Transcript Highlights:

• They need to strategically pair those HAP funds with other local, state, and federal funds, funds such
• This round also added two stakeholder engagement categories: federally recognized This round also added
• Federally recognized tribes need to be part of the process for developing these homelessness regional
• government, that the state or the federal government is getting the result that they are hoping for
• And cities, mayors particularly, will drive outcome to that direction.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Accountability and Oversight held a hearing on California’s homelessness funding, focusing on the Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention (HAP) Grant and the Encampment Resolution Grant Program. HCD described new accountability requirements, including regional action plans, stronger reporting and expenditure conditions, housing-element compliance, encampment response plans, and public dashboards that track fiscal spending, service outcomes, and encampment resolution status. Officials said the goal is to use the data to identify underperforming grantees, provide technical assistance, and, if needed, withhold or reallocate funds. Local officials from San Diego, Fresno, and Santa Cruz said the programs have helped expand shelter, outreach, and permanent housing, and that state dollars have leveraged local and federal resources. Mayor Todd Gloria said San Diego has used HAP to expand shelter and safe sleeping options, reduce downtown encampments, and increase housing production, but argued the state’s new accountability website is too high-level and does not fully reflect countywide conditions, behavioral health outcomes, or the role of continuum-of-care partners. Fresno officials said HAP and other state funds helped the city add shelter beds and reduce homelessness, while Santa Cruz emphasized that state funding helped build local coordination and draw in federal vouchers. Members pressed the panel on whether HAP is actually reducing homelessness, what the best success metrics should be, and whether the state is getting full, usable data from grantees and subcontractors. Several members asked for more granular jurisdiction-level reporting, better tracking of nonprofit spending, and clearer measures beyond point-in-time counts and “people served.” HCD said it is still improving HMIS participation and data quality, but can already show outcomes such as exits to permanent housing and returns to homelessness. The hearing ended with broad agreement that transparency is important, but disagreement remained over the best measures of success and how much emphasis should be placed on housing, prevention, shelter, and treatment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please direct your attention to the gentleman from Boone. Gentleman from Boone. Thank you.
• When I decided to go this direction with this bill, I was asked to... Thank you.
• We have federal agents in our streets ripping people out of their homes.
• But they direct the people who can. That's something to think about, lady. Thank you.
• But they direct the people who can. That's something to think about, lady. Thank you.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and approval of the previous day’s journal by roll call vote, 102-1. Members then used points of personal privilege and special guest introductions to recognize constituents, advocacy groups, students, school officials, physical therapy advocates, domestic violence service providers, and others. One member delivered an emotional statement about the arrest of the suspect in his sister’s 26-year-old murder case, thanking law enforcement and prosecutors involved in the cold-case investigation. The chamber then took up House Bills 2097 and 1905, a measure to expand an agriculture education pilot program into a statewide option for elementary schools. Supporters from both parties described it as a way to teach children where food comes from, connect agriculture with literacy and math, and encourage interest in farming and related careers. The House adopted the committee substitute and perfected and printed the bills. Members also considered House Bill 2167, which would codify and expand authority for Attorney General investigators and, through amendments, address House and Senate security officers and certain other state officers. Debate centered on whether the bill improperly broadened the original subject and whether it would give too much arrest power or create safety and constitutional concerns. One amendment to the amendment failed on a roll call, 62-68-1, but the House adopted the St. Charles amendment 61-43 and then perfected and printed HB 2167 as amended. Finally, the House took up House Committee Substitute for House Bills 2747 and 2047, a clean-slate/automatic expungement bill. Supporters said it would give people who have completed their sentences a second chance and improve access to jobs and stability; the sponsor also explained a related change limiting death-penalty sentencing in hung-jury cases so judges would not impose death in that circumstance. The House adopted an amendment requiring expungements to be shared with consumer reporting agencies, then adopted the committee substitute and perfected and printed the bill as amended. The House also announced upcoming events and then recessed until 2 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so as we move forward in this new learning direction, New Mexico has not fallen behind.
• You want to take an online course, you're going to get pushed in that direction, right?
• They do not provide direct operational support for the radio station.
• The bill also gives the board control over financial direction.
• The majority of your statutes are organized to direct what happens under that structure.

Committee: Senate Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• this is direct new tax revenue over 10 years.
• So what funds are Being directed towards the infrastructure.
• They're building a directed energy network in space.
• But I've been, you know, versus the federal match. How are we?
• At those matches with the federal government, Mr. Chair, Mr.

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• And the federal government, because of the federal enhanced match, is covering $70 million of it.
• And the federal government, because of the federal enhanced match, is covering $70 million of it.
• And this is direct.
• And as I mentioned, we make direct contacts with 988.
• So when you call 911, you can get a direct dispatch to 988.

Summary: The Assembly Select Committee on California’s Mental Health Crisis held an informational hearing focused on the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline and the broader crisis response system around it. Chair Pellerin and Assembly Member Schiavo opened with personal remarks about the importance of the issue and the need to strengthen California’s crisis infrastructure, especially as federal actions and funding uncertainty threaten services for youth and LGBTQ+ callers. The hearing was organized into panels covering state implementation, county coordination, and community crisis services, with public comment to follow. State officials from CalHHS, DHCS, Cal OES, and the 988 California Consortium described progress since AB 988 and the five-year implementation plan, including governance structures, statewide network buildout, call-routing technology, public awareness campaigns, and integration with Medi-Cal mobile crisis services. They said California has created or enhanced more than 485 mobile crisis teams, built crisis stabilization and residential facilities, and expanded youth behavioral health supports such as BrightLife Kids and Soluna. They also noted ongoing work to replace lost Trevor Project support with enhanced LGBTQ+ youth training, and to develop a 988 resource directory and future public awareness campaign. Cal OES explained that the 988 surcharge is recalculated annually based on budgeted needs and fund balance, and that text-to-911 and next-gen 911 interoperability are being expanded. County and community witnesses emphasized that the system is still strained by rising demand and uneven local integration. Lake County described a peer-led rural mobile crisis model that has reduced law-enforcement holds and helped place residents into housing, but said 988 calls still do not reliably route to the county’s mobile crisis team and that rural counties need more flexible funding, vehicles, technology, and reimbursement support. Santa Clara County reported strong performance metrics and major growth in 988 call and text volume, but said sustained funding is needed to support staffing, text/chat expansion, and commercial payer reimbursement. The Mental Health Association of San Francisco said the California Peer Run Warm Line is a key part of the continuum of care, but recent budget changes forced cuts to Spanish-language services, federation support, and hours, despite high demand. Across the hearing, members and witnesses agreed that 988 is saving lives but still misses thousands of calls each month and needs more stable, multi-year funding, better coordination, and clearer roles among state agencies, counties, and crisis centers. Witnesses repeatedly called for stronger feedback loops, better integration between 988 and mobile crisis dispatch, and more investment in staffing, technology, and outreach so Californians can be connected to the right help without unnecessary law enforcement or emergency room involvement.

Transcript Highlights:

• Complying with state and federal law, making an appropriation.
• a federally declared natural disaster requiring reimbursement contracts.
• a federally declared natural disaster requiring reimbursement contracts.
• limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for federal
• for federal officials.

Transcript Highlights:

• So they directed us, our engineering program, to work with WSDOT.
• As you've been hearing, those trends were going in the wrong direction.
• As you've been hearing, those trends were going in the wrong direction.
• This is federally funded at this time.
• evidence-based programs at the federal and state level.

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met in Yakima to focus on tribal traffic safety, with members and Yakima Nation leaders emphasizing the importance of safety, the right to travel, and continued partnership on U.S. 97 corridor improvements. Yakima Nation Vice Chair Christopher Wallachie and engineering staff described the Tribal Traffic Safety Committee, the U.S. 97 safety project, heritage connectivity trails, roundabout construction, and the use of federal grants and advanced sensing technology to identify hazards before crashes occur. They highlighted collaboration with WSDOT, the Traffic Safety Commission, the University of Washington, and other regional partners, and explained that the goal is to move from reactive crash response to proactive risk reduction. The Yakima Nation engineering team and AI Vision presented the MUST sensor project, which uses compact AI-enabled devices to collect traffic counts, speeds, near-miss events, roadway conditions, and pedestrian activity, with data transmitted to a dashboard and used for real-time warnings and longer-term planning. Committee members asked about speed tracking, driver behavior, enforcement, and partnerships with WSDOT and counties. Yakima Nation staff said the relationship with WSDOT has improved over time, especially after community outreach on proposed roundabouts, and that the tribe now supports several roundabout projects and broader safety coordination. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission then presented statewide fatality trends and tribal traffic safety data. Mark McKekney said 2024 showed a roughly 10% decrease in fatalities statewide, though recent years remain among the highest in decades. He noted that race and ethnicity data are only available for people who die in crashes, and that many American Indian and Alaska Native fatalities involve passengers, pedestrians, or bicyclists rather than drivers. Penny Rerick outlined tribal traffic safety coordinator grants and other state-funded tribal projects, including work with Yakama Nation, Colville, Kalispel, Makah, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Muckleshoot, Lower Elwha, and Puyallup, stressing that flexible state funding helps fill gaps left by federal programs and supports community-led solutions. The final presentation covered impaired driving enforcement and ignition interlock compliance in Yakima County. Yakima Police Chief Sean Boyle said the city created a DUI enforcement and education officer program that helped reduce serious injury and fatal impaired-driving crashes, supported by state funding and social media outreach. Yakima County District Court’s Nick Bazan described a supervision program for DUI offenders and interlock compliance, reporting more than 1,000 DUI convictions in 2024-25 and about 3,800 noncompliant interlock users countywide. He said the court is using a two-pronged approach—pretrial assistance for indigent clients and post-conviction accountability and case planning—to improve compliance and reduce impaired driving. The committee expressed support for the work, noted the progress made, and adjourned the work session after thanking presenters for their updates.

Transcript Highlights:

• The legislature also directed the Department of Revenue to convene a work group to review the taxation
• Once a disabled veteran or service member Of two federal home adaptation grants.
• And in speaking with federal and state agencies, J.
• Or may not apply when the full cost of their project is covered by one of the federal grants.
• The federal grant covers the full cost of the project, including both state and local sales tax.

Committee: Joint Citizen Commission for Performance Measurement of Tax Preferences

Summary: The Citizens Commission for Performance Measurement of Tax Preferences met on August 6, 2025, established a quorum, approved the May 7, 2025 minutes, and welcomed new commissioner Scott Edwards. Staff also noted the September meeting was moved to September 22 at 10 a.m. to accommodate his schedule, with written comments due beforehand for the October meeting. JLARC staff then presented preliminary 2025 tax preference performance reviews covering nine tax preferences. For natural gas used as transportation fuel, staff said the preferences reduce fuel costs but did not meet emissions-reduction goals because fewer vehicles and vessels converted to natural gas than anticipated; the auditor recommended continuing the utility and use tax exemptions, modifying reporting requirements, and continuing the marine-use exemption while considering a Department of Revenue work group’s recommendations. For travel agents and tour operators, staff said the preferences provide tax relief but that savings and beneficiary counts are shifting toward larger firms; the auditor recommended continuing the small-business rate with added objectives and metrics, and reviewing the higher rate for larger beneficiaries. For nonprofit low-income housing development, staff concluded the preference helps build homes for low-income households but that the current spending-based metric does not align well with the objective and reporting is inconsistent; the auditor recommended the legislature decide whether to continue it and, if so, consider a better metric and annual renewal. For multipurpose senior centers, staff said the preference meets its objective and recommended continuing it, with possible consideration of making it permanent. For disabled veteran adapted housing, staff said very few eligible veterans claim the remittance and recommended continuing it but modifying it, in consultation with the Department of Veterans Affairs, to improve use. For trade convention attendance, agricultural fertilizer and seed wholesaling, and agricultural crop protection products, staff recommended continuation, with some clarification or revised metrics where appropriate. For energy sales to a silicon smelter, staff said the preferences were unused because the facility was never built in Washington and recommended allowing them to expire. Commissioners asked several questions about the housing, senior center, and veteran-related preferences, focusing on reporting problems, the effect of grants and timing on housing metrics, and whether the veteran remittance is underused because federal grants already cover the tax. The commission also reviewed the public testimony questions to be used at the September meeting, where testimony on the preliminary reports will be heard.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that question may be directed... Perhaps, which is actually...
• Or what questions need to be asked at the federal level.
• Is it federal? Is it state? We have such a problem.
• in that direction.
• in that direction.

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• We are still getting rebates through direct dispense and We are still getting rebates through direct
• I continuing to move it in the right direction and making progress.
• Let's direct that to Chair Hooper. Okay, Chair Hooper. Okay, thank you.
• I'm directed to inform the Senate that the House of Representatives has accepted...
• I'm directed to... HB 5201E. The Honorable Ben Albritton, President.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> grants it's a small percent of federal grants it's a small percent of federal money<00:55:21.480
• </c> the same thing happens at the federal the same thing happens at the federal level<00:56:58.799><
• is from the federal government.
• /c><01:13:09.360><c> government</c> direction is from the federal government direction is from the federal
• You know, this is a federal issue.

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> to the nature of the federal to the nature of the federal prosecutions,<00:04:35.440><c> there</
• </c><00:05:17.039><c> funding,</c> its highest level of federal funding, its highest level of federal
• federal fiscal year.
• </c> prior federal fiscal year. prior federal fiscal year.
• </c> to direct that to them directly? to direct that to them directly?

Summary: The subcommittee first heard from the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet’s Grants Management Division on federal victim-services funding. Staff described the main grant programs they administer, including STOP VAWA, VOCA victim assistance, sexual assault services, Byrne state crisis intervention, and Project Safe Neighborhoods. They emphasized that VOCA is especially volatile because it is funded by the federal Crime Victims Fund, which has declined sharply in recent years, reducing Kentucky’s available awards and forcing cuts to state, local, and nonprofit subgrants. They also outlined steps the cabinet has taken to stabilize funding, including changing the subaward formula, aligning the grant period with the state fiscal year, subawarding one year behind the federal cycle, and retaining a reserve. Members asked about how funds reach victims, how subgrantee amounts are determined, and requested a breakdown of grant recipients and amounts; staff said they would provide that information later. The committee then received a detailed presentation from the Department of Juvenile Justice on alternatives to detention. Commissioner Randy White and staff explained that ATDs are short-term, less restrictive placements for low-risk youth, including electronic monitoring, home supervision, group homes, foster care, private child care, community programs, mentoring, evening reporting centers, and in-home wraparound services. They described the referral and approval process involving court-designated workers, detention alternative coordinators, courts, and county attorneys, and said DJJ currently has 16 ATD-related contracts, with placements, programs, and electronic monitoring among them. They also reported that between July 1, 2024, and July 30, 2025, 1,652 juveniles were involved in the process, including 168 diversion cases. Members questioned the cost of juvenile detention versus adult incarceration, whether families pay for electronic monitoring, whether there is a national model for juvenile detention, and what alternatives exist for truancy and contempt cases. DJJ said families do not generally reimburse for electronic monitoring, there is no single national model, and day treatment centers are an important alternative for some youth. The department also said it builds daily routines and wellness education into its facilities, and that more than two-thirds of its programs are evidence-based. Officials said they currently monitor vendor performance through quarterly reviews and can end contracts for poor performance, but that data tracking is still largely manual. They said the new JCOM system, now in pilot in the eastern region, should improve reporting and help identify outcomes and recidivism more effectively.

Transcript Highlights:

• Does 911 then direct them to y'all? Mr. Kessler: Yeah, they can actually do direct transfer.
• We are already moving in that direction. Mr. Nau: ...
• We are already moving in that direction.
• James Kessler: Page four is a summary of federal funds for the agency.
• Cyrus Reed: We think that's actually a good use of federal money.

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill before you is an important step in the right direction.
• Chris Stark, Mass Insurance Federation.
• I'm the executive director of the Mass Insurance Federation.
• I'm the owner of a direct primary care practice in Auburn, Massachusetts, and I've practiced primary
• I represent the Manufactured Home Federation of Massachusetts.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Financial Services

Summary: The Senate Committee on Financial Services held a public hearing on late-filed matters, chaired by Senator Paul Feeney and Representative Jamie Murphy. The committee heard testimony on several bills, including S. 2738 on rising insurance costs for manufactured home residents, S. 2739 on creating a fire cistern program, and S. 2732 on direct primary care. Members were reminded to keep testimony brief, and several legislators and local officials testified out of turn as they arrived. The hearing ended with a motion to adjourn, which passed unanimously. On S. 2738, Senator Kelly Dooner, Representative Lisa Field, Taunton Mayor Sean O’Connell, Taunton City Council President Barry Sanders, and several residents and local officials described sharp premium increases, limited carrier options, and confusion over coverage for manufactured home communities. Testifiers said many residents are seniors, veterans, or low-income households on fixed incomes, and urged creation of a special commission to study the market and recommend solutions. Some asked that residents themselves be included on the commission and suggested more immediate relief if possible. On S. 2739, fire chiefs from Hopkinton and East Hampton supported a state fund for fire cisterns, saying many communities lack municipal water or hydrants and need reliable year-round water sources for structure fires, wildfires, and newer hazards such as lithium-ion battery fires. They said cisterns improve response and can affect insurance ratings, but maintenance and installation costs are difficult for local departments to cover. The Massachusetts Insurance Federation opposed the funding mechanism, arguing that insurance assessments are being used as revenue generators and warning that the proposal would add to policy costs and trigger retaliatory taxes. The committee also heard strong support for S. 2732 from physicians and specialty groups, including Dr. Jenny Labonte, Dr. Wendy Cohen, Dr. Rica Nair, and the Massachusetts GI Association. They said the bill would allow direct primary care physicians to make referrals for HMO patients and permit in-office dispensing of medications, which they argued would improve access, continuity of care, medication adherence, and affordability. No votes were taken on the bills during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I can headed in the same direction.
• So that it would read to the extent consistent with federal law.
• So that it would read to the extent consistent with federal law.
• So I take back the federal government.
• </c> money to pay back to the federal money to pay back to the federal government. government. government

Summary: The continued conference on House Bill 609 focused on reconciling House and Senate drafts dealing with firearms and other personal defense tools, local government preemption, and agency rulemaking. Representative Leyon walked through amendment 21107H, explaining that it narrows undefined terms, clarifies that the General Court has supremacy over local regulation, allows damages actions for violations of preemption law, and adds language limiting agency rules unless specifically authorized by statute. She also described a three-year sunset and a delayed effective date for new rules so existing rules could continue temporarily while the legislature considers any needed statutory carveouts. Members then debated the practical effect of the language, especially whether it would bar agencies from adopting internal employment rules or instead require those rules to come through JCAR and be tied to express statutory authority. Several examples were discussed, including state plow drivers, corrections employees, and other workers who may need to carry personal defense tools in the field. The committee also discussed a provision making a plaintiff a prevailing party if a municipality changes a challenged policy after suit is filed, and a clause stating that good faith or advice of counsel is not a defense, though it may be considered in mitigation. The discussion narrowed to the difference between the House approach, which some members read as an absolute prohibition on agency rules in these areas, and the Senate approach, which some members said would allow rules only when an agency can point to express enabling authority and JCAR can review them. Members agreed that the goal was to prevent agencies from adopting rules that conflict with the statute while still allowing legitimate safety-related regulations where the legislature has authorized them. The conference took a recess and later resumed with the chair stating the parties had reached an agreement in principle based on the latest Senate language, and Representative Leyon was asked to continue reviewing the draft line by line for remaining concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• Unfortunately, right now we are going the opposite direction.
• Additional federal actions have targeted Minnesota with threats to take away federal funding for Medicaid
• Additional federal actions have targeted Minnesota with threats to take away federal funding for Medicaid
• Additional federal actions have targeted Minnesota with threats to take away federal funding for Medicaid
• Additional federal actions have targeted Minnesota with threats to take away federal funding for Medicaid

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:16:25.839><c> required</c> veterans home if federally required veterans home if federally required
• </c> allows limited duties under direct allows limited duties under direct supervision.<00:25:24.080>
• Uh there's to align with federal law.
• I'm the public policy specialist for Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation.
• Um, on Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation.

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Transcript Highlights:

• [The federal government] didn't allow us a mechanism on how to do it.
• Sarah Flachs, California Federation of Labor Unions, in support.
• This bill is a direct response to that.
• This bill is a direct response to that.
• It's a direct threat to public safety and system reliability.

Committee: Senate Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• :20.399><c> the</c><00:11:20.560><c> very</c> These agencies have been our direct collaborators from
• </c> the country at the state and federal the country at the state and federal level<00:18:58.320><c>
• Um, you know, the federal cost.
• </c> this is paid for in part by the federal this is paid for in part by the federal government<00:37
• </c><00:50:41.680><c> that</c> an advanced healthcare directive that an advanced healthcare directive

Summary: The Committee on Public Safety held an informational briefing on best practices for medical or compassionate release programs used by correctional systems nationwide and how Hawaii’s current approach compares. Kristen Johnson of the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission introduced Molly Crane of Families for Justice Reform, noting that the commission, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the Hawaii Paroling Authority have all been involved in developing proposed legislation, though the bill itself was written by community advocate Bob Merse. Crane described FAM’s work on justice reform and said the group has studied compassionate release programs across the country, including federal reforms, to help Hawaii align with best practices. Crane argued that compassionate release is intended for people who are too ill or cognitively impaired to pose a public-safety risk and who are often the most expensive and resource-intensive people to incarcerate. She said Hawaii is the only state without a compassionate release statute and currently relies on an agency policy, which she described as complex and slow. She cited examples of severe medical cases in custody, including people with advanced dementia, multiple sclerosis, kidney failure, and hospice needs, and said the burden on correctional medical staff, overtime, off-site transport, and specialized care can consume a disproportionate share of staff time and state resources. She also said the recidivism rate for this population is under 1 percent, citing Vera Institute research. Members asked about the source of the recidivism figure, how a statute would streamline the process, and why the issue had not advanced in the past. Crane said the proposed bill would reduce layers in the process by moving cases from the medical director to the director and then to the Hawaii Paroling Authority, with a target timeline of about 30 business days from petition to hearing. Johnson said prior efforts failed in part because the agencies most affected were not included early in drafting and revision, and she said one attempt was vetoed, another was removed in conference committee, and another passed one chamber but did not advance. Johnson also explained that incarcerated people’s medical care is paid entirely by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, with no private insurance or Medicaid/Medicare coverage while incarcerated, making severe cases a direct burden on state funds. No votes or formal actions were taken because the briefing was informational only.

Transcript Highlights:

• We work in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and self-directed home care.
• home care we support and self-directed home care we support HF<00:05:18.400><c> 339</c><00:05:19.280
• that the federal government is considering<00:15:17.839><c> cutting</c><00:15:18.199><c> out</c><00:
• </c><00:15:32.600><c> Republican</c> uh national uh um uh Federal Republican uh national uh um uh Federal
• </c><00:21:09.799><c> CMS</c> of Minnesota rules and the federal CMS of Minnesota rules and the federal

Bills: HF339 , HF1272 , HF2121 , HF2122 , HF1216 , HF1003 , HF2319

Committee: House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy