Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, we're also, uh, we looked into shared services certification program.
• ,</c><00:59:39.359><c> support</c><00:59:39.760><c> services</c> what vital services, support services
• what vital services, support services that<00:59:40.400><c> we</c><00:59:40.640><c> provide,</c><00:
• </c> Reliability and the service interruptions associated with aging infrastructure.
• I think you've services. So, thank you.

Summary: The meeting began with roll call, adoption of the minutes, and brief remarks, including birthday recognition for Representative Maseroni and a moment of reflection for a soldier who died during training at Fort Knox. The committee then heard a presentation from Tony Hatton, commissioner of the Department for Environmental Protection and acting director of the Kentucky Division of Water, with Amanda Lefer, deputy commissioner, on the state’s water and wastewater programs and planning. Hatton described Kentucky’s water resources and the Division of Water’s responsibilities, including watershed and nonpoint source work, KPDES discharge permitting, PFAS response, engineering review of water infrastructure, inspections, public outreach, and sampling. He said Kentucky has 428 public water systems, 263 water treatment plants, about 1.9 million service connections, and nearly 97% of the population has access to municipally treated water. He also noted that the state has 43 systems receiving awards for EPA areawide optimization and emphasized operator training, regionalization, and use of GIS mapping and Kentucky Infrastructure Authority data to support planning and funding decisions. Members raised concerns about aging infrastructure, water loss, staffing shortages, and wastewater problems in local systems. Representative Blandon described severe failures in a city system, including major water loss and sewer backups, and asked whether the state could intervene; Hatton said the division inspects treatment facilities and provides compliance assistance but is not authorized to manage delivery systems, though third-party help and emergency funding can be used in some cases. Senator Smith and others shared similar experiences with line loss and system failures, while Hatton pointed to regionalization and funding support as the main tools available. The discussion also highlighted PFAS as an emerging issue, with Hatton saying the department is working with systems to meet anticipated federal requirements by 2029.

Transcript Highlights:

• Substance abuse, health care, construction, transportation, restaurants, food service.
• </c> that all impacts the amount of services that all impacts the amount of services we<00:52:35.119>
• This has helped numerous lives for our service members who are being discharged from the military.
• This has helped numerous lives for our service members who are being discharged from the military.
• This has helped numerous lives for our service members who are being discharged from the military.

Committee: Senate Labor

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> service to keep these prices affordable. service to keep these prices affordable.
• else's service territory.
• Um our our service power company.
• </c> protects the member service territory. protects the member service territory.
• </c> &gt;&gt; Next up is the Public Service &gt;&gt; Next up is the Public Service Commission.

Committee: Joint Minerals, Business & Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:21:35.799><c> because</c> to get these positions expedited because to get these positions expedited
• Forest Service. Yeah, but this is a departure from the current approach, right?
• </c><01:53:10.560><c> are</c> the the entire State Civil Service are the the entire State Civil Service
• </c> if we give ex them there's Civil Service if we give ex them there's Civil Service they're<01:54:
• You haven’t compromised DOCARE’s other service.

Transcript Highlights:

• You either e either services, right?
• </c> a clinician panel um that that service a clinician panel um that that service was<00:21:28.880><
• </c> This looks to me like uh an expedited This looks to me like uh an expedited uh<00:36:45.760><c>
• Legislative services one in here.
• </c><02:14:46.400><c> possible</c><02:14:46.800><c> cost</c> service at the lowest possible cost service

Summary: The subcommittee first took up House Bill 525, which would have transferred administration of the program for the deaf and hard of hearing and the related board to OPLC. The chair said the sponsor was no longer interested in moving forward, and Representative Schmidt moved ITL. The motion passed 14-0 with two members absent, and the bill was placed on the consent calendar. The committee then considered Senate Bill 182 on the maternal mortality review committee. The chair described a narrower amendment that would keep the name change, clarify operations so recommendations are returned to the appropriate entities, and expand contact with family members and close contacts, while dropping a proposed addition of a Department of Corrections member. The amendment was adopted unanimously, and the bill was then moved ITL and placed on the consent calendar. Senate Bill 185, dealing with OPLC investigations and backlog reduction, received an update from OPLC General Counsel Nicholas Fry. He described efforts to improve public communication, clear the complaint backlog, standardize intake and expert review, add automated responses and website updates, use weekly legal-viability reviews, create preliminary investigation protocols, and establish a process for law-enforcement referrals. Members asked about board involvement and criminal-conviction cases; Fry said boards are kept informed and that such matters can proceed either through complaints or application/background-check processes. Representative Groa requested a follow-up update in January, and the committee agreed to an oral report then if needed. The bill was then voted ITL unanimously and placed on the consent calendar. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 349 on optometrists performing ophthalmologic laser procedures. Dr. Angelique Sawyer testified in support, saying the amendment adds more specific proctoring and qualification requirements, based on language requested after earlier hearings, and that similar systems exist in other states. Representative Sers confirmed that the new sections were the key additions, while Representative Schmidt said he remained open to the concept but wanted a thorough review and asked about a subcommittee. The discussion was still ongoing when the transcript ended, with no vote recorded on HB 349.

Transcript Highlights:

• As it relates to provisions on transmission planning, we've been working on expediting the transmission

Committee: House Utilities and Energy

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy heard two bills focused on electricity affordability and utility costs. AB 745 would restructure the California Climate Credit by shifting it from lump-sum bill credits to direct reductions in volumetric electricity rates, with the credit timed to summer months when bills are highest. The author and supporting witnesses argued this would better help households during extreme heat and could lower summer rates significantly; supporters also urged consideration of applying the gas climate credit and targeting low-income customers. There was no formal opposition, and the bill passed unanimously, 18-0, to the floor. The committee then took up AB 825, a broader affordability package addressing wildfire mitigation costs, transmission financing, and permitting delays. The bill proposes securitization and removing the first $15 billion of undergrounding capital from utility rate base returns, stronger oversight of wildfire mitigation plans, a public transmission financing program using state and IBank resources, and a task force to review ratepayer-funded programs. Supporters said the bill could produce major long-term savings and improve financing for transmission; opponents and some neutral witnesses raised concerns about liability, wildfire fund participation, impacts on utility credit ratings, and whether the changes could slow undergrounding or destabilize utility finances. After extensive discussion, the committee passed AB 825 to the floor on a 13-0 vote, with several members not voting or reserving their votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Waste Sonoma, Regen Monterey, and Marin Sanitary Service, all in support.
• This risks service disruption, increased cost, and essential services, which translates into higher costs
• Hello, just on behalf of CR and our government services and support.
• C.R. and our services and support. Sarah Bridges on behalf of E. Miller Industries.
• So that's really a delegation of service under that regulation or statute.

Summary: The committee heard extensive testimony on AB 2218, which would declare state policy to recognize and address water-related inequities affecting California Native American tribes and require several state agencies to incorporate that policy into water-related decisions. The author and tribal witnesses said the bill would codify a seat at the table for tribes and build on existing consultation and equity commitments, while supporters from environmental and tribal organizations backed the measure. Opponents from municipal utilities, water agencies, cities, counties, agriculture, and business groups argued the bill was too vague, could create uncertainty for water supply and project approvals, and might invite litigation. The chair signaled support, and the author said the bill was intended as a consultation measure rather than one that would usurp agency authority. The committee then took up AB 1795, a wildfire smoke-damage bill that would establish statewide standards for inspecting, testing, and remediating smoke-damaged homes and create clearer insurance claim handling rules. The Department of Insurance supported the bill, saying it would bring consistency and accountability after major urban-interface fires, while wildfire survivors and advocates said current insurer practices leave families unable to safely return home. Insurance and local government groups opposed unless amended, warning about cost, implementation uncertainty, and the bill’s scope. Members discussed unresolved issues, including how the bill would interact with a separate wildfire health-and-safety bill, whether it would apply to existing policies, and how presumptions and testing standards should work. The committee voted AB 1795 out on a due pass as amended motion to Appropriations. AB 1642, another wildfire-related bill, was also heard and focused on setting science-based testing and clearance standards for homes, schools, and businesses after urban and wildland-urban interface fires. The author and a Caltech scientist described contamination from lead and other heavy metals in fire-affected homes and argued for a presumption that certain contaminants found after a fire came from the wildfire, to reduce costly disputes. Survivors and many advocacy groups supported the bill, while insurers and other industry groups opposed, saying the testing regime was too broad, the geographic scope was unclear, and the presumptions could function like strict liability and raise insurance costs. Senators pressed both sides on how AB 1642 would overlap with the CDI smoke-claims task force and with AB 1795, and the author said the two bills were intended to be complementary and would continue to be reconciled. The committee also briefly heard AB 1976, which would create a CEQA exemption for pedestrian malls and limit certain local procedural delays for pedestrian and traffic-calming projects. Supporters said it would make it easier to create safer, more walkable, and more livable streets, and there was no opposition testimony. The chair described it as a narrow CEQA exemption for active transportation-related projects and indicated support. The committee then moved on to AB 2026, a groundwater recharge permitting bill, with the author explaining that it would streamline permitting so more recharge projects can capture floodwater and store it for drought years; testimony on that bill began as the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:32:02.080><c> liaison</c> constituent services liaison constituent services liaison establishment
• House Bill 1037, Public Service Commission Broadband and Voice Over Internet Protocol Service Study.
• </c> House Bill 446, health dementia services House Bill 446, health dementia services and<01:42:53.280
• House Bill 1015, Developmental Disabilities Services, Expedited Eligibility Determinations for Recently
• Disabilities Services, Developmental Disabilities Services, Expedited<02:02:59.080><c> Eligibility</

Transcript Highlights:

• Business services supported residential services.
• for your phone service.
• , not just to voice service.
• service standards, right?
• or improve their service.

Committee: House Communications and Conveyance

Transcript Highlights:

• individuals who, in that pre-sentencing process, are actually found to be eligible for other community service
• So if there is a bias there that's already built into the current eligibility, we're just expediting

Bills: SB1636 , SB1584 , SB1730 , SB1255 , SB1627 , SB137 , SB2062 , SB1470 , SB1284

Committee: Senate Public Safety

Summary: The Public Safety Committee took up a series of bills dealing with cold cases, sexual assault investigations, parole, criminal code cleanup, jail backlog relief, private prison oversight, and human trafficking. SB 1636, by Sen. Hicks, would let an immediate family member or similar person request an OSBI investigation in a cold case; it passed 8-0. SB 1584, by Sen. Burns, shortened the deadline for submitting sexual assault evidence kits for forensic testing and required kits received after the effective date to be processed within 30 days; it passed 8-0. SB 1730, by Sen. Thompson, required law enforcement to forward sexual assault reports to OSBI to help identify repeat offenders, with testimony that the reports would remain confidential and could still be expunged where applicable; it passed 8-0. The committee also approved SB 1255, by Sen. Yack, which shifts the authority to request medical parole from the DOC director to the DOC medical director while leaving parole board and gubernatorial discretion intact; it passed 8-1. SB 1627, by Pro Tem Paxton, was a request bill to consolidate redundant and obsolete criminal statutes into a cleaner code, and it passed 9-0 after questions about underlined language in the committee substitute. SB 137, by Vice Chair Hamilton, would remove DUI causing great bodily injury from eligibility for DOC’s electronic monitoring program after a case highlighted what sponsors described as a loophole; it passed 9-0. SB 2062, by Sen. Pugh, sought to reduce county jail and LARC backlog by allowing certain low-level, nonviolent offenders to bypass county jail waiting periods and report directly to their assigned facility after screening; members raised concerns about flight risk, logistics, transportation, and county impacts. Pugh agreed to continue working on the measure and requested a struck title, and the bill passed 7-1. SB 1470, by Sen. Brooks, as amended, would allow elected officials and religious leaders to conduct informal inspections of private prisons operated for out-of-state interests, with a three-day notice requirement and definitions added to narrow the scope; it passed 8-0. Finally, SB 1284, by Vice Chair Hamilton, aimed at combating human trafficking in exotic entertainment venues by creating licensing and inspection requirements and penalties for unlicensed operation or knowingly hiring unlicensed performers. The bill drew extensive debate over whether it was too punitive or could sweep in lawful businesses, but supporters said it would help identify trafficking victims and improve oversight; it passed 7-1. The committee adjourned after the final vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Military service becomes more worthwhile to pursue when the rewards of that service are valuable.
• Thank you for your service.
• Additionally, we encourage Congress to focus on improving the transition services for service members
• , including service-disabled veterans.
• Half of them are... service-disabled.

Committee: Senate Senate Veterans' Affairs

Keywords: veteran services, homelessness, unemployment, VA funding, mental health, congressional oversight, testimonies, American Legion, Dole Act, suicide prevention

Summary: This meeting focused on veteran services, emphasizing the urgent need to address the alarming rate of unemployment and homelessness among veterans. Numerous testimonies were presented detailing the impact of mass furloughs and cutbacks at the VA on personnel, notably veterans who were serving as employees. Various representatives expressed deep concern over how these firings could drastically affect the quality of care available to those who have served the nation. There was a strong call for Congress to bolster funding for existing programs aimed at alleviating veteran homelessness and improving overall care quality, especially in mental health services.

Transcript Highlights:

• Into four services, if they're enrolled in Medicaid outside of the Indian Health Services, they get services
• So, Indian Health Services.
• If it's fee-for-service, which Indian Health Service is fee-for-service... service, then we pay whatever
• services.
• School-Based Medicaid Services.

Committee: House Federal Funding Stabilization Subcommittee

Transcript Highlights:

• We've concentrated services in just a few counties.
• We don't want to see any cuts to DD services.
• We don't want to see any cuts to DD services.
• Thank you so much for your service. Thank you. Rashi?
• Thank you so much for your service. Thank you. Rashi.

Summary: The House Appropriations Committee opened with committee guidelines for the 2026 session, including limits on testimony, amendment deadlines, confidentiality expectations, and professionalism rules. Chair Ormsby also reviewed housekeeping for the public hearing, noting the meeting was recorded and live streamed, and that testimony would be limited to one minute because of the large number of sign-ups. The committee then began its work session on Governor Ferguson’s proposed 2026 supplemental operating budget, presented by OFM Director Katie Chapman, who outlined the state’s fiscal pressures: higher caseloads in major programs, a revenue forecast decline of about $390 million, federal policy changes tied to H.R. 1, inflation, and a relatively small ending fund balance. She said the governor’s budget solves about a $2.3 billion shortfall through nearly $800 million in spending reductions, revenue shifts, fund transfers, use of about $1 billion from the Budget Stabilization Account, and some tax preference changes, while also making targeted investments in areas such as child welfare, behavioral health, wildfire response, housing, and IT modernization. Chapman also explained that the proposal does not fully balance over the four-year outlook under the state’s statutory assumptions, but said the governor relied on the budget-balance law’s exception tied to BSA use and low employment growth. A question from Rep. Connors about credit ratings was answered with the view that the impact is difficult to predict and that Washington’s strong pension funding and balanced-budget framework remain positives. The public hearing drew testimony from state officials and many advocates, most of whom opposed specific cuts or fund shifts in the governor’s proposal. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs objected to proposed sweeps from the corporations and charities fund and the library archives account, citing prior cuts, layoffs, cyberattack-related costs, and the need to upgrade aging systems. Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove urged restoration of wildfire prevention funding, saying the proposed amount was still $30 million short of the commitment in House Bill 1168 and that underfunding would increase suppression costs and risk to communities. Many education witnesses opposed reductions to Working Connections Child Care, transition to kindergarten, local effort assistance, Running Start, and higher education across-the-board cuts, arguing they would harm access, equity, and workforce development. Higher education leaders from community colleges, the University of Washington, Western Washington University, and Evergreen State College described staffing cuts, program reductions, and pressure on student services, while K-12 groups and OSPI said the budget would deepen existing funding gaps. A large portion of testimony focused on human services, health, housing, and civil legal aid. Child welfare and youth-serving organizations supported some targeted investments but opposed cuts to child care, child welfare network administration, and youth programs; advocates for foster youth, homeless youth, and mentoring programs asked for continued or increased funding. Health care and long-term care providers warned that proposed Medicaid and rate changes would reduce access for seniors, people with disabilities, and safety-net patients, while Planned Parenthood and abortion access advocates urged full restoration of the Abortion Access Project and related reimbursements. Housing and legal aid witnesses backed the governor’s proposed right-to-counsel funding but asked for more support, and homelessness advocates sought contingency funding for federal housing programs. Crime victim and domestic violence service providers repeatedly said the proposed $12 million was far short of the roughly $21.38 million needed to avoid service cuts and closures. Other testimony addressed the Climate Commitment Account shift for the Working Families Tax Credit, with environmental advocates opposing the diversion of CCA dollars and workforce advocates supporting the governor’s economic security and employment programs. No votes or formal committee action were taken during the hearing portion described in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Number 2 specific services are provided by the program.
• But we also have parents services and then those parents services.
• There's also provide consultations, technical assistance, pre service in-service training for families
• that those services are not being diminished in with the services that would be provide in in the panhandle
• These services will provide the services to families.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Human Services. Human Services. &gt;&gt; Good<03:13:45.520><c> afternoon.
• </c> CEO for One Sky Community Services. CEO for One Sky Community Services.
• </c> particular to the DD service system. particular to the DD service system.
• </c> funding for syringe services programs. funding for syringe services programs.
• ><04:59:00.878><c> service</c> communities without syringe service communities without syringe service

Committee: House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• of course is first and foremost Services of course is first and foremost to<00:36:31.480><c> be</c><
• </c><00:42:50.920><c> animals</c> fraudulent or untrained service animals fraudulent or untrained service
• dogs weren't well thought service dogs weren't well thought through<00:43:35.119><c> when</c><00:43:
• I'm the bureau chief for public health protection within the Division of Public Health Services, and
• and I'm Erica Davis the Services and I'm Erica Davis the administrator<02:01:33.639><c> of</c><02:01

Summary: The meeting covered two main items. First, the solid waste subcommittee reviewed draft language for HB 707, focusing on landfill siting and permitting standards. Members and the Department of Environmental Services discussed replacing repeated references to “aquifer” with “drinking water well,” clarifying that aquifer is a broad term, and considering whether a statutory definition was needed. They also debated the bill’s setback and time-of-travel provisions, including the 10^-5 standard, a 1,500-foot distance, and whether the bill should rely more on performance-based criteria than prescriptive distances. Another major topic was permit denial language tied to applicants with significant histories of repeated serious violations or landfill-related litigation; the department said it already has related authority in current rules, but noted some wording was still too vague and could be tightened. No vote was taken, and the chair closed the hearing with plans to continue work later. The second item was a work session on HB 424, which would direct the Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food to create forms for businesses to request information about service animals and establish a study committee on fraudulent or untrained service animals. Several members said the problem raised by the bill was real but expressed concern that the legislature may be limited by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Others argued that a study committee would likely not produce a workable solution and might conflict with leadership’s direction to avoid unnecessary study committees. Members discussed whether the bill should be retained, amended, or instead replaced with a letter or resolution to the federal delegation. The committee appeared to lean toward ITL and possibly pursuing a letter to federal officials, but no final vote is reflected in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Inadvertently, hospice services, assistance services, and habilitation services were left out. ...strikes
• Health care services with an A or B recommendation from the United States Preventive Services Task Force
• there can be a multitude of services.
• Specificity of service.
• This bill, obviously, is expanding their scope and their licensure to outpatient services past ER services

Bills: SB227 , SB269 , SB407 , SB463 , SB527 , SB547 , SB1283 , SB1380 , SB1383 , SB1511 , SB1640 , SB1784 , SB2069

Committee: Senate Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• That service hasn't come easy.
• One of them is preventive services.
• We looked at their service plans, we tried to help them find services that they could complete on time
• We have more services in more places.
• We have prevention services, in-home services, a plethora of... laws that have changed to try to help

Bills: HB18 , HB37 , HB 116 , HB388 , HB879 , HB913 , HB 1151 , HB2216 , HB2358 , HB2809 , SB577 , SB1590 , SB1782 , SB1887 , SB2744 , HB18 , HB37 , HB116

Committee: Senate Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> leadership for their 30 years of service leadership for their 30 years of service to<00:06:14.319
• </c> service. And above all, a dear friend. service. And above all, a dear friend.
• </c><00:23:25.760><c> I</c> prioritize service opportunities. I prioritize service opportunities.
• </c> youth are for help with legal services. youth are for help with legal services.
• </c> service relationship. service relationship.

Transcript Highlights:

• And what steps can the department take to expedite the process?
• Chair and members, Alicia Priago here on behalf of Kiva Brands and Kiva Sales and Services, one of the
• Chair and members Alicia Priago here on behalf of Kiva brands and Kiva sales and services, one of the

Summary: The joint informational hearing focused on the Department of Cannabis Control’s report on the condition and health of California’s cannabis industry. Department staff reviewed the evolution of state cannabis law, the creation of the current regulatory framework, licensing and compliance efforts, and enforcement against illicit cannabis and hemp-derived intoxicating cannabinoids. The department said the licensed market has grown in production and retail units sold, while active licenses and retail sales value have declined, and that the illicit market remains a major competitive factor. The department also highlighted consumer education efforts, product testing and recalls, and coordination through the state enforcement task force and other agencies. The department’s economist said the data show continued growth in licensed production and a rising share of consumption through the licensed market, but falling wholesale and retail prices have reduced overall industry value. He identified major headwinds as taxes and fees, illicit-market competition, local prohibitions that limit retail access, regulatory costs, and broader business pressures, while noting opportunities in product innovation and possible hemp-market changes. Committee members pressed the department on enforcement, public health concerns, equity ownership and employment, delays in grant administration, pesticide testing, and whether the legal market is truly viable for small businesses and farmers. Several members argued that stronger enforcement and lower costs are needed, while one member raised concerns about cannabis-related health harms and said the hearing focused too narrowly on supply-side issues. Public commenters from industry groups and advocacy organizations largely echoed concerns about high taxes, regulatory burdens, limited retail access, and the size of the illicit market. Many urged the Legislature not to let the excise tax rise from 15% to 19% and called for tax relief, compliance reform, more enforcement, and broader retail access. Some speakers said the report was too optimistic and did not reflect business failures, debt, and closures, while others emphasized the need to protect small farmers, address wildfire insurance, and support equity businesses. No votes or formal actions were taken; the hearing was informational only.