Transcript Highlights:

• So those one-time services would have to be cut at the moment.
• So those one-time services would have to be cut at the moment.
• Medical centers, as well as sales and services, which includes medical clinics, dining services, housing
• as well as advocacy and healing services.
• Food pantries made up about half of all services used by undergraduates and 60% of all services used

Transcript Highlights:

• Certainly, service isn't delayed on the weekend.
• on Sunday, but private service still could.
• I'm not changing the schedule for service. Service is still given the same timeline.
• Certainly, it would not be released in anticipation of services, but after services are provided.
• They have a new way of delivering services, but they are still delivering the services.

Bills: SCR17 , SB2104 , SB2155 , SB1428 , SB1250 , SB1651 , SB1794 , SB444 , SB1061 , SB1327 , SB1425 , SB1455 , SB1458 , SB1460 , SB1480 , SB1530 , SB1543 , SB1555 , SB1593 , SB1209 , SB1730 , SB1733 , SB1769 , SB1805 , SB2069 , SB2095 , SB1503

Summary: The Senate began with several ceremonial recognitions, including citations for the Destiny Christian School girls volleyball team and football team for state championships, and for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, in connection with Delta Day at the Capitol and Women’s History Month. Members and guests were welcomed to speak briefly before the chamber returned to its agenda. The chamber then considered a series of bills. SB 444, dealing with hospice handling and disposal of controlled dangerous substances left after a patient’s death, passed 39-0. SB 1327, restoring the Tourism and Recreation Commission’s authority and adding general commission-member requirements, passed 27-12. SB 1061, a mortgage broker fee cleanup bill, passed 38-0. SB 1425, repealing an obsolete health care workforce board, passed 40-0. SB 1455, extending the sunset for the Board of Governors of the Architects, Landscape Architects, and Licensed Interior Designers, passed 28-11 and then also passed the emergency with 38-1. SB 1458, an Attorney General-request bill to align grand jury witness confidentiality statutes, failed 24-14. The Senate also passed SB 1460, which increases penalties for repeat peeping Tom and clandestine recording offenses and makes second or subsequent offenses sex offenses, by a vote of 38-3. SB 1480, creating a youth apprenticeship pilot program, passed 42-0 and then passed the emergency. SB 1530, updating the Oklahoma Research Development Rebate Program and encouraging private partnerships with higher education, passed 36-4. SB 1543, allowing multiple DUI charges within one year to be prosecuted as a single felony case and making related cleanup changes, passed 37-6 after extended debate about diversion, due process, and testing issues. SB 1555, aligning the state definition of intellectual disability with federal standards, passed 42-0, with a later correction noting the final vote as 42-1. SB 1593, updating outdated OSU-Tulsa trustee language, passed 43-0 and then passed the emergency. SB 1730, requiring law enforcement to copy OSBI on sexual offense reports, passed 37-6. SB 1209, which would have excluded Sundays and federal holidays from the eviction filing-to-hearing timeline, failed on a 21-21 tie after debate over landlord rights, service timing, and court delays.

Transcript Highlights:

• Or is your service expense and then also number of your service Corps members are growing?
• Forest Service.
• Wildland Fire Service, as well as a director from the U.S. Forest Service.
• Forest Service about the planned closure and consolidation of their research stations into service centers
• Forest Service to try and meet that reforestation need.

Summary: The subcommittee met to discuss several California Conservation Corps (CCC) and Cal Fire budget proposals, with no votes taken and all items held open for a future hearing. The CCC overview highlighted the program’s 50th anniversary, its statewide conservation, disaster response, education, and workforce development work, and its funding mix of General Fund and fee-for-service reimbursements. Members praised the program’s impact on young adults and communities, and asked about revenue sources, partnerships, recruitment, and outcomes for Corps members after service. A major CCC item was reopening and staffing the Greenwood Residential Center in El Dorado County. The department said the center is needed to restore local wildfire and fuel-break capacity, especially when winter road closures limit access to other facilities. The LAO said the proposal has merit but suggested the Legislature consider lower-cost alternatives, such as using fewer new Corps members or delaying opening, given the budget condition. The committee also discussed a proposal to move CCC hand crews to a seven-day wildfire readiness schedule; the department argued this is needed to match Cal Fire’s year-round operations and reduce chronic staffing gaps, while the LAO recommended considering partial funding or other cost-saving options. Cal Fire’s department overview focused on year-round wildfire response, vegetation management, community preparedness, and the 66-hour workweek rollout. Members asked about contract counties, federal partnerships, reforestation capacity, and the use of cap-and-invest and General Fund dollars amid structural deficits. Cal Fire said its nursery capacity is far below reforestation needs and relies on public-private partnerships, and it described reimbursements for work on federal lands. The committee also discussed defensible space inspections, with Cal Fire seeking permanent staffing to replace temporary positions and maintain its goal of 250,000 inspections annually; the LAO suggested alternatives such as different funding mixes, a reinstated SRA fee, or one-time funding. Finally, the committee heard a request to increase Cal Fire’s fixed-wing pilot and mechanic contract. Cal Fire said the larger, more complex aircraft fleet and year-round fire season require more pilots and maintainers, and that contracting provides flexibility and avoids some benefit costs. The LAO said the proposal addresses significant health and safety concerns and merits consideration, while members questioned whether in-house staffing or longer contract terms might be more cost-effective. Throughout the hearing, members emphasized wildfire risk, budget pressures, and the need to balance public safety with fiscal discipline.

Transcript Highlights:

• And my reply to them was, "My service isn't special, but it's the uniqueness of the service of my sisters
• </c> years, but nevertheless, their service years, but nevertheless, their service um um um causes<00
• And my special your service so special?"
• </c><00:07:13.600><c> isn't</c> reply to them was, "My service isn't reply to them was, "My service isn't
• </c><00:07:24.760><c> and</c> uniqueness of their parents' service and uniqueness of their parents' service

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to our Standing Committee on Social Services.
• So the local social service district has a choice.
• Local social services... Sure. So we are on the line for the bill.
• services online system.
• And that concludes our Committee on Social Services. Thank you.

Committee: Senate Social Services

Summary: The Standing Committee on Social Services met on May 12 with a quorum present and considered seven bills, with four sent to finance and three advanced to first reading. The committee discussed SB 1450A, which would raise shelter allowances up to 100% of fair market rent; several members questioned the impact on county budgets and sought clarification that the bill sets a maximum rather than an automatic requirement. Despite concerns, the bill was reported, with Senator White voting no. The committee also reported SB 2516A on a refugee resettlement program, SB 5505 on mental illness training and temporary housing, SB 6913 on the 211 essential community services online system, and SB 7005 on longer stays at domestic violence shelters, with members characterizing several of these as codifying existing practice or grant-related measures. The remaining bills were SB 7632, which would include households fleeing domestic violence in the family homelessness and infection prevention supplement program, and SB 7754A, which would address finger imaging for SNF benefit recipients. Both were moved forward without substantive debate and reported, with Senator White recorded without recommendation on SB 7754A. Across the meeting, motions were made and seconded by committee members, and the bills were advanced by majority vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Indirect support services, right? If I could, Mr.
• You can find information about indirect support services...
• This includes functions such as the Division of Management Services, Information Technology Services,
• Indirect support services has operating costs related to providing services...
• Indirect support services has operating costs related to providing services to their divisions internally

Summary: JFAC began with a presentation from Legislative Services on the general fund and the “green sheet,” explaining how the committee tracks starting cash, revenue forecasts, transfers, appropriations, and ending balances. The analyst walked through general fund revenue sources, the difference between transfers and expenditures, structural balance, and how the green sheet is used to compare current-year collections against forecasts. Members asked about continuously appropriated funds, federal dollars, sales tax exemptions, and cash reconciliation issues tied to the state’s new Luma finance system and interest allocations. The discussion also covered the revenue monitor and how the committee can use it to track collections against forecasted amounts. The committee then moved into the Department of Health and Welfare’s overall budget overview. Legislative Services reviewed the department’s size, organizational structure, vacancy rate, five-year spending trends, and the role of continuously appropriated funds such as the Idaho Children’s Trust Fund and Rural Physician Fund. Members asked about personnel vacancy rates, reverted funds, and whether the department could provide a list of subgrants and trustee-and-benefit payments. Department officials explained that some vacancies reflected a department-wide review, hiring freeze, and FTP realignment, including moving positions to State Hospital South and reverting some federal spending authority. They also said the department was actively filling funded positions and would provide additional information on grants and other payments. The committee then heard the first division-level budget presentation for Indirect Support Services. The analyst described the division’s role in centralized administration, IT, legal, communications, and management support, along with its staffing, historical expenditures, and base budget changes. The division’s budget request included a one-time irrigation system project at State Hospital West, a fund adjustment for the background check unit, the transfer of 58 FTP and related costs to the Office of Information Technology as part of modernization, and a request to remove restrictive budget language on personnel and trustee-and-benefit transfers. The governor’s recommendation also included support for some replacement items and a major new item tied to Idaho’s Rural Health Transformation Program, including 12 limited-service FTP in 2026, ongoing FTP in 2027, and $294 million in one-time operating funds. Members questioned the need for the new FTP, the use of AI, the definition of “rural,” and the mechanics of the IT transfer; department and ITS officials explained the transfer was a budget shift of personnel and operating costs, not a net increase in staffing. The committee adjourned after members also raised broader concerns about public input on Health and Welfare budgets and suggested a joint public meeting with the Health and Welfare committees.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we make sure and provide that service.
• And the reason for that is because the cost of service does not go down.
• They're not getting better service.
• Allow for adjustment and need for service.
• It offers administration services, all the things that we do.

Transcript Highlights:

• for that primary services, really.
• So Chris Shared Services is our new HIE.
• Chris Shared Services is a new HIE vendor and is rolling out.
• Just behavioral health service. Yes. Just behavioral health service and kid care in general.
• Twenty-five hours of volunteer service is now required for FRAM participants, and our volunteer service

Committee: Senate Health Policy

Summary: The committee opened with roll call, welcomed members back for the first committee weeks, and heard brief personal updates from several senators before moving into agency implementation updates on recently enacted health care laws. The Agency for Health Care Administration reported on Senate Bill 64 creating rural emergency hospitals, explaining that AHCA adopted the required rules effective June 1, 2025, but that no hospitals have yet been designated. Members asked about possible hospital conversions, accreditation and survey responsibilities, and whether Florida would apply for federal rural health transformation funding; AHCA said it intends to apply and has already been working on the issue with federal officials. AHCA also reviewed the non-emergent care access plan requirement under Senate Bill 7016. The agency said hospitals with emergency departments must submit plans that help redirect non-emergent patients to appropriate care settings while complying with EMTALA, and that 83 plans had been received and 63 approved as of September 30. Members asked about data collection, managed care coordination, and the state’s health information exchange; AHCA said it has moved to a new HIE vendor and will continue monitoring implementation and possible care gaps. AHCA then updated the committee on the TEACH program, saying $6.8 million was spent in 2024-25 across 59 parent organizations and 229 facilities, with more than 1,800 students and nearly 380,000 clinical hours reimbursed. The agency said rulemaking is nearly complete, a new nursing student category and expanded facility eligibility were added, and a federal 1115 workforce waiver remains stalled after CMS signaled it will not approve new workforce demonstrations. AHCA also reviewed House Bill 121 on KidCare eligibility, explaining that implementation of the 300% poverty-level expansion remains blocked by federal litigation and waiver issues tied to premium nonpayment rules; members and public speakers urged action to close the coverage gap. Public testimony on AHCA’s presentation came from representatives of health centers and advocacy groups, who said the non-emergent care access plan has improved hospital-health center coordination and reduced repeat emergency use, and who urged implementation of KidCare expansion for children in the coverage gap. The Department of Health then presented updates on FRAM, the Sanadi screening grant program, the Health Care Innovation Revolving Loan Program, telehealth maternity care, swimming lesson vouchers, and House Bill 159 on pharmacist dispensing of HIV post-exposure prophylaxis. DOH reported strong participation in FRAM and the telehealth maternity program, 24 Sanadi grant awards in 42 counties, 4,945 swimming lesson vouchers issued last year and 2,371 so far this year, and three approved certification courses with five pharmacist certifications issued under HB 159. Committee members asked about recruitment of dentists and other providers, telehealth maternity outcomes, and why participation in the maternity program remains below expected levels; DOH said outreach and regional referral networks are expanding and more detailed outcome data will be included in the upcoming legislative report.

Transcript Highlights:

• When we get into the PowerPoint, our K-9 units don't only service our state prisons, but they also largely
• They service our state prisons, but they also largely support law enforcement missions outside the agency
• device because at least 30% of the service area does not have GPS coverage.
• device because at least 30% of the service area does not have GPS coverage.
• 10,000 persons and is not within the service area of a certificate of necessity.

Committee: Senate Senate Public Safety Committee of Reference

Summary: The Committee on Public Safety met to hear several presentations and bills. First, the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry presented on its K-9 program, describing staffing, specialized detection and trailing teams, and the need to replace retired dogs and modernize an aging, high-mileage vehicle fleet used to transport canines. The committee also heard a presentation from Biometrica on a privacy-focused facial recognition and sensor system designed to identify missing persons and known offenders using law-enforcement-only data; the presenters emphasized that the system does not store video or audio and is intended to balance public safety with privacy. The committee then considered HB 2134, which would prohibit Arizona governmental entities and critical infrastructure providers from contracting for critical infrastructure equipment or software from Chinese companies or the PRC. Supporters, including the sponsor and a national security witness, argued the bill would protect communications and other critical systems from foreign adversary access; concerns were raised about costs and implementation, but the bill was amended to be prospective and to rely on self-certification and risk-based audits. The committee passed HB 2134 with a due pass recommendation by a 4-3 vote. HB 2404, which would shift most inter-facility transport of behavioral health patients from peace officers to authorized transporters, drew support from law enforcement and police association witnesses who said officers are not the right personnel for these transports; it passed unanimously, 7-0. HB 2402, dealing with ambulance certificate-of-necessity rules for small or underserved areas, was presented as a compromise measure after work with ambulance stakeholders and firefighters. The bill and a 15-page amendment would require the Department of Health Services to issue certificates in certain small-population areas, streamline applications, add reporting requirements, and address GPS coverage issues; it passed as amended, 7-0. HB 2673, which originally proposed mental health screening and treatment requirements for jail and prison inmates, was narrowed by amendment to create only a study committee on inmate mental health services; family members testified about tragic failures in the system, and the bill passed as amended, 6-0 with one not voting. HB 2253, protecting public employees from retaliation or obstruction when testifying in law enforcement disciplinary appeals, passed 5-0 with two not voting. HB 2270, expanding county protections over seals, logos, and sheriff’s posse naming rights, passed 6-0 with one not voting. Finally, HB 2941, which would treat certain unsafe motorcycle lane-splitting or passing behavior as reckless driving while preserving legal lane filtering, drew both support and concern about overbreadth; after testimony from the sponsor and members of the public, it passed 5-1 with one not voting, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, they rely heavily on federal Medicaid funding to support ongoing services.
• Human Services Agency.
• is overseen by the Department of Social Services.
• Then we'll have Ying Zhen Wang from the Department of Health Care Services.
• Roar from the San Francisco Human Services Agency. Thank you.

Transcript Highlights:

• We still recognize their service.
• This is for um emergency services.
• Also on section 10 is the services.
• </c> stipen for National Guard service stipen for National Guard service members<00:09:00.560><c> who
• <00:19:14.799><c> that</c> these these supportive services that these these supportive services that

Bills: HF2446 , HF2563 , HF2444

Committee: House Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• exchange and transfer and moving of credit card services.
• Is there... are they going to be compensated for providing these services in addition to the services
• These services, in addition to the services that they already provide?
• when they provide the service already?
• Okay, and then on an ongoing basis, what funds the service fees?

Summary: The Assembly Banking and Finance Committee heard several bills, beginning with AB 407, which would expand the California Pollution Control Financing Authority. The author said the measure would increase flexibility and access to resources, and the bill was approved 7-0 and sent to the Committee on Local Government. The committee also adopted the consent calendar, which included AB 76, by a 7-0 vote. A lengthy portion of the meeting focused on AB 1065, which would prohibit swipe fees on the sales tax portion of credit card transactions. Supporters, including small business owners, restaurant and grocery representatives, and a payments-policy expert, argued the bill would reduce costs for merchants and consumers and rein in dominant card networks. Opponents, including banks, credit unions, and payment industry groups, argued the bill is likely preempted by federal law, would be difficult to implement, and could disproportionately affect community banks and credit unions. After extensive questioning about preemption, fraud, implementation, and consumer impacts, the committee rejected the bill on a 6-0 vote, but then granted reconsideration by a 7-1 vote. The committee then heard AB 1365, which would create the Cal Account Program, a zero-fee, zero-penalty state banking account for unbanked and underbanked Californians. Supporters said the program would help low-income households, survivors of abuse, and others facing barriers to traditional banking, while opponents from community banks and credit unions argued existing low-cost accounts and the Bank On program already address the need and raised concerns about cost, feasibility, and duplication. The bill advanced on a 6-0 vote and later received enough votes on the reopened roll to move forward to the Committee on Labor and Employment. The committee also approved AB 1052, which would create a legal framework for digital assets and address unclaimed digital property and restrictions on public officials issuing or promoting digital assets, and AB 1180, which would create a pilot program for paying state fees with digital financial assets and require a report on broader adoption. Both bills passed with broad support after brief testimony and discussion. Final roll calls later confirmed AB 1052 and AB 1180, along with AB 407 and AB 1365, were moved out of committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• to the ranks of the Senior Executive Service.
• Thank you for your service. And as a matter of fact...
• We commend you for your service.
• Our legacy of military service dates back to the Civil War.
• We owe them that for the service that they give.

Committees: Senate Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee , Senate SeaPower Subcommittee , Senate Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces , Senate Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel

Keywords: national security, nuclear energy, Department of Defense, military readiness, public commentary, nominations

Summary: The meeting convened with a focus on the scrutiny of various nominations and their implications for national security. Mr. Brandon Williams was nominated as the Undersecretary of Energy for Nuclear Security, drawing attention to the pressing need to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal amid growing threats from other countries. This was echoed in discussions led by committee members who expressed concern over military readiness and the management of military installations, with emphasis on ensuring accountability within the Department of Defense. Public commentary was notably supportive of the nominations, although some concerns were raised regarding the administration's broader strategies.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Service Secretary...
• members a service by committing to that.
• So, thank you for your previous service. Thank you, Mr.
• Thank you for your service.
• And I'm proud of my service. to this day.

Committee: Senate Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel

Keywords: Department of Defense, nominations, Matthew Lohmeyer, Justin Overbaugh, global security, military readiness, NATO, Russia, China, defense infrastructure

Summary: The meeting was primarily focused on discussing nominations for key positions within the Department of Defense, specifically for roles such as the Undersecretary of the Air Force and the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. Senators expressed urgent concerns about global security threats, the need for robust military readiness, and the emphasis on effective collaboration with NATO allies amidst rising tensions with adversaries such as Russia and China. Several senators highlighted the challenges facing military infrastructure and defense capabilities, suggesting a critical need for improvements and investment in these areas to ensure national security.

Transcript Highlights:

• funds DDD services, or developmental disability services, within the Department of Economic Security
• It has been factored into the overarching request on Home and Community-Based Services.
• We're able to isolate that supplemental issue to the Home and Community-Based Services.
• We effectively kind of treat it that way in the way we provide state-only services.
• . ...ALTCS eligible, which is when they would receive a larger array of services.

Committee: Joint Joint Legislative Budget Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• You decide who those services are provided by, but if that goes away, or if the service provider isn't
• able to provide those services, you don't also lose your home.
• For example, DD providers, aging services, private duty nursing services, just like one chooses their
• These services would be coordinated with the case managers of each service provider.
• of Health and Human Services.

Bills: SB2015

Committee: Senate Appropriations - Human Resources Division

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Human Resources division met with a quorum and spent much of the meeting on a proposed “medical home” concept for people with significant disabilities and medical needs. Matt Schwartz described the need for small, community-based homes so adults like his daughter could live in a least-restrictive setting without losing housing if service providers change. Architect Jeff Eubel presented a conceptual budget for one roughly 5,000-square-foot facility for four residents, explaining that the design would likely include four large sleeping units, common space, support areas, and medical infrastructure such as emergency power, oxygen, sprinklers, and accessibility features. Committee members and George Sink, joining by phone, raised questions about layout, zoning, ownership, staffing, and whether families would actually move loved ones into such facilities if they were far from home. The department said the concept was not in the governor’s budget and identified staff who could continue discussions; the committee did not take final action and instead discussed refining the language with interested members. The committee then turned to amendments related to long-term care and behavioral health funding. One amendment would reduce a planned $4 million general fund incentive payment and instead create a withhold-based quality program for nursing facilities, to be developed collaboratively by the department and providers and reported to Legislative Management by September 2026. The department said it could live with the language but preferred the governor’s timing; several senators questioned whether the committee should be directing an operational policy change and whether the study would simply delay implementation. No vote was taken, and the amendment was set aside for later consideration. A second amendment would clarify use of an existing $2 million general fund item for behavioral health services in nursing homes and basic care facilities, directing it toward training, technical assistance, consultation, and direct patient care for residents with medically based behavioral health disorders. Members noted the funding was already in the bill and discussed it in the context of other budget items, but again deferred action. The committee also clarified that a separate $750,000 juvenile justice diversion appropriation in House Bill 1425 was distinct from a similar amount in the budget and should likely remain in that separate bill. The chair indicated a goal of having amendments ready by the end of the week, and the committee recessed without final votes on the discussed items.

Transcript Highlights:

• in the uniform services, and annuity payments received by.
• And this is largely officers from the armed services.
• On those services to understand if this proposal is not approved, what services wouldn't be funded.
• But also for the Department of Health and Human Services.
• Like a developmental services regional center, for example.

Transcript Highlights:

• The meeting of the House Health and Human Services Committee was called to order.
• The other issue is turnaround time and customer service.
• and local service that Southwest Labs provides.
• Tricor and Quest do have services possibly associated in the same...
• Have services possibly associated in the same areas.

Committee: House House Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the Division of State Police, $40,000, to pay for consulting services—I'm sorry, consulting services
• That is specific to food services only.
• And it is specific to food services, food purchases, delivery of food for seniors in the senior service
• The reimbursement covers services such as targeted case management, psychological services, speech-language
• There's just one item: the Department of Human Services, Division of Children and Family Services.

Committee: All ALC-PEER

Transcript Highlights:

• And restoring this service means restoring something simple but powerful, The chance for someone on the
• Many counties in our region have no 211 service at all.
• affordable for low-income Californians, consistent with the Universal Telephone Service Act.
• Unfortunately, since its inception, this program has Telephone Service Act.
• There already is a Universal Lifeline Telephone Service Trust Administrative Committee.

Committee: House Communications and Conveyance