Transcript Highlights:

• internationally to avoid $3 to $4 billion in state taxes each year by stashing profits in offshore tax
• Overall, the state can continue to work... ...by stashing profits in offshore tax havens.
• My district is the number one targeted place in the whole state of California, the entire state.
• Right now, three people were kidnapped yesterday in front of my district office.
• So it's just a hot spot in my district.

Summary: The committee heard an extensive Department of Social Services presentation on child care budget issues, including the Governor’s proposed 2026-27 budget, federal CCDF changes, Prop. 64 revenue adjustments, and a one-time $11.5 million disaster-related infrastructure grant for licensed child care facilities affected by 2025 declared disasters. DSS said federal formula updates and lower Prop. 64 revenues would reduce funding and could result in about 4,176 CCTR slots being reduced, but the department said it was working to avoid impacts to currently enrolled children. The LAO supported aligning general child care funding with lower revenues and asked for more detail on the disaster grant. Members pressed DSS and Finance on why reductions were not being backfilled and why so many awarded slots remain uncontracted or unused; DSS said delays are largely due to providers building new infrastructure, licensing, staffing, and enrollment challenges, and that some unspent funds revert to the General Fund. The committee also discussed whether some contract dollars should be shifted to vouchers and whether more flexibility should be allowed for infrastructure and expansion costs. A second panel focused on the state’s commitment to expand child care and on rate reform. DSS reported that nearly 125,000 new slots have been awarded since 2021-22, but speakers from Stanislaus County Office of Education, Parent Voices California, and the California Budget and Policy Center argued that unmet need remains large and that the system still leaves many families without access. Stanislaus County described a large local shortage of infant and toddler care and said reimbursement disparities between child care programs and state preschool create disincentives for providers. Parent Voices gave testimony about the burdens and instability families face when trying to access care, especially for survivors and low-income parents, and called for a universal, publicly funded system. The Budget Center said only about 16% of eligible children were enrolled in 2024, urged expansion across the mixed delivery system rather than concentrating investment in TK, and called for faster rate reform and new revenue. LAO estimated that bringing certain CCTR adjustment factors up to CSPP levels would cost $88 million to $131 million ongoing. Members and witnesses discussed the single rate structure, automation needs, and the need for deadlines and a ramp-up plan; DSS said the goal is to eliminate disparities, but that policy decisions are still needed before automation can proceed. The committee then reviewed several trailer bill proposals. DSS outlined a 2026-27 COLA proposal that would apply a 2.41% increase through cost-of-care-plus payments, though the department said it had inadvertently excluded CalWORKs Child Care and the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program and would revise the proposal; LAO recommended making the COLA methodology uniform across programs. DSS also proposed replacing the market rate survey with the federally approved alternative methodology on a triennial schedule, limiting temporary absences in family child care homes to 20% of monthly hours, defining excessive unexplained absences as more than 30 days in a year, and aligning family fee deductions with new federal requirements so providers receive the full voucher value. Members generally supported the temporary absence change and asked about implementation timing for the family fee deduction, with DSS saying it was in contact with Riverside County. The committee also heard a brief update on the Early Childhood Policy Council reappropriation, which would extend unused funds through June 30, 2028 because prior costs came in higher than expected.

Transcript Highlights:

• Lucie and Senator Harrell's district.
• Lucie River Water Control District, St. Lucie County.
• Lucie River Water Control District, St. Lucie County. Senator Girl.
• The Senator of the 38th District, In the pre-K-12 system.
• I consider that my district is a jewel.

Summary: The Florida Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including interns, Denim Day awareness for sexual assault survivors, a resolution honoring Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, and a memorial proclamation for former Senator Karen Johnson Gendron. The chamber then moved to special-order bills, with senators also briefly discussing the session’s pace and thanking staff and colleagues for their work. The first major bill, on driving and boating offenses, was amended and passed 37-0. As amended, it increases penalties for repeat DUI/BUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide/vessel homicide offenses, and adds notice requirements and misdemeanor penalties for refusing lawful breath or urine tests. Senators also passed SB 306 on Medicaid providers 37-0, requiring Medicaid managed care plans to offer more after-hours and holiday access and ensuring more primary care appointment availability outside regular business hours. The Senate then passed a major condominium and cooperative associations bill, also 37-0, after extensive debate and multiple amendments. The measure extends deadlines for structural integrity reserve studies, adds flexibility for reserve funding and budgeting, tightens rules for managers and inspectors, limits certain requirements to buildings of three or more habitable stories, and extends the rescission period for condo purchases. Senators from both parties praised the bill’s sponsors for years of work responding to post-Surfside safety and affordability concerns. The longest and most contentious item was SB 7016/HB 1205 on constitutional amendment petition procedures. Sponsors said the bill responds to fraud and abuse in the citizen initiative process by tightening circulator rules, requiring faster submission of signed petitions, adding voter notification, increasing penalties, and shifting costs to sponsors. Opponents argued it would burden volunteers and make it harder for citizens to qualify initiatives. The chamber adopted a series of amendments, including changes to the petition-circulator threshold, volunteer protections, submission timing, invalid-signature investigation thresholds, and notice/cure provisions, while debate continued over whether the overall package would protect election integrity or suppress citizen-led amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• We went from having about five districts to eight.
• District coverage is going pretty good.
• So a portion of the council's budget comes from fee collections in district courts.
• This is the summary of our incremental and supplemental request.
• She is a district attorney centered in Clinton, but she's got five counties.

Summary: The Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and Judiciary heard presentations from several agencies. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported full National Association of Medical Examiners accreditation, major improvements in turnaround times, staffing growth to 18 forensic pathologists, and expanded rural coverage, but warned that a flat budget would leave it short of funds by August. The agency requested $4.5 million in recurring funding for professional staff and operations, citing rising supply, transport, IT, and facility costs, and said failure to fund the request would cause a catastrophic collapse. Members asked about cremation fees, other revenue sources, and the consequences of not funding the request; the chair said the recommendation would be forwarded but not necessarily adopted. The Council on Judicial Complaints said complaints against judges have roughly doubled since 2018, with most complaints involving dissatisfaction with judicial rulings rather than misconduct. The council emphasized its goal of responding within 90 days, its new judges college to prevent ethics problems, and the cost of removal proceedings. It requested an additional $125,000 on top of its current $300,000 appropriation to cover rising operating costs, a lease increase, judicial college expenses, and salary adjustments. Senators asked about case prioritization, turnover, staffing, and whether a specific courtroom incident could be investigated; the director said it would be an appropriate complaint to review. The Oklahoma Indigent Defense System described heavy caseloads in rural counties, a mix of satellite offices and county contracts, and a need to reduce attorney workloads, especially in Norman and Lawton. It requested funding for six resource navigators, a project manager, direct-care support, eight additional attorneys, internal training, and continued county contract funding, while also discussing possible diversion programs and grant opportunities. The Department of Corrections requested increases for county jail backup per diem and ICON maintenance, highlighted contraband interdiction, centralized visitation, mobile check-ins, and tablet-based efficiencies, and discussed an ICE detention contract at Watonga that brings in monthly revenue and jobs but is not counted in the budget request. The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs presented a revised legacy-fund request tied to purchasing and remodeling a building shared with OSBI, saying the new plan would cost about $25 million total and save money compared with new construction; it also noted declining wire-transfer revenue tied to fewer grow operations and other enforcement changes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Following these guidelines, school districts will be required to adopt the statewide active shooter response
• Of course, there's an ongoing prosecution that's we've been. under an order from the district attorney
• And the analysis process was ended. by the district attorney on August 18th of 23.
• We have to figure out how to prepare for this catastrophic event. increments of training and an alert
• . agencies across the state to train every peace officer no matter what, whether you're a school district

Bills: HB33 , HB298 , HB 1024 , HB 1234 , HB 1261 , HB1696 , HB298

Committee: House Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

Keywords: electronic monitoring, parole supervision, law enforcement, warrant execution, public safety, handgun license, judgment evaluation, medical advisory board, application denial, gun law procedures, abandoned property, unclaimed property, disposition, handgun, driver's license, commercial driver's license, weapon carry, gun rights, Texas legislature, legislative attendance

Transcript Highlights:

• We also had some incremental supply and administrative expenses associated with getting the med school
• ><01:33:03.760><c> also</c><01:33:04.000><c> had</c><01:33:04.159><c> some</c><01:33:04.360><c> incremental
• </c><01:33:05.360><c> um</c> cost we also had some incremental um cost we also had some incremental um

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> figures released by the district. figures released by the district. elementary<01:02:03.760><c>
• </c> Help me afford to stay in the district. Help me afford to stay in the district.
• multifamily housing is actually more tax base and tax value than a commercial property with lots of
• than a a more tax base and tax value than a a commercial<01:28:15.440><c> property</c><01:28:15.840>
• </c> cohesion in these commercial districts. cohesion in these commercial districts.

Committee: Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention

Transcript Highlights:

• Many of those districts are also receiving ASES funding at specific sites.
• I met with several teachers and administrators from school districts within my district, and it was interesting
• If the increment that you said that we don't have the data for every school district, but if we could
• And this is going across school districts within, for our county, it's across 23 school districts.
• I am also a homeless student in the Sacramento Unified School District.

Transcript Highlights:

• The numbers that I've been given by the cities in my district are pretty big when you decided to put
• And that's where we started using the state insurance premium tax as a funding mechanism to complement
• It is now the predominant funding source for these pensions is the state insurance premium tax, which
• It has not been defined in statute, and being That we went to seven different districts' school districts
• We reached out to seven other districts.

Bills: SB134 , SB1356 , SB1407 , SB1611 , SB1639 , SB169 , SB1722 , SB182 , SB1870 , SB2039 , SB432 , SB609 , SB715 , SB716

Committee: Senate Retirement and Government Resources

Keywords: retirement, public employees, reemployment, benefit adjustment, Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System, state government, OMES, Office of Management and Enterprise Services, Department of Labor, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Rehabilitation Services, civil service, human capital management, state employee disputes, whistleblower, veterans employment, veterans placement, fleet management, state fleet, motor vehicles

Bills: HB2 , HB43 , HB49 , HB94 , HB137 , HB156 , HB200 , HB250 , HB3 , HB42

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: vaccination, parental consent, minors, medical consent, guardian approval, criminal procedure, split sentencing, probation, Class A felony, Class B felony, minimum confinement, HB49, Alabama criminal code, capital offense, capital punishment, death penalty, rape in the first degree, sodomy in the first degree, sexual torture, child sexual abuse

Transcript Highlights:

• This measure requires the director of corrections and rehabilitation to incrementally return committed
• </c><02:54:57.920><c> yet</c> law represents an incremental yet law represents an incremental yet positive
• you that in the 2023 session this legislative body passed Act 62 that included e-cigarettes in the tax
• <02:58:46.800><c> ecigarettes</c><02:58:47.680><c> in</c><02:58:47.920><c> the</c><02:58:48.080><c> tax
• </c> included ecigarettes in the tax included ecigarettes in the tax regulation<02:58:49.040><c> for<

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Summary: The House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs heard testimony on two immigration-enforcement bills: HB 1886 HD1 and HB 2540 HD1. HB 1886 would limit state and federal collaboration in immigration enforcement, require visible identification and restrictions on facial coverings for law enforcement officers, and create offenses for improper masking, lack of identification, and unauthorized civil immigration interrogation, arrest, or detention. HB 2540 would also limit state and federal collaboration, require law enforcement agencies to adopt and publicly post written civil immigration enforcement policies, prohibit stops or arrests based solely on immigration status, and restrict state and county participation in civil immigration enforcement in certain places. Most testimony supported both measures. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Office of the Public Defender, the ACLU of Hawaii, the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, the Legal Clinic, and several private individuals said the bills would increase transparency, accountability, and community trust, and would help protect constitutional rights and reduce fear among immigrants and other community members. Several testifiers emphasized Hawaii’s history and the need to keep local law enforcement separate from federal immigration enforcement, while others said the bills would help people feel safer going to court, school, work, or public protests. A retired police officer also supported visible identification and uniform standards for officers, including federal agents operating in Hawaii. A few testifiers opposed the use of masked or unidentified officers and argued that local police should not be diverted from ordinary public safety duties to immigration enforcement. One ACLU witness noted that the federal government has increasingly used local and state agencies to expand immigration enforcement, and said the task-force provisions in the bills are important to prevent blurred lines between agencies. The committee did not take a final vote in the portion of the meeting provided, but it recorded very large numbers of supportive testimonies for both bills, with only a small number in opposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sasha Horwitz, on behalf of Los Angeles Unified School District.
• Sasha Horowitz, Los Angeles Unified School District, in support.
• The seal would open that same door for students in every district across California.
• , including merit districts.
• Nick Romley, on behalf of the Small School Districts Association and the San Bernardino County District

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• For the record, my name is State Representative Liz Berry from the 36th District.
• I'm Representative Brianna Thomas from the 34th District, and I am very pleased to bring this bill before
• And in my district, you know, I've got an island.
• Hello, my name is Unjay John, and I'm a high school senior from the 48th Legislative District.
• I'm a longshoreman with ILWU Local 4, speaking on behalf of the Washington Area District Council in strong

Bills: HB1496 , HB2182 , HB2196 , HB2242

Committee: House Health Care & Wellness

Keywords: patients' rights, healthcare information, medical confidentiality, health data security, healthcare access, abortion, medications, reproductive health, access, healthcare, PANDA, PANS, treatment access, mental health, legislation, preventive services, state authority, definitions clarification, public health

Transcript Highlights:

• For the record, my name is State Representative Liz Berry from the 36th District.
• I'm Representative Brianna Thomas from the 34th District, and I am very pleased to bring this bill before
• And in my district, you know, I've got an island.
• Hello, my name is Unjay John, and I'm a high school senior from the 48th Legislative District.
• I'm a longshoreman with ILWU Local 4, speaking on behalf of the Washington Area District Council in strong

Summary: The committee heard testimony on three health care bills. HB 1496 would cap charges for electronically stored medical records at $50 for patients and certain authorized recipients, while removing a free-copy provision tied to SSI/SSDI appeals and changing attorney fee language to “prevailing patient.” Supporters, including patient advocates, attorneys, and injured workers, said current record fees can reach thousands of dollars and block access to justice; opponents, including hospitals, home care providers, and records vendors, argued the bill would not cover the labor and HIPAA compliance work involved in large third-party requests and could shift costs to providers and patients. The bill remained in hearing with testimony continuing after the committee moved through other bills. HB 2182 would change how the Department of Corrections distributes its stockpile of mifepristone and misoprostol, removing the requirement that the medications be sold at cost plus a $5 fee and instead allowing, but not requiring, payment while directing DOC and the Department of Health to coordinate distribution to providers and facilities. The prime sponsor and supporters said the bill is needed so the state’s stockpile does not go unused or expire and to remove barriers to access for abortion and miscarriage care; opponents argued the bill subsidizes abortion, raises legal and taxpayer concerns, and should be rejected. Public testimony on HB 2182 was closed after hearing from both supporters and opponents. HB 2196 would require certain fully insured health plans to cover IVIG for PANS and PANDAS, with initial and medically necessary follow-up courses, and would bar denials based on prior treatment, age, out-of-state care when unavailable in Washington, or treatment guidelines that only address psychiatric symptoms. The sponsor, families, and physicians described severe, sudden-onset symptoms in children and said IVIG can be life-changing after other treatments fail, while insurers warned the mandate could add to already rising premiums and noted the treatment can be very expensive. HB 2242 would shift vaccine and preventive-service recommendation authority from federal bodies to the Department of Health, while preserving no-cost coverage for preventive services and updating the reference date for protected services; the governor, insurance commissioner, public health officials, and many physicians supported it as a way to preserve access amid federal instability and rising vaccine-preventable disease, while questions focused on whether the bill would change school or daycare requirements, which staff said it would not.

Transcript Highlights:

• Taxes in Vermont and all the licensed fees and all of that stuff.
• We didn't go deeply into whether every district actually has one.
• </c> &gt;&gt; It's the district I believe. I'm sorry. &gt;&gt; It's the district I believe.
• </c><01:35:02.320><c> I</c> It's the district, Mr. President. I It's the district, Mr. President.
• Um but that district actually has one.

Transcript Highlights:

• School districts could decide not to provide accommodations for students with disabilities.
• and education, health care, housing, and services.<00:52:52.880><c> School</c><00:52:53.200><c> districts
• School districts could decide services.
• School districts could decide not<00:52:54.480><c> to</c><00:52:54.640><c> provide</c><00:52:54.880><
• funding from Medicaid to increment funding from Medicaid to provide<01:19:48.400><c> those</c><01:19

Bills: HF3661 , HF2380 , HF3468 , HF3483

Committee: House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law

Keywords: facial recognition, privacy, government surveillance, public safety, data protection, civil liberties, disability rights, discrimination, accommodations, employment, housing, public services, education, civil action, failure to render aid, damages, Minnesota Statutes, legal liability, trespass, civil immigration enforcement

Transcript Highlights:

• We begin incremental this year is our largest again and probably 10 years and force structure.

Transcript Highlights:

• Last year, the Legislature passed a bill to temporarily hold the increased tax that was going to come
• tax havens.
• My district is the number one targeted place in the whole state of California, the entire state.
• Right now, three people were kidnapped yesterday in front of my district office.
• So it's just, it's a hot spot in my district.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:02:10.880><c> in</c> state senator live in the district in state senator live in the district
• And I think Ward place, or district.
• We have districts. That's one ward.
• </c> you uh looking at this as an incremental you uh looking at this as an incremental improvement<04
• </c> that point, when you file your tax that point, when you file your tax return<04:32:03.760><c> with

Committee: House Election Law

Transcript Highlights:

• DESE will also continue to support strong partnerships with school districts and families to facilitate
• We are not speaking to the local school districts.
• We recently passed a fair share tax to secure money for transportation and education.
• And as the United States representative for the 8th Congressional District of Massachusetts, I pledge
• We can do this building by building, incrementally. Let's just take one building.

Summary: The hearing focused on the future of Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children, with commissioners, agency officials, workers, and families describing the hospital as a unique integrated setting combining medical care, rehabilitation, education, residential services, and adaptive engineering. Opening remarks from legislators emphasized continued budget funding, the legal requirement that Pappas not close before the commission reports, and a request to extend the commission’s deadline. Several commissioners and witnesses argued that admissions have effectively been curtailed while discharges continue, creating what they described as a de facto closure. Union leaders from AFSCME, SEIU, and the Massachusetts Nurses Association said staff are experiencing uncertainty, morale problems, and loss of confidence because referrals are being discouraged and the census is shrinking. They urged immediate action to stop admission denials and unnecessary discharges, and some proposed temporary modular units or other short-term investments to restore admissions while longer-term plans are developed. Parents and former patients testified that Pappas provided life-changing opportunities and supports that they could not find elsewhere, and that alternative programs or proposed Western Massachusetts options would not meet the same needs. Department of Public Health Commissioner Robert Goldstein said the administration supports keeping Pappas open and stable during the commission’s work, but argued that admissions must comply with hospital-level-of-care rules and that the campus’s deteriorating infrastructure limits who can be safely served. He said DPH is continuing admissions where appropriate, backfilling staff, and exploring ways to expand services, including outpatient therapies and adaptive engineering, while also acknowledging that Pappas is a one-of-a-kind system with no true in-state duplicate. Commissioners requested de-identified admissions and denial data and continued to press the department on whether the current operational changes amount to a silent closure.

Transcript Highlights:

• The other is the implementation of Infinite Campus at each district, each public school district in our
• Each district has had three months of discovery and three months of learning about that district and
• We’re working with them and our districts.
• So we're working with them in our districts.
• Other districts have done similar things where they've made sure that, you know, districts have done

Committee: Joint Information Technology Committee

Summary: The committee received a series of informational reports from NDIT and DPI on major IT projects, cybersecurity, and the K-12 student information system transition. Justin Data reviewed the quarterly major project portfolio, noting 111 projects totaling about $542.8 million, generally under budget and slightly behind schedule overall. He highlighted three schedule-red projects: Bed Management System and Vital Records, both now complete and being closed out, and the Roadway Capital Planning Project, which is delayed due to vendor bug fixes after user testing. He also summarized new project startups, including the Attorney General’s Victim Notification System, HHS Medicaid correctional facilities data exchange, Highway Patrol’s motor carrier e-permit system, and additional RIMS work, and answered questions about project timing, funding, and whether work had begun on legislatively funded IT projects. Chris Gurgan, NDIT’s chief information security officer, reported on mandatory cybersecurity incident reporting under HB 1314. He said 77 incidents have been reported since August 2021, with 47 meeting the statutory definition of a cybersecurity incident; phishing remains the most common type, followed by email quarantine alerts, XDR detections, and malware. He emphasized that most incidents are resolved, but that timely reporting is critical for any chance of recovering funds in business email compromise or ransomware cases. He also described several notable incidents since the last report, including the PowerSchool breach, a SimpleHelp intrusion at a school district, a court intrusion, a WSUS vulnerability, a business email compromise at a K-12 district, and a recent ransomware report involving a non-state critical infrastructure entity. Members asked about smishing, MFA, conditional access, security awareness training, and recovery of lost funds; Gurgan said state systems use phishing-resistant MFA and conditional access, training is provided to state employees and offered to political subdivisions on an opt-in basis, and broader cybersecurity maturity assessments are underway. Craig Falkley gave brief reports on coordination with political subdivisions and higher education, including shared networking, cybersecurity, radio/911, PeopleSoft, and co-location services. He also explained distributed ledger technology as a tool for decentralized, secure data sharing, but said the state has limited use for it and would likely frame future reporting more broadly around emerging technologies. The committee then heard from Tony Ambrose of DPI on the statewide Infinite Campus implementation. He said district implementations are underway, but the project had to terminate its original data migration vendor for poor performance and replace it with Aurora Educational Technology, which had experience with a similar North Carolina migration. He also said DPI is moving special education data from Tynet into Infinite Campus, is still working through how to preserve e-transcripts and Choice Ready-type functionality after the PowerSchool transition, and is developing identity, authentication, and data-sharing arrangements for the summer cutover. Members raised concerns about procurement timing, summer school disruption, and whether some functions would be ready by July 1.