Transcript Highlights:

• It is what spurs us, what makes us California, uniquely apart from other states.
• You help us, you guide us... ...place, especially LAO for your work.
• You help us, you guide us, and you give great information, not only for us, but for members of the public
• How do you expect us to keep our doors open? How do you expect us to survive?
• Jackson for pushing us for years.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Committee met to consider the 2026 Budget Act, which leaders said was the negotiated compromise with the Senate and was expected to move to the floor that evening. Opening remarks emphasized that the plan balances the budget over two years, reduces the structural deficit, and builds reserves, while also protecting core services in the face of federal cuts. Jason Sisney outlined the legislative budget framework and the likely floor bills, including AB 109, SB 110, SB 122, and SB 125. Department of Finance representative Eric Khali said the administration appreciated the two-year balanced approach and supported the modification in SB 122, while noting the package uses additional revenues and new spending to soften or reject some proposed cuts. Most of the discussion focused on major spending areas. Members and subcommittee chairs highlighted protections and additions for health care and human services, including rejecting the proposed Medi-Cal asset limit change, delaying premium increases, restoring clinic and dental funding, supporting distressed hospitals and county indigent care, and expanding county eligibility staffing to handle H.R. 1-related workload. Education members described record or expanded support for TK-12 schools, child care, special education, community colleges, teacher recruitment, and higher education, including a change to extend Cal Grant eligibility to age 30 for some community college students. Housing and homelessness funding was increased for HAP, multifamily housing, and the low-income housing tax credit, while public safety members pointed to investments in victims’ services, restorative justice, and prison closure savings. Several members also raised concerns or priorities tied to the budget deal. Some praised the package as a moral document that protects vulnerable Californians, immigrant communities, LGBTQ residents, seniors, and people with disabilities. Others noted unresolved issues, including the MCO tax’s impact on districts, the need for more support for local journalism, arts, biotech R&D incentives, transit and GGRF-related concerns, and the need for continued work on Prop. 98 and long-term fiscal resilience. The vice chair cautioned that despite the current progress, the state remains vulnerable to revenue volatility and warned that the budget should build more resilience against a possible downturn. No formal vote was taken in the portion provided, but the committee was preparing the budget package for floor action and final negotiations.

Transcript Highlights:

• That is so exciting for all of us, every one of us.
• Look at us. week of Christmas.
• Look at us. "I do. Proceed. Hello, lady. Hello. Look at us. Look at us. Hey.
• to put better use of that water, more diverse uses for that water.
• And it allows us to put better use of that water, more diverse uses for that water.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you to the folks in the room for hosting us, serving us well.
• Could you get those emailed to us today? And get us out to the staff.
• given us a last-minute window.
• How are those going to be prioritized as what hits us first and what hits us last?
• So then it's still a cost to us.

Transcript Highlights:

• We use this to cover things when, um, it allows us to basically put some of those operating costs on
• to use instead of using long term debt.
• to use.
• And so that allows us to do that if we have the opportunity to use CEOs.
• We use COs when we have to.

Transcript Highlights:

• Can you tell us about the Alabama voter integrity database?
• Even in Florida, let's use Florida. Florida got rid of their area. They use the same system.
• Do we have to use that?
• Now, we've got states contacting us who want to join.
• They are using this U... Repres... They are using this foreign national ID to vote.

Bills: HB479, HB480

Keywords: voting, elections, voter registration, voter rolls, list maintenance, address change, change of address, ERIC, Electronic Registration Information Center, AVID, Alabama Voter Integrity Database, Secretary of State, board of registrars, inactive voter, voter purge, duplicate registration, cross-state voter matching, National Change of Address, NCOA, driver license data

Transcript Highlights:

• Help us to pass laws that reflect the lives of the people we serve and let us never forget to make no
• to our fellow citizens today remind us to our fellow citizens today remind us of<00:05:07.320>
• employees and turn a profit help us employees and turn a profit help us remember<00:05:38.400>
• practice for us to say to schools let us practice for us to say to schools let us take<01:12:19.360
• <04:14:43.080> use effective use use effective use use of<04:14:44.920> taxpayers of

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Let us pray.
• Heavenly Father God, we are mindful today of your word to us in the book of Hebrews, where you told us
• And with that, we had someone here with us every day, guiding us and helping us to make great decisions
• state of Arkansas with us today.
• to use it for.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• South of I-94, approximately, the use of shotgun and pistol is generally used for deer.
• The priority water uses, we have six priority water uses, and the number one is domestic use.
• resource to be used on any non-essential uses.
• Most of those large water uses would fall under the priority 5 water use.
• Water to be used in mining. In priority uses 1 through 5, Mr. Chair, I can take that one.

Bills: HF647, HF2824, HF1249, HF623, HF820

Keywords: water appropriation, aquifer management, potable water, water conservation, environmental policy, fishing regulation, angling, sustainability, biodiversity, game fish, Carley State Park, Minnesota state parks, state lands, park boundary expansion, Wabasha County, Department of Natural Resources, DNR, public lands, land acquisition, park addition

Transcript Highlights:

• How else are we using AI right now?
• <00:02:16.080> artificial recognition technology uses artificial recognition technology uses
• <00:02:37.280> facial enforcement or government using facial enforcement or government using
• <00:04:28.759> in data mined is it uh uh being used in data mined is it uh uh being used in
• but here's another example of using but here's another example of using artificial<00:09:22.040>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Public service demands more of us. It demands more of us. It demands. It spreads.
• Public service demands more of us.
• We need leaders who will unite us, not divide us, leaders who recognize the inherent value and dignity
• It was used to justify slavery, it was used to justify lynching, it was used to deny Black Americans
• We're talking about all of us in this room, every single one of us.

Summary: The Assembly convened after a quorum call, completed the roll, and opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several guest introductions recognizing visitors, students, and a long-serving committee secretary, Tabitha Volga-Sang, who was honored for 32 years of service. Members also took up a procedural motion by Assembly Member DeMaio to immediately consider ACA 14, the Taxpayer Protection Act, without reference to file; that motion failed on a 14-44 vote. The main policy debate centered on SB 106 by Senator Laird, a budget appropriation to provide $90 million in one-time funding for Planned Parenthood and related women’s health and family planning services after federal cuts. Assembly Member Tangipa offered amendments arguing the money should be directed more broadly to women’s health and hospitals, but the Assembly voted 41-13 to lay the amendments on the table. Supporters, including Gabriel, Sharp-Collins, Gibson, Krell, Bonta, and others, said the bill was needed to preserve access to cancer screenings, contraception, STI testing, and reproductive care, especially in rural and underserved communities, and to offset the effects of federal defunding. Opponents, including Johnson, DeMaio, Patterson, and Tangipa, criticized the bill as lacking transparency, favoring a politically connected organization, and diverting attention from hospital funding and other health needs. After extended floor debate, SB 106 passed the Assembly 55-10 and was transmitted immediately to the Senate. The chamber then took up H.R. 84, a resolution condemning racism after President Trump circulated racist imagery depicting former President Obama and Michelle Obama. Members from the Black, LGBTQ, Latino, AAPI, Jewish, Native American, and other caucuses spoke in support, saying the post normalized dehumanization and had real-world consequences; Assembly Member Tangipa also stated the post was wrong and apologized on the record. The transcript ends during continued debate on H.R. 84, before a final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• doesn't tell us about the sub-state level.
• we trust you to help us understand the problem that those closures are creating for us.
• we trust you to help us understand the problem that those closures are creating for us.
• And that's terminology that we use for the shorthand that has become BIPOC, but we use the term traditionally
• And that's terminology that we use for the shorthand that has become BIPOC, but we use the term traditionally

Summary: The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held a work session on food systems and food security, with no public testimony. The first panel focused on household food security and data. Marie Spiker of the University of Washington explained what food insecurity means, its health impacts, and the importance of reliable measurement, warning that the federal Census food security data is being terminated and that there is no true replacement. She described Washington’s WaFOOD surveys as a useful complement, not a substitute, and noted that they show food insecurity affects households at a range of income levels. Katie Raines of WSDA described the state’s food systems work, the need for shared data and dashboards, and the role of agriculture in both food production and the hunger safety net. Committee members asked about the $2.2 million state food assistance allocation, the scale of the SNAP gap, and how household size, housing costs, and other factors intersect with food insecurity. The committee then heard from Tracy Roof of the University of Richmond on the history of SNAP and its relationship to agriculture. She traced the program from Depression-era commodity distribution through the modern farm bill, emphasizing that food assistance has long functioned both as anti-hunger policy and as an agricultural and economic stabilizer. She highlighted how SNAP expands during recessions, supports retailers and farmers, and has become more important since the Great Recession because participation stayed high even as the economy recovered. Roof also noted that Washington has relatively high SNAP participation and low payment error rates, but that recent federal changes could reduce eligibility and shift more costs to states. Members asked how Washington compares to other states and why the program is structured as it is. A later panel featured the Washington State Food Policy Forum and a joint systems presentation from the Washington Farm Bureau, Washington Retail Association, and Washington Food Industry Association. The Food Policy Forum described its consensus-based recommendations on food insecurity, climate and water, regional food infrastructure, farmland protection, and farm viability, including more support for producer purchasing, water planning, and farmland conservation. The industry groups presented a systems map showing how agriculture, processing, retail, and transportation are interconnected, and argued that rising costs, regulations, labor and fuel expenses, retail theft, and thin margins make it harder to keep farms and stores viable. They said food security depends on store viability and local agricultural profitability, and promised to provide a more detailed list of policy recommendations. The final panel included state agency staff from DSHS, DOH, and WSDA. Bryce Montgomery said the Basic Food program serves about 920,000 Washingtonians monthly and warned that H.R. 1 could require Washington to pay up to 15% of SNAP benefits, broaden work requirements, and restrict immigrant eligibility. Karen Mullen described DOH nutrition programs, including WIC, farmers market nutrition benefits, fruit and vegetable incentives, and a fruit-and-vegetable prescription program, while noting funding instability and the end of SNAP-Ed. WSDA’s Katie Raines began describing ongoing food assistance and farmer support challenges, including farmer mental health and the need to address food insecurity across both producers and consumers.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're talking about everyone else using non-lethal force instead of having to go straight to using a
• of force using less lethal devices.
• Making it more difficult to use lethal weapons encourages not only the use of less lethal weapons but
• It inspires all of us.
• In 2013, the Between us and the defense bar, was this going to be used as a bar grievance issue?

Bills: SB552, SB1099, SB1124, SB1208, SB1372, SB1506, SB1667, SB1804, SB1806, SB1870, SB1936, SB1937, SB2180, SB2405, SB2569, SB2570, SB1646

Keywords: community supervision, criminal justice, illegal alien, deferred adjudication, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, SB 1099, undocumented immigrant, unauthorized immigrant, immigration status, felony sentencing enhancement, criminal penalty increase, Texas Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, affirmative finding, judgment finding, deportation, public safety, immigration enforcement, sentencing reform, felony offense

Transcript Highlights:

• Help us eliminate any corruption and injustice and guide us into truth for our commonwealth.
• The orders are before us.
• to substance use disorder. Mr. to substance use disorder. Mr.
• Senator from Shelby. to get rid of substance use disorder. to get rid of substance use disorder.
• neighborhoods, and productive land use. neighborhoods, and productive land use.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for having us here.
• for us to use that money.
• > statutory appropriations for us to use statutory appropriations for us to use that<01:17:05.679>
• this one database they can use. this one database they can use.
• required for that that you let us know. required for that that you let us know.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• used against our town.
• <01:56:39.679> against had before us it has been used against had before us it has been used
• It won't impact us at all.
• Bedrooms should not be used as a used.
• be used to this. be used to this.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Can you hear us okay? Can you hear us okay if you want to nod?
• I want to say that by giving us our rights, you will be giving us back our voice, giving us back our
• And help us.
• I always say that nothing about us without us is for us.
• use.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Election Laws held a hearing on a wide range of voting-access and election-administration bills. The largest portion of testimony focused on same-day voter registration (H. 834/S. 505), with support from Rep. Gentile, Boston and Chelsea officials, civic groups, and election administrators from Maine and Vermont. Supporters argued that same-day registration would help eligible voters who move frequently, miss deadlines, or face administrative errors, and would reduce rejected provisional ballots. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and Vermont elections director Sean Sheehan testified that same-day registration has worked in their states without major administrative problems and has helped increase turnout. A Boston-based panel also described high rejection rates for provisional ballots and the burden of registration cutoffs on renters, students, immigrants, and low-income voters. A second major topic was restoration of voting rights for incarcerated people, including S. 524 and related House bills. The committee heard extensive virtual testimony from incarcerated individuals at MCI Norfolk and MCI Shirley, who said voting should be restored as part of rehabilitation, civic engagement, and reintegration. They described disenfranchisement as dehumanizing and argued that voting would help maintain family and community ties, reduce recidivism, and give incarcerated people a voice on laws affecting prisons and reentry. Rep. Erica Uyterhoeven also testified in support, saying the bill would restore municipal voting rights for incarcerated residents and align with broader efforts to expand political participation. The committee also heard testimony on bills affecting election administration and access, including a proposal to reduce or eliminate mandated early in-person voting in primaries and shorten the general-election early voting period, with supporters from the town clerks’ community arguing that low usage, staffing burdens, and costs justify the change. Opponents warned that reducing in-person early voting could hurt voters who do not use mail ballots and could disproportionately affect communities of color. Other bills discussed included decoupling the municipal census from voter registration, requiring periodic accessibility inspections of polling places, and a Somerville home-rule petition on non-citizen municipal voting and another on lowering the voting age in municipal elections. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• In October, they gave us a demonstration.
• If not, then used by employees only.
• The use of guest rooms with mold-like substances is prohibited, and the use of portable, electric, or
• So that gives us the required 90 days, but it gives us a little flexibility to determine when that 90
• to livestock use or fish, wildlife, and recreational use for a reservoir authorizing no withdrawal of

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee first approved the December 3 minutes, then heard a request from the Board of Clinical Laboratory Practice to amend its proposed rule on exempt test methods to add certain closed-system DNA/RNA tests, including rhinovirus. After testimony explaining that the board had considered late comments from BioMérieux and wanted the rule record to reflect that review, the committee agreed to a limited amendment and passed the motion unanimously. The Department of Agriculture then outlined broad rule updates affecting dairy, eggs, poultry, pesticides, animal health, environmental mitigation, and the Egg Product Utilization Commission. The commissioner said the changes mostly clarified existing requirements, updated references, and reduced some burdens, such as easing dairy hauler training/licensing timing and clarifying out-of-state grade A milk language. Members asked about dairy industry decline, the APUC scoring system, and the rationale for the milk-hauler and out-of-state milk provisions. The State Board of Dental Examiners presented extensive rule changes tied to recent legislation and workforce issues, including a new professional health program for dentists, expanded duties for assistants and hygienists, broader local anesthetic authority for hygienists, and fee increases to fund the program and cover administrative costs. Testimony from Dr. Edward May strongly supported the professional health program based on his own recovery experience. The committee also heard from Game and Fish on rules easing some guide/outfitter experience requirements, allowing electronic exams, and modifying boating safety equipment rules, with no public comment and no fiscal impact. Later, Health and Human Services received approval for an extension to update tattoo/body art rules and a separate motion to repeal an obsolete nurse aide training chapter. HHS also described nursing facility rule updates, lodging sanitation revisions, and related clarifications on licensing, safety, pest control, and fire requirements. The Department of Environmental Quality received an extension for septic-system installer rules, and also presented rules for above-ground storage tanks and water/wastewater operator certification, including new fees and third-party testing options. The Industrial Commission’s oil and gas division described multiple rule changes, some withdrawn after comments, including drilling unit flexibility, site stability, wildfire authority, and streamlined transport/reporting procedures. Finally, DPI began presenting several rule packages, including school construction loan limits, school bus standards, cooperative agreements, special education rules for public charter schools, and new math curriculum and intervention requirements.

Transcript Highlights:

• We try to match money and use it.
• And do they distribute the funds to the state and then they want us to hold them and not use them?
• We have not used it.
• It is used with funding Children's Hospital. We do use it. Okay. Thank you. Children's Hospital.
• This gives us the flexibility.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• To us 19.
• So this transportation system enables multiple use cases.
• This for all of us is going to be crucial and the next few steps that we take for us to be successful
• put forth the best use case.
• And and I think that we'll see hopefully apply to us.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• > attorney's a year go through our US attorney's a year go through our US attorney's office<00
• You know, we had a US broken down.
• day or two, they get a letter from us day or two, they get a letter from us saying,<00:18:43.679
• <00:21:24.799> But of us are concerned about that. But of us are concerned about that.
• Another example, before us today.

Bills: SF0101

Keywords: Second Amendment, firearm regulation, state legislation, public safety, civil penalties, 916, all