Transcript Highlights:

• own, even though I'm not dealing with significant mental health issues, significant substance use, trauma

Committee: House Community Safety

Summary: The committee held an interim work session on crisis response, focusing on how Washington can better connect people in behavioral health crisis to the right level of help through 988, 911, mobile crisis, co-response, and alternative destinations. Travis Parker outlined the Sequential Intercept Model and the crisis care continuum, emphasizing early intervention, regional coordination, and the need for navigators, peers, and case managers to help people avoid cycling back into crisis or the justice system. Several witnesses stressed that crisis systems should be integrated rather than treated as an either-or choice between 911 and 988. Washington practitioners described a range of local models. Brooke Bettner, Kim Hendrickson, and Dr. Jennifer Stuber discussed co-response and field-based crisis teams, noting Washington’s growth in 988, mobile crisis, and 911 co-response programs, but also flagging duplication, inconsistent coordination, limited training for fire/EMS, gaps in involuntary treatment processes, emergency room overuse, and first responder wellness. Laura Pippen, speaking for designated crisis responders, said staffing has dropped sharply statewide and described major barriers in getting law enforcement, hospitals, and facilities to carry out involuntary treatment holds and placements, especially for substance use cases. She said systems and policies remain fragmented and difficult to align. Researchers Dr. Evan Lowder and Dr. James Pine summarized the evidence base, saying it is still limited but generally shows that non-police and co-response models can improve linkage to services and reduce emergency department transport or involuntary detention in some settings, while longer-term effects are less clear. They emphasized the importance of dispatch triage, on-scene resolution when safe, clear diversion pathways, and ongoing evaluation. 911 dispatch leaders Katie Myers, Justin Rasmussen, and Angie Bunk described efforts to embed behavioral health expertise into call centers, create warm transfers to 988, and use shared triage to route calls more accurately; they also warned about under-triage risks, liability, and the need for funding and dispatcher support. The committee then heard national examples from Denver, Albuquerque, and Atlanta, where alternative response programs are dispatched through 911 or 311 and have reduced police workload, use of force, or unnecessary emergency responses. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think we've all gotten over the trauma of the session, and now we all want to socialize, talk to each

Transcript Highlights:

• the well-being of workers and patients across the state, and overburdening remaining health care facilities
• Today, we are already seeing health care facilities announce plans to cut services or lay off staff.
• a temporary moratorium on hospital closures and renewing the distressed hospital loan fund for facilities
• inadequate reimbursement, and rising operational costs as reasons for reducing services or closing facilities
• Not only are we seeing our members and families suffering the trauma and the violence of the militarized

Committee: Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement

Summary: The Senate Labor and Public Employment Committee held an oversight hearing on federal policy impacts on California’s labor market. In opening remarks, the chair argued that federal actions, including immigration enforcement, tariffs, and cuts to safety-net programs, are harming workers, employers, and communities, and said the committee wanted to document impacts and identify state responses. The first panel featured economist Enrique Lopez Lira of UC Berkeley, who described slow job growth, wage pressures, high housing and care costs, and the large share of California workers in low-wage jobs. He said federal cuts to Medi-Cal and SNAP/CalFresh and increased immigration enforcement would worsen insecurity, especially in health care, retail, hospitality, agriculture, and care work. The chair asked about recession indicators, middle-wage stagnation, and which sectors rely most on safety-net programs, and Lopez Lira said worker organizing and unions were a source of hope. A second panel focused on federal immigration enforcement. UC Merced’s Edward Orozco Flores presented research finding that private-sector employment in enforcement-targeted states fell during escalated enforcement periods, with California experiencing unprecedented declines in 2025. He urged policymakers to consider wage-replacement or stimulus-style support for affected workers, including excluded workers who cannot access unemployment insurance. Shannon Sedgwick of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation said undocumented workers are deeply embedded in the county economy, generating substantial economic activity and supporting over a million jobs. She reported that intensified enforcement in Los Angeles County was associated with business disruptions, reduced sales and customer traffic, workforce instability, lower transit ridership in vulnerable areas, and losses from the downtown curfew. Committee members asked about impacts on small businesses, tax revenue, and recovery, and witnesses pointed to local resiliency funds, business toolkits, and know-your-rights efforts as partial responses. The hearing then heard from worker representatives. Flore Melendres of the Clean Car Wash Worker Center said car washes have been heavily targeted by federal agents, with hundreds of workers taken from workplaces, many businesses disrupted or closed, and workers living in fear; she urged support for AB 2271 to provide financial benefits to families who lost income because of DHS activity. California Nurses Association president Michelle Gutierrez-Vos said H.R. 1’s Medi-Cal and Covered California cuts threaten hospital finances, jobs, and patient care, and she backed CalCare (AB 1900), a hospital closure moratorium, and more support for nursing education. UAW 4811 president Rafael Jaime said federal research cuts are putting UC research funding and postdoctoral jobs at risk and endorsed SB 895, a proposed bond measure for health and scientific research. AFGE representatives Wallace Wade and Kendrick Roberson described the strain on federal workers during shutdowns, unpaid work, staffing losses, and the effects on TSA, Social Security, VA services, and worker housing stability; they supported SB 1155 to protect federal workers from eviction. Committee members thanked the witnesses and said the testimony showed both the human and economic consequences of federal policy. In the final panel, employer groups began responding to the same federal pressures. California Retailers Association president Rachel Michelin said retail is a major private-sector employer and a key entry point for young workers, and that retailers are seeing the effects of rising costs, supply-chain shifts, and consumer pressure at the checkout counter. The hearing continued with additional employer testimony beyond the provided excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• the well-being of workers and patients across the state, and overburdening remaining health care facilities
• Today, we are already seeing health care facilities announce plans to cut services or lay off staff.
• a temporary moratorium on hospital closures and renewing the distressed hospital loan fund for facilities
• inadequate reimbursement, and rising operational costs as reasons for reducing services or closing facilities
• Not only are we seeing our members and families suffering the trauma and the violence of the militarized

Committee: Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement

Transcript Highlights:

• So if you had one vendor that was dealing with multiple people with visits to the same facility over
• does already prohibit this as far as abortions actually being performed at these public education facilities
• , but it does not, and this bill does not regulate anyone's facilities, but it does not, and this bill
• However, when you have employees that are at that facility in an official role, they are representing
• on the streets may not have the wherewithal, resources-wise or capacity physically, because of the trauma

Committee: House House Government Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from Intel Expert/Expert Works on software intended to help investigators process large volumes of audio, video, and text data more quickly. The presenters said the tool could be adapted for Department of Child Safety work involving neglected, abused, missing, and exploited children by flagging keywords, building link charts, translating transcripts, and aggregating files for faster review. Members discussed possible use with DCS, county sheriffs, DOC, procurement and RFP issues, and whether the software could help triage hotline calls, clear backlogs, and identify trafficking or abuse networks. The presenters said the system is already used in Iowa and elsewhere, and committee members expressed interest in pursuing legislation, appropriations, or a pilot program. The committee then considered HB 2460, which would preempt local ordinances that penalize businesses for theft of movable property, especially shopping carts. The sponsor argued cities were shifting cleanup costs onto victims of theft, while cities and towns opposed the bill, saying local ordinances address blight and public-right-of-way hazards and that businesses should take proactive steps. After testimony from the League of Arizona Cities and Towns and the City of Phoenix, the committee passed HB 2460 on a 4-3 vote. Members also heard HB 2060, which would prohibit public educational institutions and ABOR schools from encouraging or facilitating abortions. The sponsor said taxpayer-funded institutions should remain neutral and not use public resources to promote abortion, while opponents argued the bill would restrict students’ access to constitutionally protected reproductive health care and referrals. Supporters said campuses should provide alternatives such as pregnancy resources and adoption information. The committee passed HB 2060 on a 4-3 vote. Finally, the committee considered HB 2210, as amended, to prohibit the state, local governments, and private entities from using ADS-B aircraft surveillance data to calculate or collect fees from aircraft owners or operators. Supporters said the technology was intended for safety and should not be repurposed for fee collection, warning that pilots might turn it off if used that way; opponents, including the City of Phoenix, said they wanted flexibility to use the system if needed. The committee adopted the amendment and then passed HB 2210 as amended on a 4-3 vote. The transcript then began discussion of HB 2533, which would create an Office of Homeless Services, board, compensation fund, and ombudsman, but the excerpt ends before that bill is fully taken up.

Transcript Highlights:

• That includes VOCA, human trafficking, trauma recovery centers, MMIP, and incarcerated sexual abuse victims
• continues to push California's hospitals to the brink of closure, especially the most vulnerable facilities
• I know the damage of just losing one of these facilities and what it can cause to a community.

Summary: The Assembly convened, initially lacked a quorum, and then completed the roll call, prayer, and pledge. Members observed a moment of silence for the fatal B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base in Assemblymember Lackey’s district. The body then handled a series of procedural motions, including re-referrals of numerous Senate bills to different committees, suspending rules for committee notices, and taking up the budget bill, AB 109, without reference to file for concurrence in Senate amendments. Debate on AB 109, the 2026 budget act, centered on competing views of the state’s fiscal condition and policy priorities. Supporters said the budget balances the current and next year’s budget, reduces the structural deficit, builds reserves, protects health care, schools, housing, food assistance, and other safety-net programs, and responds to federal cuts under H.R. 1. Opponents argued the budget increases taxes and costs, shortchanges schools, underfunds Proposition 36, relies on gimmicks, and does not adequately address public safety, cost of living, or long-term sustainability. Several members also highlighted specific provisions such as hospital support, Medi-Cal and IHSS protections, child care, immigrant legal services, prison closure, and funding for courts and victim services. A motion by Assemblymember DeMaio to return AB 109 to the Senate failed on a roll call vote, 13 ayes to 45 noes. The Assembly then voted on concurrence in the Senate amendments to AB 109; the measure passed, and the Senate amendments were concurred in without objection, with immediate transmittal to the Governor. Afterward, the Assembly moved to the daily file and took up SCR 89, a resolution affirming diversity, equity, and inclusion. Supporters from several caucuses framed DEI as a core California value and a response to federal attacks, while opponents criticized DEI as divisive. The transcript ends during debate on SCR 89, before any final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• That includes VOCA, human trafficking, trauma recovery centers, MMIP, and incarcerated sexual abuse victims
• continues to push California's hospitals to the brink of closure, especially the most vulnerable facilities
• I know the damage of just losing one of these facilities and what it can cause to a community.

Transcript Highlights:

• and students with disabilities whose families had faced generations of racism, discrimination, and trauma
• In my previous roles, I found myself standing at the intersection of behavior, trauma, and equity.
• educators' dedication, yet dedicated teachers cannot solve food insecurity, housing instability, or trauma
• caregivers rent their home are cost burdened, and 36 percent have experienced at least one form of trauma

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Education

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education heard testimony on several bills centered on school accountability, receivership, graduation requirements, charter school access, community schools, school libraries, and student voting rights. Much of the discussion focused on the Thrive Act, S. 374, which would end state receivership and change the state’s accountability approach. Supporters, including educators, parents, advocacy groups, and students, argued that receivership has not improved outcomes in districts such as Lawrence, Holyoke, Southbridge, Boston, and the Dever, and that local communities should have more control, with greater emphasis on community schools, wraparound services, and broader measures of school quality. They also supported related bills on community schools and school library standards, and several witnesses backed a bill to expand student representative voting rights on school committees. Opponents of S. 374, especially charter school leaders, parents, students, and some education advocates, focused on Section 4 of the bill, which would change the charter school net school spending cap in the lowest-performing districts. They argued that the provision would reduce access to charter seats in communities where families are seeking more options, and that schools such as Roxbury Prep, Excel Academy, Brook, Veritas Prep, and Libertas Academy have produced strong results for students, including students of color, low-income students, and students with special needs. Several witnesses said the section would force schools to shrink or close and would remove opportunities for families in districts with long waitlists. Committee members questioned witnesses on both the effectiveness of receivership and the charter school cap language. Chair Lewis and Chair Gordon emphasized the need for a better accountability system and noted concerns about whether current measures, including MCAS-based designations, accurately reflect school quality. Some witnesses said they had discussed the possibility of removing Section 4 from the Thrive Act and suggested it might be addressed in separate charter reform legislation. No votes were taken during the hearing; testimony was received and the committee later closed testimony on S. 374 and several related bills before moving on to the student voting rights bill, S. 367.

Transcript Highlights:

• be persistent and collaborative, working across the spheres of home, school, and community with a trauma-informed
• 00:23:09.840><c> a</c> homeschooling uh and Community with a homeschooling uh and Community with a trauma
• 11.039><c> lens</c><00:23:11.799><c> we'll</c><00:23:12.120><c> strive</c><00:23:12.520><c> to</c> trauma
• informed lens we'll strive to trauma informed lens we'll strive to deepen<00:23:13.039><c> the</c><00

Committee: Senate Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• , commercial facilities, communication facilities, manufacturing facilities. dams, defense industrial
• I just want a clarification. facilities, I assume, includes the grid?
• of these facilities only account for 2.1% of our budget.
• More than half of our employees work in these facilities.
• as the administrator of a facility.

Bills: HB150 , HB869 , HB876 , HB 1043 , HB1494 , HB1522 , HB150

Committee: House Delivery of Government Efficiency

Keywords: cybersecurity, state command, information resources, data protection, incident response, information technology, classification officer, job descriptions, state positions, competency-based, information sharing, government efficiency, public sector, private sector, distributed ledger, title registry, real estate, property liens, pilot program, healthcare

Transcript Highlights:

• We have invested hundreds of, tens of millions of dollars into this facility to rebuild it.
• And that can't happen if there aren't drugs and alcohol in our correctional facilities.
• These are state transportation facilities. There's five of these lids.
• This upgraded facility will help maintain our...
• This upgraded facility will help maintain our vessels and keep them on the water where they should be

Bills: SB6061 , SB6234 , SB6170 , SB6176 , SB6182 , SB6335 , SB5647 , SB6047 , HB2367 , HB2606 , SB5998 , SB6005 , SB6003 , SB6129 , SB6225 , SB6228 , SB6231

Summary: The Senate met on February 23, 2026, opened with the usual roll call, pledge, prayer, and approval of the previous journal. Members then adopted Senate Resolution 8698 recognizing piano teachers, with several senators sharing personal remarks about their own teachers and the role of music education in families and communities. Guests from the Washington State Music Teachers Association and the National Guild of Piano Teachers were recognized in the gallery. The chamber then moved into budget debate, considering a series of amendments to the operating budget. Several proposals focused on housing costs, local planning, utility rates, and state spending restraint. Amendment 0772, which would have created a housing-related task force and increased funding, was rejected after debate over housing affordability and regulatory costs. Amendment 0785, restoring growth management planning funding for local governments, was also rejected. Amendment 0791, directing the Department of Commerce to study the effects of climate and clean energy laws on utility costs, and Amendment 0769, related to grid capacity and clean energy investments, were both adopted. Other amendments drew sharper partisan debate. Amendment 0798, which would have reduced the Supreme Court from nine justices to five and redirected savings to public defense, failed. Amendments 0794 and 0795, seeking funding for ballot measure costs tied to initiatives, also failed. Amendment 0799, intended to redirect Pacific Tower lease savings to developmental disability services, was rejected after discussion of the building’s current public uses. Amendment 0773, capping state spending growth and tying it to median wage growth, failed on a roll call vote, while Amendment 0777, addressing concurrent use of paid family and medical leave and sick leave by state employees, also failed after extended debate. Later, Amendment 0776 on tort liability reporting was adopted, as were Amendment 0758 creating a DSHS work group on community-based services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and Amendment 0786 was introduced to reduce cash and food assistance work-related funding, with debate beginning before the transcript ends.

Transcript Highlights:

• on Morrison County, which is home to Camp Ripley, one of the nation's premier military training facilities
• Camp Ripley is a 53,000-acre regional training facility that serves not only the Minnesota National Guard
• Each year, more than 65,000 service members train at this elite facility.
• :04:22.639><c> military</c> personnel on state-owned military personnel on state-owned military facilities
• So, the underlying law was facilities.

Committee: House Veterans and Military Affairs Division

Transcript Highlights:

• There's currently protection facilities.
• </c> extend to state correctional facilities. extend to state correctional facilities.
• </c><02:22:01.439><c> uh</c> illegal contraband into facilities uh illegal contraband into facilities
• </c><02:22:23.520><c> Um</c> and security of our facilities. Um and security of our facilities.
• I'm more familiar with facility as opposed to personnel.

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> limited space um in the last facility limited space um in the last facility that<00:10:13.240><c
• Their facilities, some of their facilities, are in my district, and I visited them and really have great
• </c> me to secure a 28 8,000 s ft facility me to secure a 28 8,000 s ft facility making<00:38:00.359>
• as well um but we are still facilities as well um but we are still in<00:53:34.400><c> the</c><00:53
• I don't have the statistics in front of me, but mental health and trauma—let's not forget trauma—is taking

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:

• The stress and trauma of being shackled and locked up in the precious days of postpartum made nursing
• The stress and trauma<00:25:38.799><c> of</c><00:25:39.039><c> being</c><00:25:39.200><c> shackled</c
• ><00:25:39.600><c> and</c><00:25:39.760><c> locked</c><00:25:40.080><c> up</c> trauma of being shackled
• </c> world that Iran's nuclear facilities world that Iran's nuclear facilities have<02:59:55.439><c>
• If Iran's nuclear facilities were obliterated, then why are we sprinting toward another war based on

Bills: HB4626 , HR1075 , SB2503 , HB6329

Keywords: energy conservation, home appliances, affordability, Secretary of Energy, technological feasibility, consumer protection, economic impact, aviation safety, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, air traffic management, pilot training, regulatory compliance

Transcript Highlights:

• We're closing facilities to release criminals on the street.
• We're banning the ability to share facilities with this bill, AB 1807.
• This bill will add planned facilities to the list of tied-house exemptions.
• Senate Bill 1107 by Senator Stern and relating to school facilities.
• facilities of any kind.

Summary: The Assembly convened after a quorum call, prayer, and pledge, then moved through a lengthy consent and concurrence calendar. Early actions included adopting the consent calendar, approving a rule waiver to allow floor amendments on several Senate bills, and re-referring a few bills to committees. The chamber also observed adjournments in memory for the father of Assembly Member Stephanie and for Thomas Dennis Moore, with family present for both tributes. On the floor file, members approved or concurred in a wide range of measures. Notable bills included SB 1247 on minors’ online exploitation and removal of material when they reach adulthood; SB 1223 requiring competitive bidding at state and county fairs; SB 1238 adding disclosures and duties for HOA managers; SB 983 creating a Port of San Diego job-order contracting pilot; SB 959 addressing school funding during wildfire smoke days; SB 1443, an education omnibus cleanup bill; and SB 802 creating a Sacramento County homelessness joint powers authority, which drew extensive debate over Housing First, treatment, accountability, and local coordination. SB 923 strengthened privacy deletion rights, and AB 1267 set 18 as the minimum age for marriage, drawing broad bipartisan support and emotional testimony from survivors and advocates. The concurrence file then moved through many Assembly bills, most of them technical, support, or cleanup measures, with votes largely in favor. These included bills on Medi-Cal, youth athletics, digital financial assets, jail administration, health care prior authorization, fish and wildlife, elections, emergency services, pupil safety, employment, victim rights, attorney discipline, emergency medical response, seed program funding, naloxone training, child care facilities, cannabis, and dual language immersion coordination. Several bills were passed with unanimous or near-unanimous votes, while a few drew some opposition, including AB 801 on fair lending examinations, AB 1661 on oil-field community assistance, AB 2161 on Medi-Cal work requirement implementation, and AB 2230 on child care facilities. The chamber also adopted multiple Senate amendments and continued a number of items to later consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are home to two Level 1 trauma centers, the only burn unit and hyperbaric chamber in the region, Children's
• Hospital, which translates to more trauma victims, and high-profile and complicated investigations.
• We are home to two Level 1 trauma centers, the only burn unit and hyperbaric chamber in the region, Children's
• Hospital, which translates to more trauma victims, and high-profile and complicated investigations.
• Hospital, which translates to more trauma victims, and high-profile and complicated investigations.

Bills: HF3698 , HF4243 , HF4239 , HF4241 , HF4242 , HF4240

Committee: House Elections Finance and Government Operations

Transcript Highlights:

• are unhoused and providing a community, which this model provides for people to help recover from trauma
• are unhoused and providing a community, which this model provides for people to help recover from trauma
• establish the settlement, geared towards the settlement that was intended to serve people recovering from trauma
• are unhoused and providing a community, which this model provides for people to help recover from trauma
• Though resilience, that trauma of being displaced lives on today.

Bills: HF1051 , HF16

Committee: House Elections Finance and Government Operations

Keywords: sacred communities, micro units, religious institutions, housing regulations, homelessness, conditional use permits, immigration enforcement, sanctuary policies, sanctuary city, noncooperation ordinance, ICE, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, federal immigration authorities, deportation, undocumented immigrant, undocumented person, immigration status data, data sharing, preemption, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• Advocates have also exposed the human reality in these facilities.
• But she has been scarred by the trauma for the rest of her life.
• They should not be in these private facilities to begin with.
• , but also to any local and state facilities that would be considered private detention facilities as
• So we want to make sure that these facilities are following the law and all private detention facilities

Summary: The committee heard SB 1377, which would change California’s medical exemption process for school immunizations. The author and supporters argued the bill would restore physician discretion, reduce fear of audits and discipline, and help families with medically vulnerable children obtain exemptions. Opponents, including pediatric, medical, and public health groups, said the current system created by SB 276 and SB 277 is working, that valid exemptions are still being issued, and that loosening oversight could undermine immunization rates and public health. Members debated the data behind claims of a chilling effect, the number of exemptions reviewed or revoked, and the bill’s amendments, which narrowed the measure to current exemptions and added a small additional threshold. Because there was no quorum at the time, action on SB 1377 was delayed until a quorum could be present. The committee then heard SB 995, the Masuma Khan Justice Act, which would create a statewide inspection and enforcement framework for large voluntary residential facilities, including private immigration detention centers. The author and supporters described alleged neglect and abuse in detention facilities, including denial of medication, unsafe food and water, and inadequate oversight, and argued the state should ensure humane conditions and accountability. The California Hospital Association expressed concern about duplicative oversight and possible overlap with existing regulation, while the author said the bill was being refined to avoid constitutional problems and duplication. The committee voted to do pass and re-refer SB 995 to Judiciary, with the roll call showing five votes and the bill placed on call. SB 1089 was also heard, proposing expanded access to GLP-1 medications for state and local government employees through CalPERS and encouraging broader affordability efforts through CalRx. The author framed the bill as a response to chronic weight disease, diabetes risk, and high costs, and described his own experience obtaining and paying for GLP-1 treatment. Supporters from the American Diabetes Association and medical groups said GLP-1s are effective tools for preventing and managing type 2 diabetes and could reduce long-term health costs. No opposition was heard, and the committee voted do pass and re-refer the bill to Labor, Public Employment, and Retirement, with the vote placed on call. The committee also began SB 1221 on Murphy conservatorships, with supporters and opponents debating whether district attorneys should have a larger role in these proceedings and whether the bill would improve public safety or disrupt the civil mental health process; the transcript cuts off before final action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• A student went on an IEP due to a history of trauma and an emotional...” “...disability.

Bills: H3895 , H5157

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Education

Keywords: career education, technical training, Lynn Vocational Technical Institute, pilot program, youth education, school safety, education, mental health, children, security measures