Transcript Highlights:

• I want to engage deeply with all stakeholders on regulatory processes so that people can feel heard and
• The people you compete with don't have to comply with this regulatory process.
• The people you compete with don't have to comply with this regulatory process.
• Legislature and that you, as appointees, are there to ensure that our agency, who is responsible for the regulatory
• And finally, the importance of a transparent, inclusive, and efficient process.

Summary: The committee first established quorum and then approved several governor’s appointments and procedural items, including appointments to the Civil Rights Council, Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, UC College of the Law, San Francisco Board of Directors, bill referrals, and floor acknowledgments. Most of these items passed unanimously, while the Civil Rights Council appointment of Indira Cameron Banks passed 3-2. The bulk of the meeting focused on confirmations to the California Air Resources Board. Supervisor Linda Hopkins and Mayor Patricia Locke Dawson, both nominated to CARB, described their backgrounds and emphasized balancing climate and air-quality goals with economic impacts, community engagement, and practical implementation. Senators raised concerns about cap-and-trade costs, leakage, warehouse and truck traffic impacts, agricultural burdens, emergency vehicle and fleet electrification challenges, natural gas appliance rules, hydrogen, nuclear energy, and the need for socioeconomic analysis. Both nominees said they favored open-door engagement, listening to affected communities, and using data and technology-neutral approaches. Public commenters largely supported both nominees, and the committee voted to advance Hopkins 4-0 and Locke Dawson 5-0 to the full Senate. The committee also heard the appointment of Andrew Rakestraw as chair of the Board of Environmental Safety. Rakestraw, who previously worked in U.S. climate and legal roles, said he would focus on transparency, accountability, fiscal stability, and community responsiveness at DTSC. Senators questioned him about DTSC reform, community engagement in places like the Hinkley/Herupah Valley and Exide cleanup areas, fee-setting and fiscal stability, the hazardous waste management plan, and coordination with the Environmental Justice Advisory Council. He said the board should go beyond brief public comment periods, engage communities directly, and ensure community concerns are reflected in outcomes. Supporters from environmental justice and waste-management groups testified in favor, no opposition was offered, and the committee moved his nomination forward to the Senate floor, with one member abstaining.

Transcript Highlights:

• I want to engage deeply with all stakeholders on regulatory processes so that people can feel heard and
• The people you compete with don't have to comply with this regulatory process.
• The people you compete with don't have to comply with this regulatory process.
• legislature and that you, as appointees, are there to ensure that our agency is responsible for the regulatory
• And finally, the importance of a transparent, inclusive, and efficient process.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• survey, the number one thing producers said would improve the viability of agriculture was reduce regulatory
• Unless compelled by legislation, regulatory agencies will not evaluate how their actions impact agriculture
• order directed the Department of Interior and Agriculture to merge the wildland fire programs for efficiency
• committee heard at its work session last week, the Department of Health assesses fees for its shellfish regulatory
• The bill also caps the fee for an export certificate at $75 and exempts the shellfish regulatory program

Bills: SB6104, SB6241, SJM8015, SB6318

Keywords: agriculture, protection, state regulation, farmers, land use, sustainability, steelhead, conservation, wildlife, fishing, environmental protection, federal response, wildfire protection, community safety, infrastructure, natural resources, commercial shellfish, fees, fishing industry, regulations

Transcript Highlights:

• survey, the number one thing producers said would improve the viability of agriculture was reduce regulatory
• Unless compelled by legislation, regulatory agencies will not evaluate how their actions impact agriculture
• order directed the Department of Interior and Agriculture to merge the wildland fire programs for efficiency
• committee heard at its work session last week, the Department of Health assesses fees for its shellfish regulatory
• The bill also caps the fee for an export certificate at $75 and exempts the shellfish regulatory program

Summary: The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held public hearings on several bills and a joint memorial, with testimony largely focused on steelhead recovery, agricultural viability, wildfire funding, and shellfish fees. On SB 6241, which would create a wild broodstock conservation program for steelhead, staff described a statewide program with a fiscal note of about $14.6 million in FY 2027, while sponsor Sen. Braun argued the concept could boost wild populations and fishing opportunity at lower cost than the fiscal note suggests. Proponents, including anglers and conservation groups, said broodstock programs could improve fisheries, preserve genetics, and support local economies; opponents, including Trout Unlimited, argued the bill was too broad, not sufficiently science-driven, and should be left to agency and co-manager discretion. The public hearing closed with a strong pro/con sign-in count in favor of the bill. The committee then heard SB 6104, a broad agriculture-protection bill that would require agricultural impact statements for certain agency actions, annexations, and zoning changes, and would direct mitigation measures when actions harm agricultural or natural-resource-based commercial activities. Sponsor Sen. Muzzall said Washington agriculture is under severe pressure and losing farms, while supporters from farm groups said the bill would force agencies to consider ag viability and compensate for impacts. Opponents, including a small farmer and environmental advocates, said the bill was too procedural, could burden modernization or conservation efforts, and might create uncertainty around existing conservation funding accounts. The hearing ended with more testimony in opposition than support. The committee also heard SJM 8015, urging the federal government to ensure wildfire-response consolidation does not reduce capacity or firefighter safety. Sponsor Sen. Short and many testifiers, including private forest owners, tribes, students, conservation groups, and local officials, emphasized the importance of maintaining and fully funding Washington’s wildfire response and forest-restoration investments, especially the 1168 account. Testimony highlighted fuel breaks, early detection, community protection, and the economic costs of wildfire. The memorial drew overwhelmingly pro testimony. Finally, the committee suspended the five-day notice rule to hear SB 6318 on commercial shellfish fees; staff explained it would cap Department of Health fee increases after a recent fee review, and shellfish growers strongly supported the bill as necessary to keep small farms viable. The committee also took a work session on beaver relocation and habitat restoration, where presenters described beavers as a water-retention and wildfire-resilience tool and discussed coexistence, relocation, and possible future management changes.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2145 will further entrench these programs by imposing a state-level regulatory framework on
• HB2145 will further entrenched these programs by imposing a state-level regulatory framework and a federal
• program that is already in need of reform. level regulatory framework on a federal program that is already
• This bill facilitates some efficiencies and moves innovation along in health care, and who doesn't like
• Regulatory Policy at the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association.

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 2437, which would put the Department of Health’s authority to accredit opioid treatment programs into statute and allow the department to set a fee to cover the cost of those services. The prime sponsor and DOH said the bill would preserve a service that is especially important to tribal and rural providers and would be self-sustaining rather than supported by the general fund. Members asked about the relationship between DOH and HCA and whether the bill would duplicate existing authority; staff and the department said DOH already performs the accrediting role and the bill mainly formalizes that authority and fee-setting power. Public testimony on the bill was then closed. The committee then held an extensive work session on the federal 340B drug pricing program and later opened public testimony on House Bill 2145, which would prohibit manufacturers, distributors, and third-party logistics providers from restricting 340B drug acquisition or delivery and from requiring claims or utilization data as a condition of access. Committee staff and NCSL gave background on how 340B works, recent growth in the program, contract pharmacy issues, and state efforts in other jurisdictions. Testimony on HB 2145 was sharply divided: hospitals, community health centers, tribal representatives, contract pharmacies, and labor groups said the bill would protect safety-net providers, rural access, HIV and behavioral health services, and tribal programs from manufacturer restrictions; business groups, pharmaceutical companies, and employer coalitions argued the program has expanded beyond its original intent, lacks transparency, shifts costs to employers and taxpayers, and should be addressed through federal reform instead. No vote was taken in the excerpt. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2155, which would bar non-human entities from using nursing titles such as RN, APRN, or LPN or otherwise implying they are licensed nurses. The prime sponsor said the bill is intended to protect patients from being misled by AI systems and to preserve transparency and public safety as health care technology expands. The Washington State Nurses Association testified in support, saying AI can be useful but should not replace nurses or be presented as a licensed professional. A member asked about enforcement and liability, and staff said they would follow up on those details.

Transcript Highlights:

• How much cost is the regulatory burden of participating in CETA compliance if you were WACM or a SOTOM
• ll go over just a few: cost and financing options, siting and permitting pathways, workforce and regulatory
• Cost and financing options, citing and permitting pathways, workforce and regulatory challenges, and
• More broadly, there's concern about regulatory stability.
• to use energy conservation first, renewable resources second, resources of high fuel conversion efficiency

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several bills. House Bill 2272 would update state park inspection language for ski lifts and related equipment to better match current equipment and federal standards; the sponsor and State Parks said it was a simple modernization bill, and there was no opposition. House Bill 2245 would expand Clean Energy Transformation Act coverage to port districts that distribute electricity, utilities with a single customer, and certain affected market customers such as data centers; supporters said it closes loopholes and applies clean-energy rules more fairly, while ports, business groups, and some utilities warned of unintended consequences, added reporting burdens, and impacts on cogeneration and rural economic development. Ecology and Commerce supported the goal but raised concerns about allowance allocation, fiscal impacts, and possible double counting, and WAPUDA asked that existing single-customer PUDs be grandfathered. House Bill 2215 would lower Climate Commitment Act thresholds for gasoline, diesel, biodiesel, and propane suppliers and extend coverage to some purchasers; supporters said it would prevent entities from gaming the system and cover significant emissions now below the threshold, while Ecology, fuel distributors, propane suppliers, grocers, and business groups warned of compliance costs, supply-chain impacts, possible linkage issues, and the need to preserve existing reporting authority for natural gas. Ecology estimated about 50 additional covered entities could be brought in, and several opponents argued the bill would sweep in small family-owned businesses not intended to be regulated. House Bill 2090 would direct Commerce to develop a nuclear strategic framework for inclusion in the state energy strategy, contingent on outside funding. The sponsor and supporters argued the bill is only a planning measure to ensure Washington considers advanced nuclear as a firm, low-carbon, small-footprint resource amid rising demand, grid constraints, and land-use concerns; supporters included Energy Northwest, local governments, labor/environmental Democrats, and pro-nuclear groups. Opponents, including the Sierra Club, Columbia Riverkeeper, tribal representatives from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and several environmental advocates, said the bill gives nuclear special treatment, relies on private funding that could bias the study, and risks advancing projects at Hanford without early, meaningful tribal consultation. Tribes requested explicit consultation, independent and publicly funded analysis, and attention to treaty rights and historic nuclear impacts. Testimony also sharply divided over cost, waste, and land use, with supporters emphasizing reliability and footprint and opponents citing high costs, unresolved waste disposal, and the immaturity of small modular reactors. No votes or final actions were taken in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a legal and regulatory review, comparative analysis, which is the compliance requirements, and
• We have a legal and regulatory regulatory regulatory review,<00:26:20.080><c> comparative</c><00:26:20.960
• Uh, moving on to STR 163 SD1 relating to land use efficiency.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and maybe we should just think twice about should we actually give that up in the name of efficiency
• </c> if this bill was 100% about efficient if this bill was 100% about efficient gaining<01:22:14.480
• gaining efficiencies in our education gaining efficiencies in our education process,<01:22:16.640><c
• </c><01:22:31.640><c> And</c><01:22:31.760><c> so</c> um in the name of efficiency.
• And so um in the name of efficiency.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That specialization is efficiency, cost, expertise, and safety.
• Missouri's current statutory structure allows for regulatory refinement through the Board of Optometry
• Missouri's current statutory structure allows for regulatory refinement through the Board of Optometry
• and House Bill 2999 Regulatory refinement through the Board of Optometry and House Bill 2999 instead

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 3111, which concerns bail bonds oversight. Representative Phelps offered a committee substitute that moved bail bondsmen into the existing Board of Private Investigators, Private Fire Investigators, and Professional Surety Bail Bonds to avoid a fiscal note. An amendment was adopted to remove fee caps in the substitute, and the committee then adopted the revised substitute and voted it do pass 21-0. The committee then heard Senate Substitute No. 2 for Senate Bill 1233, the CPA licensure bill, along with related provisions for social work supervisors and speech pathologists. Senator Trent and supporters from the Missouri Society of CPAs, the speech-language association, the social work community, and the State Auditor’s Office said the bill would address CPA shortages by creating a new licensure path based more on experience, while preserving exam standards and adding reciprocity. No opposition was offered, and the hearing concluded without a vote. House Bill 2999 on optometry scope of practice drew extensive testimony and debate. The sponsor and ophthalmology witnesses described the bill as a negotiated compromise that would codify specific procedures optometrists may perform, while opponents from optometry argued it would freeze scope in statute, limit modernization, and require repeated legislative action as standards change. Witnesses disagreed sharply over whether the bill improved patient safety and access, whether the procedures were already within current practice, and whether surgical procedures such as lasers should be included. The bill was heard but no committee action was taken in the transcript. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2957 on respiratory therapist licensure. Representative Castile and respiratory care witnesses said the bill would phase out the CRT as the entry credential for new applicants in favor of the higher RRT standard, while grandfathering current CRTs and adding renewal audits to confirm active credentials. Supporters said the change reflects current training standards and would raise patient-care quality without reducing workforce numbers. No opposition testimony was presented, and the hearing adjourned without a vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• The core change of this is that it amends the existing motor vehicle code definition and regulatory frameworks
• I'm the Transportation Program Director for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, a nonprofit working
• putting the onus on the Environment Department, whenever they are specifically saying that they are regulatory
• saying that it creates a potential conflict of interest with New Mexico Environment Department's regulatory

Bills: SB22, SB310

Keywords: motor vehicle manufacturers, licensing, dealers, franchise agreements, consumer protection, water supply, sewage improvements, environment, funding, Mora County, 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• unintentionally restrict safe clinician-supervised uses of AI that are already improving access, safety, and efficiency
• In those circumstances, it was unable to offer affordable coverage while meeting regulatory and solvency
• timelines and preliminary rate review provisions are inconsistent with existing state and federal regulatory
• timelines and preliminary rate review provisions are inconsistent with existing state and federal regulatory

Bills: HB2564, HB2599, HB1809, HB2242, HB2261, HB2384, HB2505

Keywords: healthcare, insurance, certification, state regulation, health plan, therapy, psychotherapy, mental health, regulation, professional standards, behavioral health, mental health crisis, crisis response, co-response, co-responder, first responder, EMS, emergency medical services, paramedic, EMT

Transcript Highlights:

• And we energy efficiency and so forth.
• ,</c> would be very very energy efficient, would be very very energy efficient, very<00:55:18.000><c>
• So each entity has a efficiently.
• <01:23:52.639><c> in</c><01:23:53.040><c> building</c> efficient in building efficient in building help
• So I did notate to the efficiencies.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That means more products sold outside California's regulatory system, fewer sales through licensed retailers
• This measured approach improves efficiency and reduces delays while maintaining fair, consistent, and
• It simply gives counties another tool to manage growing caseloads, improve efficiency, and reduce delays
• AB 2089 supports affordable housing access by promoting an efficient annual filing process for the property
• This reliance on federal approval creates efficiency but also precarity.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But public policy, a regulatory environment that made them have confidence they could come here and operate
• So we don't necessarily have less collections; it's just that you're being more efficient and plugging
• I can tell you that I don't disagree that the program that we have now is not entirely efficient, because
• Despite these reductions and rising costs due to inflation, we continue to identify internal efficiencies
• We've held vacant to save money, one, but also to look at efficiencies and reorganizations.

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• every one of those private providers went out of business because we continued to increase the regulatory
• New Mexico Junior College, you're efficient in your job and what you did.
• Authority does such a good job, and you guys are so intentional with making sure that we're being efficient
• till we get through the session and then we go through one last cycle of reviews, and that's for regulatory
• do the things that are most important that they can control, and we can then take on a more cost-efficient

Transcript Highlights:

• And again, as we know, with efficiency in the Senate, we put in the time certain, it's not always the
• Now they're coming back to a regulatory model, so I think there are people headed in the other direction

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The House Health and Welfare Committee approved the minutes from March 13, 17, 18, 19, and 25. The committee then took up House Bill 864, a kratom-related measure, amid discussion of competing approaches: a total ban versus a regulatory bill moving through the Senate. Members and testimony reflected sharply divided views, with some arguing kratom is dangerous, addictive, and should be scheduled as a controlled substance, while others said the issue is not yet fully studied and that regulation may be preferable to an immediate ban. The bill sponsor and several members emphasized concerns about deaths, youth access, and the need for stronger oversight, while others cautioned against criminalizing use too quickly and wanted to see the Senate proposal first. A substitute motion to send HB 864 to the floor without recommendation failed on a roll call vote, 5-11. The committee then voted on a motion to hold HB 864 in committee subject to call of the chair, which passed 14-2. The chair explained the bill would remain available for later action depending on developments in the Senate and the arrival of related bills. The meeting ended with a brief recognition of the committee page, who spoke about plans to attend nursing school.

Transcript Highlights:

• I was surprised to learn that the Agency for Health Care Administration does not have the regulatory
• Thank you for making this a very efficient committee meeting.

Summary: The Health Care Facilities and Systems Subcommittee met with a quorum present and considered four measures. The first was the PCS for HB 815, which would direct AHCA to study referral patterns by Medicaid managed care organizations and plans, including whether patients are being steered to providers with ownership or profit-sharing ties and how those services compare in cost. Members discussed transparency and potential cost impacts, and the PCS was reported favorably by a 17-0 vote. The committee then took up HB 1543, which narrows and clarifies an existing licensure attestation related to foreign countries of concern and controlling interests in health care entities. An amendment was adopted without objection to make clear the attestation applies to direct controlling interests. The bill was supported as a clarification for complex corporate structures, and it was reported favorably as amended by a 17-0 vote. Next, HB 899 addressed prescription drug coverage disclosures, aiming to prevent mid-year changes that could disrupt treatment or increase out-of-pocket costs for patients with chronic conditions. Supporters from Epic Pharmacies and the Florida Society of Rheumatology appeared in support, and the bill was reported favorably by a 17-0 vote. Finally, the PCS for HB 493 on memory care facilities sought to add minimum standards and oversight for facilities advertising memory care services. The Florida Senior Living Association opposed the bill as overbroad and urged more refinement, while AHCA supported the added guardrails. The sponsor said the bill was intended to protect vulnerable residents and improve transparency, and the PCS was reported favorably by a 17-0 vote. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• done a phenomenal job of embracing the difficulty of capturing storm costs, doing effectively, efficiently
• You're making your time more efficient.
• was designed originally as kind of a widows-and-orphans fund, I mean, the investor-owned utility regulatory

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Counsel Oversight met to receive an overview from Public Counsel Walt Trierweiler on the work of his office. He described the office’s role in representing Florida utility customers in rate and service cases, including investor-owned electric, water, and wastewater matters, storm cost recovery, fuel clauses, storm protection plans, and specialized dockets. He emphasized the office’s use of depositions, expert witnesses, customer correspondence, and service-hearing testimony to challenge unsupported utility costs and seek “fair, just, reasonable, and affordable” outcomes for customers. Trierweiler highlighted several current issues, including affordability, data centers, and the growing use of AI in reviewing large utility filings. He said the office has begun using affordability experts and data center witnesses, and that data center-related utility proposals raise concerns about energy demand, water use, and community impacts. He also expressed caution about AI and machine learning because of confidential utility information, while acknowledging that utilities, regulators, and his office are increasingly using such tools. Members asked questions about how customer input is gathered, how profit is evaluated in rate cases, the role of settlement agreements, and whether the office is considering water consumption impacts from data centers. Trierweiler said customer feedback largely comes in through hearings, correspondence, and direct calls rather than office-led canvassing, and that his office seeks to limit imprudent costs while allowing utilities a fair return. He also explained that the office may file motions for reconsideration and appeals after PSC orders, and that it sometimes submits alternative settlement proposals even when approval is unlikely, to present a different option for the commission’s consideration. No votes were taken, and the committee adjourned after concluding its agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• unable to process mail ballots within that 24-hour period, and we will work with the counties on the regulatory
• for voters and the public and streamline election processes to make local election offices more efficient
• able to process ballots. ...and streamline election processes to make local election offices more efficient

Keywords: 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We must ask ourselves why we're evaluating an expansive regulatory program for a very small segment of
• It's the lack of regulatory enforcement.
• Step up regulatory enforcement and oversight. Thank you for your time.
• models. ...in youth use after regulation, and numerous workable regulatory models.
• Like, that's why Delta 8 gets made is because it's convenient and cost efficient.

Summary: The House Committee on Public Health heard House Bill 5, a proposal to ban THC products outside the Texas Compassionate Use Program while allowing non-intoxicating CBD and CBG products under tighter regulation. Chair Van Deaver gave a lengthy background on the 2018 federal Farm Bill and Texas’s 2019 hemp law, arguing that the lack of guardrails allowed a large, unregulated THC market to develop. HB 5 would impose licensing fees, product registration, testing and inspection requirements, and restrictions intended to keep products away from children. Invited witnesses from law enforcement strongly supported the bill. Steve Dye of the Texas Police Chiefs Association and Brian Hawthorne of the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas argued that THC consumables are widely mislabeled, often far more potent than advertised, and linked to youth access, impaired driving, and organized crime. Both said regulation would be ineffective and would amount to legalization, while a ban would be easier for officers to enforce. They also emphasized support for the Texas Compassionate Use Program and said medical THC should remain available. Dr. Peter Stout of the Texas Association of Crime Lab Directors and Alice Amelot of Texas DPS testified as resource witnesses about forensic testing. They said current lab resources are already stretched thin, that quantitative testing for THC and related cannabinoids is expensive and time-consuming, and that a ban would simplify enforcement because labs could focus on presence/absence testing rather than concentration. Amelot said DPS labs are neutral on the bill but explained that mislabeled products and inaccurate certificates of analysis are common. Committee members asked about traffic safety, impairment, youth use, and the costs of enforcement and lab testing; witnesses repeatedly said the bill would reduce complexity for law enforcement but that any approach would still require more resources for labs.