Transcript Highlights:

• This bill also requires ALPR operators to require data security training and data privacy training for
• SB 1013 implements a maximum data retention time of 30 days for license plate reader data.
• to which ALPR data can be compared.
• And so I appreciate the protections that are here in the bill on the use of the data, the data systems
• The bill says shall not use customer ratings as the only or primary input data used to assist an employer

Committee: Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> uh and so these are federally regulated uh and so these are federally regulated homes<00:25:41.600
• This is either federal, state, or independent data.
• This is either federal, state, or independent data.
• The last date there was data for manufactured homes, the average was $127,000.
• </c> legitimate concern and that regulations legitimate concern and that regulations protecting<00:47

Summary: The House Standing Committee on Local Government met for its first meeting of the year, established a quorum, and heard two bills. House Bill 211, sponsored by Representative Chris Lewis, would create a definition for cigar bars and allow indoor cigar smoking in qualifying establishments if they meet criteria such as deriving at least 15% of gross income from cigar-related sales, restricting entry to those 21 and older, prohibiting cigarettes and vaping, and requiring a smoke-free area for deliveries. Lewis and Louisville Metro Council member Anthony Pantini described the bill as a small-business and tourism measure modeled on Tennessee law, while the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and a St. Elizabeth physician opposed it, arguing it would undermine local smoke-free ordinances and expose patrons and workers to harmful secondhand smoke. Several members raised local-control concerns, and Lewis said he was open to local governments making decisions on less restrictive approaches. The committee adopted a committee substitute and then approved HB 211 on a roll call vote, with multiple members voting yes and several no votes, sending the bill forward as amended. The committee then heard House Bill 160 from Representative Susan Whitten, with Logan Haynes of the Kentucky Manufactured Housing Institute. They said Kentucky faces a housing shortage of roughly 200,000 units and that starter homes are increasingly unaffordable, making manufactured housing an important part of the solution. Whitten said the bill would treat manufactured housing more like site-built housing while still allowing local governments to enforce cosmetic standards such as roof pitch, exterior facade, and foundation material, and she emphasized that HOA, deed, and historical preservation restrictions would remain in place. Haynes argued that modern manufactured homes are federally and state inspected, more energy efficient, faster to build, and more affordable than site-built homes, and he said the bill would not open the door to older-style mobile homes or single-wides except in limited narrow-lot situations. Representatives from the Kentucky League of Cities and the Kentucky Association of Counties expressed concerns about the bill’s current language, saying land-use decisions should remain local and warning that the definition of qualified manufactured home and the bill’s treatment of local standards could have unintended consequences. They said they appreciated Whitten’s willingness to work with them and indicated they hoped to continue negotiating amendments as the bill moved forward. No vote on HB 160 was taken during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• justice data, including data collection, retention, dissemination.
• our data.
• So we need to have consistent definitions for our data, how we label our data, right?
• Each system has its own identifiers for each data field. Data definitions are different.
• to 2023 data and more recent data instead. ...based on 2021 to 2023 data and more recent data instead

Committees: Joint Judiciary , Joint Judiciary Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 6 is a collaborative, data-driven approach to unlocking California's ability to build more housing
• It's about right-sizing our regulations to the type of housing.
• And one of the things we did there, which you've reminded me, and I appreciate your input right now,
• Both the data and our experience show that the fair housing analysis has not been completed before the
• I'd like to begin by thanking the committee and staff for their work and input on this bill. Mr.

Committee: House Housing and Community Development

Summary: The committee heard several housing-related bills, beginning with AB 6, which would direct HCD to convene a working group to study whether small multifamily “missing middle” projects of three to ten units could be built under the residential code instead of the commercial code. The author and supporters argued this could reduce construction costs and help produce more affordable infill housing; there was no opposition testimony. The bill later passed the committee 10-0 to Appropriations. Members then heard AB 48, a higher education facilities bond proposal that would fund safety upgrades, deferred maintenance, modernization, disaster recovery, and student and employee housing at UC, CSU, and community colleges. UC, CSU, and several public commenters supported the measure, while members raised concerns about affordability, prioritization, and the scope of the bond; the author said amendments would remove a proposed property tax burden increase. AB 48 passed 9-0 to Appropriations. AB 76, which makes technical changes to Chula Vista’s University Innovation District and clarifies how student and employee housing counts toward affordable housing requirements, also drew support and no opposition, and passed 10-0. The committee also approved AB 595, which creates a state homeownership tax credit pilot program to help finance affordable for-sale housing. The author and supporters said it would address California’s low homeownership rates and racial homeownership gaps without reducing rental housing funding. After quorum was established, the bill passed 11-0 to Appropriations. The consent calendar, including several other housing and human services bills, was approved 8-0. Finally, the committee took up AB 1165, the California Housing Justice Act, which would require ongoing annual state investments and a financing plan to address homelessness and housing affordability. The author, a UCSF homelessness researcher, and a person with lived experience testified in support, emphasizing that one-time funding is insufficient and that sustained investment is needed. The bill passed 10-0 to Appropriations. The committee also heard AB 609, a CEQA infill housing exemption bill that would streamline approvals for qualifying housing near existing development; supporters framed it as a targeted reform to reduce delays, while opponents from environmental justice, labor, and tribal groups raised concerns about loss of public participation, affordability, displacement, and consultation protections. The author said he would continue working with opponents on amendments, and the bill was still under discussion at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Unfortunately, in too many states, government regulations have made it nearly impossible for insurers
• Those provide data that insurers and communities use to predict and prepare for storms.
• California actually required that in law, but never implemented that in regulation.
• Yes, it's been very successful, very dynamic in the state regulators.
• So it's really about state regulation.

Committee: Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee

Keywords: homeowners insurance, natural disasters, insurance costs, climate change, disaster preparedness, federal policies, bipartisan solutions

Summary: The meeting reviewed critical issues surrounding the rising costs and accessibility of homeowners insurance across the United States, particularly in light of increasing natural disasters linked to climate change. Members engaged in extensive discussions regarding the implications for families and the economy, citing significant increases in premiums and decreasing availability of policies in high-risk areas. Supervisor Peysko highlighted the direct impact of federal policies on local communities, emphasizing the growing burden on homeowners as they face skyrocketing insurance costs amidst a backdrop of environmental challenges and regulatory constraints. The committee expressed a unified call to action for bipartisan solutions, focusing on improving building codes and enhancing disaster preparedness measures.

Transcript Highlights:

• Go to a regulation model, pass legislation and a regulation model, do you...
• Regulate and ban, regulate, not ban. Work with Governor Abbott on this.
• The regulations that we have on alcohol, it's already a regulated product.
• The polls and the data show it's just a matter of regulation. ...for it since 2019.
• HB5 is in regulation.

Bills: HB5

Committee: House Public Health

Transcript Highlights:

• The data is there; it's...
• It's not simply cost data. Number two.
• That data should, we have the ability to have data today, it should drive our decisions, but not take
• We all know good policy relies on good data.
• And not just regulation for the sake of it.

Bills: HB35 , HB138 , HB754 , HB1314 , HB1612 , HB2254 , HB2510 , HB2789 , HB3560 , HB3597 , HB4224 , HB4273 , HB4643 , HB4783 , HB138

Committee: Senate Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• So, a lot of the data I've been looking into, and a lot of the data, especially coming out of the City
• NAS focuses on production data.
• </c> grab pull that data data down and filter grab pull that data data down and filter out<00:58:54.240
• when we look at production data when we look at wholesale<00:59:03.599><c> data</c><00:59:04.599><c>
• </c><01:20:21.840><c> from</c> data what you guys do with the data from data what you guys do with the

Committee: Senate Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs

Summary: The joint committees heard testimony on Senate Bill 103, relating to electric vehicle batteries, and then moved to Senate Bill 995, relating to renewable fuel. On SB 103, the Department of Health and the State Energy Office supported the measure, and Redwood Materials said it supported the bill’s intent but requested an amendment to add a battery recycler to the commission. Other testimony on SB 103 included support from several individuals and organizations, with one opponent noted. A committee member also raised a possible deadline change requested by the Alliance of Automobile Innovation for future work on the measure. The bulk of the hearing focused on SB 995, which would create tax incentives for sustainable aviation fuel and related renewable fuel production. Supporters included the Hawaii Renewable Fuels Coalition, Pono Pacific, Hawaiian Airlines/Alaska Airlines, the Tax Foundation, PAR Hawaii, Pacific Biodiesel, and others. Supporters said the bill would help build a local SAF industry, encourage camelina and other feedstocks, and advance decarbonization goals. Several supporters also said they had proposed amendments or technical comments and stood on their written testimony. Opposition testimony argued the bill could allow toxic waste feedstocks, such as construction and demolition waste, into fuel production, and questioned whether the incentives would truly benefit Hawaii farmers or consumers. One opponent said the bill’s benefits could flow to the producer and to imported feedstocks rather than to local agriculture, and another questioned the scale of local land and water available for camelina production. Committee members pressed witnesses on acreage, water use, expected yields, the role of PAR Hawaii’s refinery investment, and whether the state would be subsidizing a business decision that might not produce significant local fuel. No vote or final action was taken in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Number one, the EPA regulations continue to lower the standards.
• Number one, the EPA regulations continue to lower the standards.
• So I appreciate your input, gentlemen.
• So I appreciate your input, gentlemen.
• And so after they get the data, what do they do?

Transcript Highlights:

• They had different meetings and input from the public.
• as well as Wildlife and Fisheries alligator program data.
• It's not going to be a regulation, but the purview of the department itself.
• It's not going to be a regulation, but the purview of the department itself.
• The Coast Guard do regulate inland fishing where saltwater regular waters are.

Committee: House Natural Resources & Environment

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> a really good example of how one data a really good example of how one data set<00:02:48.640><c>
• They use they essentially share data.
• Inputs matter in meat and tasting food. Inputs matter in meat and dairy<00:08:07.759><c> production.
• It's just Um, the data is out there.
• So why are we using national data?

Bills: HF3718

Committee: House Agriculture Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• What are the data requirements long term? Who keeps that data? Who has access to the data?
• What are the data requirements long term? Who keeps that data? Who has access to the data? ...term.
• Who keeps that data? Who has access to the data?
• Any other input from the committee? Any other input from the committee? Representative Fiefia.
• I think some of the concerns about this bill are valid around security, data storage, and data usage.

Committee: Joint Government Operations Interim Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• The data is clear.
• Opponents argue that nuclear microreactors are different; the cost data says otherwise.
• I'd like to see more data, more research, more information.
• And lastly, the data centers, that's one of the issues.
• And lastly, the data centers, that's one of the issues.

Summary: The committee heard several bills and one resolution focused on recycling, housing affordability, air quality, coastal protection, wildfire resilience, and nuclear policy. AB 2559, by Assembly Member Ward, would require local governments to return refundable construction and demolition permit deposits if compliance documentation is submitted within three years of final inspection; supporters said it would prevent homeowners and developers from losing deposits due to mismatched local deadlines, and it passed unanimously as amended to Appropriations. AB 1704, by Assembly Member Gonzalez, would require CARB to assess the cost of lower-embodied-carbon building materials and pause the embodied-carbon program if cost parity is not reached; supporters framed it as a housing affordability safeguard, while environmental groups argued it would delay implementation of a key climate law. The bill passed on a party-line vote to Appropriations. AB 2349, by Assembly Member Solache, would create regional air quality incident response centers for emergency monitoring and coordination; it drew strong support from air district and local government representatives and passed unanimously to Appropriations. ACR 149, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the California Coastal Act and Coastal Conservancy, highlighted coastal access, habitat protection, and climate adaptation; it passed the committee, though some members voted no. AB 1960, by Assembly Member Bennett, would let Cal Fire fund community-level wildfire hardening projects through the Wildfire Prevention Grants Fund; members raised questions about funding and implementation, but it passed to Appropriations. AB 2254, the Coastal Monarchs Protection Act, would require coastal local governments to add monarch overwintering protections when updating local coastal plans; supporters cited steep monarch declines and economic benefits, while local government groups opposed the mandate as duplicative and burdensome, and it passed to Water, Parks and Wildlife. AB 2253 would restrict deceptive recycled-content claims and mass-balance accounting practices; supporters said it would protect consumers and real recyclers, while business groups argued it would conflict with recognized accounting systems and EPR programs. The transcript also included AB 1757, which would create a limited carve-out from California’s nuclear moratorium for microreactors; supporters said it could provide clean, local power and support data centers, while opponents warned of cost, waste, and safety risks. The committee ultimately rejected AB 1757 on a divided vote, then granted reconsideration, and the discussion continued without a final action shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• And the director of DPS can create any rules or regulations necessary to implement that. All right.
• The original bill relied on a certain set of FBI data in order to rank the prioritization.
• That data doesn't exist. So they asked us to do something different.
• This really focuses on seniority as opposed to non-existent FBI data. Clear it up for everybody.
• You might be able to list those out in the stakeholder section specifically to make sure their input

Committee: House Crime and Public Safety

Summary: The Committee on Crime and Public Safety met with a quorum and first took up several bills in executive session. House Bill 2323, relating to a domestic violence registry, was discussed as a private law-enforcement database for domestic abuse offenders; members noted it was similar to other registry bills already advanced, though some said it differed in details. House Bill 2530, described as the scrap metal bill, was also voted do pass without discussion. House Bill 1882 was withdrawn from consideration after members noted it had been rolled with another bill and had been sent back from fiscal review and Rules. The committee then adopted a House committee substitute and two amendments for House Bill 3332, which concerns public safety personnel recruitment and retention and employment benefits for first responders; the substitute removed additional degree programs from scholarship eligibility and the amendments fixed scholarship prioritization language and removed a sunset from the line-of-duty death benefit. HB 3332 was voted do pass. In public hearing, Representative Justice presented House Bill 3174, Missouri’s version of Alyssa’s Law, requiring each school employee to have access to a wearable panic alert system tied to local emergency responders and school personnel. He said the bill is subject to appropriations and would use a qualified vendor list; members questioned cost, funding, liability, and whether schools could already implement such systems. Support testimony came from Lori Alhadeff, Alyssa’s mother, who described the Parkland shooting and argued that faster alerts save lives, including in medical emergencies, and from a teacher who said the system would help in both active shooter and non-shooter emergencies. No opposition testimony was offered. Representative Williams then presented House Bill 3434, which would create a Missouri statewide sexual assault response task force to examine reporting, investigation, medical response, advocacy, and prosecution and report recommendations by December 31, 2028. She said the task force would build on progress made reducing the sexual assault kit backlog but address ongoing inconsistencies across jurisdictions. Members asked about overlap with a prior expired task force, appointment structure, and whether the group should include more medical or law-enforcement representatives. Support testimony from the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence described the history of the kit backlog, the Telesane program, uneven services across the state, and the need for continued coordination and accountability; the Missouri Emergency Nurses Association also supported the bill, citing the need to address both rural and urban response challenges.

Transcript Highlights:

• I want your input as we write next year's budget.
• So let's move on to the Office of Financial Regulation.
• And how about the credit union regulation, the chief of credit union regulation?
• I don't have that comparative data handy.
• So now we'll move on to the Office of Insurance Regulation. The Office of Insurance Regulation...

Summary: The subcommittee met to review agency vacancy reports and agency-requested budget reductions, with Chair Lopez framing the discussion around stewardship of taxpayer dollars, agency efficiency, and whether long-vacant positions should be cut or repurposed. Members were given vacancy summaries and asked to focus on how agencies are functioning with current staffing, which positions are mission critical, and whether some vacancies reflect market pay issues, re-engineering of work, or true excess capacity. The chair also noted that agency heads had been asked to provide follow-up information on current openings, average vacancy duration, mission-critical roles, and reasons for vacancies. The Department of Revenue was the first major agency reviewed because it had the largest number of vacancies. Its leadership said vacancies had improved from pandemic-era highs due to market pay adjustments, but that some areas—especially general tax and audit—still had long-term openings. The department explained that some positions are intentionally frozen while work is restructured, that it hires above minimum salary in some cases to stay competitive, and that it is using automation and process changes to reduce backlogs. Members raised concerns about vacancies outside Leon County, out-of-state auditor positions, salary compression, and whether the department should provide a list of frozen positions and the salaries actually needed to recruit. The Department of Financial Services said its long vacancies were concentrated in risk management, law enforcement, and the general counsel’s office, where salaries and competition from private employers and other agencies make hiring difficult. DFS said it was using outside vendors in some areas, had reduced vacancies in its general counsel office significantly, and was willing to identify positions that could be cut, including some from treasury and OAT. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation reported progress in lowering vacancies through statewide recruiting, centralized legal hiring, automation in service operations, and leadership changes in alcoholic beverages and tobacco; it said one recommended cut could be achieved by combining two half-time positions. The Florida Lottery reported a low vacancy rate, said all positions were critical, and explained its longer onboarding time due to extensive background checks; members discussed sales reps, incentives, and the agency’s field-office structure. The Office of Financial Regulation said many of its vacancies were already in the hiring pipeline, with recent vacancies tied to promotions, a death, and internal moves, and noted that it often serves as a training ground for federal agencies. The Office of Insurance Regulation, which had a high vacancy rate concentrated in Leon County, said it had been reducing vacancies from a much higher level and was still working through hiring and administrative constraints.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> uh regulations. uh regulations.
• </c> Um, what if it's more than just a data Um, what if it's more than just a data center?
• data data center?
• </c> stoaging storage and managing uh data. stoaging storage and managing uh data.
• </c> corporations and it's data centers only. corporations and it's data centers only.

Transcript Highlights:

• That we like that data.
• That data— isn't that data going to be useful in determining the language of this TBL?
• And we don't have that data.
• put regulations. you're going to put the data, capture that data, and with that, you're going to put
• regulations on remote services.

Summary: The subcommittee heard an overview of the governor’s IHSS budget proposals and extensive testimony from the Department of Social Services, Department of Finance, the Legislative Analyst’s Office, county representatives, labor, consumer advocates, and advocates for older adults and people with disabilities. The administration described IHSS as a large and growing program serving more than 900,000 recipients, and outlined three proposals: shifting the cost of growth in authorized hours per case to counties, eliminating the backup provider system, and aligning IHSS terminations with Medi-Cal terminations. The LAO said the overall budget estimates appeared reasonable but raised concerns about the hours-per-case proposal, including the lack of a comprehensive root-cause analysis, the limited control counties have over statewide cost growth, and uncertainty about how the baseline and savings would work. CWDA, SEIU, and consumer advocates strongly opposed the hours cost shift, arguing that counties use state-designed tools, that demographic changes and rising need explain much of the growth, and that the proposal would pressure counties to cut services and destabilize care. The chair and members repeatedly questioned the administration about the proposed baseline, the claimed savings, and whether the measure effectively circumvents the county maintenance-of-effort agreement. On the backup provider system, the administration said the statewide program is underutilized and administratively expensive, and proposed eliminating it to save about $3.5 million. The LAO suggested the Legislature consider whether administrative costs could be reduced while preserving some version of the program. County and consumer advocates opposed the cut, saying the system is a critical safety net when regular providers are unavailable, especially in rural areas and for people with complex needs. They argued that low utilization reflects the difficulty of finding emergency backup care, not lack of need, and that many counties already rely on local backup systems or other models. Committee members also pressed for better data on requests, fulfillment, and administrative costs, and discussed whether the state could support local alternatives instead of eliminating the program. The final topic was the proposal to align IHSS terminations with Medi-Cal terminations by automating the process when recipients fail to complete Medi-Cal redeterminations. The administration said this would reduce General Fund costs by about $86 million by preventing payment of IHSS in the residual program when recipients are no longer eligible for Medi-Cal, while also automating reinstatement when Medi-Cal is restored. The LAO noted the proposal has been rejected in prior years and suggested improved notice and communication to recipients as an alternative. CWDA and advocates warned that the change could create gaps in care, especially for people who lose Medi-Cal for procedural reasons, and urged additional safeguards such as better notices, faster reprocessing, and automatic reinstatement. Members questioned how many people would be affected, how the residual program currently works, and whether providers could go unpaid during the gap; the department said the automation is already built and would be activated if the proposal is approved. No votes were taken during the discussion, and the committee moved through public comment and questioning without final action on the proposals in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• That's based on the actual claims and cost data.
• And there's been representation about data that exists.
• A report summarizing data isn't the actual data. So I think that's one question.
• On page 28 of that report there is a complete page summary on how the data was aggregated, the data that
• So those are some of the inputs on how that data was selected. Sorry.

Committee: House Communications and Conveyance

Transcript Highlights:

• Giving the legislative full access to CHFS data to promote collaborative, effective, data-driven, and
• Giving the legislative full access to CHFS data to promote collaborative, effective, data-driven, and
• </c> government laws and regulations. government laws and regulations.
• ,</c><00:31:20.000><c> through</c> that, if we find through data, through that, if we find through data
• Without data, we govern in the dark.

Transcript Highlights:

• Data about being the sixth highest in the basket we're playing.
• Just really briefly, do you have data for... Thank you, Madam Chair.
• Just really briefly, do you have data for...
• My next question is about The data centers.
• We need a statutory scheme to regulate, these.

Committee: Joint Economic & Rural Development & Policy Committee