Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, so this last project is reporting of a pool project in excess of $1 million.
• </c> a pool project in excess of $1 million. a pool project in excess of $1 million.
• Reggie Thomas is bringing me up to speed, Natalie.
• So, you're off the up to speed, Natalie.
• The existing lines are over 50 years old, and their excessive leaks have led to extreme water loss.

Summary: The committee first handled routine business, including approval of the June meeting minutes and receipt of several correspondence and information reports. Those reports covered quarterly capital project status updates from state agencies and postsecondary institutions, lease modifications, asset preservation projects, school district debt issuances, and Kentucky Communications Network Authority budget history materials. Members also raised questions about a long-open stream mitigation account and were told the funds are fee-in-lieu stream mitigation monies administered through Fish and Wildlife, with staff promising to follow up on the specific project. The committee then reviewed and approved several capital project actions. These included a new Camp Oralis dining hall project for the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, explained as a reauthorization because the funding split changed to 64% federal and 36% agency funds; an appropriation increase for the Shelbyville armory addition due to higher construction costs and security requirements; and emergency repair projects for Fort Boonesboro flood remediation and the Kentucky State Police Supply Branch fire damage. Members also approved a tenant improvement fund request for parking garage safety improvements at the Mayo Underwood Building. The Office of Financial Management presented three Kentucky Infrastructure Authority items and one Cleaner Water Program reallocation. The loans included a Shepherdsville sewer/drainage project and two Auburn water and lead service line projects; the grant reallocation involved unused Cleaner Water Program funds, with staff emphasizing that all ARPA-funded cleaner water dollars must be spent by December 31, 2026 or returned. After discussion, the committee approved the package. The committee also approved six Economic Development Fund grants, and the Cabinet for Economic Development began presenting the first six KPDI projects, though the transcript cuts off before those project details were completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• You all extended excess tax exemption.
• You can literally variably speed turn up or turn down a lot of the production rigs now.
• But if they see a market for it, they're going to speed it up.
• Second speed, like I just mentioned, FPL can identify a new site, get through the engineering design,
• roughly 24 month period on average, sometimes a little bit less sometimes a little bit longer that speed

Transcript Highlights:

• camera safety system pilot program to reduce speeding.
• Since implementation, San Francisco has seen a 72% drop in speeding.
• So those license plates that are captured on these speed cameras would be sent a warning, and then the
• But I think, at the end of the day, the larger picture is to deter speeding.
• The larger picture is to deter speeding.

Committee: Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection

Summary: The committee heard several privacy, technology, and public safety bills. SB 898 would require manufacturers of connected consumer products to disclose how long software support will last and to notify consumers when support is nearing its end; Consumer Reports supported the measure, while members raised concerns about private enforcement, notice mechanics, and replacement obligations for leased devices. The bill was amended and passed 5-1 to Judiciary, with the measure placed on call. SB 1279 would authorize Long Beach to install additional speed safety cameras on Pacific Coast Highway under the same privacy and equity guardrails as the existing pilot program, including limits on data use, no facial recognition, warning periods, and reduced fees for low-income recipients. Supporters cited severe crashes and fatalities on PCH, while opponents raised civil liberties and due process concerns and questioned how the system identifies the actual driver. The committee approved the bill 6-2 and placed it on call. SB 1111, the Artificial Intelligence Abuse Protection Act, would create civil remedies for non-consensual AI voice, image, and video cloning and digital replicas. Support came from SAG-AFTRA and Common Sense Media, and members discussed concerns about background images and employer liability, including a request to preserve a rebuttable presumption for good-faith employers. The bill passed 7-1 to Public Safety and was placed on call. SB 1217 would create a DOJ-run clearinghouse for survivors of non-consensual intimate imagery and deepfakes to request removal from online platforms; survivors and advocacy groups testified in strong support, and members discussed privacy, cybersecurity, funding, and the lack of a private right of action. It passed 8-0 to Public Safety and was placed on call. The committee also heard SB 1095, which would require fusion centers and participating agencies to adopt MOUs barring use of sensitive personal information for immigration enforcement or racial/identity profiling, require annual reporting, and allow audits and inspections. Supporters argued fusion centers have operated with too little oversight and have been used to circumvent state privacy and immigration laws; some members supported the transparency goals while others raised concerns about operational ambiguity and the bill’s interaction with existing law. The discussion continued, with the author and members debating the scope of permissible information sharing and enforcement consequences for violations.

Transcript Highlights:

• and Georgia, any letter of protection arrangement that may have led to unnecessary treatment or excessive
• a split second by someone's negligence—driving an 18-wheeler during inclement weather at an unsafe speed
• room have witnessed the distracted drivers addicted to their phones, disobeying traffic signals, speeding
• Distracted driving, fatigued driving, speeding, and following too closely are significant issues we face
• The excess insurance marketplace is an absolute challenge. It's a train wreck.

Bills: HB4806

Committee: House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Keywords: civil action, damages, health care services, noneconomic damages, negligence, legal standards

Transcript Highlights:

• speeding.
• speeding and the use of speed-inhibiting devices as an alternative to traditional penalties.
• The bill would allow courts to offer drivers convicted of certain serious speeding offenses the option
• This technology uses GPS or similar systems to prevent the vehicle from exceeding posted speed limits
• do this, because then we're just writing bills when someone will jump to another vehicle and just speed

Summary: The meeting covered a very large number of bills across multiple committees, with most items presented on consent calendars and several sponsors explaining their measures. Education bills focused on moving statewide testing later in the school year, allowing paper testing by local choice, increasing transparency around district administrator pay, expanding religious excusal policies, creating a school fitness recognition program, and sending a resolution to voters to require sex-based designation of school sports teams and private spaces. Federalism and Government items included bans on foreign contributions to ballot-measure committees, a proposed ballot measure to eliminate voting centers and return to precinct-based voting, memorials urging withdrawal from the United Nations and the IMF, penalties for late agency financial reporting, restrictions on state contracts with China, and a bill limiting use of ADS-B aviation data for fee collection. Commerce bills addressed digital goods disclosure, child influencer trust accounts, liability for river outfitters, marketplace contractor termination rights, utility submetering charges, unemployment eligibility checks, and association-based health plans. Health and human services measures included lactation consultant certification and Medicaid breastfeeding support, a ban on gender transition procedures for minors, a requirement that chief medical officers hold active licenses, technical ambulance definitions, a SNAP waiver request to restrict non-eligible food purchases, hospital collection of patient immigration status, and enrollment verification for AHCCCS-related hospital presumptive eligibility. Judiciary bills included consent-verification requirements for online sexual material, a civil cause of action for DEI policy violations, hate-crime-style enhancements that also cover political affiliation, name-change disclosure rules for sex offenders, penalties for possession of falsified commercial driver’s licenses by unlawfully present persons, penalties for mailing abortion-inducing drugs, speed-inhibiting devices as an alternative to license suspension, longer transition services for inmates, stronger penalties for sexual extortion of minors, and legislative oversight of state shooting range closures. Natural resources and water bills dealt with brackish groundwater recovery and desalination studies, water augmentation authority financing, HOA drought-year watering restrictions, water-rate parity for customers outside city limits, and groundwater transportation from the McMullen Valley basin. Other topics included a ban on PFAS firefighting foam, restrictions on vaccine and mask mandates by governments and businesses, protections against employment or service discrimination based on medical interventions, elimination of long-vacant state positions, consumer protections against device disabling after owner modifications, and restrictions on Chinese-made critical infrastructure. The committee also heard a Space Commission update bill and a continuation of the Arizona Beef Council. Several bills were pulled from consent or flagged for amendments or legal concerns, including the testing-window bill, student directory information bill, river outfitter liability bill, ambulance bill, and others. No final floor votes were taken in the transcript, but many bills were advanced on third-read or consent calendars, while a few were set aside for amendments or further discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's also a provision that takes a portion of the excess capital gains, the most volatile portion
• Right now is the high-speed rail.
• How much money will High-Speed Rail get? So from GGRF, it's estimated at around a billion dollars.
• There's no other funding coming for High-Speed Rail. OK.
• So the High-Speed Rail puts out their...

Committee: House Budget

Transcript Highlights:

• In a nuclear reactor, control rods absorb excess neutrons.
• If the control rods are withdrawn, the reaction speeds up.
• In a nuclear reactor, control rods absorb excess neutrons.
• If the control rods are withdrawn, the reaction speeds up.
• And I just encourage us to make sure our citizens are up to speed on. citizens are up to speed on this

Committee: Joint Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee

Summary: The committee met to review advanced nuclear energy issues in North Dakota, beginning with approval of the April 21, 2022 minutes. Nucleon presented an overview of the advanced reactor landscape, distinguishing light-water SMRs, advanced Gen 4 reactors, and microreactors. The presentation emphasized that light-water SMRs are the most near-term deployable and use familiar low-enriched uranium fuel, while many Gen 4 designs may require high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALU), which is not yet supported by a mature U.S. supply chain. Nucleon also noted that advanced reactors are being developed primarily for industrial heat applications, while microreactors are niche, higher-cost systems for remote or mission-critical uses. Committee members asked about fuel availability, safety, recycling, and whether large reactors such as AP-1000s were evaluated; the presenter said fuel development is proceeding in parallel but remains a bottleneck, and that siting and grid capacity often make SMRs more practical than gigawatt-scale plants in North Dakota. Representatives from the National Association of State Energy Officials described how other states are supporting advanced nuclear through task forces, roadmaps, regional coordination, grants, tax incentives, workforce and supply-chain efforts, and pilot programs. They highlighted the Advanced Nuclear First Mover Initiative and said states are focusing on multi-state coordination, demand aggregation, regulatory coordination, waste management, workforce readiness, and community engagement. They also discussed affordability tools such as construction work in progress (CWIP), financing incentives, and consumer protections, citing examples from Kentucky, Texas, Virginia, Illinois, Missouri, Utah, Tennessee, and others. In response to questions, they explained that pilot programs often involve site-readiness and feasibility studies, and that the federal Nuclear Innovation Campus process is moving forward with multiple submissions while broader waste and recycling policy may require congressional action. The Public Service Commission said it would likely have a major role in any North Dakota nuclear project through certificate-of-public-convenience-and-necessity review, siting, and rate regulation, but noted gaps in current law for small reactors, co-located facilities, NRC coordination, and long-term site stewardship. The commissioner said the commission has no authority over a private, self-contained reactor not connected to the grid. The Department of Environmental Quality explained that the state regulates radioactive materials under its agreement-state authority, but NRC retains primacy over fission reactors; DEQ would likely assist with emergency planning and could have a larger role if fusion reactors emerge. The Department of Emergency Services said it would serve as the lead off-site preparedness agency, requiring a dedicated radiological emergency preparedness program, training, drills, public outreach, and likely additional funding and staffing, with industry expected to bear much of the cost. The Department of Water Resources said North Dakota’s water laws and prior-appropriation system are adequate for nuclear siting, that the Missouri River is the best likely source, and that no statutory or budget changes are currently needed from a water perspective. The committee recessed for lunch after these agency presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> drivers do not face different speed drivers do not face different speed limits<00:26:31.120><c>
• Cities have control over speed limits on local roads.
• Cities have control over speed limits on local roads.
• Cities have control over speed limits on local roads.
• Cities have control over speed limits on local roads.

Bills: HF3351

Committee: House Elections Finance and Government Operations

Keywords: firearms, guns, gun control, gun safety, local control, home rule, preemption, municipal regulation, county regulation, city ordinances, zoning, firearm dealers, gun dealers, ammunition, carry permits, permit to carry, pistols, Saturday night special, metal-penetrating bullets, public safety

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm here to present SB 1279, which authorizes the City of Long Beach to place speed safety cameras along
• camera safety system pilot program to reduce speeding.
• The results speak for themselves: since implementation, San Francisco has seen a 72% drop in speeding
• So those license plates that are captured on these speed cameras would be sent a warning, and then the
• But I think, at the end of the day, the larger picture is to deter speeding.

Committee: Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• Safety advocates tend to focus on the raw speed unilaterally when, in fact, speed differentials and non-uniform
• speed or speed variability is what actually is the case in most instances.
• It's the speed differential that becomes the issue.
• Uniform speeds are far safer than mixed speeds.
• We realize that there will be continued differential speed or variable speed.

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• But I have a site in Deming, Washington right now, where the cleanup is going to be in excess of $500,000
• A new program called the expedited voluntary cleanup program has added speed and quality to the course
• We would be able to utilize helicopters and drones to speed up that recovery process.
• The recognition very early in the year was that loss was going to be in excess of...
• The recognition very early in the year was that loss was going to be in excess of $20 billion.

Committee: House Environment & Energy

Summary: The committee first heard an update on the Model Toxics Control Act (MOTCA) and related cleanup programs. Department of Ecology staff described how MOTCA and the hazardous substance tax fund cleanup, prevention, stormwater, and other environmental work across state agencies, but warned that forecasted revenues have fallen while appropriations and transfers have outpaced incoming funds. Ecology said the operating account will require spending reductions to stay solvent this biennium, and that further cuts may be needed if forecasts worsen. Ecology also reviewed the state cleanup process and the scale of the problem, noting more sites are being discovered each year than are being cleaned up. The Pollution Liability Insurance Agency said its dedicated petroleum-tax-funded accounts remain stable, and highlighted its newer financial assurance and heating oil loan/grant programs, while noting concerns about equity for small property owners facing large cleanup liens. Practitioners and stakeholders then offered differing views on how MOTCA should work. One cleanup attorney argued the program has become too slow, expensive, and process-heavy, and urged a more risk-based, collaborative approach with less reliance on conservative assumptions. Environmental and community advocates countered that MOTCA is essential for cleanup, pollution prevention, stormwater control, and public participation, especially in communities of color and low-income neighborhoods that bear disproportionate toxic burdens; they urged stronger funding, tighter scrutiny of tax exemptions and budget diversions, and more accountability for stormwater spending. Port and city representatives emphasized that MOTCA grants are critical for large brownfield and waterfront cleanup projects that support redevelopment, but said long timelines, permitting delays, and funding uncertainty can stall projects and jeopardize existing commitments. The committee then shifted to utility wildfire risk. Staff summarized recent legislation on wildfire mitigation plans, captive insurance, securitization, and the wildfire response and resilience account. Chelan PUD described extensive mitigation work including vegetation management, grid hardening, undergrounding, AI cameras, weather stations, and partnerships on forest-health projects, and asked the Legislature to restore funding to the wildfire response and resilience account. Puget Sound Energy described similar investments across its service territory, including undergrounding, tree wire, sensors, cameras, weather stations, drones, and public safety power shutoffs, and said wildfire is its top risk. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner summarized a 2022 utility liability market study and a 2025 wildfire mitigation work group, recommending restored community resilience funding, clearer wildfire risk information for property owners, and a grant program based on recognized home-hardening standards. Committee members asked about insurance cancellations, neighborhood-level risk, and whether utilities’ or insurers’ maps are used; the commissioner’s office said insurers generally use their own data and that Washington’s FAIR Plan remains small compared with other states.

Transcript Highlights:

• units to address speeding concerns in certain corridors across the state.
• That's braking and speed control.
• , because they are excessive?
• I’d like you to think about it and bring us up to speed.
• I’d like you to think about it and bring us up to speed.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• So yes, it might seem a little excessive to go back six years.
• They would have still been in excesses.
• They would have still been in excess of their reserve amounts.
• They would have still been in excess of their reserve amounts.
• It just seems a bit excessive.

Committee: Joint Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• abusive practices of targeting vulnerable vets and their families who are given or made promises of speeding
• , gaining access to their direct deposit information, promising a certain rating, stating they can speed
• surprise that in this work I've had to debunk misinformation that claim sharks have perpetuated about the speed
• No matter who represents a veteran on federal benefits matters, it is not possible to speed up the VA
• veteran could not only lose every benefit they have earned but could also face jail time along with excessive

Committee: House Veterans and Military Affairs Division

Transcript Highlights:

• ignoring normal parking rules, proceed past red lights, stop signs after stopping for safety, exceed speed
• ticket 10 11 months prior a a speeding ticket 10 11 months prior to<00:04:42.960><c> that</c><00:04:
• So you speed and you get this violation. Immediately you would lose your license, basically.
• </c><00:10:58.160><c> speed,</c> ...why they were at excessive speed, that there was an emergency, that
• </c> you alive at that speed you alive at that speed is<00:16:24.160><c> a</c><00:16:24.480><c> massive

Transcript Highlights:

• new retirement specialists into the agency, and it takes approximately six months to get them up to speed
• in COVID in trying to understand how we could bring new employees in and get them trained and up to speed
• past or whether there has been a proposal for terminating the plan in order to have a reversion of excess
• assets. ...have a reversion of excess assets.
• So based on that exclusive benefit rule, what I'm hearing you say is that the overfunding or the excess

Committee: Joint Select Committee on Pension Policy

Summary: The Select Committee on Pension Policy approved the September minutes and then received a presentation from DRS staff on the FY 2024 CEM benchmarking survey. DRS described its administrative costs, service levels, and technology modernization efforts, noting that its overall service was just below peer averages but had recovered since COVID, and that major projects such as the CorePAM system replacement are a significant driver of costs. Committee members and DRS emphasized that the benchmarking is meant to compare administrative efficiency, not the total cost of benefits, and DRS said the CorePAM project is expected to finish around September 2027. The committee then continued its LEOFF 1 study discussion with staff, the Office of the State Actuary, the Attorney General’s office, Ice Miller, and the State Investment Board. The discussion focused on two legislative approaches: a merger of LEOFF 1, PERS 1, and TRS 1 into a Legacy Plan (5085) and a terminate-and-restate approach for LEOFF 1 (2034). Testimony explained that both approaches could satisfy federal tax requirements if the IRS issues a favorable determination letter and private letter ruling after enactment, and that the merger is viewed as the more conservative option. Witnesses said the exclusive benefit rule prevents surplus assets from being used for non-benefit purposes, but allows them to support benefits and reasonable administrative costs for plan members and beneficiaries. Questions from members centered on whether the IRS would require plan funding above 100 percent, how overfunding could be managed, the effect of prior legislation such as ESSB 5357, and the costs and timing of IRS filings; staff and counsel said the IRS process can take a year or more and recommended waiting for approval before implementation. The committee also adopted preliminary 2026 meeting dates. During public comment, several speakers supported the merger bill because it would permanently eliminate the current LEOFF 1 employer surcharge and provide a permanent COLA for retirees, while others urged caution about creating additional pension burdens for state and local governments. One commenter asked the committee to study climate change as a systemic risk to pension investments, and another requested an ad hoc COLA for Plan 1 retirees in 2026. The meeting ended with no action on the LEOFF 1 study beyond discussion and with the meeting calendar approved.

Transcript Highlights:

• units to address speeding concerns in certain corridors across the state.
• That's braking and speed control.
• If you're struck by a car at that speed, it is not a good outcome for you.
• , because they are excessive.
• I'd like you to think about it and bring us up to speed.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Summary: The Joint Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing at UMass Amherst on Governor Healey’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal, focusing on energy/environment-related transportation issues and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The hearing opened with welcomes from the co-chairs and local legislators, followed by remarks from UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes, who highlighted the university’s research, sustainability, transportation, and workforce contributions and thanked the administration and legislature for support of public higher education. MassDOT Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phil Eng, along with agency leaders, presented the administration’s transportation budget package. They described a combined funding plan through House 2, a Fair Share supplemental budget, and a Chapter 90 bill, emphasizing investments in MassDOT operations, snow and ice response, regional transit authorities, the MBTA, bridge and pavement repair, housing-related transportation improvements, sustainable aviation fuel, microtransit, and local road programs. Officials also highlighted record highway construction activity, safety initiatives such as work zone speed cameras and pedestrian protections, RMV service and equity improvements, airport and drone technology programs, and MBTA gains in reliability, accessibility, ridership, and service expansion. Committee members asked about Western Massachusetts priorities, especially Chapter 90 funding for rural road mileage, bridge repairs, and the Compass Rail/West-East Rail program. MassDOT officials said pending federal grants were moving forward, with some awards recently obligated and others expected as federal processes advance, and they said Palmer Station remains part of the long-term rail plan. Members also raised the Cape Cod bridges and the need for multi-year Chapter 90 funding. Officials said the Sagamore Bridge procurement would begin soon, with construction targeted for 2027, and reiterated that transportation investments support jobs, local economies, and municipal infrastructure statewide.

Transcript Highlights:

• the California State Transportation Agency, the California Department of Transportation, the High-Speed
• The systems we're talking about here are in excess of 60 years old.
• We believe that will reduce risk and reduce costs and also increase speed.
• tool that uses location and speed limit data to detect the posted speed limit and prevent a vehicle
• limit data to detect the posted speed limit and prevent a vehicle from exceeding it.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee heard several Caltrans, CHP, and DMV budget and trailer bill items. On Caltrans fleet replacement, the department requested a one-time $225 million augmentation to replace aging medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and expand zero-emission vehicle infrastructure. LAO said the request was consistent with state policy, but senators criticized the high cost of electric fleet purchases and Caltrans’ delayed zero-emission fleet report; the chair said the report must be delivered within 30 days before the request could be fully considered. Caltrans also presented trailer bill language to replace an originally intended $50 million federal transfer for the High Road Construction Careers Program with $30 million in state Highway Account funds after federal eligibility problems prevented use of the federal dollars. Members questioned the reduction, the delay in implementation, where the remaining funds would go, and whether the program would keep jobs in California and meet labor standards; Caltrans and the Workforce Development Board said the program had prior success and that the state-funds transfer was intended to preserve the original policy goal. The committee then reviewed CHP’s request for a $60 million augmentation for equipment and operating costs, which CHP said was needed because vacancy savings no longer covered rising fuel, vehicle, and other operating costs. CHP argued that recruitment success had reduced vacancies and that costs had risen sharply since 2006, while LAO recommended rejection, citing that the expenses were ongoing, CHP still had vacancies above pre-pandemic levels, and the Motor Vehicle Account faces structural insolvency by 2028-29. Members discussed whether the account can sustain these costs and whether the Legislature should consider broader funding changes. CHP also sought a permanent $885,000 augmentation for seven analyst positions for the Highway Violence Task Force; CHP said freeway shootings had fallen sharply since 2021 and that analysts were essential to solving cases, while LAO noted the request was smaller than prior years but would create an ongoing commitment. Senators generally supported the task force but asked for clearer metrics and reporting, especially because the data categories had changed over time. Finally, the DMV presented the State-to-State verification system and related modernization work under DXP. DMV said State-to-State is required for Real ID compliance and that California must join the system by February 2027, with live testing planned for the summer. Senators focused heavily on privacy and data security, especially the inclusion of Social Security number digits in the system, the role of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, and whether Californians understood their information would be shared in a nationwide database. DMV said the system only shares federally required data, uses encryption, and is designed to de-duplicate records across states, but members pressed for more information on governance, audit authority, and whether the Legislature had explicitly approved the data-sharing approach. The chair asked DMV to follow up with the Attorney General and indicated the committee would continue reviewing the issue.

Transcript Highlights:

• Access to public records is Jennifer Kelly: restricted by requiring excessive payments.
• Current law requires mandatory court hearings for speeding violations, but no comparable requirement
• This promotes consistent enforcement standards between high-risk speeding offenses and dangerous intersection
• regardless, what we are trying to do is deal with distracted driving, not somebody who's going over the speed
• This clearly authorizes courts to define an award as excessive or inadequate based on the use of what

Transcript Highlights:

• Maintaining excess prison capacity has real trade-offs.
• Excess prison capacity has real trade-offs. Every year, we delay right-sizing the system.
• And that was, again, with the intent of speed.
• I think it is at the level of much like desegregation orders with all deliberate speed.
• Like desegregation orders with all deliberate speed. We're talking 30 years here now.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Accountability and Oversight held a hearing on the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) budget, with a focus on prison population trends, spending, facility closures, and efforts to find savings. The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) presented data showing the prison and parole populations have fallen sharply over the past 20 years while CDCR spending has remained high, driven largely by security, health care, litigation-related requirements, and aging infrastructure. The LAO also said the state is likely to have several thousand empty beds by 2030 and recommended closing another prison, identifying the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad as the strongest candidate, while also urging more transparency around facility deactivations and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) efficiency contract. CDCR Secretary Jeff McCumber said the department faces structural budget pressures from retirement payouts, workers’ compensation, overtime, medical transport, aging facilities, and violence in prisons, but emphasized declining recidivism, expanding reentry beds, and the need for more single-celling and rehabilitation. Department of Finance representative Anthony Franzoa said the administration is not proposing another prison closure at this time, opposed new reporting requirements on deactivations, and said the BCG contract is intended to produce long-term savings even if near-term estimates are being revised downward. Amber Rose Howard of California United for Responsible Budget argued the state should close more prisons, redirect funds to community services, and stop spending on excess prison capacity. Members questioned why CDCR still relies on vacancy savings, why rehabilitation is only a small share of the budget, and whether the department should be more transparent about capacity reductions and legal liabilities. Several members criticized the $20 million BCG contract and the lack of competitive bidding, while others pressed CDCR on staffing levels, single-celling, suicide prevention, and health care costs for older incarcerated people. The hearing did not take a formal vote, but it ended with clear committee concern about CDCR’s budget transparency, the pace of prison closures, and the need to align spending more closely with the declining prison population and the department’s stated rehabilitation mission.