Video & Transcript : 'Fix Our Forests Act' :

Page 149 of 500
LA

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

CPRA Jan 21st, 2026

Transcript Highlights:
  • annual plan, for our master plan, but for protecting our agency and our ability to continue to work
  • management and our repairs instead of proactive, and that's the reason for our master plan.
  • So that's one of our strategic plans is to get our message out better. So thank you.
  • federal sponsors, local sponsors, our contractors, and, of course, our consultants.
  • On our right is our partners page.
Summary: The board met at the State Capitol and approved the agenda and prior minutes after brief motions and no public comment. Executive Director Michael Hare then gave a CPRA implementation update, describing a large portfolio of active projects and highlighting several that are under construction, nearing bid, or recently awarded, including Port Fourchon shoreline protection, Caernarvon marsh creation, Schooner Bayou saltwater barrier rehabilitation, Cain Bayou marsh creation, West Shore river reintroduction work, Morganza to the Gulf, Raccoon Island restoration, Chenier-O-Tig ridge restoration, Bayou Pigeon and Dismal Swamp boat launches, Grand Bayou marsh creation, Highway 1 terracing, and several National Coastal Resilience Fund projects. He also noted the annual plan public meetings had concluded, with comments accepted through February 17, 2026, and answered board questions about the Rockefeller shoreline project, saying CPRA and the Corps were working through geotechnical and environmental issues and trying to move it forward. The board then received a joint presentation from CPRA and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on the White Lake Conservation Area and Management Plan. Speakers described White Lake as a 72,000-acre property in Vermilion Parish with major freshwater marsh, wildlife habitat, hunting and fishing opportunities, and aging infrastructure that currently operates on limited self-generated revenue. The plan, finalized in October 2025, focuses on habitat protection, maintaining wildlife, supporting revenue generation, expanding controlled public access, and strengthening partnerships. Proposed priorities include GIWW shoreline protection, Unit 2/Caddo levee stabilization, and north shoreline protection, with about $30 million secured for engineering and design and total costs estimated around $120 million to $130 million. Officials also discussed a possible lodge revitalization funded only with private dollars, broader landscape-level habitat management, conservation incentives for private landowners, and potential land acquisition for additional public access. Board members and agency leaders emphasized the importance of White Lake to waterfowl habitat and public recreation, and one member urged similar management attention for Sabine, Lacassine, and Cameron Prairie refuges. The final major presentation covered CPRA’s marsh creation design guidelines. Staff explained that marsh creation remains a major share of the coastal master plan and current project pipeline, and reviewed how projects are built using dredged sediment, containment dikes, and pipeline systems. They said the 2017 design guidelines were intended to standardize minimum design and construction practices, but are now being updated to reflect lessons learned, current survey standards, geotechnical practices, construction methods, and issues such as oil and gas infrastructure and land rights coordination. Board members asked about reducing unnecessary geotechnical costs, improving land-rights timing, considering unconfined marsh creation where appropriate, and accounting for why marsh areas are failing in the first place. Staff said they would consider those suggestions as part of the guideline update and then moved into a follow-up presentation on safety, access, and logistics for marine construction in the coastal zone.
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

House Ways and Means (04/07/2025)

Transcript Highlights:
  • uh</c> tries to keep our our water bodies uh tries to keep our our water bodies uh private<01:02:14.160
  • </c><01:07:30.640><c> our</c> people out of state to enjoy our our people out of state to enjoy our our
  • And I think it would be difficult to maintain what those units at our even our main, you know, our six
  • And I think it would be difficult to maintain what those units at our even our main, you know, our six
  • </c> those units at our even our main, you those units at our even our main, you know,<01:14:18.560><
Summary: The committee held a public hearing on SB 63, a bill described by Senator Tim Lang and other supporters as a technical correction to the rooms and meals tax distribution formula. Lang said the bill would clarify that the Division of Travel and Tourism’s 3.15% promotional allocation is taken from gross rooms-and-meals revenue before the 30% municipal reimbursement fund is calculated, which he argued restores the intended 2009/2021 structure and avoids an unintended loss to tourism marketing. Committee members raised questions about whether the bill actually changes section one or instead addresses DRA’s interpretation, and whether the measure could be affected by the budget process or HB 2. Jessica Keeler of Ski New Hampshire testified in strong support, saying the bill would preserve the promotional budget formula that had been in place since 2009 and that the 2019 revision effectively reduced the promotional allocation by placing the municipal share first. She said tourism promotion has helped increase visitation, revenues, and jobs, and warned that without a fix, the joint promotional program and other tourism efforts could be cut in future budgets. She also said the bill would not change the current year’s tourism budget but would matter for future cycles. Mike Summers of the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association also supported SB 63, calling it a correction to the 2021 changes and arguing that state tourism marketing is essential because small businesses cannot reach distant markets on their own. He said the industry has benefited from state promotion, especially after COVID, but is now facing softer occupancy rates, lower Canadian visitation, and financial strain from debt and operating costs. Summers said the industry cannot make up for major tourism budget cuts on its own and urged maintaining or increasing travel and tourism funding. No vote or final action was taken at the hearing.
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Housing Feb 4th, 2026

Transcript Highlights:
  • Our last bill in front of you is the proposed substitute to Senate Bill 6237, an act relating to rental
  • We will now move back to our public hearing on the bills on our agenda.
  • We will now move back to our public hearing on the bills on our agenda.
  • We will now move back to our public hearing on the bills on our agenda.
  • We will now move back to our public hearing on the bills on our agenda.
Summary: The Senate Housing Committee met on cutoff day and first considered two gubernatorial appointments to the Housing Finance Commission. Aaron T. McGrath and Ann T. Malone each testified about their housing finance and affordable housing backgrounds, their prior commission or sector experience, and their interest in improving housing affordability and equity. Senators asked brief questions and offered supportive comments, and both appointments were heard without objection. The committee then heard and later acted on a series of housing-related bills. ESHB 1500 would expand resale certificate requirements for common interest communities by adding reserve studies, audits, and governing documents, limiting certain fees, allowing rush service fees, and creating enforcement rights; testimony was split between Realtors, who supported the consumer-protection goals but sought clarifications and more time for rescission, and HOA/management representatives, who warned against limiting third-party processing tools and sought more flexibility. EHB 1501 would require associations to answer certified written inquiries from owners within 30 days, subject to reasonable association rules; the sponsor framed it as a basic right to a response, while HOA representatives supported the intent but asked for clearer limits and coordination with existing law. EHB 1345 would allow detached ADUs outside urban growth areas under detailed guardrails; builders, Realtors, counties, and housing advocates supported it as a rural housing tool, and the committee heard that it had been the product of years of negotiation. In executive session, the committee adopted amendments and advanced several bills. It approved a metering requirement for water use in SB 5470 on detached ADUs outside UGAs, narrowed SB 5729 to permit-review provisions, adopted a substitute for SB 6015 on permit-ready factory-built housing plans, and moved forward SB 6069 on transitional, supportive, and emergency housing with zoning and local process changes. It also advanced SB 1686 on deferred utility connection fees, SB 6200 on portable cooling devices for renters and mobile home occupants after rejecting an amendment to remove window units, SB 6201 creating tax exemptions for social housing agencies, SB 6214 establishing land bank authorities, and SB 6237 requiring flood-risk disclosures in rental housing. The committee then returned to public testimony on ESHB 1500, EHB 1501, and EHB 1345, hearing additional support and concerns, and adjourned after thanking staff for their work on cutoff day.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Committee on Higher Education - 02/26/26

Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:
  • </c> updated to our current moment. updated to our current moment.
  • In addition, our library acts as a hub for regional interlibrary loan services.
  • And those savings matter not only for our budget, but for our students.
  • To cite one example of our work, our Dr. Mary T.
  • </c> our institutions. our institutions.
OK
Transcript Highlights:
  • Act.
  • So this is us fixing our statute, aligning it That this violated the Supremacy Clause.
  • So this is us fixing our statute, aligning it with the federal law, and so that is what we are doing
  • We're going to codify it and fix our statutes that are in error. You recognize for a follow-up?
  • It is our time to stand up for our state's rights. Passing this bill won't fix anything.
Summary: The House recognized several visitors and groups during the day, including the Norman North High School Cheer and Stunt Team, a student page, Bartlesville Day at the Capitol, and Leadership Elk City. The chamber then took up a long series of Senate amendments and final passage votes on a wide range of measures, with most amendments adopted without objection and many bills passing by wide margins. Topics included advanced health care directives, the Oklahoma Rural Jobs Act, motor vehicle and insurance changes, food truck fire suppression, foreign adversary land ownership restrictions, plumbing licensing reform, probate procedure, financial institutions, riots, Medicaid, court reporters, public finance, district attorney recruitment incentives, child care, the Oklahoma Brine Development Act, adjunct teachers, workers’ compensation, and other technical or policy updates. Several bills drew substantive debate. The Oklahoma Rural Jobs Act prompted questions about the additional $15 million funding tranche, return on investment, and the use of out-of-state fund managers; supporters said the program had created thousands of jobs and generated strong tax revenue, while opponents criticized the lack of independent ROI data and transparency. House Bill 3500 on probate procedure also drew questions about a nine-month deadline for successor affidavits, with the author saying the change would prevent a “gotcha” that could defeat a decedent’s wishes. House Bill 3660 on natural organic reduction was the subject of extended debate, with supporters arguing for personal freedom and rejecting claims about misuse of the resulting material, while opponents raised concerns about the practice and its regulation. The House passed most measures by comfortable margins, including bills on advanced health care directives, professions and occupations, motor vehicles, Medicaid, insurance, child care, court reporters, public finance, and criminal law. A few measures failed or were reconsidered: Senate Bill 1916 initially failed on a 46-39 vote, but the House later voted to reconsider and then passed it on reconsideration. Several bills also carried emergency clauses, which were adopted where required by two-thirds votes. The session ended with the House still considering debate on House Bill 3660 after the chamber had recessed and returned to order.
NM

New Mexico 2026 Regular Session

Senate - Conservation Jan 29th, 2026 at 09:13 am

Senate Conservation

Transcript Highlights:
  • health, with our family's health, with our communities, and the costs go on and on.
  • It's in our land and our soil, especially in my district.
  • Then that matters for our farmers and ranchers, as well as for our eaters alike.
  • , and our ranchers to prepare some fat cows, and our meat processors to plan accordingly.
  • of our crop plans.
Bills: SB66 , SB79 , SB108
WA
Transcript Highlights:
  • I don't see any of our other prime sponsors except our own Representative Donaghy, and she serves at.
  • I don't see any of our other prime sponsors except our own Representative Donaghy, and she serves at
  • our pleasure, so we're going to make her wait and go back to the top of our agenda.
  • Our real estate community remains unwavering, ...in our commitment to fair housing practices.
  • We opened our firm.
Summary: The Consumer Protection and Business Committee heard public hearings on several bills related to real estate, self-storage, and consumer disclosures. House Bill 2477 would shorten the time to bring claims against appraisers arising from appraisal reports to two years from discovery or five years from signing, except fraud claims, and would limit liability to specified clients and intended users. The sponsor and appraiser witnesses said the bill would reduce long-tail liability, lower insurance and recordkeeping burdens, and help attract new appraisers; no opposition testimony was heard in the excerpt. House Bill 2512 would prohibit real estate brokers from marketing residential properties to exclusive groups unless the property is also publicly marketed. Supporters, including Washington Realtors, Zillow, Habitat for Humanity, Windermere, and others, said it would promote transparency, competition, and fair housing; opponents argued it could limit homeowner privacy and autonomy, and the Attorney General’s office said the Washington Law Against Discrimination already covers discrimination concerns and objected to placing enforcement in that statute. House Bill 2240 would modernize self-storage rental agreements by allowing electronic execution, deeming continued use after notice as acceptance, and setting notice and disposal rules after termination or nonrenewal; storage industry witnesses supported the bill as clarifying safety and notice procedures, while an advocacy witness opposed it as harmful to unhoused people and others who rely on storage units. House Bill 2465 would require a water recreation safety guide for short-term rentals with pools or similar facilities; the sponsor and hospitality industry supported it as a low-cost safety measure, while cities raised implementation concerns and asked for an amendment on where the guide would be posted. House Bill 2501 would update a seller disclosure notice to reflect the Pollution Liability Insurance Agency’s shift from a no-cost insurance program to a loan-and-grant remediation program, and it drew support as a technical correction. House Bill 2624 would exempt public entities, tribes, and nonprofit land conservancies from the 2025 “solicited real estate transactions” appraisal and notice requirements; conservation groups and the Department of Natural Resources supported it as necessary to preserve land acquisition and grant funding, and the sponsor described it as a cleanup bill. The committee then moved into executive session and took action on two liquor-related bills. House Bill 2536, allowing wineries to hold a spirits, beer, and wine restaurant license or beer/wine restaurant license at one location, was moved out of committee with a due pass recommendation by a 14-1 vote. House Bill 2476, modifying the spirits, beer, and wine theater license, was amended via a proposed substitute that restored the 120-seat-per-screen limit except for theaters admitting only patrons 21 and older; the substitute was reported out with a due pass recommendation by a 13-2 vote. Members discussed the balance between business flexibility and concerns about alcohol access in family settings and recovery communities.
FL

Florida 2025 Regular Session

October 15, 2025 - 11:30 AM

Transcript Highlights:
  • We're going to set aside in our in our world. We're gonna call that obligated.
  • on our successes.
  • So I would just simply say we our goal and our desire is we're pushing against the against the flow as
  • >> And it is not our does not approve our foreign because the trustees. >> I definitely I understand
  • Art. >> Is actually on our website.
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Local Government Oct 15th, 2025

Transcript Highlights:
  • And with me today is Brendan McFarland, and he is our Environmental Review section manager in our Shorelands
  • We have all of our same ex officio members still engaged with the council, and that brings me to our
  • We have our guidance around middle housing out, our guidance around ADUs out.
  • We spent a lot of time updating our standard operating procedures and our application checklist.
  • those codes, messaging to applicants, updating our forms and our applications, and training our staff
Summary: The Local Government Committee met in work session and heard a series of presentations on SEPA, permitting reforms, and building code implementation. Department of Ecology staff gave an overview of the State Environmental Policy Act, explaining its role in state and local decision-making, common exemptions, planned actions, and recent housing-related statutory changes such as transit-oriented development exemptions and SEPA appeals protections for certain local ordinances. Committee members asked about repeated SEPA reviews, cultural and historic resource review, and how SEPA relates to NEPA; Ecology responded that repeated reviews usually occur when proposals change and that programmatic EISs can help front-load analysis. Seattle’s Department of Construction and Inspections described how recent SEPA exemptions reduced residential review volume and supported more housing permits, and said the city is considering raising thresholds further. The State Building Code Council provided an update on code adoption timelines and legislative tasks tied to the 2024 codes, including single-stair housing, multiplex housing, dwelling unit size, and temporary emergency shelter standards. Council staff said the content of the codes is largely set, but administrative timelines have been delayed, prompting a motion to postpone final adoption while pursuing ways to preserve the planned implementation schedule. Members asked about the timing of code changes and the impact on housing costs, and staff said the legislative topics remain on track for inclusion in the 2024 code package. Committee staff then reviewed recent permitting legislation, including SB 5290’s permit decision deadlines and fee-refund provisions, later bills limiting pre-application meetings and clarifying that building permits are excluded from those timelines, and project-specific changes affecting middle housing, ADUs, lot splits, passive house projects, self-certification, transit-oriented development, and parking requirements. Commerce’s Dave Anderson reported on SB 5290 implementation, including guidance on permit fees, studies on staffing and statewide permitting systems, grants to local governments, and the first annual performance report, which showed mixed results and highlighted the importance of digital tools, clear checklists, staff training, and coordination across departments. Local officials from Issaquah and Kitsap County described their own process improvements, including code updates, optional pre-application meetings, new staffing, reporting systems, and a phased “Two by Six” review model in Kitsap, while also noting challenges from staffing shortages, agency coordination, and the burden of implementing multiple new mandates.
MD

Maryland 2026 Regular Session

Senate Floor Session, 1/22/2026 #1

Maryland Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • May this truth guide our deliberations today, shaping our understanding that what affects one ultimately
  • O spirit of life and love, steady our hearts and sharpen our conscience.
  • May accountability strengthen our work and renew our shared purpose.
  • </c> transportation agencies across our transportation agencies across our state.<00:09:14.240><c> Uh
  • </c> everything you do to help move our everything you do to help move our constituents<00:09:41.200>
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • Our clinics and our Health and Human Services...
  • the City of Wichita Falls, our philanthropic partners, our campus, and our community.
  • So we're holding that decision fixed, and then we're finding other ways to hopefully grow our revenue
  • pockets of some of our best and our brightest.
  • students, our communities, our state, and our economy.
Bills: SB1 , SB 1
Committee: Senate Finance
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • Senate, purporting to disapprove California's Clean Air Act waivers for our clean car and clean truck
  • Our union won't bury our head in the sand about the future.
  • Please protect our extraction communities, our wildlife, and our future. Thank you.
  • Please protect our extraction communities, our wildlife, and our future. Thank you. Good evening.
  • Please protect our extraction communities, our wildlife, and our future. Thank you. Thank you.
Summary: The joint informational hearing focused on California’s transportation fuels sector, especially the risk of refinery closures, fuel supply stability, and how the state should manage a long transition to cleaner transportation. Committee chairs and agency leaders said California’s fuel market is becoming more fragile as demand declines, refinery capacity shrinks faster than demand, and the state relies more on imports and a smaller number of critical pipelines. Professor Emily Grubert framed the issue as a managed transition problem in which the public already bears much of the risk and should also capture benefits from any state intervention. CARB Chair Leanne Randolph reviewed California’s climate and air-quality framework, including AB 32, the low-carbon fuel standard, clean vehicle rules, and the state’s at-berth regulation for port vessels. She said these programs are intended to reduce fossil fuel demand while protecting public health, and she noted that California remains in litigation over federal attempts to block some waivers. CEC Vice Chair Sivagunda described the administration’s market-stabilization work, saying the state is trying to preserve fuel supply and investor confidence during a “mid-transition” period. He said the CEC’s recommendations fall into three broad areas: stabilizing the existing fuel system, aligning regulatory tools such as a possible pause on the CEC’s margin cap, and planning for worker and community impacts. Department of Conservation Director Jennifer Lucasey outlined the administration’s petroleum market stabilization proposal, centered on returning California crude production to a 125 million-barrel annual stabilization target to support pipeline throughput and domestic supply. The proposal would codify the ban on hydraulic fracturing, validate Kern County’s oil and gas permitting ordinance, create a temporary CEQA exemption for new wells in existing fields paired with a two-for-one plug-and-abandon requirement, and strengthen spill prevention and pipeline safety rules. Several members questioned the CEQA exemption, tribal consultation, environmental review, and whether the proposal would adequately protect communities and workers. Mayor Steve Young of Benicia testified that a Valero refinery closure would sharply reduce city revenue and jobs, while also creating redevelopment and remediation challenges; he said the city wants a cleaner future but needs time and support to manage the economic loss. No formal vote was taken at the hearing, though CEC officials said a vote on a margin-cap pause was expected at an upcoming business meeting.
AL

Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama House Apr 10th, 2025

Alabama House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • If we can be our be our differences. If we can be our be our differences.
  • If we can be our be our focus, perhaps our goal may be not for focus, perhaps our goal may be not for
  • future, our 2025 under the theme, our future, our 2025 under the theme, our future, our fight. fight
  • friends, our alpha members are our friends, our alpha members are our friends, our constituents and
  • our tax bills that that in all of our our tax bills that that in all of our our tax bills that we've
NM
Transcript Highlights:
  • Our trucks don't do that. Our trucks don't drive drunk. They don't drive tired.
  • Our thoughts, our prayers, you know, our hopes and dreams are that we find a cure for that terrible disease
  • Our concerns.
  • our water crossings.
  • DOT loves acronyms, our match. program our co-op.
FL

Florida 2026 Regular Session

Environment and Natural Resources Feb 11th, 2025

Environment and Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • How does spraying all these types of chemicals and metals in our atmosphere affect our water supply,
  • our crops, our animals, our rivers and streams, and most importantly, all of us?
  • skies, our air, our water, our land, our lungs with weatherization chemicals or pollutants.
  • And so trying to find a legislative fix for this problem is what's causing all of our concerns and our
  • , to our culture, and to our communities.
Summary: The committee first heard SB 200, which would implement recommendations from DEP’s 2020 Recycling Goal Final Report by creating a technical assistance group to develop a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling plan by 2026. The bill focuses on recycling education and outreach, evaluating the former recycling grant program, and developing markets for recyclable materials. Supporters from the waste and recycling industry and counties said the bill would finally create a real plan to help Florida move toward its recycling goals. The bill was reported favorably. The committee then considered SB 50 on nature-based coastal resilience, which would promote green, gray, and hybrid infrastructure, direct USF’s Flood Hub to develop guidelines, require DEP rulemaking on erosion and mangrove protection, and study whether nature-based flood reduction could help lower insurance costs. Supporters appeared in favor, and the bill was reported favorably. The committee also passed SB 7000 as a committee bill to continue a public records exemption protecting site-specific location information for threatened and endangered species. Members next took up SB 56 on weather modification activities. The bill would prohibit the release of chemicals or substances into the atmosphere to affect weather or sunlight, define geoengineering, increase penalties through an amendment, and create a DEP reporting hotline with possible referral to DOH or emergency management. The sponsor and several supporters argued the bill was needed to address public concerns and lack of oversight, while several senators questioned the evidence, the role of state agencies, and whether the bill was ready for passage. Despite opposition from some members, the committee adopted the amendment and reported the bill favorably. The committee also approved CS for SB 62 creating a resilient building tax credit program, after amending it to shift agency references from DEP to DBPR and add university advisory members, and CS for SB 80 to clarify state park management as conservation-based, require public notice and advisory input for plan changes, and improve reporting on park repairs; both bills were reported favorably after testimony from supporters and conservation groups who sought tighter language to prevent incompatible uses. Finally, the committee received presentations from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on gopher tortoise relocation, wildlife disease surveillance, and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. FWC described tortoise relocation and recipient-site programs, ongoing monitoring of wildlife diseases such as chronic wasting disease and feline leukomyelopathy, and efforts to address fish die-offs and update sanctuary agreements amid state-federal jurisdiction issues. No votes were taken on the presentations.
NH

New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session

House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs (02/24/2026)

Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs

Transcript Highlights:
  • That act now enables, in our school lunch programs, for both whole and reduced-fat flavored and unflavored
  • That act now enables, in our school lunch programs, for both whole and reduced-fat flavored and unflavored
  • That act now enables, in our school lunch programs, for both whole and reduced-fat flavored and unflavored
  • social</c> vitality to our economy and our social vitality to our economy and our social life<05:12:33.280
  • our our brilliance<05:51:57.280><c> there.
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Legacy Finance Committee 2/12/25

Legacy Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • Clean water is absolutely critical, both our water resources and our groundwater.
  • nonpartisan staff, our partisan staff, and our pages, and our LA and CASA.
  • ><c> staff</c> without our staff our nonpartisan staff without our staff our nonpartisan staff our<00
  • our Pages uh and our partisan staff and our Pages uh and our<00:12:27.240><c> LA</c><00:12:27.600><c
  • Now we do, so our numbers get bigger. Now we do, so our numbers get bigger.
NM

New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

IC - Science, Technology and Telecommunications Sep 23rd, 2025

Science, Technology & Telecommunications Committee

Transcript Highlights:
  • The beginning slide, slide number four, is our mission.
  • Our DNA, our basic activity, revolves around scholarship.
  • Water is in our blood. Agriculture is in our blood. Energy is in our blood.
  • We utilize these kinds of programs. to build our infrastructure and to enhance our research capabilities
  • Say, speaking from our standpoint, we need this, we need that; this is where our pain points are.
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Floor Session Feb 28th, 2026

Washington House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • We get to fix it now, and it is our responsibility to do that.
  • Judges in one of our counties, Kitsap County, Madam Speaker, call this Keeping Families Together Act
  • The Climate Commitment Act makes sure that we don't transfer the hazards of the environment onto our
  • Act that voters have approved is working towards reducing our state's emissions, cleaning our air, our
  • It won't fix all our problems, but it's going to start us on the right foot.
Summary: The House convened, established a quorum, approved the prior day’s minutes, and then moved through caucuses and a series of transportation, elections, energy, historical records, cannabis, abortion-access, and fiscal bills. Members repeatedly emphasized that several measures were supplemental or technical updates to existing law, while others involved larger policy disputes over taxes, fees, clean energy, election security, and reproductive health. The chamber also received Senate messages on other bills and briefly recessed for caucus during the day. The most prominent action was final passage of Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6005, the supplemental transportation budget, after adopting a technical amendment and a larger striker amendment. Supporters highlighted preservation and maintenance funding, rail investments, ferry maintenance, road safety, and continued work on major projects statewide; opponents largely reserved comments or noted concerns about future needs. The House passed the bill 93-0 with five excused. The House also passed Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2711 on transportation resources, after adopting a technical amendment that removed the aircraft tax and delayed an RV-related tax change; supporters said it protected businesses and jobs, while opponents objected to trade-in treatment and other tax changes. That bill passed 83-10. On elections, the House considered Senate Bill 5892 to protect the voter registration database. An amendment to reduce penalties from a felony to a civil infraction and remove the emergency clause failed, while the committee amendment passed 50-34. Supporters said the bill was needed to safeguard sensitive voter data and clarify access; opponents argued it created conflicts with federal law and imposed excessive penalties on local election officials. The bill then passed 57-36. On energy, Substitute Senate Bill 5982 updating consumer-owned utility provisions drew debate over carbon capture, resource adequacy, data centers, and clean energy policy. Amendments on carbon capture and blackout-triggered termination failed, while an amendment preserving cogeneration exceptions passed; the bill then passed 57-37. The House also passed Senate Bill 5863 on preservation and inspection of state historical records, after rejecting an amendment to require longer retention but adopting the committee amendment; supporters stressed preserving the history of residential habilitation centers and the value to families seeking records. Substitute Senate Bill 5874, allowing the Employment Security Department to waive penalties for minor employer reporting errors, passed unanimously. Engrossed House Bill 2681, raising cannabis license fees while removing an escalator, passed 52-42. Finally, Substitute Senate Bill 5917 on access to abortion medications saw several failed amendments from opponents seeking to narrow, reframe, or add fiscal limits to the bill; supporters said it preserved flexibility to ensure access and avoid waste, and the bill passed 57-36.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee May 13th, 2026

Utilities and Energy

Transcript Highlights:
  • And arguably our state budget, insurance scarcity, and other issues that plague our otherwise wonderful
  • I am here today because I don't want him and all of our kids chasing our tails and working on these same
  • Of justice that covers our society.
  • So, you know, our whole goal, our whole mission is to create a future where everyone has a real shot
  • That's our infrastructure. Zero.