Transcript Highlights:

• Most notably, SB 153 grants local transit operators the authority to operate charter bus service for
• It's a research center at UC Davis, so it would be used for capital investments at the center.
• Regional Planning Agency.
• Regional Planning Agency.
• at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Committee held an informational hearing on the September budget package, which included SB 105 and a series of trailer bills covering health, human services, education, resources, child care, transportation, labor, public safety, housing, revenue, background checks, collective bargaining, and a special election. The Department of Finance described the package as largely technical and clarifying, but also responsive to state and federal changes, especially H.R. 1. Key items included roughly $3.3 billion in Proposition 4 climate and environmental spending, $540 million in discretionary greenhouse gas reduction funds, and major responses to H.R. 1 such as CalFresh error-rate mitigation, food bank support, and Medicaid-related changes. Other notable provisions included vaccine policy flexibility, an Abortion Access Fund, a gender-affirming care program, community college basic-needs and aid changes, CEQA and coastal permit exemptions tied to the 2028 Olympics, invasive mussel prevention funding, a civic media program, labor and pension-related provisions, and special election administration changes. Members raised questions and concerns about several parts of the package. There was support for climate, water, transit, offshore wind, food security, and health investments, but also significant criticism of the lack of cleanup language for SB 131 and its advanced manufacturing exemptions, with multiple members saying promised fixes had not materialized and expressing concerns about tribal consultation, labor standards, and environmental protections. Members also questioned the scale and timing of some Proposition 4 allocations, including fairground upgrades, regional conveyance, and a UC Davis alternative protein research center. The Department of Finance said some programs would roll out over time and that certain funding levels reflected current implementation capacity. The hearing also featured discussion of Bay Area transit financing, with Finance saying SB 105 directs the department and CalSTA to examine loan or other financing options rather than immediately providing loans. Members and public commenters also discussed the state’s response to H.R. 1, with advocates supporting food bank, health care, and immunization provisions while warning of ongoing harm to immigrants, foster youth, and other vulnerable groups. Public testimony broadly supported the health, food, water, offshore wind, and golden mussel provisions, while many speakers echoed legislative concerns about SB 131 and urged cleanup action in the next session. No votes were taken because the hearing was informational only, though the chair noted votes on the bills were expected later that night or the next morning.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:11:20.800><c> with</c> or loaned or jointly operated with or loaned or jointly operated with
• </c> Carlson here who's our chief operating Carlson here who's our chief operating officer<00:20:18.640
• </c> biggest issues with this is security. biggest issues with this is security.
• </c> the required security. the required security.
• Uh, and than the northeast region.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The Fiscal Committee met on January 23, 2026, approved the December 19, 2025 minutes, and adopted the remaining items on the consent calendar after noting several withdrawals. The committee then took up Department of Safety item FIS 26007, which involved Homeland Security/FEMA grant funding for equipment and UAS-related activities. Senators asked whether any of the funding would support federal civil immigration enforcement or shared operations with federal agencies, and about privacy protections for drone data. The department said the grant is governed by federal parameters, that the state uses the remaining 20 percent after federally directed uses, and that privacy law in this area is evolving. The item was adopted on an 8-2 vote. The committee next considered Department of Environmental Services item 26003, which had been withdrawn by the Senate. A senator said concerns about using the funds for a different project had been resolved after speaking with the commissioner, and the item was adopted without further debate. The committee then moved to Department of Health and Human Services item 260005, a request for about $700,000 in remaining ARPA-related funds for the Hampstead children’s facility project. Commissioners explained that the project had been funded in stages because the original appropriation was based on estimates and bid assumptions, and that the remaining money would cover alternates and finish the project without using general funds. Senators raised concerns about repeated requests for additional money, the adequacy of security, site-selection costs, and why the project had not been fully funded at the outset. The department said the project had been intentionally structured to proceed in phases and that required security would be provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• It continues to face operational shortfalls as expenditures outpace revenues, with total revenue in 2025
• My name is Devin Middlebrook, and I'm the Government Affairs Manager for the Tahoe Regional Planning
• Major population centers, meaning Gilroy in the north, then connecting to Caltrain, connecting to the
• have significant operating and capital shortfalls due to the same pressures. ...have significant operating
• Dylan Hoffman, on behalf of the Center for Employment Opportunities.

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on transportation agency budget proposals and did not take any votes. The first major discussion focused on the Motor Vehicle Account shortfall and a proposed one-time $166 million transfer from the Air Pollution Control Fund and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to offset California Air Resources Board mobile source costs. Department of Finance and the LAO described the account’s long-running structural deficit, driven largely by employee compensation growth and REAL ID-related workload, while members criticized the use of Proposition 4, GGRF, and other one-time or redirected funds as backfills and urged a longer-term solution that addresses both revenues and expenditures. The committee then heard Caltrans’ request for $25 million in General Fund support to create a Clean California Community Cleanup and Employment Pathway Grant Program. Caltrans said the program would build on the prior Clean California effort by funding local litter and graffiti cleanup, community engagement, and workforce pathways for vulnerable populations. The LAO recommended rejecting the proposal, arguing that local litter abatement is not a core state responsibility and that one-time funding is unlikely to solve persistent local cleanup needs. Several members echoed those concerns, while public commenters split between support for the cleanup/employment model and calls to instead restore funding to the Active Transportation Program and transit operations. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency requested that California administratively recognize Tahoe’s federally designated population figure for state formula-based transportation funding, which would raise the population count used in formulas from 40,000 to 145,000. The agency said the change would not request new money but would better align state formulas with federal law and support a shared regional funding framework; members appeared generally supportive, though they noted the need to phase in the change to reduce impacts on other regions. The final presentation was on High-Speed Rail. The LAO reviewed the authority’s project update report, noting that it did not fully meet statutory requirements and that key details are still pending in a supplemental report expected later in the summer. The LAO said the Merced-to-Bakersfield segment still shows an estimated roughly $7 billion funding gap, with no specific plan to close it, and highlighted risks from federal review, inflation, and uncertain GGRF revenues. High-Speed Rail Authority staff said they are conducting a bottom-up review of scope, schedule, ridership, and costs, expect to provide updated information by late summer, and are exploring public-private partnerships and other financing strategies. Members stressed that no further funding commitments should be made until the updated analysis is available.

Transcript Highlights:

• Up the regions.
• of common concern such as water rights, water supply, threats to secure continuity, and regional water
• I want to highlight the importance of regional water planning because we need to focus on this to secure
• If this is the way we're going forward with the security planning regions, then we need to pay for it
• We did, when we passed the Water Security Planning Act, we didn't put money in for the regional plan.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are one of the three companies that's licensed to operate alternative treatment centers in New Hampshire
• We are one of the three companies that's licensed to operate alternative treatment centers in New Hampshire
• First, allowing alternative treatment centers, or ATCs, to operate additional cultivation locations such
• First, allowing alternative treatment centers, or ATCs, to operate additional cultivation locations such
• First, allowing alternative treatment centers, or ATCs, to operate additional cultivation locations such

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , you know, what it takes to operate a data center.
• data centers.
• by data centers, just five.
• That's one of their regional transmission organizations that connects into the Great Lakes region, and
• . is. operating challenges and regulatory challenges and make that make it difficult to do in a regional

Summary: The Joint Committee on Energy Supply, Energy Conservation, and Energy Resilience opened by electing Senator Shoemake as chair and Representative Alex Ibarra as vice chair. Members then moved into a series of work sessions focused on data centers, transmission, and workforce needs tied to Washington’s clean energy and grid planning challenges. Kate Bruns and Glenn Blackman presented preliminary findings from the governor’s Data Center work group, created under Executive Order 25-05. They said the group met for six months, received more than 1,000 public comments, and included representatives from agencies, industry, tribes, labor, utilities, environmental groups, and research institutions. The presenters emphasized that data centers are expected to be the largest source of load growth over the next five to ten years, creating concerns about grid capacity, ratepayer impacts, forecasting, water use, backup generation, and compatibility with Washington’s energy and climate laws. They described nine recommendations, including protecting existing energy and climate policy, improving forecasting, seeking more clean power and transmission, and encouraging flexible data center operations. A proposed tax incentive change that would have expanded eligibility while tying the exemption to new clean electricity sources narrowly failed in the work group. Members asked about tribal consultation, cooling technologies, and local benefits from data centers; the presenters said tribal consultation was ongoing and a final report would follow. Keegan Moyer of West Tech then outlined a regional transmission study showing major strain on the Western grid from load growth, electrification, resiliency needs, and limited transmission capacity. He said the 10-year study identified about 12,000 line miles of needed projects across the West, with roughly $56 billion in estimated costs, including planned projects, reliability upgrades, and new interregional transfer projects. He stressed that many projects are upgrades within existing rights-of-way, but new corridors are still needed, and he previewed recommendations on permitting, equipment procurement, cost allocation, and project sponsorship. In response to questions, he discussed the difficulty of crossing jurisdictional “seams,” the role of federal coordination, landowner compensation, eminent domain as a last resort, and the limited role of public financing beyond a federal GRIP grant. Stephanie Scott of Commerce presented the transmission workforce study, which focuses on substation technicians, line workers, and line clearance tree trimmers. She said current workforce levels are far below what will be needed under a clean energy expansion scenario, and that active projects are essential because apprenticeship training depends on thousands of hours of hands-on work. She highlighted barriers such as high upfront CDL and pre-apprenticeship costs, the need for wraparound supports, and the importance of expanding access for women, people of color, and tribal communities. Members asked about tribal utility apprenticeship programs, utility-run training pipelines, and whether the study included funding sources; Scott said the report would include an inventory of apprenticeship programs and tribal considerations, but revenue ideas were outside the study scope. Finally, Brant Johnson of Grid United described the North Plains Connector as a case study in large transmission development. He said the project, a 420-mile, 3,000-megawatt HVDC line connecting Montana and North Dakota, has relied on early stakeholder engagement, route changes, tribal consultation, and coordinated federal and state permitting to reduce risk and shorten timelines. He said the project aims for permits by the end of 2026 and construction beginning in 2028, with an earliest commercial operation date of 2032. In response to questions, he discussed the challenges of crossing regional seams, interconnection queues, land acquisition and compensation, eminent domain, and financing, noting that the project is primarily privately financed with a $700 million federal grant covering a portion of costs.

Transcript Highlights:

• I oversee eight of our opioid treatment centers in the Northeast region, and five of those centers are
• I oversee eight of our opioid treatment centers in the Northeast region, and five of those centers are
• I oversee eight of our opioid treatment centers in the Northeast region, and five of those centers are
• I oversee eight of our opioid treatment centers in the Northeast region, and five of those centers are
• I oversee eight of our opioid treatment centers in the Northeast region, and five of those centers are

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• throughout</c> Security.
• And Social Security throughout Security.
• </c> Committee and Homeland Security Committee and Homeland Security Committee.
• </c> our shores and our communities secure. our shores and our communities secure.
• </c> region in northeast Wisconsin. Mr. region in northeast Wisconsin. Mr.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• She managed special events here at the Pan American Center, booking all the bands for decades.
• What's happened is that the Center for Student Success collaborated with all the colleges.
• We just secured a contract through GSD, and this project has a $4 million cap.
• The operative unit of measurement when it comes to WIP is volume.
• And maybe just keeping it in a closed loop, and even if we use it in data centers...

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> to experiment with Social Security to experiment with Social Security disability<00:22:43.919><c
• :24:54.320><c> you</c> Security Administration contacts you Security Administration contacts you about
• Social Security Committee to Preserve Social Security and<00:45:10.480><c> Medicare.
• </c> F-16s, both training and operational. F-16s, both training and operational.
• </c> sustainable region on planet Earth. sustainable region on planet Earth.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Thursday, July 23, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• what that looks like across the region.
• And I have to lift up the California Science Center.
• It is a center of equity, of education, and of growth.
• centers throughout the area.
• The Fleet Science Center, you heard, $3.7 million cut.

Summary: The joint informational hearing focused on how recent federal actions are affecting arts, culture, humanities, libraries, museums, and the creative economy in California. Chair Ben Allen and Vice Chair Chris Ward opened by describing the hearing as a response to proposed and ongoing federal cuts to the NEA, NEH, IMLS, and public broadcasting, as well as grant terminations and leadership changes at cultural institutions. Several members emphasized the economic and civic importance of the arts, while one Republican member argued for greater ideological diversity in the arts and noted the loss of music programs in small schools. Testimony from Aaron Harky of Americans for the Arts and Jolie Fisher of SAG-AFTRA described the impact of federal policy on grants, jobs, and production. Harky said executive orders and the FY 2026 budget proposal threaten arts agencies and arts education, and that rescinded grants are causing hiring freezes, shutdowns, and losses for small organizations, especially in rural and underserved communities. Fisher focused on runaway film and television production, outdated tax rules, and the need for federal incentives, intellectual property protections, and action on AI and digital replicas. Members also discussed bipartisan support, the role of business and tourism partners, and the need to include more diverse voices in arts advocacy. The second panel featured Rick Noguchi of California Humanities, Greg Lucas of the State Library, and Danielle Purcell of the California Arts Council. Noguchi said NEH funding was cut immediately, putting California Humanities’ grantmaking and documentary programs at risk and prompting consideration of litigation and possible state support. Lucas reported that IMLS funding for California libraries was briefly canceled but partly restored, though a budget gap remains. Purcell said the California Arts Council is still awaiting federal award language for state partnership funds, but NEA grant terminations and the proposed elimination of federal cultural agencies create major uncertainty; she also said the council is assessing the damage and tracking impacts on grantees. Members asked about measuring outcomes, AI’s threat to creative work, documentary funding losses, and possible state and national strategies to protect cultural institutions and jobs.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, the long and the short of it is that these are managed 24/7, operated sites with staff and security
• The city is a center of gravity for the region, and, you know, we're happy to carry that responsibility
• The top of this chart is CYFD's operating budget.
• And we said we should do family resource centers.
• And then Barbara Tedro is owner and operator of 5 childcare centers.

Transcript Highlights:

• director southeastern regional director southeastern regional director Miss Le Wiggins Omega Omicron
• director Miss Sharon Ward Regional director Miss Sharon Ward Regional director Miss Sharon Ward alphab
• director of Alpac Kappa Alpha regional director of Alpac Kappa Alpha regional director of Alpac Kappa
• critical victories Washington securing critical victories Washington securing critical victories and
• and Circle of Care Services Center and Circle of Care Services Center and Circle of Care Center for

Bills: HB 9, HB 22, HB 908, HB 1392

Keywords: property tax, ad valorem tax, tangible personal property, income-producing property, business personal property, tax exemption, local government finance, appraisal district, chief appraiser, rendition statement, property tax relief, small business, commercial property, leased property, related business entity, unified business enterprise, tax situs, Texas Tax Code, local taxing unit, constitutional amendment

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:08:44.680><c> serves</c> facility which we own and operate serves facility which we own and operate
• regenerative AGR forestry model centered regenerative AGR forestry model remains<00:09:17.160><c> uh
• Even though I have secured employment, I will continue on. Construction equipment.
• Paul, so there are also regional differences in where their clientele comes from.
• , a number of other operational functions as well.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the last of our scheduled regional hearings.
• regional hearings, but those will be closed today.
• Well made and they probably apply to all the regions of the center of Texas.
• That district was at the center of the Perez v.
• That makes us different from other regions in Texas.

Summary: The Senate Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting met virtually for its West Texas regional hearing, established a quorum, and explained that the hearing was part of a series of statewide information-gathering sessions before any map was filed. The chair outlined the Zoom procedures, the two-minute testimony limit, and the availability of written comments through the committee’s public portal. Senators also discussed the logistics and transparency of the process, including the expectation that any proposed map or amendment would be made public once filed and that additional hearings would follow. Senator Blanco, whose district includes West Texas and the border region, said the area’s communities of interest should be kept together and warned against repeating the loss of representation that followed the last redistricting cycle. Senators Alvarado, Hinojosa, Miles, and others debated the value of virtual hearings versus in-person hearings, the number of people who had testified, and whether the committee could subpoena witnesses after the regional hearings ended. The chair said he was awaiting legal guidance and would consider a subpoena motion at a formal meeting the next day. A lengthy exchange also occurred over the tone of public testimony and the chair’s view that some comments directed at Republicans and the president had been offensive or historically inaccurate. Invited witnesses and public commenters largely opposed mid-decade redistricting and argued that any new map should reflect population growth, especially among Latino and other minority communities, and comply with the Voting Rights Act. Nina Perales of MALDEF said the hearings were not meaningful without a draft map and testified that Texas has a long history of discriminatory redistricting; senators questioned her about litigation, DOJ’s July 7 letter, and the 2021 congressional map. Tania Chavez Camacho, Luis Figueroa, and several El Paso residents emphasized that maps should preserve communities of interest, avoid cracking and packing, and be transparent and participatory. A smaller number of witnesses supported redistricting, including one El Paso resident who said the current districting leaves the area underrepresented and another who argued that some communities want to return to a map closer to the earlier District 16 configuration. Several witnesses also criticized the DOJ letter as inconsistent with the state’s position that the 2021 maps were drawn race-blind, while others said the current process was too rushed and lacked sufficient public input.

Transcript Highlights:

• They, in the state, own and operate the Glen Ellen Wind Energy Center, and they were the developers of
• In the case of the data centers, they're willing to, in most cases, own and operate or have some type
• The bill prohibits utilities from allocating costs associated with data center operations, including
• The bill also requires the owners and operators of data centers. To maintain grid reliability.
• with communities affected by data centers and requires the owners or operators of data centers to bear

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, we operate on the same rules of decorum as a Texas house.
• So, TDCJ, we operate 35 factories.
• Uh, facilities was moved over to the state operation piece.
• McLean indicated, we began that operation in 2019.
• We also provide, by way of background, operations for secure facilities in states of Florida, Mississippi

Transcript Highlights:

• Office, which is also the West Central Research and Outreach Center.
• This team of students working in our Dairy Foods Research Center, Midwest Food Research Center, which
• They had a really tight operation. Nothing went to waste.
• They had a really tight operation. Nothing went to waste.
• Could you comment a little bit about just regionally?

Bills: HF3692

Keywords: Farmer-Lender Mediation Act, mediation, agriculture finance, debt relief, civil law, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We currently, we went from 7 regional housing authorities at that time down to 3 regional housing authorities
• Debaca, Chief Operations Officer.
• Was it, is it regional?
• of three regional housing authorities.
• of income, the security of a home are key to the security of a good, uh, the health and well-being of

Transcript Highlights:

• Good afternoon, and welcome to this hearing of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government
• O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center. Thank you so much for your time.
• We have animal care and adoption centers in Boston, Brewster, and Denham.
• Our alumni go on to work as Tier 1 Help Desk Technicians, security operations center analysts, network
• Our alumni go on to work as tier one help desk technicians, security operations center analysts, network

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held a lengthy hybrid hearing of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, with testimony spanning local board training, animal welfare and enforcement, municipal charters, water district dissolution, and other home rule matters. Chairs Rausch and Lewis set strict time limits because of the large number of speakers and explained that written testimony would also be accepted. Members heard from local officials, advocates, municipal employees, and residents, with many bills receiving broad support from municipal and advocacy witnesses. Several speakers supported bills requiring or expanding training for local boards and commissions, including pre-service training for planning, zoning, and other land use boards. Supporters said training would help volunteers understand complex laws, improve consistency, reduce legal challenges, and speed up housing and development decisions. Related testimony also backed a bill to modernize historic district commissions and another to allow associate planning board members to serve more broadly when needed to maintain quorums. A major portion of the hearing focused on animal legislation. Witnesses supported bills to expand citations for cruel conditions beyond dogs, update dangerous dog procedures, improve animal health inspections and breeder oversight, strengthen tethering rules, and protect pet consumers. Animal control officers, humane organizations, and some victims of dog attacks described enforcement gaps and the need for clearer standards, while several dog trainers and the American Kennel Club opposed parts of the dangerous dog bill and tethering restrictions, arguing they would limit humane training tools and professional discretion. The committee also heard strong support for a bill to create a statewide pet shop and consumer protection framework. The committee also heard testimony on several local home rule petitions. Medford officials and residents strongly supported a new city charter that would replace the current at-large council with ward-based representation and periodic charter review. Wayland representatives supported a bill to preserve the library’s Millennium Fund as intended, Cambridge officials backed creation of an employment and job training trust, and Carver officials supported dissolving the North Carver Water District due to compliance and financial problems. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chair repeatedly invited written testimony and follow-up materials.