Transcript Highlights:

• THEY HAD SOME SERIOUS LAWSUITS COMING TOWARDS THEM SO THEY HAD TO EVALUATE BUILDING PRISONS AND ARE IN
• THEY PERFORM AN OUTSTANDING SERVICE AND THEY DO A GOOD JOB AND THAT HELPS US MAINTAIN THE CAPACITY WE
• WE'VE EXPERIENCED TURNOVER SO WE ARE EVALUATING THE BEST WAY TO PROCEED WITH THAT AND SEE WHAT WE CAN

Transcript Highlights:

• Modeling is a key driver to our evaluation and development of the DFCs.
• Bill 5219. simply directs a Texas Water Development Board to conduct an interim study that will evaluate
• The use of this advanced data and analytics to assist the performance impact of existing water programs

Bills: HB1523, HB2109, HB2694, HB3525, HB3898, HB4646, HB5188, HB5219, HB5320, HB5651, HB5655, HB5659, HB5662, HB5672

Keywords: aquifer conservation, Class V injection well, environmental regulation, groundwater protection, municipal water supply, temporary prohibition, water management, reservoir construction, state water plan, Texas Water Code, environmental impact, Brazoria Drainage District, commissioners, elections, vacancies, resignation, HB 3525, North Texas Groundwater Conservation District, groundwater permit, permit amendment

Transcript Highlights:

• It's over a million dollars, and I would like to evaluate that in the context. I don't know.
• So what this bill does is it allows for a commission that is driven by the legislature to evaluate a
• Gress continued: We're wanting to take on some big things urgently, so graduation requirements, evaluating
• Representative Gress continued: ...but I think that's something that this commission should be evaluating
• Our tests that we use to evaluate our students should be aligned with our state standards, in my opinion

Summary: The committee heard several appropriations and policy bills, beginning with HB 263, which would appropriate $1.5 million to fund the Independent Correctional Oversight Office. Representative Blackman argued the office is needed to address serious problems in the Department of Corrections, including lawsuits, staffing shortages, injuries, and safety concerns, and said he was open to shifting existing dollars to cover the cost. A supportive witness from Justice Action Network said the funding would make the oversight office operational and is a small investment compared with the department’s overall budget. The bill received a do-pass recommendation on a 17-1 vote. The committee then considered HB 2993, as amended, which would let the Department of Public Safety spend money on legal services independent of the Attorney General and move $5 million from the Consumer Protection/Consumer Fraud Revolving Fund to the Gang and Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission Fund. Speaker Montenegro said the bill was intended to support law enforcement and shift resources toward frontline public safety work. The amendment changed the destination of the $5 million from the Peace Officers Training Fund to GITEM, and the bill passed 11-7. HB 2271 followed, dealing with firefighter cancer insurance reimbursement and rate deviations for insurers. Witnesses described it as a technical, unfinished consensus measure meant to bring fire districts into the existing cancer reimbursement structure without changing claim handling for firefighters. Members repeatedly noted more work was needed, but the bill still received a do-pass recommendation on a 16-1-1 vote. HB 2416 appropriated $20 million to DPS for local border support, including law enforcement positions, prosecution and detention costs, and equipment. Sheriffs and the Arizona Sheriffs Association testified in support, saying the funding has been used for drug interdiction, fentanyl seizures, and joint task forces, while opponents argued the money should go elsewhere. The bill passed 11-6-1. HB 2692, a procurement bill, would create or revise rules for construction delivery methods, including one-step competition and progressive design-build for federally funded public infrastructure projects. Construction and procurement stakeholders said it was a long-negotiated consensus measure, while some members worried about taxpayer risk and wanted more information; it passed 10-7-1. The committee also amended and passed HB 2478, which creates the Arizona Commission on Student Outcomes and funds it with Classroom Site Fund dollars to study K-12 accountability, standards, graduation requirements, early childhood education, and a possible trade pathways diploma. Supporters said Arizona needs a broader conversation about student outcomes and school accountability, while opponents questioned the funding source and whether the work should instead be done by existing education agencies. The amended bill passed 11-7. Finally, HB 4044 was introduced to create a Public Safety Parity Fund for DPS and Corrections salaries using proceeds from forfeited digital assets and interest from the Budget Stabilization Fund; the sponsor and a troopers association witness said it would help address long-standing pay parity and vacancy problems, but the transcript cuts off before any vote on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Then we've talked for a number of years now as a committee on the need to move the performance-based
• program to answer the key questions of whether it works, whether they have performance measures, we'll
• Our program evaluation team over the years has looked at these programs, and we have consistently found
• When we look at the evaluation of costs, we evaluate from our most recent economic disaster.
• We'll be back down here at 1 for a program evaluation and then we'll be doing a tour out at the Gateway

Transcript Highlights:

• And for 26-27, UC is also expected to grow, but is evaluating its ability to meet the growth targets,
• So there were a set of metrics that the Legislature used to evaluate these projects.
• So there were a set of metrics that the legislature used to evaluate these projects.
• So just remember that UCOP itself actually performs a very important role in sustaining student-oriented
• So just remember that UCOP itself actually performs a very important role in sustaining student-oriented

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance held an extended hearing focused primarily on University of California budget issues, enrollment, housing, and Title IX. Chair David Alvarez opened by noting the governor’s proposed 8% ongoing General Fund reduction to UC, the deferral of compact funding, and the College of the Law budget item, while emphasizing that no votes would be taken that day. Public commenters, including UC Davis employees and lecturers, urged restoration of UC funding and opposed the hiring freeze, saying cuts would worsen staffing shortages, reduce research capacity, and harm students and patients. On UC core operations, the Department of Finance said the governor’s budget maintains the compact but defers $240.8 million in ongoing support and continues a planned 7.95% reduction, while the LAO recommended rejecting the deferrals and instead making any changes in the budget year. UC San Diego’s chancellor and UC Office of the President argued the cuts and deferrals would create major campus shortfalls, force hiring freezes, larger class sizes, fewer course offerings, delayed projects, and possible layoffs. Committee members questioned whether cuts could be shifted away from students and toward administration, discussed UCOP reserves and bond debt, and noted that UC’s budget structure makes the campus-level impact larger than the headline reduction. The committee also reviewed enrollment trends and nonresident replacement. The LAO said UC resident enrollment has grown and recommended revisiting 2026-27 targets and pausing the nonresident replacement plan if state funding does not improve. UC said it has exceeded California undergraduate enrollment and nonresident replacement goals, but warned that continued growth without funding would force enrollment reductions and harm quality. Members discussed the role of nonresident and international students, tuition rates, and the value of UC as a pathway for California students and a source of talent for the state. A separate housing item covered the state’s Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program. UC reported that recent bond savings could support additional affordable beds at UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara, but the LAO and Finance noted the Legislature would need to decide how to use the $6.2 million in savings from the original projects. The committee also heard a Title IX update from UC’s systemwide civil rights office, which described campus Title IX structures, training, and policy enforcement, and said the system has been working to improve confidentiality guidance and streamline complaint processes after survey feedback showed confusion and lengthy procedures.

Transcript Highlights:

• More recently, he was featured in the Tom Kirkland rap song, written and performed by local Richmond
• The underlying bill is exactly as the clerk described, with the SCC Bureau of Insurance evaluating the
• The underlying bill is exactly as the clerk described with the SEC BOI evaluating the all-player claims
• The Senate substitute. described with the SEC BOI evaluating the all-player claims database.
• Speaker, I move that the House agree to the bill. ...of the Department of Energy evaluation required

Keywords: March 06, 2026 - Regular Session, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They have determined through their adverse event reporting system, and every kratom death is evaluated
• And in the case before you in Idaho, an evaluation of the actual procedures... ...the Idaho case you
• have before you, an evaluation of the actual procedures that were used.
• The FDA's conclusion is that there is not a significant safety risk based on an evaluation of all of
• Litchfield, they have to meet those eight factors, and that has been evaluated multiple times by the

Summary: The committee first approved a motion to reorder the agenda, hearing a presentation from the Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission before taking up Senate Bill 1282. Commission representatives reviewed the history and current size of Idaho’s wine industry, noting about 65 wineries, 1,300 acres of vineyards, and three AVAs. They described challenges including county land-use restrictions, water supply concerns in the Treasure Valley, and labor shortages, while also highlighting marketing, education, and specialty crop grant funding. A vineyard owner testified that the industry requires significant upfront investment and manual labor, but said commission-funded education has improved grape quality and supported growers. The committee then heard extensive testimony on S.B. 1282, which would create a kratom consumer protection framework. Senator Nichols and supporters said the bill would preserve access to natural kratom while banning adulterated or synthetically enhanced products, requiring testing, labeling, age restrictions, and clearer supply-chain accountability. Supporters included kratom users, business owners, and industry representatives who said the bill would protect consumers, distinguish natural leaf products from high-potency 7-OH derivatives, and provide needed standards without banning kratom outright. Several witnesses described personal benefits from kratom for pain, recovery, or avoiding opioids, and some said responsible regulation was preferable to prohibition. Opponents, including family members of people who died after using kratom, law enforcement, and addiction medicine professionals, argued that natural kratom itself can be dangerous and addictive and that the bill would not adequately protect the public. They urged either a full ban or broader restrictions, criticized the bill’s low civil penalties and prohibition on private causes of action, and said age limits and labeling would not be enough. Committee members questioned witnesses closely about deaths, testing, liability, and whether the bill should cover natural kratom as well as 7-OH. No vote was taken during the hearing, but Senator Nichols said the bill sponsor was open to amendments, including raising the purchase age, increasing penalties, and revisiting the private right of action provision.

Transcript Highlights:

• They have determined through their adverse event reporting system, and every kratom death is evaluated
• And in the case that the Idaho case you have before you, an evaluation of the actual procedures...
• The FDA's conclusion is that there is not a significant safety risk based on an evaluation of all of
• Litchfield, they have to meet those eight factors, and that has been evaluated multiple times by the
• Litchfield, they have to meet those eight factors, and that has been evaluated multiple times by the

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As one example, in the early 2000s, contractors were performing pavement repairs on I-29 under a MoDOT
• By the time it was litigated, the roadway had been fully resurfaced, making it impossible to even evaluate
• Do you think that you should share some of the responsibility with the contractor performing the work

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• return for their membership at our association, they receive professional benefits that help them perform
• They receive professional benefits that help them perform their job safely, efficiently, including liability
• bills as they may come before the court, and provides the court more certainty in how they are evaluating

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• THEY ARE NOT, IN FACT THE PSC WAS INVOLVED IN LITIGATION WHERE THE POSITION WAS THEY SHOULD NOT BE EVALUATED
• OPPOSED TO WHATEVER THE UTILITY SAID GOING BACK TO SOME KIND OF ONGOING HOPEFULLY REPUTATION BASED ON PERFORMANCE
• MAY NOT PROGRESS THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE BUT IF YOU SEE IT IT WILL BE BASED ON THE COMMISSION'S PERFORMANCE

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• presenting AB 308, which directs the Department of Developmental Services to conduct a statewide evaluation
• It requires a statewide evaluation of safety services and supports so we can understand what exists,
• Most people are aware of the work food banks perform distributing fresh produce and other healthy meals
• Do we know, within the conversations that the judge has in evaluating whether a person is safe to be
• Are there any felonies that are exempt from qualifying for this evaluation for parents?

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But this, what we are talking about here, is software that is processing the same data to perform the
• think, yes, correct, provided that the public information is being processed in the same way and performing
• But at the end of the day, we do have to evaluate what type of community, what type of life do we want
• And in performance of our work, we need to put workers out onto the freeway both day and night within
• The men and women that I represent should be able to perform their jobs without fearing for their lives

Summary: The committee heard several bills and took up multiple votes. AB 576, dealing with updates to California’s charitable fundraising platform registry after AB 488, was presented as a technical fix to help charities and platforms more quickly update eligible listings; there was no opposition testimony, and the measure was later moved on a due pass basis. AB 1160, on law enforcement drone programs, was presented with proposed amendments requiring U.S.-based data storage and limits on sharing or selling collected data; supporters said it would protect sensitive drone-collected information while preserving affordable drone use, while there was no opposition testimony, and it was also later passed out on a due pass as amended basis. AB 75, which would require insurers to give notice before collecting aerial images of homes and provide homeowners access to those images, drew support from the Department of Insurance and consumer advocates, while insurers opposed it unless amended, arguing aerial imaging is a cost-saving inspection tool and that the bill could worsen availability and affordability; the bill was moved to Appropriations on a due pass basis, with the roll held open for absent members. The committee spent the most time on AB 325, which would address algorithmic price-fixing and collusion. The author and supporters argued that competitors using the same pricing software or algorithm to set prices can function as collusion even when the agreement is hidden behind code, and cited examples involving housing, frozen potatoes, gas pricing, and other industries. Opponents, including apartment, business, hospital, retail, chamber, and tech groups, said the bill was too broad, could sweep in lawful software and public-data market research, and might chill legitimate pricing tools, especially for small businesses and housing providers. Committee members raised concerns about clarity, intent standards, and whether the bill should focus more narrowly on nonpublic competitor data; despite those concerns, AB 325 was moved to Appropriations on a due pass basis, with the roll held open. Later, AB 1221 was presented as a workplace surveillance bill that would prohibit certain invasive or discriminatory surveillance tools, require notice to workers, limit sharing of worker data, and require corroborating evidence before discipline based on surveillance outputs. Labor and consumer groups supported the bill, saying modern surveillance technologies can track speech, movement, emotion, and other sensitive traits and can be biased or abusive. The Security Industry Association opposed it, warning that the bill’s broad definitions could restrict legitimate security systems, emergency sharing with first responders, and employer responses to misconduct or unsafe behavior. The transcript cuts off before any final vote on AB 1221 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Yes, we have an evaluation of our CRDP programs, and they have been, Yes, we have an evaluation of our
• We have evaluated this program. We have one more year to complete.
• tremendous evaluation of the CRDP, I urge you to preserve it.
• Our statewide evaluation showed that CRDP has already served over 15,000 participants.
• We are doing that with evaluation.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health held an informational hearing on the Governor’s May Revision, focusing first on the Commission on Behavioral Health, then EMSA, and then the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The Department of Finance said the state faces a third consecutive deficit and that the May Revision includes difficult trade-offs, including proposed eliminations or reversions of some behavioral health and public health funds. The LAO echoed concern about the structural deficit and said it was still awaiting some budget details before offering a full analysis. For the Commission on Behavioral Health, Finance proposed eliminating $20 million in Mental Health Wellness Act funds, arguing the money would help offset General Fund costs and noting future Proposition 1 innovation funding. The commission strongly opposed the cut, saying it would eliminate or delay launch-ready grants for early childhood supports, full-service partnerships, and peer respite, and would eventually end ongoing grant programming. Several advocates and commissioners testified that the funds support underserved communities and that Proposition 1 is not a substitute for the existing programs. The chair asked Finance to look for alternatives, but no vote was taken. EMSA presented mostly technical budget adjustments: increased authority for the California Poison Control System, a correction to EMSIS funding, and a reappropriation for enterprise services and data management. CDPH then reviewed a broader set of May Revision proposals, including reversions from the California Reducing Disparities Project, workforce development, STD prevention, hepatitis C prevention, hospice, and extreme heat funding, as well as a new generative AI pilot for health facility survey reporting. Members raised concerns about cuts to CRDP and gender health equity programs, especially because many grants are mid-contract and serve underserved communities; CDPH said the reversions were part of solving the deficit and that CRDP had been successful, while also clarifying that abortion.ca.gov would not be eliminated. Public comment was overwhelmingly opposed to the CRDP and related cuts, with many speakers describing the programs as life-saving and cost-effective. No formal votes or actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think that the statewide plans do a great job of evaluating their assumptions periodically.
• Also evaluating risk reduction strategies as they approach 100% funded status.
• </c><00:11:54.000><c> their</c> plans do a great job of evaluating their plans do a great job of evaluating
• </c><00:12:05.120><c> that</c> in a recent actuarial evaluation that in a recent actuarial evaluation
• Also evaluating risk session this year.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• same time on a single public works project, L&I must investigate to determine whether the persons performing
• in the bill, including applicable public entities, contractors, labor organizations, or persons performing
• Following an investigation, if L&I finds that a person performing covered finishing work has been misclassified
• biennium, it would be $365,000 a year annually starting in FY28 for FTEs and services, and this is to perform
• From a fiscal perspective, the note should be evaluated against the existing and ongoing cost of inaction

Summary: The House Appropriations Committee held a public hearing on a series of bills, beginning with House Bill 2689 on Working Connections Child Care. Staff explained that the proposed substitute would keep eligibility at 60% of state median income, eliminate scheduled expansions to 75% and 85%, reduce future subsidy rates from the 85th to the 75th percentile of market, end enhanced regional rates, and change reimbursement rules from prospective enrollment-based payments back to attendance-based payments with a reduced monthly payment after 11 absent days. Child care advocates thanked the committee for removing the proposed cap on the program but opposed the cuts to provider rates and eligibility expansions, warning of harm to families and providers. The committee then heard Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5124 on Medicaid network adequacy for post-acute care, with staff noting administrative costs and indeterminate fiscal effects; hospitals supported the bill as a way to reduce discharge delays and reliance on single-case agreements. Senate Bill 5832, which would raise the new motor vehicle arbitration fee from $3 to $6 to support the Lemon Law arbitration program, drew support from the Attorney General’s Office and auto dealers, who said the fee had not been updated since 1995 and the program was underfunded. The committee also heard Substitute Senate Bill 5862, providing a one-time 3% COLA for certain PERS 1 and TRS 1 retirees, with retirees testifying in favor and local government representatives warning about added employer costs. The committee next heard Senate Bill 5922, allowing school districts to transfer money from the Transportation Vehicle Fund to other funds if they reduce their fleet and receive OSPI approval; staff said the bill would mainly add administrative work for OSPI, and no one testified. Substitute Senate Bill 5923 would allow a hospital on an island in Skagit County to qualify as a critical access hospital if federally certified; Island Health testified that the designation would help sustain rural services, and a committee member asked about bed count and Medicaid/charity-care pressures. Senate Bill 5944 would require language access providers to bargain over compensation for missed or canceled appointments and clarify that statutes prevail over conflicting contract terms; WFSE supported the bill, saying it would equalize bargaining rights across agencies. Substitute Senate Bill 5972 would extend interest arbitration rights to correctional employees in city and county jails regardless of population size; labor supported the bill as a retention tool, while cities and counties opposed it, arguing it would raise costs and should include ability-to-pay protections. The committee also heard Senate Bill 5988, authorizing the Department of Health to continue accrediting opioid treatment programs and charge accreditation fees, which DOH said was needed to avoid winding down the program. Later, the committee heard Senate Bill 6151, which would move Ecology fee revenues for landfill methane emissions and laboratory accreditation into dedicated accounts; Ecology supported the bill as improving transparency and reinvesting fees into the programs, and staff said the lab fee shift would be offset by a related budget action. Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6194 would pay a rural hospital on a federally recognized Indian reservation, specifically Astria Toppenish, at 150% of the Medicaid fee-for-service rate beginning in 2027; hospital leaders and community members testified that the hospital serves a high-Medicaid, rural, and tribal population and faces persistent losses. Finally, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6302 would direct L&I to investigate possible misclassification of independent contractors on public works projects involving multiple workers doing the same finishing work; labor and business representatives both described it as a negotiated compromise to address underground economy abuses. The committee took no final votes during the hearing and ended by reiterating amendment deadlines for bills scheduled for executive session.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 2636, related to requiring reviews of the performance,
• As chair of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee, I look at we're doing performance audits
• And as Representative Rood just laid out, we should be doing performance audits in education.
• But that's the type of performance audit that we see, being able to say, here's what's working, here's
• When a child cannot read, it is not just about school performance.

Bills: HB1796, SGA9249, SGA9269, SGA9244

Keywords: school construction, contract indebtedness, school districts, bonding authority, education funding, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• THEY PACK UP THEIR BAGS AND SAY WE WILL NOT'S PERFORM IN THE STATE BECAUSE WE CANNOT DO SO.
• IF YOU ARE PERFORMING SURGERIES YOU ARE MAKING MONEY.
• JUST THINK OF A WORLD WHERE THE HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS CAN PERFORM THE VITAL DUTIES WITHOUT AN ADDED
• TOUCH POINTS OF THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE FROM THAT INITIAL WELCOME I SPOKE ABOUT AND THAT THERAPY EVALUATION
• IT NOTED THE TOP PERFORMING CENTERS STAND OUT FOR HANDS ON CARE, AND STAFFING PER DAY THAN THE NATIONAL

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill will ensure that only properly trained and certified professionals perform this critical life
• there existed a significant gap regarding consistent qualification standards for the individuals performing
• These programs ensure workers possess the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to perform this
• Mike West on behalf of the skills and experience necessary to perform this work safely and correctly
• So that also gives me great hesitation in evaluating this proposal today.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• To take the example that was just given, if there was a chiropractor out there, you know... performing
• ASCs are facilities that typically perform surgeries that do not require an overnight stay.
• Not because you made an independent decision of their treatment, but you performed what you were prescribed
• All you are is a facility where healthcare providers, physicians, perform whatever medical procedure
• It's equivalent to psychiatry's performance on tests.

Bills: SB2024, SB227, SB268, SB1467, SB1580, HB5537, SB1313, SB1677, SB918, SB331, SB2207, SB2721

Keywords: e-cigarettes, marketing prohibition, youth protection, criminal penalties, public health, school funding, education reform, state budget, property taxes, equity in education, health care, licensing, complaint procedure, disciplinary action, law enforcement, death records, vital statistics, healthcare, trauma facility, Medicaid