Transcript Highlights:

• It's a It's an evidence-based practice.
• Ending this practice has been supported by Republicans and Democrats nationwide.
• Ending this practice has been supported by Republicans and Democrats nationwide.
• <01:10:01.760> know, who work in private practice know, who work in private practice know,
• Thank you, Madam Speaker. practices. 3/10en of 1% isn't out of practices. 3/10en of 1% isn't out of line

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• If federal law prohibits the practice, state laws allowing post-election-day ballot receipt would likely
• And so if federal law does prohibit this practice like Mississippi's or like some of the other states
• The standards appear to be similar to current best practices that are already recommended by USPS, which
• That is best practice and standard practice in many places.
• That's a nonprofit, essentially sharing security best practices and security information.

Summary: The House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee held a virtual work session focused first on federal actions affecting elections. A representative from NCSL reviewed recent U.S. Supreme Court and pending cases, including a redistricting/Voting Rights Act case and a case on whether mailed ballots received after Election Day can be counted. She also discussed a Trump executive order directing USPS to draft mail-ballot rules, the federal SAVE system’s expanded use for voter list maintenance, DOJ requests for unredacted voter rolls, and reduced federal election-security support. Committee members asked about proof of citizenship requirements, whether DOJ requests are compulsory, and how federal election funding and grants may be changing. The Attorney General’s Office then described Washington’s litigation challenging two election-related executive orders and DOJ’s lawsuit seeking unredacted voter registration lists. State lawyers said courts have already enjoined parts of the executive orders, including documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements and voting-system changes, and have upheld Washington’s ballot-receipt deadlines so far. They said DOJ’s voter-roll demands have been rejected by multiple courts and that Washington’s position is that state law limits disclosure of sensitive voter data. Members asked about the legal basis for DOJ’s requests, the risk of immigration-enforcement use, and whether attestation on registration forms counts as proof of citizenship; the office said it does under state law and that no evidence of mass voter-fraud problems in Washington has been shown. Deputy Attorney General Todd Bowers then gave a broader overview of the Attorney General’s federal litigation, saying Washington has filed 61 cases since January 2025, often with other states, and has had notable success obtaining preliminary injunctions and favorable summary judgments. He highlighted cases involving election rules, environmental and energy disputes, public health funding, student loans, housing, and data privacy, and said many challenges involve executive-branch conditions added to congressionally appropriated funds. He also described a growing number of federal audits and inquiries directed at state agencies. Finally, Office of Equity Director Megan Matthews discussed how federal actions are affecting state and local equity work, community organizations, and public confidence. She said the office is coordinating more closely with the Attorney General, governor’s office, other agencies, and local governments through the immigration subcabinet, while also working on data privacy, Keep Washington Working compliance, and community outreach. Committee members asked about the office’s human-trafficking work and how it is encouraging agency compliance; Matthews said the focus is on clearer guidance, technical support, and consistent expectations across agencies. The committee adjourned after the presentations and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• The second thing I would talk about is practical implications.
• The second thing I would talk about is practical implications.
• The second thing I would talk about is practical implications.
• Could you elaborate a little bit more on kind of the best practice for us to consider?
• I think that, you know, as Doug mentioned, it's hard to... we've sort of been practicing caution.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The inaugural hearing of the newly named House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability focused on how federal policy changes could affect Massachusetts, especially in education, health care, research, infrastructure, climate, and business conditions. Chair LaNatra said the committee was created to monitor federal funding decisions and their impacts on state programs and services. Members introduced themselves, then heard testimony from Doug Howgate of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, Sarah Mills of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, and Quentin Palfrey, the governor’s Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure. Howgate argued that the Trump administration and new Congress pose ideological, practical, and process-related risks to Massachusetts, citing proposed cuts to Medicaid, education, research, and other domestic programs. He said federal dollars make up about a quarter of the state operating budget and capital plan, warned against using one-time reserves to backfill ongoing federal cuts, and urged the state to prioritize core services while protecting areas where Massachusetts is especially strong, such as higher education and research. In response to committee questions, he said the House Medicaid proposal would still cost Massachusetts hundreds of millions and that international student and NIH-related changes could harm the state’s labor force and innovation economy. He also advised that the state communicate clearly without overreacting to daily federal developments. Mills testified that AIM members are most concerned about uncertainty, tariffs, Medicaid cuts, and NIH reductions. She said tariffs are raising costs, disrupting supply chains, and hurting small and medium-sized businesses, housing construction, and exporters, with AIM’s business confidence index falling to its lowest level since the pandemic. She said Medicaid cuts would raise employer health costs, reduce productivity, and strain the health care system, while NIH cuts would threaten Massachusetts’ life sciences and academic research ecosystem. In questions, she said AIM has increased federal outreach, is coordinating with the U.S. Chamber and the Massachusetts delegation, and is hearing concerns from employers about immigration compliance and workforce disruptions. Palfrey described the Healey-Driscoll administration’s efforts to maximize federal funding, including a biweekly interagency council, a municipal partnership effort, and a statewide roadshow. He said Massachusetts has secured nearly $9 billion from major federal laws for projects such as the Cape Cod bridges, Allston Multimodal, grid modernization, clean-energy school buses, and broadband. He also said the administration launched a public website to track federal impacts and is working with municipalities, nonprofits, and the Attorney General on grant changes, legal issues, and litigation. In response to questions, he warned that cuts to NOAA, NSF, Medicaid, SNAP, and other programs could affect services and the state budget, and said the administration is tracking changes to federal grant applications and conditions. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational only.

Transcript Highlights:

• In practical terms, the way it works is when someone is sentenced and they're sentenced to hold doing
• The practical terms, the way it works is when someone is sentenced and they're sentenced to hold doing
• It's kind of like the best practices, right? So Governor Baker and...
• It's kind of like the best practices, right?
• And just to simplify one of the practices that I think...

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The commission met to continue its review of the county sheriffs’ role in corrections, reentry, and public safety. After approving the prior meeting minutes, the sheriffs completed a lengthy presentation describing how their offices provide regional jail services, women’s programming, mental health and substance use treatment, reentry support, community partnerships, and auxiliary public safety functions such as BCI work, TRIAD, Meals on Wheels, and event support. They emphasized that services are tailored to local needs, that women’s facilities are designed to keep mothers close to family and support reunification, and that programming, housing, and job placement are central to reducing recidivism. They also discussed challenges including K2/synthetic drugs in facilities, gang classification and separation, and the difficulty justice-involved people face obtaining IDs and birth certificates, especially for people from Puerto Rico. Commission members generally praised the sheriffs’ work and asked for more detail on how regional women’s facilities operate, how community-provider cuts might affect reentry services, how no-cost phone/tablet communication is balanced against programming time, and what the most essential programs are if funding is reduced. The sheriffs said programming must come first, identified mental health, substance use treatment, domestic violence programming, and housing/job placement as critical, and explained that community organizations and the Registry of Motor Vehicles are key partners in reentry. They also described their approach to gang management through classification, separation, and information sharing, and noted that the Registry has become more flexible but Real ID requirements have made documentation barriers more significant. The commission chair stressed that the purpose of the study is collaboration and improving system performance, not an adversarial effort against the sheriffs or a decarceration debate. Members noted that future meetings would hear from probation in June and the Department of Correction in July, and that the commission would continue gathering information before deciding on next steps. The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn, which passed unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm very practical in this whole situation because we've been working very hard with the help of Senator
• However, under this administration, we've seen a dramatic increase in this practice.
• year career of my own, clerking for our Massachusetts fieldsburg, five years in a large law firm practice
• . a four-year career in my own, clerking for our Massifieldsburg, five years in a large law firm practice
• I'm D'Andre Fernandez, a practicing attorney and graduate of Howard University and Boston College Law

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on the Judiciary held a late-file hearing on several bills, with Chairs Michael Day and Lydia Edwards outlining hearing rules, testimony limits, and written-testimony procedures. The first bill discussed was H. 4876, a proposal to strengthen supports for survivors of abuse. Representative Carol Faiola testified on behalf of a constituent who described how a lifetime restraining order was effectively undermined after a family member’s death, arguing the bill should limit abusers’ legal standing after death, improve survivor notification and privacy protections, expand coercive-control definitions, and create education and resource programs. The committee then heard testimony on H. 5111, which would strengthen the Massachusetts Antitrust Act. Representative Dave Rogers and Attorney General’s Office antitrust chief Anthony Mariano said the bill would give the state more tools to pursue anti-competitive conduct, including conduct with multi-state effects, while allowing enforcement even when federal authorities are also involved. They said it would increase penalties, clarify that invitations to conspire are violations, protect labor markets, remove limits affecting some housing transactions, and extend the statute of limitations. The committee also heard support for a related “universal 1983” bill, S. 2976/H. 2976, creating a state cause of action for constitutional violations by federal, state, or local officers acting under color of law; supporters said it would fill gaps in remedies against federal officers while preserving qualified immunity. Testimony also supported H. 4783, a bill affirming the rights of people experiencing homelessness. The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless said the measure would push back against growing criminalization of homelessness, especially after the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass decision and local encampment bans, and would protect the use of public spaces without discrimination based on housing status. On H. 4826, condo owners and advocates said Chapter 183A is outdated and leaves owners with too little say and too few remedies against mismanagement, citing problems such as unsafe water, major assessments, and lack of meaningful dispute resolution. The committee also heard strong support for H. 5116, renaming the Dorchester Division of the Boston Municipal Court the Judge Leslie E. Harris Courthouse, with testimony from family members, legislators, attorneys, and community leaders describing Judge Harris’s mentorship, community service, and commitment to second chances. Later testimony covered S. 2975, a bill to deter ICE courthouse arrests and protect access to justice; CPCS, law students, and defense advocates said courthouse arrests chill participation by defendants, witnesses, and victims and disrupt pending cases. The committee also heard support for H. 5244, repealing an archaic law criminalizing concealment of a child’s death, with advocates arguing it has been used to punish pregnancy loss and should be removed. The hearing concluded with additional testimony in favor of S. 2976 and more support for the Judge Harris courthouse renaming, after which the chairs closed the hearing and reminded the public how to submit written testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• In practice, it is all too common for educators to continue teaching on an expired contract.
• In practice, it is all too common for educators to continue teaching on an expired contract.
• They need to know how to teach and include kids in terms of their basic practice and strategies.
• How would that actually work in practice?
• This is not truth in practice because I am perpetually exhausted from the circumstances that arise from

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education held a public hearing on a large slate of bills, with most testimony focused on two main topics: improving access to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for students with disabilities, and raising educator pay statewide. On the AAC bills (House 514/Senate 418), parents, advocates, and attorneys described how AAC devices and communication books help nonverbal or minimally verbal children communicate, participate in class, and reduce frustration and behavioral issues. Testimony emphasized that while districts are generally required to provide devices, many teachers and school staff lack training to use them effectively; the bill would direct DESE to update licensure and training requirements so newly licensed teachers are prepared to support AAC users. Committee members asked about current teacher-prep practices, implementation, and whether DESE could act without legislation, and witnesses said the proposal was intended as a long-term solution and had previously received some support and compromise language. The committee also heard extensive testimony on House 733/Senate 370, which would set a statewide minimum salary of $70,000 for teachers and $55,000 for education support professionals (ESPs/paras), with inflation adjustments and a phase-in structure that would shift costs over time from the state to municipalities. Supporters, including the bill sponsor, MTA leaders, and school employees from several districts, argued that current pay is not a living wage, contributes to staffing shortages and turnover, and forces many educators to work multiple jobs or rely on public assistance. They said the bill would help recruit and retain staff and better reflect the importance of the work. Committee members raised questions about how the state would fund the mandate, how it would interact with Chapter 70 school aid and local budgets, whether other states have similar mechanisms, and whether the proposal could create disincentives for districts already paying above the floor. Witnesses pointed to the Student Opportunity Act, the Fair Share Amendment, and the need for a broader school funding formula review as possible parts of the solution. The committee also briefly heard and discussed Senate Bill 435/House Bill 736, which would require de-escalation training for school bus operators, with the training paid for by employers. The sponsor and a parent advocate said the bill was prompted by a school bus incident involving a child with cerebral palsy and epilepsy and would improve safety and reduce reliance on law enforcement. Members asked whether the bill should also cover bus monitors and other transportation staff, and whether private contractors and public operators currently provide similar training. At the end of the hearing, the chairs closed testimony on the full list of bills and adjourned the hearing without taking any votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• But the law vaguely defines what realistic means in practice.
• I want to thank our experts here, and, you know, I try to have practical bills that are focused on how
• CAP was envisioned and designed to build on these best practices from the local level and bring this
• This bill is narrow and practical to address the issue.
• and narrow and practical to address the issue it does not change existing SB 79 housing standards it

Summary: The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee heard several housing-related bills. SB 457 would direct HCD to develop statistical formulas based on historical development data to help cities complete housing element site inventories, with the author and supporters arguing it would make RHNA compliance more realistic and less costly; the California Building Industry Association opposed, and the bill was later approved on a 7-1 vote. SB 904 would codify and expand wildfire-rebuilding coordination and reporting practices used after recent fires, with supporters saying it would speed recovery and opponents questioning the need for additional reporting; it passed 11-1. The committee also took up SB 1091, which would create a state acquisition-and-preservation program for unsubsidized affordable housing to prevent displacement; it drew broad support from housing and tenant groups and passed 9-1, with members emphasizing preservation as a key housing strategy. Members also considered SB 1267, which would require EV charger installers in common-interest developments to indemnify associations during installation and make homeowners responsible for costs arising from use of privately owned chargers. The bill was presented as a follow-up to prior HOA-related EV charging legislation, with support from HOA, EV, and climate groups and opposition from the California Association of Realtors pending amendments; it passed 10-0. SB 1117 would clarify that ADU impact fees above the 750-square-foot exemption are charged only on the portion above that threshold, not the entire unit, and supporters said it would remove a fee cliff that discourages slightly larger ADUs. Cities, special districts, and fire agencies opposed or opposed unless amended, citing infrastructure funding concerns, but the bill passed 10-0 after extensive debate. The committee also heard SB 1361, which would prevent local governments from taking actions to avoid SB 79 transit-oriented housing requirements at existing or planned transit stops. Supporters from L.A. Metro, labor, and housing groups said it would protect transit investments and jobs, while the City of Burbank opposed; the bill passed 9-0. Two consent items, SB 722 and SB 1426, were approved without discussion. Throughout the hearing, members repeatedly stressed the goals of streamlining housing production, preserving existing affordable homes, and reducing barriers to rebuilding and transit-oriented development.

Transcript Highlights:

• So in practice, this means providers typically must purchase injectable PrEP at their own expense, store
• Under current practice, health plans often require a new prior authorization whenever a medication dose
• And in practice, it's much more helpful to have the ability to either increase or decrease dosage based
• hospitalized federal agents, they intimidate hospital staff into blacking out their information, a practice
• As a practicing acupuncturist, I see firsthand how acupuncture helps patients manage chronic pain, recover

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And there's no other requirement or suggested practice to send any, like, 110 samples that you test to
• want to do it twice a week as a requirement and then any other time that we want to as a matter of practice
• ... ...as a requirement and then any other time that we want to as a matter of practice, for us we can
• These are practical, common-sense updates that reflect how the work is actually performed today and keep
• Arizona in line with national best practices.

Bills: SB1137, SB1176, SB1287, SB1335, SB1336, SB1445, SB1677

Keywords: underground utilities, utility locating, dig safe, call before you dig, 811, excavation safety, damage prevention, one-call center, locate request, white lining, large project coordination, buried infrastructure, subsurface utilities, utility marking, locator wire, locator strip, interactive positive response system, landlord duties, apartment community, mobile home park

Transcript Highlights:

• However, that doesn't affect the reality of commingled water sources in practice because it's not physically
• So the department has serious concerns about the proposed practice of using groundwater for filling these
• These practices not only harm individual families, they erode public trust.
• These practices not only harm individual families, they erode public trust to all contractors, including
• But there are questionable practices and the information that I need.

Bills: SB1137, SB1200, SB1419, SB1447, SB1560, SCM1004

Keywords: underground utilities, utility locating, dig safe, call before you dig, 811, excavation safety, damage prevention, one-call center, locate request, white lining, large project coordination, buried infrastructure, subsurface utilities, utility marking, locator wire, locator strip, interactive positive response system, landlord duties, apartment community, mobile home park

Transcript Highlights:

• a convention will move slowly, with multiple votes exposing unfaithful delegates, but the common practice
• Your right to exist and to practice the religion that you practice, and you should never be discriminated
• terrify every person in the United States of America, where you should not only have a right to practice
• support from other members of your community because you share in common religion, common cultural practices
• , Community because you share in common religion, common cultural practices, and you someday are going

Bills: HB2908, HB4042, HCM2001, HCM2002, HCM2005, HCM2006, HCR2047

Keywords: constitutional convention, faithless delegates, state delegates, oath of office, class 2 felony, civil penalties, parent-child relationship, termination of parental rights, child welfare, court procedures, abandonment, neglect, reunification services, felony conviction, Muslim Brotherhood, terrorism, foreign terrorist organization, national security, Islamist extremism, Congress

Transcript Highlights:

• the policy and research expertise of state institutions of higher education within the state for practical
• Assist the Office of State Fire Marshal in the maintenance of standard safe practices for the discharge
• Now, there is a rule that says once you practice, you know, say I'm in the ninth grade, I go to practice
• I can't switch once I go to practice. I am locked in at Spring Valley.
• I can't switch once I go to practice. So that does help that a little bit.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What's the practical effect then? Of, I mean. Well, the practical effect is you're out on a PR.
• That's the practical effect.
• What's the practical implication?
• Counsel, I do a lot of estate work in my practice.
• Do you do estate planning in your practice? I didn't know. Oh, I'm sorry. I am an attorney, yes.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's my practice that if I think It's my practice that if I think someone's out of the room and their
• That's a new practice we adopted a couple of years ago, so you can find the committee substitute online
• And there are a number of what I think are very practical guideposts there, or rating points.
• I don't know, once again, not being a tax person, I don't know how practical that is, but it certainly
• How practical that is, but it's certainly, I think, would be very good for New Mexicans.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Pam Stokes, and at the request of the chair, I'm here to make a presentation on the history of tax practices
• So they have to pay that out of what they get to bring it to their practice.
• someone representing an agricultural district, fundamentally do not understand the mechanics and practical
• I can go to New Mexico I can play in that game, because New Mexico is practically perfect in every way
• We have Practically perfect weather, we have practically perfect people, and if we do this, this is what

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It allows ranchers to put in conservation practices, irrigation, pipelines, ginseng, and all kinds of
• I showed you kind of the top five EQIP practices just to give you an idea of what's happening.
• This actually pays ranchers and farmers to do additional good practices for those who are already putting
• We nearly are a captive herd here, and there are many practices we have done in the last 20 years that
• There to provide assistance, expertise, knowledge, and education on best practices in restoring forests

Transcript Highlights:

• Practices on how to manage these forested buffers, these riparian areas as we refer to them, include
• As camp professionals, we're collaborating to provide the best practices and real camp experiences.
• One is vetting all of your activities with local experts, so that really is a best practice.
• I think that is the best practice, so I think it should be encouraged.
• If it's more of an internal way that they're familiar with, a sound that we practice, and a sound that

Keywords: 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• 16 different workshops for landowners, about 500 different landowners that we step through best practices
• As camp professionals, working with you to provide the best practices and real camp experiences, uh,
• So that really is the best practice. Now, actually coming on property, I don't know what that is.
• I think that is the best practice.
• Um, a sound that we practice and a sound that um there That just may not strike fear in a child, that

Transcript Highlights:

• creation of a physician health and wellness program that aligns with nationally recognized best practices
• for protecting patients and connecting doctors with the help that they need to continue practicing safety
• It blends fairness with conservation, aligning the best practices in California's fisheries management
• And what we see around the state of California isn't theoretical. practice in places like Los Angeles
• We should have a common practice throughout the state.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We actually need to put them into practice.
• And that practice also needs to include community residents and the groups already working on preparedness
• We actually need to put them into practice.
• I would love to connect with you on best practices. And we'll reach out after. I don't know.
• So I would love to connect with you on best practices.

Summary: The committee first took up a consent calendar of multiple bills, moving them forward mostly to Appropriations, with AB 1531 sent to Insurance. It then heard AB 645, requiring emergency medical dispatch training for public safety dispatchers who handle medical calls. Supporters said standardized dispatcher training would improve CPR and other pre-arrival instructions, especially in rural areas with long response times; there was no opposition, and the bill was moved to Appropriations. AB 716, on statewide hydrogen fire safety standards and a State Fire Marshal hydrogen expert, also drew support and was sent to Utilities and Energy. AB 783, aimed at lowering disaster rebuilding costs by allowing state contracting for construction materials in declared disaster areas, was supported by housing and building groups and moved to Appropriations. AB 591, creating a public works mutual aid plan for disasters, and AB 1200, expanding disaster preparedness through tabletop exercises, a State Lifelines Council, and CERT training, both received supportive testimony and were sent to Appropriations. The committee also heard AB 300, which would require regular updates to fire hazard severity zone maps; witnesses from fire agencies and cities supported moving the review schedule to every five years, and the bill was sent to Appropriations as amended. AB 986 would add landslides and climate-change-exacerbated conditions to the definition of state and local emergencies; supporters from Rancho Palos Verdes and the League of California Cities described severe land movement and major costs, while members raised concerns about overbroad emergency declarations. The bill nonetheless advanced to Appropriations. AB 478, requiring local emergency plans to include pet rescue procedures and longer holding periods for rescued animals, was supported by the author, a mayor, and animal advocacy groups; members suggested revisiting the 90-day reclamation period and transfer rules, but the bill moved to Appropriations. Later, AB 598 proposed school mapping technology for K-12 campuses so first responders can access accurate layouts during emergencies. The sponsor and dispatch representatives said the maps could reduce response times and improve coordination, while committee members asked about costs, vendor neutrality, rural school funding, and coordination with the 911 Advisory Board; the bill was moved to Appropriations with members noting possible follow-up amendments. Throughout the meeting, several votes were left open for later addition, and the committee eventually recorded additional aye votes and one no vote on AB 783 and a not-voting position on AB 986 before adjourning.