Transcript Highlights:

• that will come online uh after the water that will come online uh after the report<00:04:35.600>
• will have social districts still water will have social districts but<00:04:39.199> they'll<00
• An individual to code, or the QR code, or barcode? Sorry. No, that's fine.
• <00:09:17.240> or<00:09:17.320> the<00:09:17.440> QR<00:09:17.680> code
• or the QR code or barog sorry no to code or the QR code or barog sorry no that's<00:09:19.240> fine

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:50:22.240> to previously adopted plumbing codes to previously adopted plumbing codes to
• My experience was water county. You know, they were six-year, and mine was four years.
• Rogers will run out of water. >> And yeah, we're having... Well, well, I think I've got a group.
• >> My thing experience was water >> My thing experience was water county.<00:54:55.760
• Rogers will run out of water. Rogers. Rogers will run out of water.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Typically, They need a fund as part of their federal drinking water programs.
• The water authority is ABC at this point.
• So, Madam Chair, I would also mention that it duplicates most of the tax code as well.
• And there's actual tax code, so...
• Well, water doesn't take a year to invest; it takes a year just to do planning.

Transcript Highlights:

• and the campaign finance code.
• If you look at the report on the amendments, it changes Civil Code 1423; it should have read Code of
• It's either you drill into a hot water supply and you bring up the hot water to generate steam and power
• Walters continues the Clean Water Task Force to study the public water system in Shreveport. Rep.
• This is to continue the task force for the public water system in Shreveport so they can study the water

Bills: HB410, HR310, HR314, HR316, HR317, HR321, HR275, HR276, HR279, HR282, HR286, HR289, HR292, HR295, HR302, HR319, HR307, HR273, SCR59, SCR61, SCR62, SCR68, SCR69, SCR70, SCR54, SCR55, SCR64, SCR75, HCR32, HB776, HB42, HB119, HB159, HB302, HB1017, HB1028, SB217, SB283, HB953, SB208, HR74, HB998, HB901, HR20, HCR65, HCR71, HCR98, HB284, HB306, HB341, HB366, HB393, HB458, HB577, HB603, HB605, HB614, HB625, HB646, HB733, HB752, HB773, HB798, HB911, HB955, HB996, HB1035, HB1069, HB1113, HB1140, HB1180, HB1191, HB1240, HB1255, SB82, SB89, SB97, SB123, SB237, HB36, HB74, HB75, HB258, HB259, HB414, HB459, HB784, HB848, HB956, HB1095, HB1220, HB1252, SB469, SB479

Keywords: recording, privacy, notification, direct conversation, law enforcement, first responder, penalties, oil and gas, orphan wells, inactive wells, shut-in wells, marginal wells, plugging and abandonment, well decommissioning, site remediation, site restoration, Oilfield Site Restoration, OSR program, financial security, bonding

Transcript Highlights:

• We had started, I would say, refining the procurement code last year.
• And then there's various changes to the procurement IT code, and they're all technical.
• I mean, that's every well that we have in the state—onshore, near water, and offshore.
• And I actually also sat on the region for the water sector funding a few years ago.
• This is just a bill on the water sector program.

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 513 by Representative Young, which would regulate name, image, and likeness activity for intercollegiate and interscholastic athletes, especially high school athletes. Young said the bill reflects recommendations from a task force and sets guardrails such as parental consent and prohibited NIL categories. The committee adopted a technical amendment and then reported the bill favorably as amended. Members then heard several Senate bills from Senator Mizell and Senator Cloud. Senate Bill 233 would create a statewide data exchange compact to allow state agencies to share information more efficiently; it was reported favorably. Senate Bill 300 would make various changes to the Procurement Code, including auction techniques, sole sourcing for consulting services in limited cases, and procurement process clarifications; it was reported favorably. Senate Bill 303 would allow executive branch agencies to buy or share technology solutions with other states and use the federal GSA schedule, and it was reported favorably as amended. Senate Bill 411, removing a 20-year lease limitation for certain Orleans Parish state property, was also reported favorably. The committee spent substantial time on House Bill 660 and House Bill 719, both dealing with district attorney funding and staffing. HB 660 would raise the state warrant amount for assistant district attorney salaries from $50,000 to $60,000, with supporters arguing it is needed to recruit and retain prosecutors; an opposition witness argued the state should fund both prosecutors and public defenders more equitably. The committee adopted an amendment making the bill effective only upon appropriation and reported it favorably as amended. HB 719 would increase the number of assistant district attorney warrants statewide, with most of the new warrants directed to Baton Rouge, St. Tammany, and Caddo; it too was amended to be subject to appropriation and reported favorably as amended. House Bill 596, which would have created an inactive well-feet assessment credit for oil and gas operators, was voluntarily deferred after concerns that it could reduce funding for the oil field site restoration fund. Later, the committee reported favorably as amended House Bill 802, which redirects existing revenue to watershed and flood restoration work in the Amite River Basin, and House Bill 940, which creates a task force and rules framework for law enforcement responses to unlawful drone activity. It also reported favorably House Bill 76 on coverage for orally administered anti-cancer medications, House Bill 950 on consumer protection materials for seniors, and began discussion of House Bill 1028, which would require higher Medicaid reimbursement rates for non-emergency medical transportation providers.

Transcript Highlights:

• that sections 11 and 12 of this act, which adds sections 187035 and 187037 to the Public Utilities Code
• This bill is in response to several water districts concerned that the prohibition of water imports to
• recharge groundwater supplies is detrimental to the community and the water we all rely on.
• imports to local water agencies.
• The suspects were charged under Penal Code 2236.1.

Summary: The Assembly convened after a quorum call, prayer, and Pledge of Allegiance, then approved a procedural motion by a 41-17 roll call to re-refer AB 2690 and AB 1863 to Appropriations and to allow guests for the Latino Spirit Awards ceremony. House Resolution 92, recognizing Cinco de Mayo Week, was adopted after supportive remarks from members of several caucuses, and the chamber then held the 2026 Latino Spirit Awards ceremony honoring 11 individuals and organizations in higher education, human rights, philanthropy, health and science, advocacy, business, environmental justice, journalism and media, culinary arts, and a legacy award for Los Tigres del Norte. After the ceremony, the Assembly resumed business with guest introductions and moved through the daily file, passing or retaining a number of bills and resolutions. Among the measures taken up, the Assembly passed AB 1657 on domestic violence restraining order procedures (64-0), AB 2042 on civil procedure and service of process (66-0), AB 1660 on probate and public guardians (45-10), AB 1917 on criminal procedure and reinstatement of dismissed charges (43-15), AB 2148 clarifying that public school employees are human beings in the context of AI (69-0), AB 1647 protecting juvenile statements at transfer hearings (63-0), AB 1555 expanding community college access in Siskiyou County (66-0), AB 1608 on High-Speed Rail Inspector General oversight and reporting (45-18), AB 1803 requiring anti-hate speech training in workplace harassment prevention (50-9), AB 2128 protecting tenants in subsidized housing from certain federal work requirements and time limits (44-16), AB 2576 as a land-use cleanup bill protecting historic resources (61-0), AB 2601 allowing concurrent review for certain housing projects, and AB 2764 on extended foster care eligibility (60-0). Several items were passed and retained on file, and AB 2601 was interrupted by a call of the house before later business continued. The chamber also adopted ACR 159 on indigent defense after adding 59 coauthors, then heard guest introductions from chief public defenders from multiple counties. ACR 179, designating Wildland Urban Interface Preparedness and Resilience Day, was adopted with 65 coauthors after remarks on wildfire risk and forest management. Later, ACR 183 establishing Black Health Equity Advocacy Week was presented with extensive testimony from members of multiple caucuses emphasizing racial health disparities, maternal mortality, life expectancy gaps, and the need for systemic change; the debate continued beyond the excerpt provided. Throughout the session, members repeatedly used guest introductions to recognize visiting groups and individuals, including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority members, UAW President Shawn Fain, California Women in Agriculture, and others.

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment is coded A44.
• The amendment is coded A44.
• The amendment is coded A44.
• The amendment is coded A44.
• amendment is coded A45. amendment is coded A45.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The House took up Senate File 856, which would create an Office of the Inspector General to combat fraud in state public programs. Representative Norris described the bill as the product of a long bipartisan, bicameral working group and emphasized the office’s independence, five-year term, Senate confirmation, removal-for-cause protections, authority to investigate entities receiving public funds, prevention-focused duties, and required public and annual reporting. Representative Anderson PE also thanked the bipartisan authors and staff, saying the bill was the result of extensive negotiations and should move forward without reopening the agreement. Members then considered several amendments. Norris offered a technical cleanup amendment, A44, to clarify language about embedding employees at the Department of Education, distinguish civil and criminal investigative authority, and update law-enforcement terminology; it was adopted. Anderson PE then offered and secured adoption of a technical amendment, A45, to correct a drafting error. Representative Cleorne offered A37 to add prepayment review procedures for all agencies, but it failed on a roll call, 65-67. Cleorne also offered A38 to appropriate $15 million for OIG modernization and data-sharing improvements, but withdrew it after noting it would be out of order. A39, which would have renamed the proposed law enforcement unit from an anti-fraud and waste bureau to an anti-fraud and enforcement unit, failed on a roll call, 66-67, after debate over whether “waste” should be included in the title and scope. During debate on the naming amendment, supporters argued the title should better reflect law-enforcement work and avoid implying the office was a “waste” agency, while opponents said the existing language reflected the bipartisan working-group agreement and that changing it could jeopardize the bill’s progress. Representative West cited inspector general standards that include waste among their duties, and Representative Pinto questioned the substantive basis for opposing the change. Later, Representative Mhler offered A41 to eliminate the future law-enforcement agency entirely, arguing it would be duplicative and unfunded; the transcript cuts off before the vote on that amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 2260, Connolly, small restoration, use water, right restoration.
• AB 2260, Connolly, small restoration, use water right registration.
• AB 2469, Pappen, data centers water use, do pass out on a B roll call.
• AB 2728, Soria, water data, do pass. That's out on an A roll call.
• AB 2739, Soria, water affordability and system stabilization, do pass.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Appropriations Committee held its May 14, 2026 suspense-file hearing and considered 637 Assembly bills, plus several committee bills and one Senate bill. The chair opened by explaining the committee’s budget constraints and the factors guiding decisions: fiscal impact, return on investment, avoiding added costs to constituents, and protecting the state’s social safety net. The agenda was organized alphabetically by author, and the committee noted that results would be posted later that day online. The committee then took action on a very large number of measures, with many bills receiving do pass or do pass as amended recommendations and many others held in committee. Topics covered a wide range of policy areas, including housing, health care, education, public safety, labor, environmental regulation, wildfire mitigation, water, transportation, cannabis, AI, and state governance. Several bills were amended to reduce costs, narrow scope, remove provisions, or make them contingent on appropriations or existing resources; some were advanced on A or B roll calls, while others were held. Among the notable actions, the committee advanced bills on Medi-Cal, CalFresh, child care, school and higher education programs, wildfire and fire safety, housing financing, and various criminal justice and public safety measures. It also moved forward a number of bills related to tribal issues, consumer protections, energy and utility policy, and environmental programs. At the end of the hearing, the chair stated that the committee had moved a large number of bills to the Assembly floor and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Since 1989, when the ADA was adopted, it's been a code requirement to pay attention to those things.
• came up earlier around an input to that calculation of the... ...an input to that calculation of the code
• Other code requirements also are triggered by the level of investment you make in a building relative
• Because we've spent all that money, we now realize we've passed a series of code thresholds that mean
• conservation and water efficiency.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Special Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration met on October 17 with members attending in person and virtually. The commission approved the September 15 minutes and then heard a detailed presentation from DCAM Commissioner Adam Bakey on the correctional facilities portfolio, including the age and condition of DOC and sheriff facilities, deferred maintenance, ADA compliance, decarbonization mandates, and how capital funding is allocated. Bakey said the correctional portfolio includes 36 facilities, with average ages over 50 years, and described how older, rapidly built facilities from the tough-on-crime era now face significant maintenance and replacement needs. He also explained the distinction between catch-up deferred maintenance and ongoing keep-up needs, and noted that construction costs and code thresholds have made projects more expensive. Commissioners and sheriffs asked about ADA requirements, aging and overcrowded facilities, hazardous materials, parts availability for obsolete systems, plumbing and health risks, and whether a newer, more modern correctional facility should be considered. Bakey said many projects trigger broader code upgrades, that some dormant facilities remain in the portfolio, and that health-care and correctional construction are among the most expensive building types. He outlined current funding, including annual deferred maintenance allocations for DOC and formula-based five-year commitments for sheriffs, plus a new competitive capital program for larger sheriff projects. He also explained the Designer Selection Board and “house doctor” process used to procure architects and engineers. The commission then shifted to planning its next steps, focusing on public input. Members agreed the next meeting should likely be a public hearing or include public testimony, with possible input from people with lived experience and consideration of facility tours, especially of women’s facilities such as Framingham. Members emphasized the need to define the commission’s scope clearly so testimony stays focused on structural and consolidation issues rather than all correctional policy topics. The meeting ended with plans for the co-chairs to coordinate the public process and a motion to adjourn, which passed without opposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, you know, this is not alcohol; this is water. Formalized? Yeah, okay.
• There's no billing codes. There's no diagnosis codes.
• That’s just water.
• We take a loss on water.
• So you spoke about water, not electrical. Do you have one meter or multiple electrical meters?

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee first took up SB 1167, which would let municipalities and counties satisfy certain public notice requirements by posting notices on their official websites instead of only in newspapers. The sponsor argued the bill is permissive, meant to modernize notice practices, reduce costs, and help governments meet deadlines, while a Blackman amendment added a six-month transition period requiring continued newspaper publication and a notice to the public about the change. Media representatives, tribal advocates, and others opposed the bill, warning that moving away from print could reduce access for rural, tribal, and older residents and weaken transparency; county and local government representatives supported it as a flexible, efficient option. The committee adopted the amendment and then passed SB 1167 as amended on a 4-3 vote. The committee then heard SB 1021, which after a strike-everything amendment would require the Auditor General to refer possible criminal conduct involving health profession regulatory boards to the Attorney General and outline how such investigations should proceed. The sponsor and supporters said the measure would create a mechanism for accountability when audits uncover criminal activity and address conflicts of interest in enforcement. With no opposition testimony, the committee adopted the strike-everything amendment and passed SB 1021 as amended on a 4-3 vote. Next was SB 1011, a bill directing county medical examiners or forensic pathologists to review an infant’s immunization and vaccination history and any countermeasures given in the 90 days before a sudden unexplained infant death. The sponsor said the bill was intended to improve data collection, align Arizona with best practices, and help identify correlations without implying causation. Opponents, including vaccine advocacy groups and a disability advocate, argued the state already collects much of this information, that the bill could fuel misinformation about vaccines, and that it failed to address the main known risk factors for SIDS such as unsafe sleep. The committee passed SB 1011 on a 4-3 vote. The committee also considered SB 1013, an original merit-based public hiring bill that was not amended after a proposed strike-everything was defeated. The sponsor framed it as ensuring public employees are hired based on qualifications rather than identity-based preferences, while opponents from the ACLU and others argued existing law already prohibits discrimination and that the bill could create new liability and hinder outreach to diverse communities. Supporters said it would clarify merit hiring and prevent quota-based practices. The committee passed SB 1013 on a 4-3 vote. Finally, the committee began hearing SB 1015, which the sponsor said would create accountability and data collection around detransition care for minors, while the proposed strike-everything would instead establish a family and medical leave insurance program through Medicaid beginning in 2029; testimony on that bill and the striker was underway when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• Like, who owns those water rights? What happens to those water rights?
• But the water that they do use is intended for watering the vegetation.
• And then a third A predominant law is the Water Law Code, administered by the Office of the State Engineer
• That water would be treated at the site through a water treatment plant to drinking water standards,
• That water goes to a water pump. treatment plant and would be treated to drinking water standards prior

Transcript Highlights:

• activities that may affect water activities that may affect water quality,<00:57:18.319> flow
• posture for over-the-water structures. posture for over-the-water structures.
• They increase over the water coverage.
• When you space over the public waters.
• How how would that use of that water?

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Going from commercial to, in terms of the residential code versus the building code.
• building code and the residential code.
• Building code, that's right. Share it. in terms of the residential code versus the building code.
• codes.
• codes.

Summary: The Senate Housing Committee heard a series of work-session presentations focused on transit-oriented development, commercial-to-residential redevelopment, building code implementation, housing market trends, and the Covenant Homeownership Program. The first presentation, from the Urban Institute, reviewed research on HB 1491 and TOD feasibility, arguing that Washington has made major progress but faces diverging conditions across transit areas. The presenter said rising construction costs, higher interest rates, and lower rents in some markets have made many projects less feasible, and recommended targeted infrastructure funding for lower-market communities, adjustments to MFTE and affordability requirements by local market conditions, more support for very low-income housing in high-market transit areas, minimum density standards near stations, expanded public land/joint development tools, and better tracking of TOD outcomes over time. Committee members asked about AMI calculations, immigration’s effect on construction labor, developer input, and whether a tracking mechanism had been removed from the bill. The Department of Commerce then outlined implementation of HB 1491 and demonstrated the new Washington Zoning Atlas, which is live and intended to help visualize zoning, overlays, and station-area conditions. Commerce said local governments will designate station areas, update zoning and MFTE policies, and handle anti-displacement measures, with Vancouver and Spokane first to implement and Puget Sound following later. Staff described a timeline for updated MFTE guidance, station-area implementation guidance, a TOD model ordinance, and later rulemaking on variances. The committee also heard from the Lieutenant Governor’s office on a report about converting commercial properties to housing, which found substantial potential for redevelopment on vacant or underused commercial land, especially near transit, but noted barriers such as ground-floor retail mandates, affordability requirements, infrastructure costs, private covenants, and slow implementation. The office urged by-right residential use on commercial land and faster rollout of new housing laws. The State Building Code Council updated the committee on its three-year code cycle and several legislatively directed actions, including minimum dwelling size, emergency shelters, and especially single-exit stairs and multiplex housing. Council staff said those code changes are nearing completion and will provide prescriptive solutions, while noting that elevator size and requirements were not changed and would require separate legislative direction if the committee wanted to revisit them. Members discussed the cost impacts of building and energy codes and the council said it is required to consider economic impacts and is increasingly looking at performance-based approaches. Later, the Washington Center for Real Estate Research presented its annual housing report, showing that higher mortgage rates have sharply reduced affordability, flattened house prices in many cities, and slowed single-family permitting and completions, while multifamily construction has recently cooled after a prior surge. Finally, the Washington State Housing Finance Commission reported strong first-year results for the Covenant Homeownership Program, which provides zero-interest down payment assistance to eligible first-time buyers with family ties to Washington before 1968; the program assisted 547 homebuyers in its first fiscal year, with more than $60 million loaned, and the agency said participation has continued to grow after income-limit changes enacted in 2025.

Transcript Highlights:

• create and enact a new subdivision to subsection 2 of Section 12-60-24 of the North Dakota Century Code
• and you will see the addition in Section 1 of the bill as it impacts Chapter 43-40 of the Century Code
• Century Code, relating to approved laboratory tests, and to provide for an effective date.
• I mean, are they, aside from poisoning the water, how do you get it? Representative M.
• I mean, aside from poisoning the water, how do you get more people sick to get them to come in?

Bills: HB1621, HB1624, HB1623, HB1622, HB1625, HB1626, HB1627, HCR3038

Keywords: presidential physical fitness test, physical education, fitness assessment, student fitness, school curriculum, graduation requirements, elementary school, middle school, high school, public schools, nonpublic schools, superintendent of public instruction, exceptions, disability accommodations, North Dakota studies, computer science, cybersecurity, health education, concept-based fitness class, school standards

Summary: The North Dakota House convened in special session with prayer, roll call, and a quorum present, then took up several rural health-related bills. Senate Bill 2401, as amended, required physicians to complete one hour of continuing education in nutrition and metabolic health each renewal cycle and also added language allowing criminal history background checks for the Board of Occupational Therapy Practice. Supporters emphasized the role of nutrition in reducing chronic disease, and the bill passed 92-0. The House then considered Senate Bill 2402, which expanded pharmacists’ limited prescriptive and therapeutic substitution authority for certain low-acuity conditions and clarified related lab-test and communication requirements. Members discussed examples such as motion sickness, cold sores, lice, hypoglycemia, COVID and flu testing, emergency access to medications and supplies, and limits excluding certain drug classes; the bill passed 91-1. Senate Bill 2403 created a temporary medical facility emergency operating loan option through the Bank of North Dakota for qualifying rural hospitals facing severe financial distress, with extensive debate over the targeted nature of the aid, anti-gifting concerns, repayment terms, and the hospital’s turnaround plan; it passed 80-12. Senate Bill 2404 appropriated funds for NDIT to address federal digital accessibility requirements and for the Public Service Commission’s litigation efforts related to transmission costs, with a backup loan authorization available if needed; it passed 92-0. At the close of the session, leaders thanked members and staff for their work on the rural health transformation package, a committee notified the Governor and the Senate that the House had completed its business, absent members were excused, and the House adjourned sine die.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I'll throw this in from the Water Committee: 8,000 water systems in this state.
• Those that have Water Development Board funding are supposed to report water loss data.
• And I'll throw this in from the Water Committee, 8,000 water systems in this state.
• Those that have development, 8,000 water systems in this state.
• Those that have water development board funding are supposed to report water loss data.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So I don't think you want a private corporation acting as code enforcement.
• I know one of them is getting a code enforcement. It's a larger one.
• Doesn't have a permit, not allowed, getting code enforcement action.
• And you're creating an additional code enforcement requirement to say that people...
• in their truck. ...forcing them to rely solely on the water in their truck.

Summary: The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee heard a long agenda of housing-related bills, beginning with AB 518 on low-impact camping areas. The author and supporters said the bill would streamline permitting for small rural camping operations on private land, expand outdoor access, and support rural economies, while opponents from campground associations and counties warned it could undermine existing regulation, create enforcement problems, and allow advertising of unpermitted sites. Members raised concerns about fire safety and local control, but the bill was ultimately passed as amended on an 8-0 vote. The committee then approved AB 635, which would require HCD to refer up to 25 of the most serious mobile home residency law complaints to the Attorney General. Supporters said mobile home residents need stronger enforcement against egregious park-owner violations, while opponents argued the existing program is underused, costly, and should remain subject to a sunset. After discussion of the program’s surplus and enforcement role, the bill passed 9-1. AB 893, which expands ministerial approval for mixed-income housing near college campuses and broadens eligibility for affordable units to students, faculty, and staff, also drew strong support from student advocates and housing groups and respectful opposition from the League of California Cities over local control and height limits; it passed 10-0. AB 925, the Mobile Home Emergency Safety Act, would require stronger emergency preparedness measures in mobile home parks, including accessible exits, working fire hydrants, and gas shutoff access, with a fee increase to fund enforcement. Supporters framed it as a life-safety measure in disaster-prone areas, while opponents argued the bill duplicates existing requirements and imposes an unnecessary fee increase. The committee voted 6-1 to send it to Appropriations, with the bill left on call. The consent calendar, including several other housing and local government bills, was approved 8-0. The committee also heard AB 712, which would increase penalties and attorney-fee protections for applicants enforcing state housing laws against public agencies; supporters said it would improve compliance, while special districts opposed the bill as overly broad and unclear. Members discussed indemnification and timing issues, and the bill was advanced with amendments to Judiciary.