, illegal cannabis operations, and unsafe housing by allowing unpaid administrative fines to be converted into money judgments and liens. Local government and code enforcement groups supported the bill as a way to improve compliance and reduce costly litigation. AB 670 would let local governments count investments in preserving naturally occurring affordable housing toward housing element reporting and require broader reporting of demolitions and replacement housing compliance; supporters argued preservation is essential because many unsubsidized affordable homes are at risk. AB 761 would allow Monterey-Salinas Transit to place a future sales tax measure on the ballot with approval from two-thirds of its board, rather than separate approval from each member jurisdiction, to preserve transit funding for seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities. These measures also moved forward, with the committee noting amendments and sending them to the next committees of referral. Another major item was AB 810, which would require special districts and joint powers authorities to migrate public-facing websites and email addresses to .gov or CA.gov domains by 2031. The author argued the change would reduce fraud and improve public trust, especially after emergency-related scams, while opponents from special districts and IT organizations said the transition would be costly and difficult for smaller agencies. Several school-related opponents withdrew after amendments, and committee members discussed possible aliases and tribal-government language. The bill passed 7-1 to the Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee. Finally, AB 1206 proposed a pre-approved design catalog for single-family homes and small multifamily developments, modeled on a prior ADU bill, to speed rebuilding and reduce design costs; supporters from Habitat for Humanity and housing advocates said it would help both wildfire recovery and broader housing production, and the bill drew at least one opposed-unless-amended position as the committee moved into further discussion.