Transcript Highlights:

• For the record, Greg Atanasio, committee staff.
• Are there any questions of staff on this bill?
• Again, Greg Atenacio, committee staff.
• If we can have a staff briefing.
• Thank you for the staff briefing, Julie. Are there any questions of staff on this bill?

Bills: SB6258 , SB6182 , SB5947 , SJR8206 , SB5823 , SB6292

Committee: Senate Health & Long-Term Care

Keywords: Washington Medical Commission, medical license, license relinquishment, voluntary surrender, nondisciplinary pathway, physician regulation, health professional licensing, disciplinary database, National Practitioner Data Bank, license renewal, license reinstatement, medical board, professional discipline, credential surrender, healthcare regulation, abortion, reproductive health, pregnancy termination, clinic access, abortion access fund

Transcript Highlights:

• Susan Jones, committee staff: Good morning, Madam Chair, members of the committee.
• For the record, I'm Susan Jones, committee staff.
• I'm Jarrett Sacks, staff to the committee.
• Members of the committee, I'm Marlon Yannis, staff to the committee.
• I’m Jared Sacks, committee staff.

Bills: SB5379 , SB6106 , SB6147 , SB6180 , SB5927 , SB6287

Committee: Senate Labor & Commerce

Keywords: interest arbitration, parks and recreation, public employees, labor relations, employee rights, laid-off employees act, WARN notice, mass layoff, business closure, plant closing, worker adjustment and retraining notification, employment security department, employee notice, layoff notice, worker protections, job loss, employment loss, public records exemption, privacy, employee names and addresses

Transcript Highlights:

• committee staff.
• I'm Jarrett Sacks, staff to the committee.
• Members of the committee, I'm Marlon Yannis, staff to the committee.
• Madam Chair, members of the committee, I’m Susan Jones, committee staff.
• And we can have staff, perhaps, or we have also, we have Tammy available.

Summary: The Labor and Commerce Committee heard public testimony on several bills. Senate Bill 618, the Eric Schrauss Memorial Act, would remove the current time-and-exposure qualifiers for the workers’ compensation presumption that certain heart problems in firefighters and law enforcement officers are occupational diseases. The sponsor and family members of fallen firefighters testified in support, describing delayed claims and arguing the bill would spare grieving families from lengthy appeals. Opponents including counties, self-insurers, cities, and L&I’s research staff said the current qualifiers are based on science, warned the change would greatly expand claims and costs, and noted a 2023 advisory committee did not recommend the change. No vote was taken. The committee also heard Senate Bill 5379, which would extend interest arbitration rights to Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission law enforcement rangers. The sponsor and a park ranger testified that rangers are commissioned peace officers who cannot strike and are paid less than comparable law enforcement, leading to staffing shortages and turnover. The bill was presented as a fairness and retention measure. Testimony on Senate Bill 6147, concerning grocery store closures in food deserts, was split: supporters from Tacoma, labor, and local government said a six-month notice requirement would help communities respond to closures like the Fred Meyer shutdown in South Tacoma, while grocers and industry groups argued the bill was too prescriptive, would add legal risk, and would not solve underlying crime and business pressures. Senate Bill 6106, requested by the Employment Security Department, would exempt tribes from the state WARN-style notice law and make employee names and addresses submitted in layoff notices confidential under the Public Records Act. ESD and business groups supported the bill as a clarification and privacy fix, and no opposition was heard. The committee then took testimony on Senate Bill 5927, which would cap future workers’ compensation COLAs at 3%; employers and self-insurers supported it as a way to address volatility and long-term liabilities, while labor, injured-worker advocates, and others opposed it as an across-the-board benefit cut that would erode wage replacement. L&I explained it has been studying possible COLA changes but did not bring forward its own proposal. Finally, Senate Bill 6287 on kratom would restrict adulterated or harmful kratom products, require labeling, set a 21+ sales age, and allow local regulation; supporters backed the age limit and bans on concentrated 7-OH, while some industry witnesses opposed the private right of action and local patchwork rules. The committee adjourned after public testimony; no final votes or executive action were taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• If we could get a staff briefing from Jacob, thanks.
• For the record, Meg McFadden, staff to this committee.
• Any questions for staff?
• So I guess I'll ask staff. Thank you, Madam Chair.
• Right now we have one staff member.

Summary: The Environment and Energy Committee heard testimony on three bills. HB 2426 would allow the Pollution Control Hearings Board, with unanimous agreement of the parties, to use alternative board compositions for appeals, including a single member or other qualified environmental adjudicators, so long as one member is a Washington-licensed attorney and the panel has environmental law expertise. The bill sponsor and supporters from business and conservation groups said it was a narrow, consensus-based change intended to improve efficiency and predictability. ELUHO’s director supported the concept but flagged technical issues in the bill language about attorney and Growth Management Hearings Board member qualifications. HB 2416 would provide no-cost allowances under the Climate Commitment Act to Spokane’s waste-to-energy facility, which is not currently covered until the second compliance period. Supporters, including Spokane officials, labor, and local partners, said the facility protects a sole-source aquifer, provides waste disposal and electricity for about 13,000 homes, and faces large compliance costs that could raise rates and threaten jobs. Opponents from environmental groups and Ecology argued the bill would give the facility preferential treatment, subsidize most of its emissions through 2050, and fail to ensure real emissions reductions; AWB raised concern about market impacts if new allowances are added. No vote was taken. HB 2373 would require electric utilities to offer monthly bill discount programs with tiered income levels, expanded outreach and enrollment, and updated reporting on low-income energy assistance. The sponsor said the bill is meant to make assistance more consistent and accessible statewide, while utilities and rural co-ops warned it could create unfunded mandates and significant rate increases for non-low-income customers, especially in smaller systems. Supporters from community action agencies, Commerce, and some utilities said monthly assistance is needed because energy burdens are rising and current programs are patchwork, though several urged pairing the bill with state funding or amendments. The committee heard extensive testimony but took no final action on any of the bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I wanna thank uh Marquita Russ and her staff for that.
• And with that, I'm gonna have our staff director, uh, Sabina Gaynor introduce herself and her staff.
• We have staff members you can contact there.
• We've maxed our staff out. We've been, we've grown, so we've doubled our staff.
• I would say about 10% of our staff could easily retire today.

Committee: House New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Our staff will take a look at it and then we will reach out to you to get more detail.
• </c> isn't enough done to have agency staff isn't enough done to have agency staff held<00:04:09.280>
• There's a lot of new staff, but money.
• So I need to be able to follow up with people or our staff.
• So I need to be able to follow up with people or our staff.

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

Transcript Highlights:

• everybody else needs officers and staff everybody else needs to<00:07:39.400><c> be</c><00:07:39.720
• to have water on will allow Senate staff to have water on the<00:08:14.800><c> senate</c><00:08:15.360
• to bring our rules nonpartisan staff to bring our rules into<00:16:44.600><c> order</c><00:16:45.240
• and I think it'll be nonpartisan staff and I think it'll be uh<00:21:54.000><c> a</c><00:21:54.159><
• I'm going to confer with staff offline on that, so I will come back to you on that.

Transcript Highlights:

• Any questions for staff? Seeing none, it would be a [questionable: Suji].
• Seeing none, staff, will you go to 2072 for me, please?
• Any further discussion or questions for the staff? Seeing none, that is caucus.
• Seeing none, staff, will you go to 2072 for me, please?
• Staff, have you heard from the sponsor if they concur or not? Member what members, yes.

Summary: The caucus briefly reviewed House Bill 2307, which addresses the placement and treatment of dangerous, incompetent defendants when no secure mental health beds are available in Arizona. Staff explained the Senate amendments would allow one such defendant to be housed temporarily at the Arizona State Hospital in a secure setting, require DHS to study the cost of building or converting a secure facility on ASH grounds, create a study committee on long-term secure mental health facility options, and include an emergency clause. The sponsor said the bill is intended as a temporary fix while the state works toward a permanent secure facility, and noted the individual would receive mental health treatment aimed at restoring competency to stand trial. Members asked about where the person would be housed, whether treatment would be provided, and whether out-of-state compacts might be used if needed. The group then discussed House Bill 272, which as passed the House would have created an optional state certification program for lactation care providers and a related advisory committee under the Arizona Department of Health Services. Staff reported that the Senate adopted a strike-everything amendment turning the bill into an emergency measure repealing Dr. Cesar Estrada Chavez Day. The sponsor, Representative Fink, was reported to concur with the Senate amendments. No votes were taken during the caucus discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our faculty and research staff were able to Hiring faculty and research staff to help support that mission
• Our faculty and research staff were able to Faculty and research staff were able to leverage the funding
• </c> our researchers faculty and the staff our researchers faculty and the staff that<00:25:03.320><c
• 49 clinical staff to do the research.
• </c> water divisions mpca remediation staff water divisions mpca remediation staff and<01:41:46.360><

Committee: Senate Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:

• There are zero staff. These are...
• </c><00:53:36.799><c> position</c> program grants the staff position program grants the staff position
• Is there one staff person or are there multiple staff people that are under consideration here?
• </c><01:02:41.319><c> person</c> staff person is there one staff person staff person is there one staff
• </c> it's just to create that um staff it's just to create that um staff security<01:04:59.520><c> and

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• Maria was charged with assault on a staff member in addition to fighting.
• The principal called this assault on a staff member.
• , but of course Maria had no intent to injure a staff member, hit a staff member, strike a staff member
• member when a staff member pulls them away from the commotion.
• Vice Chair and written testimony to your staff as well. Thank you.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Education

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education held a public hearing on a large slate of bills, with much of the testimony focused on school discipline and student equity. Bills discussed included measures to address inequities in suspension and expulsion, clarify school exclusion rules, reduce discipline for dress and grooming violations, and expand protections related to fair educational practices. Committee members repeatedly reminded witnesses of the two-minute limit and asked for written testimony to supplement oral remarks. A substantial portion of the hearing centered on the RAISE Act and related school discipline bills, including H. 730/S. 376 and H. 731/S. 380. Testifiers from advocacy groups, legal services, and the legislature argued that exclusionary discipline disproportionately affects Black and Latino students, students with disabilities, low-income students, and DCF-involved youth. They said current law is overly broad or unclear in areas such as “assault on educational staff,” indefinite suspensions tied to felony complaints, and definitions of weapons, leading to unnecessary removals from school. Supporters said the bills would add due process, clearer definitions, and better accountability, while one legislator testified in support of the discipline reforms and opposed several other bills on the agenda. The committee also heard testimony on H. 576/S. 368, which would prohibit suspensions and expulsions for dress and grooming violations and require clearer, non-discriminatory dress code policies. Witnesses cited research and personal stories about disproportionate enforcement against Black girls, girls of color, non-binary students, and students wearing religious attire, and said the bill would prevent physical contact used to enforce dress codes. Another major topic was H. 641/S. 349, which would add “special medical status” protections in education; supporters said it would prevent exclusion based on medical decisions or conditions, though members questioned how it would interact with existing disability law and vaccination-related school requirements. The committee also heard testimony on H. 625, which would extend the ban on corporal punishment from public to private schools, with witnesses citing research on harm and disproportionate impact. Additional testimony covered bills on accelerated learning and gifted education, with parents, educators, and advocates saying Massachusetts under-identifies advanced learners and lacks adequate acceleration pathways. A senator also testified for S. 406 on recovery high schools, saying the funding formula should be updated to better support students in recovery. No votes were taken during the hearing; the chair closed testimony on several bill groups and noted that written testimony would remain open for a week.

Transcript Highlights:

• For the record, Ryan G. and any staff counsel to this committee.
• Ryan, do any of the members have any questions for staff?
• Do any of the committee members have any questions for staff?
• Do any of the committee members have any questions for staff?
• For the record, Maya Ita, staff counsel to this committee.

Committee: Senate Law & Justice

Transcript Highlights:

• She excels in her Senate chamber and beyond because of her exceptional staff.
• And in the North Gallery, members, let's acknowledge her staff.
• In the North Gallery, members, let's acknowledge her staff. Thank you.
• I had, my staff had several conversations with Judge Zeller in Victoria and others.
• I had, my staff had several conversations with Judge Zeller in Victoria and others.

Bills: SB27 , SB8 , SB15 , SB30 , SB268 , SB568 , SB650 , SB1405 , SB1540 , SB1610 , SB1637 , SB1660 , SB2024 , SB2217 , SB2308 , SB2753 , SB2878 , SB2900 , SB2972 , SB3059 , HB4 , HB40 , HB46 , HB 119 , HB145 , HB493 , HB705 , HB1545 , HB2017 , HB2516 , HB2885 , HB2963 , HB2974 , HB3642 , HB3909 , HB5138 , HB5246 , SJR36 , SJR50 , SJR63 , SCR12 , SCR39 , SB2023 , SB62 , SB666 , SB847 , SB284 , SB854 , SB810 , SB1505 , SB583 , SB507 , SB1434 , SB1772 , SB2016 , SB1122 , SB731 , SB397 , SB508 , SB1436 , SB287 , SB1882 , SB393 , SB1791 , SB209 , SB2429 , SB1085 , SB1975 , SB2717 , SB1262 , SB636 , SB2056 , SB884 , SB1200 , SB1845 , SB2458 , SB801 , SB3014 , SB3013 , SB758 , SB2797 , SB2076 , SB2876 , SB1640 , SB1449 , SB1181 , SB1234 , SB2926 , SB2841 , SB1528 , SB1854 , SB317 , SB1250 , SB2082 , SB1237 , SB2819 , SB629 , SB2608 , SB1602 , SB2009 , SB867 , SB640 , SB1698 , SB2680 , SB913 , SB1071 , SB1086 , SB1087 , SB1483 , SB1444 , SB1553 , SB1556 , SB1703 , SB2133 , SB2297 , SB2298 , SB2622 , SB2955 , SB2334 , SB1367 , SB2044 , SB2363 , SB2565 , SB1888 , SB3036 , SB3057 , SB3043 , SB3063 , SB3035 , SB203 , SB2688 , SB2522 , SB2459 , SB2655 , SB2251 , SB1884 , SB2928 , SB2566 , SB2549 , SB2553 , SB2919 , SB1944 , SB1232 , SB1798 , SB2603 , SB2607 , SB2683 , SB1319 , SB3045 , SB3071 , HB796 , HB1523 , HB5294 , HB748 , HB3395 , HB180 , HB3171 , HB146 , HB5596 , HB5694 , HB 1135 , HB3225 , HB186 , HB1449 , HB3793 , HB 112 , HB 104 , HB3336 , HB3520 , HB3320 , HB5663 , HB2399 , HB 111 , HB3483 , HB4580 , HB3748 , HB632 , HB4730 , HB5690 , HB5689 , HB3385 , HB4359 , HB5381 , HB 123 , HB5606 , HB 1057 , HB3664 , HCR141 , HCR40 , HCR59

Summary: The Senate opened with an invocation and then took up several recognitions and memorial resolutions, including honoring retiring Senate staffer Kelvin Bass and Secretary of the Senate Patsy Spaw and her staff. Members also adopted a series of local and honorary resolutions, including designating Rockport as the Redfish Capital of Texas, San Antonio as Military City, Texas, and Bridge City as the Corn Dog Capital of Texas, along with memorial and medal-of-honor resolutions for Texans and service members. The chamber also received messages from the House reporting passage of various measures and conference committee actions. The bulk of the meeting focused on conference committee reports and related procedural resolutions. The Senate adopted reports and/or out-of-bounds resolutions on SB 293, SB 1610, HB 46, HB 145, HB 1545, SB 650, SB 1660, HB 40, SB 2217, HB 119, HB 493, HB 3642, HB 2963, SB 2024, SB 2972, HB 2516, HB 2885, and SB 2753, among others. Topics included the Texas Civil Commitment Office, the T-Cup prescription program, wildfire mitigation and utility liability, sunset scheduling, alcohol ID swiping at retail and package stores, business court jurisdiction, election administration and data consistency, foreign adversary lobbying, poll watcher qualifications, road naming, right-to-repair, disguised vape pens, and campus expressive activity rules. Several measures passed with near-unanimous votes, while others drew more opposition, including SB 268 on medical board enforcement and SB 2753 on election procedures. There was extended debate on SB 268, which would shift enforcement authority for scope-of-practice complaints to specialty boards rather than the Texas Medical Board. Senators raised concerns about whether the bill would weaken the Medical Board’s ability to stop unlicensed practice of medicine, while supporters argued that specialty boards should police their own licensees and that criminal referrals remain available for unlicensed practice. The Senate also discussed SB 2972 on expressive activities at public universities, with questions about content-neutral restrictions, who counts as the university community, and whether the bill provides a mechanism to challenge campus time, place, and manner rules. Both bills ultimately passed their conference reports, and the Senate later adopted a large package of resolutions by voice vote before adjourning further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• We'd like to thank him for those conversations and a shout-out to his staff member, Cole.
• We'd like to thank him for those conversations and a shout-out to his staff member, Cole.
• I also want to thank committee staff for their assistance in getting us here today.
• And my staff bought a domain for a few pennies in about 20 minutes.
• It's my staff. He's helping me along the way. Thank you. No, okay. It's my staff.

Committee: House Local Government

Summary: The Assembly Local Government Committee heard a long agenda of bills, with testimony largely focused on housing, Brown Act teleconferencing, local government authority, transit funding, and cybersecurity. The chair opened by emphasizing in-person testimony rules and public order. AB 39, requiring larger cities and counties to plan for electrification and EV charging infrastructure, drew broad support from clean energy, utility, environmental, and local government groups and passed 7-0 to the Utilities and Energy Committee. AB 76, clarifying affordable housing requirements for Chula Vista’s University Innovation District, also passed, 6-1, to Housing and Community Development. The committee then approved several Brown Act-related bills extending or modernizing remote participation rules: AB 259 to extend AB 2449 teleconferencing flexibilities for local agency board members, AB 409 for community college student body associations, and AB 467 for Los Angeles neighborhood councils. Supporters said these measures improve participation, safety, and access; some members raised concerns about overuse and the need for physical quorum and screen-on requirements. All three measures advanced with committee support and were left open for additional members to add on. Other measures advanced included AB 428, allowing water corporations to join joint powers authorities for pooled insurance if it lowers rates or improves service; AB 1007, shortening the housing permit “shot clock” for responsible agencies from 90 to 45 days; AB 632, giving local governments an expedited way to collect penalties for serious code violations such as unsafe housing, fire hazards, and illegal cannabis operations; AB 670, allowing local governments to count preservation of existing affordable housing toward housing goals and requiring broader demolition reporting; AB 761, authorizing Monterey-Salinas Transit to place a sales tax measure before voters with board approval; and AB 810, requiring special districts and JPAs to migrate public websites and email to .gov or ca.gov domains by 2031. AB 810 drew the most opposition over cost and implementation concerns, but it still passed 7-1 after amendments removed school districts from the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• met with them, my staff met with them.
• Do you think it makes sense to lay off half of the staff when right now it is?
• Firing staff, closing field offices, and pulling the plug on phone services.
• . and Santa Crabo staff and then have a session with all the Senate Finance Committee staffs that we
• I also appreciate you taking time to meet with my staff.

Committee: Senate Finance Committee

Keywords: Social Security, Medicaid, Frank Bisignano, Elon Musk, benefit processing, office closures, public testimony, administration policies, health care, vulnerable populations

Summary: The committee meeting focused heavily on the nomination of Frank Bisignano as the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, with intense discussions around the current state of Social Security and its management under the current administration. Members voiced significant concerns regarding potential changes to Social Security and Medicaid, specifically addressing issues such as office closures, delays in benefit processing, and the perceived policies from Elon Musk's association with the administration. Public testimonies highlighted fears that these changes would severely impact the accessibility of benefits for seniors and vulnerable individuals, resulting in a chaotic environment at the SSA. Members expressed a unified opposition to the notion of dismantling these critical programs, emphasizing the long-term implications on their constituents' well-being.

Transcript Highlights:

• Many of these appropriations are allocated to DWR and the Water Board, but we also have staff and members
• Staff are working currently on that by direction from the State Water Resources Control Board.
• So we're going to ask our staff to be trying to work with you to develop those things.
• At our department, we are responsive to the questions in the staff agenda.
• questions that have been created by staff.

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll start with Director Salih, and I know we have LFC staff here.
• It's great to see the staff here. We'll turn it over to you.
• Please feel free to introduce and recognize the staff and describe how you want the LFC staff to proceed
• staff are, so I'm not going to go into great detail.
• Between LFC staff and executive staff, that's probably going to be one of the essential avenues.

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• We have testimony and support from Brigadier General Walter Ross, Director of the Joint Staff, Hawaii
• Our staff had continually tried to connect.
• Our staff had continually tried to connect.
• Our staff had continually tried to connect.
• Our staff had continually tried to connect.

Bills: HB2264 , HB2336 , HB2298 , HB1518

Committee: House Public Safety

Summary: The committee opened by announcing that it would hear testimony but would not take decisions on the day’s bills, with action deferred to a later decision-making agenda. The first measure, HB 2264, would require notification to military security forces when a protective order is issued involving a military-affiliated person. Support came from the U.S. Defense State Liaison Office, the Hawaii National Guard, and DBEDT’s Military Affairs office, all emphasizing better coordination and faster notice to help protect victims and support command oversight. Family Court Judge Jesse Hall supported the intent but asked for deferral, explaining that a prior fax-and-email notification system had broken down and that the military had not re-engaged with the court. The Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence supported the bill but recommended narrowing it so it applies only when the respondent is actually marked as military-connected and delaying the effective date to January 1, 2027 to allow implementation. In questions, members discussed the current breakdown in communication, the number of military-marked TROs statewide, and whether the bill would be necessary if the old system were restored; the military witness said she would try to reestablish contact with the court. The committee then took up HB 2336, which would authorize the Department of Transportation to enter into agreements with the U.S. Department of Defense for services at federal military installations and charge an administrative fee. DOT and the Military Affairs office supported the measure, describing it as a way to speed projects, combine state and federal resources, and strengthen infrastructure that also supports disaster response and the economy. Members questioned why the bill was needed if similar arrangements had existed before, and whether Title 23 federal highway funds could be used; DOT responded that the bill would help expedite projects and supplement, not supplant, federal funding, while each project would still require review of the appropriate funding source. The committee also heard HB 2298, which would allow the Department of Education to award high school diplomas to qualified people whose schooling was interrupted by military service or wartime practices during World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War. The U.S. Defense State Liaison Office, the Hawaii Office of Veterans Affairs, and DOE supported the bill, and DOE said implementation would have only a minimal printing cost. Finally, the committee heard HB 1518, which would require DHS, upon obtaining a federal waiver, to create a pre-release SNAP application process for inmates nearing release by January 1, 2028. DHS said it was already working on a pilot and stood on its testimony; the County of Hawaii, the Correctional System Oversight Commission, the ACLU of Hawaii, and the Hawaii Public Health Institute supported the measure, arguing it would improve reentry outcomes and would not cost the state additional money. No votes or final committee actions were taken on any of the bills during this meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• We will begin with a request for a staff briefing on House Bill 2073 from Megan Morris.
• For the record, Megan Morris, staff to the committee.
• I'm Yvonne Walker, staff to this committee. There is a fiscal note in your EBB.
• We staff and equip these programs the same, and we do not pay our staff differently based on the county
• Emily Poole staffs the Technology, Economic Development, and Veterans Committee.

Summary: The committee heard public testimony on House Bill 2073, which would require nonprofit health carriers with surplus above 600% of risk-based capital to pay 3% of the excess to support the Cascade Care Savings premium assistance program. Committee staff said the bill could generate about $80 million in FY 2027 based on 2024 surplus data, while carriers and business groups argued their reserves are needed to pay claims, manage risk, and avoid premium increases. Supporters said the bill would redirect consumer-funded surplus to help Washingtonians afford coverage, especially as federal subsidies expire. No action was taken on the bill during the hearing. The committee then heard House Bill 2132, which limits disclosure and retention of personally identifying and financial information in WASFA applications. Staff explained the bill would exempt WASFA records from public disclosure, restrict sharing to narrow purposes, and shorten retention periods, with significant fiscal impacts tied to purging records and updating data-sharing practices. Student and advocacy testimony strongly supported the bill as a privacy and safety measure for immigrant and mixed-status students. The committee also heard House Bill 2403, which lowers the penalty for failure to register as a sex offender and adds community custody and DOC supervision; public defense supported it as a cost-saving, consensus reform, and staff projected DOC savings. House Bill 2587 was also heard, creating a Commerce pilot to provide limited advance grant funding to eligible nonprofits; supporters said it would help smaller nonprofits manage reimbursement-based contracts, while staff estimated indeterminate but potentially significant administrative costs. The committee heard House Bill 2607, which would require DCYF to periodically rebase child care subsidy rate regions to better reflect local cost differences. Supporters from Benton and Franklin counties said current regional rates are outdated and unfairly low in fast-growing areas; staff said the fiscal impact was indeterminate. The committee then moved into possible executive session on several bills. Second Substitute House Bill 1170, dealing with generative AI disclosures and provenance tools, was amended and ultimately passed out of committee on an 18-9 vote after all proposed amendments were rejected. Substitute House Bill 1570 was amended to narrow its scope to Western Washington University and then passed out of committee on a 17-9 vote. The committee also began action on proposed Third Substitute House Bill 1710, which would create a state pre-clearance requirement under the Washington Voting Rights Act, but the transcript cuts off during consideration of amendments to that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to take a moment to introduce my outstanding staff.
• And a shout out to your staffs counties.
• Members, let's give them a round of applause. your incredible staff stepping up to your incredible staff
• And our legislative staff, clerk's And our legislative staff, clerk's office,<01:35:01.360><c> sergeants
• ,</c><01:35:07.760><c> and</c> communications, custodial staff, and communications, custodial staff,