Transcript Highlights:

• data that comes in as individual data.
• :49.000><c> that</c> still need the individual raw data that still need the individual raw data that
• data data um<00:15:16.399><c> they</c><00:15:16.560><c> wouldn't</c><00:15:17.519><c> yeah</c><00:15
• ><c> it's</c> you have to give aggregated data or it's you have to give aggregated data or it's not<00
• </c> research want researchers want is data research want researchers want is data that<00:15:26.959>

Committee: Senate Government Operations

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 412 HD1, which would expand the definition of lobbying to include certain communications with high-level officials about procurement decisions and create presumptions regarding lobbying on behalf of private clients. The State Ethics Commission and State Procurement Office supported the measure, saying it would improve transparency and align Hawaii with other states, while the Hawaii Primary Care Association opposed it over concerns that employers and others could be swept in too broadly. No public testimony or questions led to any action on the bill during the hearing. The committee then took up House Bill 131, which would allow agencies to disclose government records to researchers for certain research purposes and clarify the Office of Information Practices’ rulemaking authority. OIP and the Public First Law Center supported the bill, arguing it would create uniform standards and that concerns could be handled through rules. The University of Hawaiʻi system, DBEDT, DHS, DLNR, and others raised concerns about the breadth of the terms “research” and “researcher,” privacy, confidential information, and possible misuse; Hawaiian Electric also warned about access to sensitive infrastructure information. Members questioned whether the bill was premature and whether definitions should be narrowed in statute, and OIP said it would consider working with agencies and the University on clearer definitions. House Bill 792 HD1, relating to the Office of the Legislative Analyst, drew no testimony beyond a late written support from the Hawaii Children’s Action Network, and the committee moved on without discussion. The committee then heard House Bill 1424, which would restrict transfers between appropriated funds for positions and operating expenses. Budget and Finance explained that current practice allows transfers from payroll to other current expenses when there are savings, but legislative appropriations for specific purposes must still be spent for that purpose. Several agencies expressed opposition or concerns, saying the bill could reduce flexibility, especially in response to federal funding changes or vacant positions, though members emphasized transparency and accountability. Budget and Finance suggested a reporting approach instead, and the committee discussed quarterly reporting as a possible alternative. Finally, the committee began House Bill 1153 HD1, which concerns funding adjustments for state programs and capital improvement projects and establishes a protocol fund. Budget and Finance, DAGS, and the State Procurement Office supported the measure, while the General Contractors Association and several construction-related groups opposed section two, arguing it would undo recent procurement protest-bond safeguards adopted in Act 162. The hearing then moved on toward House Bill 1297, but the transcript cuts off before that bill was fully discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• What kind of interaction do you have with the commission as this data comes across your data, across?
• I mean, this is a data-driven process.
• Well, that depends on the quality of the data.
• They also collect data incident on incident trends.
• you know this committee functions on data we all do we have the data support that this system works

Bills: HB206 , HB 1285 , HB1335 , HJR107 , HB206

Committee: House Energy Resources

Keywords: pipeline, construction, cash bond, county authority, local government, HB 1285, Railroad Commission of Texas, RRC, drones, unmanned aircraft, UAS, drone inspections, oil and gas, pipeline inspection, surface mining, well sites, tank batteries, disposal wells, injection sites, natural resources

Transcript Highlights:

• She said the goal is to make family unit private data private.
• She said that is a general protection for private data that exists in the Government Data Practices Act
• ><c> data</c><00:28:40.799><c> Practices</c> in the government data Practices in the government data
• Representative Stier said, “I think this bill is about parent data that’s more on the student data level
• ><c> yeah</c><00:37:13.280><c> you</c> the student data level um but yeah you the student data level

Bills: HF1027 , HF101 , HF1021

Committee: House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law

Transcript Highlights:

• Human Services data and Veterans data provisions modification; then another bill by Senator CC, Senate
• bit about our new team, which is the Veteran Community Based Services team, some of our mapping and data
• We do data analysis, tech and technical support throughout the state of Minnesota underneath our Veteran
• The amendment is adopted. having access to that data streamlines having access to that data streamlines
• We're going to be able to gather data and create policy proposals to address identified gaps.

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development - Subcommittee on Veterans

Transcript Highlights:

• I said, let's look at the data, let's see.
• So I pulled some data that may interest you.
• Of those 11 million, I looked at the DWC data, and the DWC data looks at how many independent bill review
• So I looked at the DWC data. This is state data. For 2024, of the 11 million bills... ...data.
• Glenn, Assemblymember, when I hear from the opposition that there's no data, no data, what brings you

Summary: The Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee heard and advanced several bills covering workers’ compensation transparency, public pensions, prevailing wage, workplace harassment training, and employee benefits. AB 1048 would require disclosure of the contract justifying reduced workers’ compensation payments to medical providers; supporters said it would improve transparency without changing reimbursement rates, while opponents argued the problem was overstated and existing dispute remedies were sufficient. AB 1601 would give Sonoma County flexibility to target a cost-of-living adjustment for retirees rather than requiring an all-or-nothing COLA; county and union witnesses said retirees have gone without a COLA since 2008 and have lost purchasing power, and the bill passed unanimously. AB 1439 would commission a UC Berkeley study on labor standards in pension-funded real estate and infrastructure projects; labor groups supported it, while local governments, housing, and industry groups opposed it, and it passed on a 4-1 vote after one senator voted no in committee. The committee also heard AB 1697, which would delay implementation of a prior law restricting certain employment debt and pay-to-quit arrangements until 2027; the author said the delay would give employers, including professional sports leagues, time to adjust, while a financial services group sought a further delay to 2028. AB 1803 would require anti-hate speech content in existing workplace harassment training for employers with five or more employees; supporters cited rising antisemitic and other hate incidents and said the bill would help workers recognize and report hate, while opponents raised First Amendment concerns and argued existing harassment law already covers hostile conduct. AB 2120 would extend Los Angeles Unified’s selective certification hiring authority and allow retention of specialized employees in layoffs, and AB 2292 would bar providers from charging administrative fees for disability insurance and paid family leave certification forms; both drew support and were advanced without opposition testimony. AB 1198, the Fair Pay for Construction Workers Act, would require prevailing wage to be based on the time work is performed rather than the date a project is advertised for bid. Labor and contractor supporters said the current rule can lock in outdated wages and underpay workers on long projects and change orders, while cities, counties, and contractor groups warned it would create uncertainty, raise costs, and jeopardize projects funded by fixed grants or bonds. After testimony and questions, the committee voted to send all of the bills forward, with final recorded votes later showing unanimous or near-unanimous approval and several measures placed on call before the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I pulled some data that may interest you.
• Of those 11 million, I looked at the DWC data, and then...
• Of those 11 million, I looked at the DWC data, and the DWC data looks at how many independent bill review
• So I looked at the DWC data. This is state data. For 2024, of the 11 million bills... ...data.
• Assembly Member, when I hear from the opposition that there's no data, no data, what brings you forward

Committee: Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement

Transcript Highlights:

• , but there's no clear guidelines on how you can actually establish and use that data, so thus that data
• , but there's no clear guidelines on how you can actually establish and use that data, so thus that data
• Once you collect that data, the ability to utilize that data to identify the needs within a specific
• Once you collect that data, the ability to utilize that data to identify the needs within a specific
• But B, collection of demographic data for legitimate clinical care.

Committee: Senate Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• State data shows that students in 5th, 7th, and 8th grade math are still performing.
• Some of the preliminary data is extraordinary.
• And the data speaks for itself. Mr.
• Data test or a field testing process?
• We actually saw this in the data up to 2019. Sorry for the deep dive on this.

Bills: SB8 , SB 8

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Education K-16

Transcript Highlights:

• And we don't trust self-reported data. You have to trust, verify data.
• And we don't trust self-reported data. You have to trust, verify data.
• Where is the data, let me, if I can just finish my— where is the data on how, what that impact is on
• That's why I was asking about the data, and we're saying there's no data.
• That's why I was asking about the data and we're saying there's no data.

Committee: House Military and Veterans Affairs

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs met with a quorum and first approved its consent calendar, including AJR 15, SB 56, SB 296, and SB 855, with the roll left open for absent members. The committee then heard SB 694 by Senator Archuleta, which would require VA accreditation for veterans’ claims representatives and prohibit unaccredited persons from charging fees or otherwise handling VA claims, with the author and supporters arguing the bill would protect veterans from predatory “claims shark” businesses and restore accountability. Support came from county veterans service officers, veterans organizations, National Guard representatives, and several individual veterans, who said accredited public services are free and that unaccredited firms often charge large fees, delay claims, or use questionable practices. Opposition testimony came from a veterans advocate and representatives of private claims companies, who argued that some for-profit consultants provide useful, performance-based assistance, that veterans need choice, and that the bill could eliminate access for those who cannot get timely help from public or nonprofit providers. Committee members debated whether the bill would unlawfully restrict services already operating in a gray area under federal law, whether there is enough data on the impact of private claims assistance, and whether amendments could preserve “good actors” while targeting bad practices. The author and supporters responded that federal law already bars the conduct, that the state lacks oversight over these companies, and that the bill is a first step toward stronger protections. SB 694 was ultimately passed out of committee on a 6-0 vote and referred to the Committee on Judiciary; the consent calendar also passed with eight votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first is the creation of a centralized data dashboard.
• And I know you said that... ...which was: is there any data on this?
• I agree that data is important. For me, what I measure in is people's actual lives.
• The early clinical data are absolutely compelling. The human outcomes are frankly amazing.
• Let's gather the data to better understand the efficacy and the risks.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery

Summary: The hearing opened with remarks from House Chair Mindy Domb and Senate Vice Chair Robyn Kennedy, who outlined procedures for the hybrid public hearing, noted the committee would hear testimony on 15 bills related to treatment settings, and recognized members present. The first major bill discussed was H. 4200, authorizing a pilot program for psychedelic-assisted treatment in licensed facilities. Representative Jim O’Day and witnesses from Control Z supported the bill, describing it as a tightly controlled, medically supervised pilot with DPH oversight, limited sites, and screening requirements. Committee members asked about the number of sites and whether Column Health still existed; witnesses said the bill contemplated three separate pilot programs and that Column Health no longer existed after being purchased by another company. The committee also heard testimony on S. 1405 to make the drug stewardship program permanent by removing its 2026 sunset date. Senator John Keenan and others said the program helps collect and safely dispose of unused medications, reduces diversion, and should remain in place because manufacturers should bear disposal costs. A member from Boston added support based on local concerns about people searching through bags for drugs, and Keenan explained the original sunset reflected pilot status and industry pushback. A large portion of the hearing focused on S. 1394 and H. 2193, which would strengthen implementation of the 2023 Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform. The Children’s Mental Health Campaign, Parent/Professional Advocacy League, Massachusetts Association for Mental Health, and Elliott Community Human Services testified that the roadmap’s helpline, community behavioral health centers, and crisis services are important but unevenly implemented. They urged a single point of accountability within EOHHS, regular strategic planning, a public data dashboard, and financial analysis of the behavioral health system and the access and crisis intervention trust fund. Witnesses said commercial insurance often does not fully reimburse community behavioral health center services, making sustainability difficult, and asked for better coordination across agencies and crisis response systems. Committee members asked whether the roadmap includes substance use disorder; witnesses said it is intended to cover behavioral health broadly, including mental health and substance use. The committee also heard testimony on bills to ban aversives and on suicide prevention signage. Lisa Jean Graff testified in support of S. 1394 by urging a statewide ban on aversive practices, including electric shock, withholding food or bathroom access, and other painful interventions, arguing disabled people deserve the same protections from harm as others. Fonda Bryant and Carol McLean supported a bill requiring suicide prevention signs on tall parking garages, describing personal experiences and saying the signs could create a brief pause and connect people to 988 or other help. McLean said her son died by suicide from a parking garage and that signage might have made a difference. The committee also heard strong testimony in support of creating intensive stabilization and treatment units within DMH facilities (S. 1398/H. 2204), with the Massachusetts Nurses Association and a DMH nurse arguing that highly assaultive patients need specialized, more secure units to protect staff and other patients and to improve care. Additional testimony supported creating a dedicated board for licensed mental health counselors (H. 4696/S. 1382), with Rep. John Badger, the Mass Mental Health Counselors Association, and others saying LMHCs are a large and growing workforce that needs its own licensing board, clearer standards, and faster implementation of existing licensure reforms. The committee also heard extensive testimony on H. 2223 regarding benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics. Survivors and advocates described severe withdrawal, lack of informed consent, cognitive harms, and long-term disability, while a physician supported the bill as a way to improve disclosure of risks. Finally, the committee heard multiple witnesses in favor of H. 2231/S. 1383 to establish peer-run respite centers statewide. Advocates and people with lived experience said peer respites provide non-coercive, home-like alternatives to hospitalization, can reduce trauma and repeated admissions, and may be especially important for marginalized communities; they also cited cost savings and existing positive outcomes from current respite programs. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the hearing portion reflected in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• And yes, data centers.
• Yes, these data centers, the size of your desk, do use water.
• I am not opposed to data centers. We have an example here in our state.
• We had another two gigawatt natural gas data center announced for Lee County.
• or doing anything with the data.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm showing you torts data, not DES data, and it is slightly different based on timing and other things
• Again, this is tort data. This is not DES data.
• The data is driven by substantial injury.
• Number one, data. Number two, meaningful access and a procedure that is...
• The other important factor and data point that I want to make sure is all...

Summary: The committee held a work session on tort liability and parole, with the chair explaining that the topics were linked because criminal justice reform and state liability often intersect, especially in cases involving child welfare and corrections. Staff first outlined Washington’s tort liability framework, including the state’s broad waiver of sovereign immunity, statutes governing mandatory reporting and investigation of abuse, the childhood sexual abuse statute of limitations, and the lack of caps on non-economic damages. Staff and presenters also compared Washington to other states and noted that Washington remains among the broadest states for state liability and childhood sexual abuse claims. Presenters from the Attorney General’s office, Washington State Association for Justice, DCYF, DSHS, and DOC discussed how tort exposure has grown, especially in claims involving DCYF, historical child abuse, juvenile rehabilitation, vulnerable adults, employment discrimination, medical negligence, and negligent supervision. DCYF and AG staff said claims and payouts are rising, with many claims tied to older abuse and new theories of liability, while defense counsel emphasized the human harm behind the claims and argued that tort cases have historically driven accountability and reform. Agency witnesses said they face large volumes of old claims with limited records, rising verdicts and settlements, and staffing and systems challenges, and they highlighted efforts such as early resolution programs, electronic health records, medication-assisted treatment, and improved incident review processes. The committee then shifted to parole. Sentencing experts reviewed Washington’s move from indeterminate sentencing to the current determinate sentencing system under the Sentencing Reform Act, and explained how parole could be integrated with sentencing guidelines through different models used in other states. They also summarized Criminal Sentencing Task Force recommendations related to a determinate-plus approach for three-strikes and persistent offender laws and a second-chance review process, noting there was no consensus on those ideas. Judges from the Minority and Justice Commission and the Superior Court Judges Association said a parole system could support rehabilitation and reduce disparities if it includes data collection, fairness, transparency, due process, and meaningful judicial review; they also pointed to research suggesting parole and structured reentry can reduce recidivism and costs, while warning that access and outcomes can vary by geography and other factors.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first one discusses the migration of HPC servers and data into DIR's data center. services, shared
• Data Bank, as the agency does not assess a licensing fee associated with the National Practitioner Data
• This will ensure that the agency is reporting. and using accurate data to help us make strategic, data-driven
• That is not data that we collect, sir.
• data. because we did a survey.

Committee: House Appropriations - S/C on Articles VI, VII, & VIII

Transcript Highlights:

• the teachers should be collecting data on the accommodations.
• they—how they're collecting the data—is with fidelity?
• and make sure they're collecting that data in order to write good IEPs.
• My data, I monitor my data, I monitor my timelines with my team. I set expectations.
• We can certainly provide more information on the staffing and some of the data.

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

Summary: The committee held its first meeting and received an overview of the Pre-K-12 education appropriations jurisdiction and base budget. Staff explained that education funding is driven largely by enrollment and per-student formulas, with most money coming from state and local sources. The presentation highlighted the major budget areas: early learning, the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP), non-FEFP K-12 programs, federal programs, and the State Board of Education. Members asked about instructional materials funding and how scholarship students who return to public schools are counted and funded; staff explained that instructional materials remain in the base and that funding depends on survey timing, with districts ultimately funded through the enrollment count process. The committee then reviewed federal IDEA funding for students with disabilities. Department of Education officials explained how IDEA Part B funds are split between state set-asides and local educational agencies, and noted that Florida ranked fourth nationally in total IDEA Part B funding and received a 95% state determination for meeting IDEA requirements. They also described the bureau’s responsibilities, including monitoring, dispute resolution, instructional support, and the Hope Florida unit for ages 3 to 5. Members asked for more information on student performance outcomes and how the state measures success beyond compliance, and the department agreed to provide follow-up data. The final major topic was the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS), including associate centers, multidisciplinary centers, and specialized centers for deaf/hard of hearing and visually impaired students. Presenters described services such as child find, family support, assessments, professional learning, accessible instructional materials, and technical assistance. Committee members focused on whether families and schools have equal access to services across the state, how IEP disputes and reevaluations are handled, and whether more support is needed for parents, teachers, and rural districts. FDLRS representatives said they do not write IEPs but help connect families to districts, provide training and assessments, and support compliance and data collection; they also emphasized staffing and resource needs, especially for low-incidence disabilities and multilingual family outreach.

Transcript Highlights:

• And to me, I'm really glad you brought up the data center issue because to me it really epitomizes the
• And to me, I'm really glad you brought up the data center issue because to me it really epitomizes the
• Only the tax cuts for the wealthiest, billionaires, data centers.
• As far as the revenue side, data centers, I don't believe that data centers actually need the tax cuts
• That's a direct result of a lot of these data centers sucking up a lot of energy.

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, roll call, and several guest recognitions, including a student honored for a national Mandarin speech contest, a Ms. Black Arizona candidate, and a Madison Elementary School reusable-tray pilot program. The body also recognized interns and approved the prior journal. The chamber then moved through Committee of the Whole calendars and adopted committee reports recommending passage of a series of budget-related bills. The main legislative business centered on the 2026-27 budget package and related omnibus measures, including appropriations, budget implementation, capital outlay, commerce, criminal justice, environment, health care, higher education, human services, K-12 education, state property, revenue/taxation, and transportation bills. Most of these measures were advanced with do-pass recommendations, with repeated debate focused on the tax omnibus and the overall budget’s policy choices. Supporters argued the package provided affordability, tax relief, conformity with federal tax changes, reduced government spending, and reforms to entitlement and other programs; opponents argued it favored corporations and wealthy taxpayers, cut health care, food assistance, housing, tourism, wildfire response, and education, and would forfeit federal matching funds. Several members specifically criticized the failure to close the data center tax exemption and to raise sports betting taxes, while supporters defended those provisions as pro-business and pro-growth. There was also discussion of fund sweeps, including university research funds, housing trust funds, and other agency balances, with opponents saying the sweeps targeted encumbered or already-committed money. After debate, the Senate adopted Committee of the Whole reports and advanced the bills, and later took up House bills introduced and placed on third reading, with members explaining their votes on HB 4138, the General Appropriations Act, largely along party lines. At the end of the session, the Senate processed messages from the House requesting the return of SB 1160 and SB 1786 for reconsideration, and the Senate requested the House return HB 2415 for reconsideration. The chamber also introduced and placed several House budget bills on third reading, including HB 4138 through HB 4153, continuing the budget process.

Transcript Highlights:

• Only the tax cuts for the wealthiest, billionaires, data centers.
• As far as the revenue side, data centers, I don't believe that data centers actually need the tax cuts
• That's a direct result of a lot of these data centers sucking up a lot of energy.
• .would be enough revenue in conjunction with the data centers to reverse many of these cuts.
• cities, our constituents, talking about how the data centers...

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, when we prepare forecasts, we are analyzing a large amount of data, and the forecast represents the
• Becker will discuss this in more detail, but the lack of access to relevant federal data, due to the
• ,</c><00:18:09.600><c> as</c> of federal statistical data, as of federal statistical data, as previously
• The missing data previously discussed.
• that we have available to historic data that we have available to us. us. us.

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• If the data is not there, then they're not going to issue the tags.
• If the data is not there, then they're not going to issue the tags.
• If the data is not there, then they're not going to issue the tags.
• If the data is not there, then they're not going to issue the tags.
• If the data is not there, then they're not going to issue the tags.

Committee: Joint Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

Transcript Highlights:

• According to USDA data from 2022, According to USDA data from 2022, California ranks 38th in SNAP participation
• release of 2024 data was delayed by the federal shutdown.
• National data shows that formerly incarcerated people experience unemployment at around 27%.
• So a few years ago, that just happens to be the latest data.
• If we had real-time data, we are hopeful that it's higher than 81%.

Summary: The joint hearing focused on CalFresh enrollment, food insecurity, and the effects of the recent federal shutdown and H.R. 1 on California families. Opening remarks emphasized that the shutdown delayed SNAP/CalFresh benefits for the first time in the program’s history, prompting emergency state, county, and local responses such as Operation Feed California, county emergency funds, food bank expansions, and Alameda County’s temporary food distributions and gift card support. Members also framed the issue as both a hunger and affordability crisis, noting that California produces abundant food but still has high rates of household food insecurity. The first panel reviewed food insecurity data and program impacts. PPIC’s Tess Thorman said about 13% of California households were food insecure in 2023, with higher rates among households with children and among Latino and Black households, and explained that CalFresh, school meals, and WIC significantly reduce poverty and hunger. Nourish California’s Betzabel Estudio described food insecurity as a policy choice and outlined state policy efforts such as Food for All, Thriving Transitions, and expansion of the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT program. The California Association of Food Banks said demand remains high, food banks are serving millions monthly, and federal cuts and reduced TEFAP food supplies are worsening the strain. The second panel gave a CalFresh program overview from CDSS and Alameda County. CDSS reported that CalFresh participation has improved, with California’s participation rate rising from 67% in 2020 to 81% in the latest federal data, and highlighted recent successes including the minimum nutrition benefit pilot and the revived fruit-and-vegetable incentive program. Officials also warned that H.R. 1 will add work requirements, reduce eligibility for some immigrants, and create future cost-sharing pressures for the state and counties. Alameda County described local caseloads, application declines tied to fear and uncertainty, and efforts to reduce error rates and support students, older adults, and other hard-to-reach groups. A student CalFresh ambassador testified about the burdensome application process and the need for more outreach and basic needs support on campuses. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational, with members discussing possible future legislation, outreach funding, and state backfill strategies.

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 2674 requires the California Air Resources Board to make landfill temperature and monitoring data
• AB 2674 requires the California Air Resources Board to make landfill temperature and monitoring data
• Trace data, the data points tracing the flow of a firearm from construction or importation to the first
• Trace data, the data points tracing the flow of a firearm from construction or importation to the first
• Previous legislation also allows data sharing with the California Firearm Violence Research Center at