Transcript Highlights:

• It's SB 1332 on career offender registration. Senator, you are recognized to explain the bill.
• This bill expands and strengthens registration obligations for career offenders, making Florida's system
• It requires initial in-person registration at the sheriff's office within 48 hours of establishing residence
• It mandates annual in-person registration during the offender's birth month and timely reporting of changes
• And it makes each failure to comply with registration reporting requirements a separate third-degree

Bills: S0436, S0532, S0600, S0644, S0682, S0928, S1072, S1332, S1632, S1634

Keywords: foreclosure, court clerks, budget management, judicial sales, Florida statutes, bail bonds, pretrial release, forfeiture, criminal justice, bond conditions, surety, attorney fees, litigation costs, court jurisdiction, equitable awards, financial resources, domestic violence, protective injunctions, electronic monitoring, enhanced penalties

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice met to consider several criminal justice and court-related bills, along with the committee’s proposed $7.9 billion budget. The committee first heard and approved CS/SB 600 on bail bonds, as amended to adjust solicitation, cash bond return, forfeiture remission timing, and clerk procedures; CS/SB 436 on felony battery, which expands qualifying prior offenses and was amended to correct a drafting issue; CS/SB 928, “Missy’s Law,” requiring immediate remand to custody after conviction for dangerous crimes; SB 1332 on career offender registration, adding in-person reporting, more detailed registration requirements, and stronger penalties for noncompliance; and CS/SB 682 on violent criminal offenses, a domestic violence measure adopted via a substitute amendment that adds stricter penalties, electronic monitoring, injunction protections, and related procedures. All of those bills were reported favorably. The committee also approved SB 1072 creating an anti-Semitism task force in the Attorney General’s Office. The bill drew extensive public testimony both for and against, with supporters emphasizing rising anti-Semitic incidents and the need for statewide review, and opponents raising concerns about free speech, the definition of anti-Semitism, and possible conflation of criticism of Israel with hate speech. Senators also discussed the bill’s scope and the IHRA definition before it was reported favorably. In addition, CS/SB 532 on clerks of court was amended to clarify foreclosure sale procedures and funding predictability for clerks, then reported favorably. CS/SB 644 on attorney’s fees, suit money, and costs was also approved after amendments that aligned family-law fee provisions and codified standards for fee awards in dissolution and paternity cases; the sponsor said the bill was intended to curb vexatious litigation and improve consistency across districts. After the bill actions, the chair summarized the criminal and civil justice budget, describing it as a disciplined proposal that addresses corrections deficits and future inmate growth while funding core public safety needs. The committee then heard substantial public testimony on prison conditions, staffing, pay, heat, infrastructure, and the possibility of reducing prison populations or adding air conditioning in facilities. The chair announced that SB 1632 and its conforming bill SB 1634 would be temporarily postponed to the following week, and the record was supplemented with the names of many people who had registered to speak for or against those bills. The meeting concluded after members were invited to record votes and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The index evaluates all 50 states across 18 performance indicators, voter registration rates, post-election
• audits, security protocols, voter registration rates, post-election audits, security protocols, ballot
• areas and order county clerks to halt canvassing or attempt to seize election equipment and voter registration
• lists. ...or attempt to seize election equipment and voter registration lists, they would be subject
• that they need to stay online and to continue to serve their voters, you know, looking up voter registration

Bills: SB264, SB261

Keywords: election integrity, voter coercion, public safety, emergency procedures, polling place security, health regulations, community welfare, peace promotion, legislative reforms, 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The index evaluates all 50 states across 18 performance indicators: voter registration rates, post-election
• audits, security protocols, voter registration rates, post-election audits, security protocols, ballot
• areas and order county clerks to halt canvassing or attempt to seize election equipment and voter registration
• Or attempt to seize election equipment and voter registration lists, they would be subject to criminal
• that they need to stay online and to continue to serve their voters, you know, looking up voter registration

Bills: SB264, SB261

Keywords: election integrity, voter coercion, public safety, emergency procedures, polling place security, health regulations, community welfare, peace promotion, legislative reforms

Summary: The committee heard two election-related bills. SB 264, sponsored by Sen. Duhigg and others and presented by the Secretary of State, would add definitions and new offenses to New Mexico election law to prohibit interference with elections, including the presence of troops or armed persons at polling places or ballot drop boxes, attempts to impose election rules contrary to state law, and intentional obstruction of access to polling places. It also would create civil enforcement options, strengthen existing election offenses by adding “under color of law” language, and include emergency voting procedures for voters displaced by natural disasters. Supporters, including Common Cause, the Center for Civic Policy, and the League of Women Voters, said the bill protects voters from intimidation and outside interference. Several county clerks and rural legislators raised concerns about late changes, lack of consultation, rural logistics, and possible litigation. The committee adopted the Rules Committee substitute and advanced SB 264 on a 5-3 roll call vote. SB 261, presented as a companion election measure, would remove the existing exception that allowed law enforcement to carry firearms at polling places, but the sponsor offered an amendment to allow armed law enforcement to respond when called by the presiding judge, county clerk, or Secretary of State. Supporters said firearms do not belong in or around polling places because they can intimidate voters and poll workers, while opponents argued the bill was unnecessary because existing law already covers law enforcement response and that the amendment created confusion. After a recess caused by members leaving the room, the committee returned, adopted the Rules Committee substitute including the amendment, and advanced SB 261 by unanimous voice vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• minutes to provide his or her testimony, and, uh, the kiosk is just outside the hearing room for registration
• Uh, we'll close, uh, public testimony registration by 2 o'clock this afternoon and for those submitting
• Registration did not go through, so we'll open up public testimony on committee substitute for Senate

Bills: SB 37

Keywords: fetal development, education, public health curriculum, middle school, age-appropriate instruction

Transcript Highlights:

• This is largely attributable to higher-than-anticipated driver license fees, vehicle registration renewals
• This is largely attributable to higher-than-anticipated driver license fees, vehicle registration renewals
• So we’d be contracting out with entities like... Back-to-work programs and job opportunities.
• So we’d be contracting out with entities like the Butte County Office of Education, which has statewide
• $85 million that we're just putting into some entity that's going to help us with climate innovation.

Summary: The hearing focused on the governor’s May Revision proposals for transportation, natural resources, climate, and related programs, with the Department of Finance and the LAO presenting competing views on the state’s fiscal condition. Finance said the budget remains balanced over two years, with major climate-bond, water, parks, transportation, DMV, and agriculture proposals, while the LAO argued the state still has a structural deficit and should reject or defer many new discretionary spending items, preserve reserves, and be cautious about ongoing commitments. The LAO specifically questioned the timing and scale of new spending for programs such as Clean California, Healthy Rivers and Landscapes, and the Golden Gate Fields acquisition, and urged more clarity on future obligations and revenue scenarios, including for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. A major portion of the hearing was devoted to the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes proposal for Bay-Delta water quality implementation. Secretary Wade Crowfoot and Finance described it as an enforceable, science-based alternative to a more traditional regulatory approach, with the state’s $25 million request intended to support early implementation, monitoring, habitat restoration, and environmental flows. The LAO countered that the Water Board has not yet adopted the updated Bay-Delta plan, that the proposal may be premature, and that the Legislature should wait for more information on the state’s total funding commitment and the program’s long-term costs. Several members expressed support for the program as a way to reduce conflict and protect water reliability, while others echoed concerns about timing and fiscal exposure. The committee also examined the proposed $125 million Proposition 4 contribution toward acquiring the Golden Gate Fields property for a shoreline park and habitat project. State officials said the acquisition is a time-sensitive, once-in-a-generation opportunity, with an appraised value of $175 million and additional philanthropic and local funding expected to close the gap. Members questioned whether the project had gone through the usual competitive process, whether the site is the best use of scarce park bond dollars, and how public access, habitat, and disadvantaged-community priorities would be protected. The discussion ended without a vote, and the committee moved on to transportation items including Clean California litter abatement, the Games Route Network, homeless encampment coordinators, and DMV modernization and field office proposals, with LAO recommending rejection or delay on several of those requests as well.

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendment corrects reference to the federal entity that is responsible for the issuance of immigrant
• government and any other public or private agency, person, partnership, corporation, or business entity
• Person, partnership, corporation, or business entity, contracted with or otherwise acting on behalf of
• Can you provide any examples of the type of business entity that would be required to cooperate with
• There's a note that you... on the front of that voter registration tab. Senator Engloy.

Summary: The Senate opened with a prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the reading of an amended joint proclamation expanding the Legislature’s immigration agenda. The proclamation added items calling for financial penalties for government officials, enhanced criminal penalties for offenses committed by illegal aliens, and programs and appropriations to support law enforcement in enforcing federal immigration law. The chamber then took up the special order calendar, beginning with Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 2B, the immigration bill. Most of the meeting was devoted to debate and questions on the strike-all amendment to SB 2B. Sponsor Senator Gruters described the bill as a broad immigration enforcement package aligned with President Trump’s agenda. He said it would require greater cooperation with federal immigration authorities, strengthen participation in the 287(g) program, create a chief immigration officer and council, authorize financial penalties for noncompliance, provide bonuses for officers assisting ICE, and direct information-sharing with federal agencies. He also said the bill would bar DHSMV from issuing licenses or ID cards to unauthorized aliens and would end in-state tuition waivers for undocumented students. Senators Polsky, Pizzo, Smith, Jones, Berman, Osgood, and others questioned the scope of the bill, whether it would affect schools, churches, cities, nonprofits, and green-card holders, and how the 287(g) provisions would work in practice. Gruters repeatedly said the operational focus was on jails and detention facilities, not street-level enforcement. A major point of controversy was the bill’s proposed mandatory death penalty for unauthorized aliens convicted of certain capital offenses. Senator Fine said the covered crimes were the most serious capital felonies, including murder, child sexual battery, destructive-device offenses causing death, and certain trafficking offenses, and argued the provision was intended to withstand constitutional challenge. Senator Pizzo raised Eighth Amendment concerns and questioned whether the bill could mandate death sentences. The tuition waiver provisions also drew extended debate: Fine said the state would save about $41 million by ending discounted tuition for undocumented students, while Democrats argued the savings would not return to general revenue and that the policy would harm students who are already enrolled. Fine and Gruters said green-card holders would not be affected and that the bill targeted only students in the country illegally. The discussion also covered appropriations and implementation. Senator Smith asked about the bill’s large funding levels, and Fine broke down the spending as including $375 million for the chief immigration officer, $100 million in grants to local law enforcement, $29 million for the new Office of State Immigration Enforcement, and $10 million for an unauthorized-alien transport program. Gruters said the funds would reimburse local governments and help address staffing shortages, while critics questioned the lack of benchmarks and the fiscal impact. No final vote or disposition on the bill appears in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• If every dollar of the one-dollar registration from every motorcycle is supposed to go to the motorcycle
• If every dollar of the one-dollar registration from every motorcycle is supposed to go to the motorcycle
• I appreciate the full discussion that this body is having, and as a state government entity, we will
• of each year to JLBC on the progress in improving Motor Vehicle Division wait times and vehicle registration
• of each year to JLBC on the progress in improving motor vehicle division wait times and vehicle registration

Summary: The joint appropriations committee met on April 28 to review the FY 2027 budget package, including the general appropriations feed bills (HB 4138 and SB 1831) and related budget reconciliation measures. Staff described the budget as including about $17.96 billion in general fund appropriations, a one-time transfer of state monies to increase revenues, a 5% lump-sum reduction to most agencies’ discretionary general fund budgets, and several one-time restorations or continuations for items such as school facilities, child care, child safety, corrections stipends, and public safety operating costs. Members spent much of the meeting debating how the across-the-board cuts would be implemented, which programs might be affected, and how fund sweeps from prior-year appropriations and special funds would work, including questions about universities, public safety, rural hospitals, transportation grants, the Corporation Commission, and health insurance costs for state employees and troopers. A major point of discussion was the impact on universities and higher education. Arizona Board of Regents representatives said the proposed reductions and fund sweeps would affect already obligated dollars, research, staffing, and student aid programs, and could force difficult decisions about programs such as the Promise Program, Teachers Academy, and other pass-through funds. Committee members also raised concerns about whether the cuts could lead to tuition increases or reductions in services, while majority members emphasized that agencies and the executive branch should decide how to absorb the reductions. Another major topic was health care and the state employee health plan: staff explained that the budget includes a $228 million general fund infusion to stabilize the plan, while a separate reconciliation bill would raise employee premiums over three years. Members also discussed whether the budget’s changes to AHCCCS/Access and hospital eligibility rules could increase costs for hospitals and reduce coverage. Public testimony largely opposed the budget. Speakers from Opportunity Arizona, the Arizona Board of Regents, and local governments argued that the proposal would shift costs onto working families, reduce support for education, housing, SNAP, health care, and rural infrastructure, and protect tax benefits for data centers and higher-income taxpayers. A mayor from Globe asked for state help after severe flooding damaged roads, water lines, and homes, while a motorcycle safety advocate asked the committee to review a DPS motorcycle safety fund appropriation. Committee members and staff repeatedly clarified that some items discussed were one-time appropriations not continued into FY 2027, that some fund sweeps were from unspent or unencumbered balances, and that the committee planned to take a mass roll-call vote on the budget bills at the end of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:20:53.120><c> category</c><00:20:53.760><c> specifically</c><00:20:54.400><c> for</c> registration
• category specifically for registration category specifically for specialurpose<00:20:55.600><c> vehicles
• </c> to support this new registration type. to support this new registration type.
• </c><00:48:56.480><c> And</c><00:48:56.800><c> ultimately</c><00:48:57.839><c> when</c> and registration
• And ultimately when and registration.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from its June 3 meeting and received an opening update on transportation revenues. Leadership noted that the gas tax formula dropped 4.1 cents on July 1, reducing road fund revenue by about $125 million, and warned that city, county, rural, and secondary road funding will be affected. The chair said the committee would likely have to be selective about transportation project requests given the reduced revenue outlook. The main presentation was an update on the I-69 bridge project. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials said the project is the missing link in the Henderson-Evansville corridor and is being delivered in three sections, with Kentucky leading section two. They said section two is a $933 million project, with Kentucky’s share described as $58 million and the balance Indiana’s, and that toll revenue will be used to finance the project through a TIFIA loan and Garvey bonds. Officials said Kentucky and Indiana have executed an agreement under House Bill 546 to use tolls, are working on a broader bi-state development agreement, and will ask the General Assembly next session to carry forward $150 million in general funds without conditions and to ratify the agreement. Members asked about the timeline, toll sharing, whether tolls would sunset, and whether US 41 bridges would remain open for local traffic; officials said construction is planned for 2027, tolling would begin in 2031, toll revenue would be shared 50/50, and at least one US 41 bridge would remain open for local use. The committee then heard a combined update from the Department of Vehicle Regulation and the Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing on implementation of several recent changes. Officials reported that the new registration category for special-purpose vehicles is fully operational statewide, with all counties enrolled and 292 vehicles processed so far; they also said counties received at least five plates each and that the program is permissive, not mandatory. They described implementation of Senate Bill 43’s medical review board reforms and third-party driver’s license issuance framework, saying the medical review process has been updated and that third-party partners may eventually handle easier transactions such as renewals, name changes, and address changes, while initial issuances would remain at KYTC regional offices. They also reported that the sheriff’s inspection process has been integrated into CAVIS, reducing paperwork and fraud and improving tracking. Members asked about communication to counties and cities with differing local rules, the number of counties participating, and how to coordinate multiple policy changes; officials said all counties are enrolled, though not all have submitted applications, and that they are still finalizing the scope of third-party services.

Transcript Highlights:

• I do not represent governmental entities.
• You've got the entities that come into Dallas, Tarrant, Montgomery, or wherever and affect us.
• For the property taxes from our tax rolls to benefit a far-off entity.
• There shouldn't be government entities in charge of these programs. If a nonprofit wants to...
• Most users, especially within government entities, have noted that it's fairly easy.

Bills: HB21, HB211, HB223, HB323, HB524, HB530, HB636, HB762, HB21, HB211, HB223

Keywords: housing finance, multifamily residential, low income, tax exemption, audit requirements, affordable housing, local government, development bonds, housing assistance, financial assistance, low income housing, community support, affordability, veterans housing, community involvement, air conditioning, tenant support, healthcare, elderly, taxation

Transcript Highlights:

• Would you be amenable to adding additional line or field inside of a voter registration form?
• including a section that requires the name is signature of the person assisting somebody on the voter registration
• And that's not a partisan entity and a nonprofit state agency.
• What he was supposed to was against state legislation or state entities stepping into the shoes role

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Once we have heard from in-person registrants, we will go to virtual public comment.
• Once we have heard from in-person registrants, we will go to virtual public comment.
• Once we have heard from in-person registrants, we will go to virtual public comment.
• Once we have heard from in-person registrants, we will go to virtual public comment.

Summary: The committee met in hybrid format, approved the June 24 and June 25, 2026 minutes, and then heard several bills and a joint resolution. On House Bill 382 with House Amendment 2, Senator Hoffer explained the measure as a technical correction to prior rental-car and peer-to-peer car-sharing law that would clarify when loss-of-use damages may be recovered while preserving recovery for intentional, willful, or criminal conduct. Avis Budget Group and Enterprise Mobility supported the bill, saying it resolved ambiguity and restored limited common-law recovery, while Allstate and Toro opposed it, arguing the bill could reintroduce unfair and unpredictable fees and leave too much discretion to rental companies. No vote was taken in the transcript, and Senator Townsend said he still had questions about how the bill would operate. The committee then considered House Bill 476, a Frederica charter change that would reduce town council meetings from twice monthly to monthly and make ordinances effective immediately unless otherwise stated. Representative Postles presented it as a simple, noncontroversial change, though members noted Senator Buckson, the Senate sponsor, was not present at the time. No public comment was offered on that bill. The committee also heard House Joint Resolution 13, which directs the Department of Labor to study a Delaware health care apprenticeship degree program and report recommendations; the Delaware Health Care Association supported the resolution and urged coordination with existing workforce efforts. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 458 with House Amendment 1 on backflow devices in low-hazard buildings. Senator Pardee said the bill would exempt residences and office-type buildings from costly backflow retrofits until regulations are updated, and DHSS said the current regulations do not clearly define low hazard but that the bill’s list of exempted buildings would not raise immediate public health concerns. The Delaware Association of Realtors supported the bill, arguing the regulations were overbroad and costly, while the Delaware Rural Water Association opposed it, warning that weakening backflow protections could threaten drinking water and aquifers. The committee then adjourned without any recorded votes on the substantive bills in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• database which replaced the registration database which replaced the Legacy<00:15:32.040><c> system<
• ><c> data</c><00:18:37.080><c> base</c><00:18:38.080><c> uh</c><00:18:38.200><c> and</c> voter registration
• data base uh and voter registration data base uh and hopefully<00:18:38.679><c> there</c><00:18:38.760
• but that's where the staff maintains the Help America Vote Act mandates, maintaining the voter registration
• system and there can be registration system and there can be some<01:46:51.560><c> updates</c><01:46

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This affects various entities. We prefer SB 144 to the extent it's too late for that one.
• Your committees worked on something that would have taxed vapes and would have helped other entities,
• </c> plummeting this affects various entities plummeting this affects various entities we<01:02:57.279
• After the testimony, the chair moved through the remaining registrants and noted several organizations
• Additional registrants were noted: the Department of Health providing comments; Lindsay Garcia Realtors

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Health and Human Services Committee heard testimony on several measures related to child welfare, health care access, overdose response, disability services, and waste management. For SB 710 on child welfare, the Department of Human Services, the Office of Wellness and Resilience, the Attorney General’s office, and multiple advocacy groups testified in support, with the Governor’s office noting support but deferring to the Attorney General on implementation because of separation-of-powers concerns. For SB 952 on child welfare services, DHS, the Governor’s office, and child- and trauma-informed care advocates supported the bill, saying it would help families access services, provide basic material support, and reduce strain on the child welfare system. SB 954 on a home health services rate study also drew support, including from DHS, the Hawaii Healthcare Association, and a public testifier who said the study would help ensure funds reach low-income, disabled, and kupuna recipients. SB 957 on overdose prevention received support from the Department of Health and the Attorney General, who said overdose prevention centers are evidence-based but raised federal-law concerns and recommended amendments; the Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center and others also testified in support. The committee then moved to the 1:00 regular calendar and heard SB 850 on disability health disparity, which was supported by the Executive Office on Aging, the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Hawaii Disability Rights Center, self-advocates, and others. Testimony emphasized that a disparity study could improve workforce development, training, and services for people with disabilities. SB 838 on continuous glucose monitoring drew support from health agencies and advocates, with testimony stressing that monitors can be critical for some diabetes patients. SB 829 on health care was supported by the Department of Health and health care stakeholders, who said it would help rotating physicians serve neighbor islands without local hospital privileges and align with CMS rules. SB 446 on waste management drew mixed testimony: the Department of Health and several public entities provided comments, the County of Maui opposed, and environmental advocates urged stronger aquifer protections and limits on ash reuse. During decision making, the committee adopted recommendations to pass SB 298, SB 322, SB 299, SB 450, SB 451, SB 949, SB 710, SB 957, SB 69, and SD 952 with various amendments, including technical changes, blank appropriations, and defective dates. SB 323, SB 324, SB 712, SB 950, SB 954, and SB 959 were deferred, largely because companion House measures were moving or similar Senate measures had already passed. The chair also announced recesses to find quorum and noted that some bills from the earlier Monday calendar were being deferred to avoid duplication.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair and members, House Bill 2210 prohibits the state, political subdivisions, and private entities
• or broadcast by an automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast system. ...subdivisions and private entities
• And that's not honor, because they actually have a registration, almost like a license plate.

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 2003, which would lower the instruction-permit eligibility age for Class D, G, and M licenses from 15½ to 15, while increasing supervised driving requirements for minors and extending the permit-holding period before licensure. The sponsor and supporters argued the bill builds on Arizona’s graduated driver licensing system and would improve teen safety based on data from other states; one senator raised concerns about parents certifying driving hours and another cited a study suggesting higher crash risk from lowering the permit age. After discussion, the bill received a do pass recommendation by a 9-1 vote. The committee then considered House Bill 2063, appropriating $1.5 million from the General Fund to the Corrections Oversight Fund, and heard emotional testimony from a mother describing her son’s mental illness, incarceration, and death in prison, along with support from advocates who said the oversight office is needed, especially in light of federal receivership over prison health care. The sponsor emphasized prison transparency, public safety, and accountability. The bill passed unanimously, 10-0. The committee also heard House Bill 2210, which would prohibit state, local, and private entities from using ADS-B aircraft surveillance data to calculate or collect landing fees. Pilots argued the technology is meant for safety and that using it for billing could discourage compliance, while airport representatives and city officials opposed the bill as an unnecessary statewide restriction on local fee-setting. After extensive debate over safety, federal law, and local control, the bill received a narrow 4-4 do pass recommendation. Later, the committee heard House Bill 2116, which appropriates $1 million to the Colorado River litigation fund. The sponsor said the money is needed to prepare for possible litigation over Colorado River cuts and to signal Arizona’s seriousness in negotiations; members discussed whether the funding should come from the General Fund or WIFA resources. The bill passed 8-0. Finally, HCM 2007, a memorial urging renaming sections of State Route 69 to honor veterans of multiple wars, was approved 5-4 after some members objected to emphasizing war memorialization. The committee also briefly noted that House Bill 2111 was held, and after the votes, a pilot and flight instructor offered additional testimony on HB 2210, reiterating safety concerns about turning off ADS-B and saying the bill addresses a real risk even though Arizona airports are not currently using the technology for fee collection.

Transcript Highlights:

• it be permissible for them to receive the exemption regardless of operability, insurability, or registration
• There's already this certifying entity out there that provides this. Again, it's voluntary.
• There's already this, this certifying entity out there that provides this. Again, it's voluntary.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The House Business Committee heard House Bill 529, which would let Idahoans who pay cash for covered, medically necessary health care services negotiate a lower price and have that payment count toward their deductible and annual out-of-pocket maximum. The sponsors said the bill is intended to curb health care costs and improve patient choice, and they offered friendly amendments to clarify definitions and use the insurer’s allowable amount rather than an average amount. Supporters said it would reward price shopping and noted similar laws in other states, while one physician testified it could raise long-term costs if insurers begin tracking discounted cash rates. The committee moved HB 529 to general orders. The committee then considered House Bill 775, which would allow a bankruptcy debtor to claim the motor-vehicle exemption even if the vehicle is inoperable, unregistered, uninsured, or otherwise not currently functional. The sponsor said the bill responds to cases where a debtor’s only vehicle was denied exemption despite being needed for transportation to work. There was no public testimony, and the committee sent HB 775 to the floor with a due pass recommendation. House Bill 773, a code cleanup measure, repealed outdated provisions related to corporate credit unions and cemetery statutes that sponsors said had not been used for many years. The committee also advanced HB 787, which merges the Board of Podiatry into the Board of Medicine and moves some podiatry rules into statute; the sponsor said the smaller board had been running a deficit while the Board of Medicine could absorb the cost. Both bills received due pass recommendations. The committee spent the most time on House Bill 790, which would create a voluntary certification for qualified interior designers so they could sign and seal limited, non-structural, non-seismic interior design drawings for permits. Supporters said the bill would reduce costs and delays, keep talent in Idaho, and recognize existing professional training; opponents, including architects and the AIA Idaho representative, argued that the bill could blur scope-of-practice lines and create unintended consequences without clear oversight. After extensive testimony and questions, the committee sent HB 790 to the floor with a due pass recommendation.

Transcript Highlights:

• restrictions for state agencies on assisting in the investigation or enforcement of any federal registration
• representative of a worker who is subject to an immigration enforcement action on the premises of those entities
• They just, when it's a public entity, are allowed to serve that sort of request before they file a lawsuit

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• restrictions for state agencies on assisting in the investigation or enforcement of any federal registration
• representative of a worker who is subject to an immigration enforcement action on the premises of those entities
• They just, when it's a public entity, are allowed to serve that sort of request before they file a lawsuit

Summary: The Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee heard testimony on several bills. On SB 5906, the SAFE Act, staff and Sen. Hansen described protections limiting immigration enforcement access to non-public areas in schools, early learning settings, higher education, health care facilities, adult family homes, and ballot-processing areas, and restricting collection of immigration-status information. Supporters said the bill would clarify and strengthen existing Keep Washington Working policies, while some witnesses requested amendments to better define health care facilities, clarify adult family home and election-related provisions, and keep Section 6 on ballot security. Some members questioned the factual basis for reported ICE activity near schools and daycares and the distinction between judicial and administrative warrants. The committee also heard SB 5886 on personality rights and forged digital likenesses. Staff explained that the bill would add digitally created or modified likenesses to the Personality Rights Act, raise civil penalties, and allow recovery of actual and non-economic damages in forged-digital-likeness cases. The sponsor and supporters said the bill is intended to address AI deepfakes and identity misuse while preserving satire and fair use; student and advocacy witnesses supported the measure as a way to protect students and victims of digital impersonation. The committee then heard SB 5169, which expands child hearsay and closed-circuit testimony rules to older children and additional offenses. Prosecutors and forensic interviewers supported the bill as necessary in trafficking and child abuse cases, while defense advocates opposed it as an overbroad expansion that could raise confrontation-clause issues and create legal challenges. Additional hearings included SB 5865, which would move garnishment form updates from statute to the Washington Pattern Forms Committee; judges supported it as a way to fix a wage-withholding calculation error and allow future updates without legislation. SB 5912 would reinstate the Indigent Defense Task Force to study statewide public defense delivery and recommend sustainable reforms; counties, the Office of Public Defense, and defense groups supported it. SB 6009 would make permanent the current process for direct review of administrative decisions by the Court of Appeals and retain land-use transfer provisions; a Court of Appeals judge supported the bill. SB 6087 would extend limited liability for donations of children’s items to religious organizations and add strollers and car seats, with support from Zero Waste Washington. The committee did not take final votes on these bills during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• RSA is the federal entity which governs and oversees vocational rehabilitation programs.
• name, or I guess first time for the record, my name is Jessica Spoya, and I am the licensing and registration
• streamline these things a little more direct-to-consumer type of thing, rather than requiring various entities

Summary: The Senate Health and Welfare Committee considered a series of administrative rule dockets, mostly from DOPL and related licensing boards. The committee approved rules for the Business Enterprise Program for the Blind, the Rules of Midwifery, the Idaho State Board of Dentistry, and the Idaho Board of Nursing. Those presentations focused largely on zero-based rule rewrites, fee reductions or temporary fee decreases being made permanent, and compliance with House Bill 152’s cash-balance requirements. Testimony generally emphasized stakeholder input, federal or board approval where applicable, and the need to keep fees aligned with board solvency targets. The committee then heard several fee-rule dockets involving boards with low or negative cash balances. The Board of Drinking Water and Wastewater Professionals presented a rule package that clarified licensure requirements, removed some outdated provisions, and increased fees to address a negative cash balance; Idaho Rural Water Association testified in support, saying the changes would reduce regulatory burden while acknowledging the need for higher fees. The committee approved the docket by roll call after some opposition. The Occupational Therapy Licensure Board docket, which proposed a short-term fee increase to restore solvency, failed by roll call vote after members raised concerns about the broader structure of board funding and whether consolidation or other reforms should be considered. The committee also heard a lengthy discussion on the State Board of Acupuncture’s proposed fee increase. The board and a supporting practitioner testified that the board was in deficit, that fees had not been raised in many years, and that the increase was needed to maintain licensure and public safety. Some senators questioned whether licensure remained necessary in light of modern consumer review systems and whether the board should be consolidated or eliminated. A motion to reject the docket failed on a tie, and the original motion to hold the docket for further information passed, leaving the acupuncture rules unresolved. After that, the chair announced the committee would adjourn and reschedule remaining matters.

Transcript Highlights:

• anyone who may be interested in an overhaul of the regulations related to lobbyists and lobby registration
• And all this does is allow those entities to use... ...corporate funding to solicit them for fundraising
• The contract with DIR that the agency is using is with another entity—it’s a sort of buyer of software

Transcript Highlights:

• The first phase is the community-based care entity taking over responsibility for placements.
• We have many entities involved in this process. that hold very large contracts with the state and do
• applicant's lottery winnings that would raise the individual's income above $30,000 and their voter registration

Bills: SB596, SB961, SB1398, SB1183, SB1952

Keywords: DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, child protective services, foster care, child welfare, Family Code, conservatorship, managing conservator, parental child safety placement, authorization agreement, temporary authorization order, child abuse, child neglect, placement reporting, court-ordered removal, investigation, family preservation, transparency, public reporting, data reporting