Transcript Highlights:

• budget proviso came.
• The budget proviso discussions were about what the budget proviso was for, our long-term plans as an
• We often try to explain that a proviso is not necessary to add funds to our budget, but that the process
• It just ends up in the budget.
• I met him through our contracting process. Thank you. I met him through our contracting process.

Summary: The hearing opened in a Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings matter involving Legislative Ethics Board complaint 2025-5 against Representative Tara Simmons. The ALJ outlined the process, the issues on appeal, and the burden of proof, which centered on whether Simmons violated the Ethics Act by using her legislative position for others’ benefit and by holding outside employment that conflicted with her duties, and what sanction would be appropriate. Several exhibits were admitted by stipulation or without objection, while Exhibit 2 was initially held for later ruling but was ultimately admitted after testimony from the witness who prepared it. The board also granted a motion to sequester witnesses and took under advisement a motion to exclude three defense witnesses until after the staff case-in-chief. In opening statements, board staff alleged Simmons violated RCW 42.52.020 and RCW 42.52.070 by sponsoring a proviso that benefited her outside employer, Equity and Education Coalition (EEC), by using campaign surplus funds to help hire a friend, by intervening in a dispute over the proviso-funded work, and by sending text messages to influence others. Staff said it would seek penalties of up to $5,000 per violation plus costs. Defense counsel argued the allegations were technical ethics issues, denied Simmons profited personally, and contended the proviso funding her employer was permitted under prior board guidance; counsel also argued the campaign donation and later contract dispute were lawful and context-dependent. The first witness, Kimberly Gordon of American Equity and Justice Group (AEJG), testified that AEJG received state proviso funding and donations from Simmons, including $10,000 and later $40,000, which Gordon said were intended to fund the hiring of Antoine Coleman, Simmons’s romantic partner. Gordon said AEJG returned the donations and terminated Coleman after learning of the relationship and potential conflict of interest. She also testified about a later 2024 proviso involving EEC, a subcontract between AEJG and EEC, and a dispute over EEC’s performance under that subcontract. Gordon said AEJG raised concerns with the Administrative Office of the Courts, met with contract manager Chris Stanley, and ultimately rewrote the subcontract after Stanley, allegedly after speaking with Simmons, directed them to do so. The hearing then recessed for lunch, and cross-examination of Gordon was set to continue afterward.

Transcript Highlights:

• for many other things until we can process a budget transfer request.
• Because I think from last year, from this last budget cycle, we were able to increase the budget for
• When the state budget authority was set up, they were given that same unlimited budget authority.
• In the new budget, when the budget year started, Madam Chair and Senator, the budget year started July
• The LFC committee and the budget creation process where that's done. Okay. Thank you.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have two budgets: 94300, which is our operating budget, and 94700, which is our capital budget.
• We're also in the process of reconvening with Real Time Solutions (RTS).
• I want to start with a quick question on the process and timing.
• I'll be going over the budget and contract support update.
• I have a feeling that Capital Outlay would be part of that process.

Transcript Highlights:

• the budget.
• the budget.
• the budget.
• the budget.
• , decreases the budget, or maintains the budget.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 313, and Representative Perez moved to retain the bill, saying it needed work and was not ready as written. Representative Smith supported that approach, and the motion to retain passed 18-0. The committee then considered House Bill 391, an anti-SLAPP measure. Representative Smith and others argued the bill was too broad, could create litigation and discovery disputes, and might even be read to affect criminal cases. The committee voted 18-0 to retain HB 391 as well, and the chair agreed to place it on consent with a report to be prepared. The committee next heard House Bill 462, establishing a cause of action for unwarranted video imaging of residential properties. Representative McFarland moved to retain, saying the bill raised First Amendment and property-rights concerns. The motion passed 18-0. The committee then took up House Bill 509, a fiscal note bill requiring reporting related to forfeitures. Members on both sides discussed the bill’s cost, the burden of collecting and collating the data, possible duplication across fiscal years, and whether the information was already being collected. The OTP motion passed 11-7, and Chairman Lynn asked Representative McFarland to prepare the report; a minority report was anticipated. Finally, the committee considered House Bill 520, which would authorize Department of Education hearing officers to issue subpoenas. Representative Kuttab supported the bill, saying similar authority exists in other agencies and states. Opponents argued the DOE already can obtain information through the attorney general, that the bill would create an unbalanced internal enforcement process, and that the subpoena authority was not tied to the curriculum-related concerns raised in testimony. Representative Ter offered Amendment 0842H to shift subpoena authority from DOE hearing officers to the attorney general; the amendment failed 7-11. The committee then voted on the bill as amended, and the OTP motion passed 10-8, with a minority report also requested.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you're budgeting for enrollment numbers that you're not achieving, the next time you budget, you decrease
• If you're budgeting for enrollment numbers that you're not achieving, the next time you budget, you decrease
• If you're budgeting for enrollment numbers that you're not achieving, the next time you budget, you decrease
• A budget note...
• But the process here troubles me in multiple respects.

Keywords: 907, all

Summary: The Emergency Board met on June 17, 2026, and approved a series of subcommittee recommendations, mostly on consent, related to federal grant applications, agency funding adjustments, and position authority. Early actions included approval of four federal grant applications from natural resources agencies, three public safety grant applications, a one-time increase for Judicial Department court security, retroactive approval for an AmeriCorps volunteer-generation grant, and a $7.5 million allocation to Southern Oregon University from a special appropriation for short-term financial stability. Members supporting the SOU item emphasized the university’s structural deficits, declining enrollment, and the need for a long-term higher education plan; several members voted no or raised concerns about sustainability, but the motion passed. The board also approved a federal apprenticeship expansion grant for the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, a school nutrition equipment grant for the Department of Education, and an Oregon Health Authority request tied to Medicaid community engagement requirements under H.R. 1. Public safety items included funding for Oregon Military Department readiness facilities, a report on the stalled juvenile justice information system modernization project with a follow-up viability report due in 2026, and a statewide evacuation planning tool for emergency management. The evacuation tool drew strong support as a wildfire preparedness measure, with members noting it could significantly reduce alert times and save lives. A major point of debate was the Department of Justice request to add 16 permanent positions and increase other funds limitation for antitrust enforcement. Supporters argued the federal government has pulled back and Oregon needs capacity to pursue active cases and protect consumers; opponents objected to the process, the size of the expansion, and the incentive structure tied to settlements and awards. Despite those concerns, the motion passed. The board also approved Water Resources Department requests for the Water Well Abandonment, Repair and Replacement program, an assistant water master position in Washington County, and federal funding for Lower Umatilla Basin groundwater data collection. The water master item prompted questions about county cost shifts, but staff said the position would remain externally funded and would not be filled without those resources.

Transcript Highlights:

• Just to give you a little bit of an update on where we are on the budget, there is supposedly a budget
• It's like a $12.5 billion budget.
• But we were doing that for budget purposes.
• Do you know about the process for doing that?
• When I go home tonight, I'm thinking, 400, and it's a we went from a $62,000 budget to a $300,000 budget

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, I do believe that when the House budget initially was put together, there was money in that budget
• process, two things stayed relevant.
• Process and, uh, and once that process concludes in roughly 4 months from now, we would love to visit
• The state also has the flexibility to either expand or contract, uh, based upon budget, uh, woes or budget
• So we start the process.

Transcript Highlights:

• House budget initially was put together.
• Ideal would be what you asked for in the original budget.
• process, two things, stayed relevant.
• Does your RFP process?
• The state also has the flexibility to either expand or contract based. based upon budget woes or budget

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• is more than a line item in a budget. is more than a line item in a budget.
• It's also probable, as mentioned, that the changes that perhaps happen in the budget reconciliation process
• in the budget reconciliation proc process<01:05:31.119> at<01:05:31.359> the<01:05:31.520
• deeply important uh that this budget deeply important uh that this budget does<01:32:10.480>
• We didn't have the money to double their budget. We didn't have the money to double their budget.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 2312 and first adopted the DE1 amendment, after which the amended bill was discussed. Nonpartisan fiscal staff walked through the spreadsheet and explained the bill’s higher education budget changes, including increases for state grants and tribal college assistance, unchanged funding for several existing programs, and reductions or eliminations for items such as state work study, summer academic enrichment, student loan counseling, concurrent enrollment, and the student parent support initiative. Staff also noted transfers to special revenue funds, the cancellation and reappropriation of ALS research funding, and a new licensing/registration revenue item. The committee was told the bill met the committee’s zero target overall, with a net general fund change of zero relative to the February forecast, while also adding some non-general fund expenditures for program licensing and registration. Members asked several questions about the transfers and specific line items, including whether any new special revenue accounts were being created, the foster care wraparound services line, and the treatment of the University of Minnesota and Centric Care partnership. Staff explained that the transfers generally did not create new accounts, that some items were not in the base, and that the U of M/Centric Care partnership was a one-time appropriation in the prior bill but was now being built into the base at a different amount. The University of Minnesota section also included new or continued funding for medical school development, health training restoration, emergency assistance grants, ALS research, and a weather resiliency program, while the Mayo Foundation section eliminated funding for Mayo Medical School and the Mayo family medicine residency program. The policy portion of the DE1 was then introduced. It included a maximum tuition and fee amount for state grants, direct appropriation of emergency assistance grants to Minnesota State, a juvenile justice appropriation for Metropolitan State University, and the ALS research reappropriation to the University of Minnesota. It also contained repealers for unfunded programs, including a delayed repealer for the student parent support initiative. In the higher education policy article, the bill would allow Minnesota State to offer applied doctoral degrees in cybersecurity, make technical changes to hunger-free campus and sexual misconduct procedures, extend pregnant and parenting student protections to private institutions, allow OHE to retain up to 10% of certain competitive grants for administration, consolidate reports, change the state grant formula so negative FAFSA contributions count as zero, and reduce the state grant lifetime credit cap from 180 to 120 credits. The Northstar Promise provisions would limit tuition and fees to resident rates and require MnState, and request the University of Minnesota, to ensure eligible students receive the benefit.

Transcript Highlights:

• So our budget, the current biennial budget for the Guardian ad Litem program, is $4,634,000.
• um the current biannual Li so our budget um the current biannual based<00:09:27.000> budget<00
• go to a formal complaint process.
• go to a formal complaint process.
• go to a formal complaint process.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee approved the January 21 minutes and then reviewed committee rules, emphasizing deadlines for handouts, testimony notices, and substantive amendments, along with a warning that disruptive signs, noise, or demonstrations could lead to removal from the hearing room. The chair said the rules would be shared with the full House and noted the committee would operate with quorum and not tolerate chaos. The committee then heard a presentation from Tammy Baker Olson, the state program administrator for the Guardian ad Litem Board, on the program’s structure and budget request. She explained that guardians ad litem are independent voices for children’s best interests in child protection and family court cases, not attorneys or direct service providers. She said the program operates statewide, with 243 employees, and in 2024 advocated for more than 12,000 children, attended over 30,000 court proceedings, and filed reports in over 16,000 hearings. She also described specialized Family Court and Indian Child Welfare divisions, efforts to address racial disparities, and training requirements for guardians. Members asked about mileage and travel demands, the distinction between a child’s attorney and a guardian ad litem, caseloads, re-entry outcomes, the move from contractor/volunteer models to employee-based staffing, and the role of volunteers. Olson said most guardians use personal vehicles and mileage reimbursement, average caseloads are about 24, and the program has not seen a statewide increase in cases but does face staffing vacancies and turnover in some areas. She said the board believes the employee model improved advocacy and supervision, while the program is rebuilding a modest volunteer pool. She also said the program supports Indian Family Preservation Act-related work and has a formal process for handling conflicts of interest, which should be raised immediately to a supervisor rather than waiting for a complaint process.

Transcript Highlights:

• The other half of the budget is what we're kind of involved in now with the budget process: the department's
• operating budget.
• involved in now with with the budget involved in now with with the budget process<01:29:13.080><
• is the Department's operating process is the Department's operating budget<01:29:16.159> and
• very small less than 1% of our budget very small less than 1% of our budget draw<01:29:34.960>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Transportation Committee met for an opening/orientation session in which members introduced themselves and explained their interest in the committee. Several members noted backgrounds in trucking, piloting, boating, motorcycles, road safety, or constituent concerns about transportation issues. The chair also noted several absent members and said the committee would first hear agency presentations before covering committee procedures. The Department of Safety gave the main presentation, outlining its seven divisions and how they relate to transportation policy and the Highway Fund. The assistant commissioner emphasized that Highway Fund revenue supports both the Department of Transportation and the Department of Safety, with collections coming largely from the road toll/gas tax, DMV fees, and the new electric vehicle surcharge. He also noted that 12% of Highway Fund revenues go to local road repair through the DOT Betterment Fund, and warned that the fund has had a structural deficit for several biennia, requiring General Fund transfers that may be uncertain this session. He said the department aims to provide data and fiscal context on legislation and fiscal notes. State Police then provided a detailed overview of its structure and operations, including the Operations Bureau, Investigative Services Bureau, and Justice Information Bureau. Testimony highlighted Troop G’s role in vehicle inspections, commercial motor vehicle enforcement, fraud investigations, and consumer complaint handling, as well as statewide staffing shortages. The division reported rising calls for service, motor vehicle stops, DWI arrests, and other arrests despite a vacancy rate of about 17%. It also described aviation, K-9, bomb squad, special events response, SWAT, narcotics, major crime, forensic laboratory, and other specialized units, with statistics on drug seizures, investigations, and lab workload. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• , a physical copy of it. that budget, but also to post it online.
• They start those conversations in December before budget adoption. And that's a long process.
• Second we would recommend that you clarify it's the proposed budget. budget that you're making available
• , the board might change that proposed budget just like with LBB staff.
• Y'all don't ever just take the budget that's proposed by LBB staff, right?

Bills: HB 431, HB 1522, HB 1922, HB 2467, HB 2468, HB 3228, HB 3229, HB 3306, HB 3803, HB 3804, HB 3805, HB 3806, HB 4219, HB 4238, HB 4344, HB 4386, HB 4739

Keywords: HB 431, Texas Property Code, Property Code Chapter 202, solar roof tiles, solar shingles, solar energy device, homeowners association, HOA, property owners' association, POA, renewable energy, residential solar, distributed solar, roof-mounted solar, homeowner rights, architectural control, open meetings, public notice, transparency, government efficiency

Transcript Highlights:

• But under current law, they must navigate a complex court filing process.
• Under current law, they must navigate a complex court filing process.
• SB 1309 focuses on follow-up services, which come later in the process.
• . but ...behind what we all voted on last night in terms of this budget.
• That is, in our budget, we are going to be considering that in the next little bit.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard several bills focused on access to care, public health, and oversight. SB 989 would streamline Care Court referrals by allowing first responders to ask county behavioral health agencies to review and file petitions; supporters, including firefighters and mental health advocates, said it would reduce barriers, while opponents argued Care Court is coercive, costly, and not yet proven effective. SB 1089, as amended, would direct CalRx/HHS to help distribute GLP-1 medications more affordably; the author described personal experience with the drugs and supporters emphasized prevention and chronic disease management, while members asked about distribution, liability, and age limits. SB 1309 would eliminate cost sharing for medically necessary lung cancer follow-up care after abnormal screenings; cancer survivors and clinicians strongly supported it, while health plans and insurers opposed it, saying the bill could raise premiums and did not address low initial screening rates. The committee also heard SB 1284, which would require DHCS to publish an annual report identifying large employers with workers enrolled in Medi-Cal and estimating taxpayer costs; supporters framed it as transparency and corporate accountability, while the chair and others linked it to broader budget and fairness concerns. SCR 7, urging permanent standard time, was presented as a public health measure to reduce sleep disruption and related harms, and it passed with support from the California Medical Association. The committee also took up SB 995, which would create a statewide inspection and enforcement framework for large involuntary residential facilities, including private immigration detention centers and some youth facilities; supporters cited unsafe and inhumane conditions, while probation officials objected to overlap with existing oversight for secure youth treatment facilities. The committee approved the measures it heard, with roll calls showing SB 989, SB 1089, SB 1309, SB 1284, SCR 7, and SB 995 all advancing out of committee, along with consent items and add-on votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:32:56.559> proposal Appropriations um the budget proposal Appropriations um the budget
• have a more successful healing process have a more successful healing process confidentiality<01
• For clarification, this process actually very closely follows the order for protection process that is
• um some clarification this process um some clarification this process actually<01:44:26.840>
• process process um<02:14:21.960> and<02:14:22.599> you<02:14:22.719> know<02:14

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• responsible for according to our budget responsible for according to our budget targets<00:10:02.640
• -12 budget, is the formula now?
• As part of the budget-building process, we had to take into account the target given to us and the many
• As part of the budget building budget.
• As part of the budget building process,<00:58:55.200> we<00:58:55.359> had<00:58:55.520

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He learned the budget process better than almost any of us will ever hope to know.
• And we were in the budget process, and all of us or most of us in this room...
• And we were in the budget process, and all of us or most of us in this room were here a long time, 105
• And I couldn't believe that I actually outlasted you in this building last year during that budget process
• I actually outlasted you in this building last year during that budget process.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opening prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, and several introductions and recognitions, including a resolution honoring Bob Graham and a moment of silence for firefighter Roger Timmy Miley. The chamber then moved through a special-order calendar with multiple bills, many of them paired with House companions and amended before final passage. Early action included adoption of a tax conformity bill tied to federal changes in the Internal Revenue Code, with a 34-0 vote. The most extensive debate centered on CS/CS/SB 1758, a Medicaid and SNAP reform bill. The sponsor described provisions to strengthen fraud enforcement, impose work requirements for able-bodied adults, expand behavioral health services through a waiver, modernize Medicaid drug purchasing, and require a SNAP fraud-reduction plan and photo ID on EBT cards. Democrats offered amendments to delay work requirements until Medicaid expansion and to add protections for SNAP users such as caregivers, seniors, disabled individuals, and domestic violence survivors; both amendments failed. Senators also questioned implementation details, exemptions, and potential effects on vulnerable populations. After debate, the bill was placed on the calendar for third reading. The Senate also passed bills on technology education and AI instruction, a public records exemption and related Parkinson’s Disease Registry measures, designation of the SS American Victory as the state flagship, electronic payments for local governments, repeal of the sunset on legal tender recognition for gold and silver, public records protections for financial and digital-asset custodians, a Florida stablecoin pilot program, local government budget transparency, digital voyeurism, insurance customer representative licensing, and a medical freedom bill with amendments on vaccine-related materials and anti-kickback provisions. Most of these measures passed with little or no opposition, though the public records bill for gold/silver custodians and the legal tender repeal drew a few dissenting votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• At the top of page 9, item B, improved timeliness for due process.
• Item 15 at the bottom of the page, financial support and collections processing.
• You know this is a process. The budget is a process.
• Thank you, Julia Lindsey with the legislative Budget board.
• Adjust capital budget authority to conform to committee decisions.

Bills: SB 1

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards

Transcript Highlights:

• That's an ongoing process in the new addition.
• Joe Stalman with Mocha, owner’s project manager, has two more slides on schedule and budget.
• Final slide here is on the budget, and I’ll walk you through that a little bit.
• The left side is showing you the budget as we’ve been seeing it from the beginning of the project.
• 2027 final slide here is on the budget 2027 final slide here is on the budget and<00:08:46.959><

Keywords: 919, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• budget process, you probably have said enough about the fact that those decisions would come later after
• And I think, just to comment on that, in some ways with Caltrans, it was never quite the budget process
• hump of the decision-making process.
• They're going through the process.
• But I will say that there is another opportunity through the budget process.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard several natural resources bills, with most testimony focused on balancing conservation goals with transportation, utility, and local property impacts. SB 1393 by Senator McGuire updated Fish and Game Code provisions for steelhead trout and the Dungeness crab fishery, extending and refining management programs and vessel transit rules in closed crab areas. Supporters from The Nature Conservancy and Trout Unlimited said the bill would implement longstanding task force recommendations, preserve a valuable fishery, and improve the steelhead report card program; there was no opposition, and the bill was moved out on a 4-0 vote to Appropriations as amended. SB 1250 by Senator Cortese would require Caltrans to incorporate wildlife connectivity into transportation planning, including performance targets, coordination with Fish and Wildlife, and recognition of crossings, culverts, and fencing as transportation assets. Support came from a broad coalition of conservation, animal welfare, open space, and local government groups, who argued the bill would reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions, improve public safety, and save money by integrating projects into routine maintenance. The California Building Industry Association said it would move to neutral after amendments clarifying the bill would not create exactions or apply to private property; the bill was approved 4-0 to Appropriations after those amendments were discussed. Senator Jones presented SB 1212 to repeal California’s ban on kangaroo products, arguing kangaroo harvest in Australia is tightly regulated, does not increase killing, and would restore consumer choice and business opportunities in California. Opponents, including Humane World for Animals, Animal Legal Defense Fund, and others, said the commercial kangaroo industry is cruel, raises animal welfare and public health concerns, and should remain barred. The bill was not advanced during the portion of the transcript provided. Senator Gonzalez presented SB 1268 to codify the state’s Outdoors for All initiative, which aims to expand equitable access to parks and outdoor recreation, especially in underserved communities. Supporters said many Californians lack nearby park access and that the initiative links outdoor equity with public health, climate resilience, and biodiversity. The committee chair expressed strong support; the bill was voted 3-1 to Appropriations, with Senator Grove voting no. Senator Ochoa Bogh presented three bills concerning the Western Joshua tree. SB 1061 would allow limited relocation of trees without triggering the same permitting burden as removal; SB 1062 would require Fish and Wildlife to consider proportionate, tiered mitigation fees for public utilities and infrastructure; and SB 1063 would create an expedited, fee-free pathway for certain residential utility, safety, and wildfire-hardening projects. Supporters from water agencies, local governments, and industry said the current framework imposes heavy costs on desert residents and ratepayers, while opponents argued the species still needs protection and that existing administrative processes can address fee and permitting concerns. SB 1061 and SB 1062 were each moved forward on 2-0 and 3-0 votes respectively, and SB 1063 was also advanced on a 3-0 vote, with the committee noting ongoing administrative fee and permitting reforms at Fish and Wildlife.

Transcript Highlights:

• minute that was a meat processing minute that was a meat processing program<00:04:33.520> there
• build out our meat processing build out our meat processing infrastructure<00:07:42.639> on
• <00:09:00.360> said<00:09:00.600> in<00:09:00.760> the process processing as
• I just said in the process processing as I just said in the previous<00:09:01.399> bullet<00:
• a March 14th date to reset their budget a March 14th date to reset their budget or<00:20:53.679>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all