Transcript Highlights:

• There are positives here.
• We had a position for salt bill, but that was vetoed.
• So, those were new positions that we added at ANR.
• , we would have to cut a bunch of positions.
• From the Senate position that I thought you would care about, there was the Senate position had reduced

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we removed the 95 positions. And so we said, let's just take those 95 positions out of there.
• The negative 95 was from the House position.
• They just gave us— BHCs or any other positions that we had.
• This just represents the number of positions that we put into a system and their position numbers, so
• “To hire certain positions. Well, Mr.

Bills: SB2015

Keywords: corrections, rehabilitation, prison budget, department of corrections, adult services, youth services, correctional facilities, Heart River correctional center, Missouri River correctional center, James River correctional center, minimum security facility, county jails, regional jails, deferred maintenance, capital construction, strategic investment and improvements fund, Bank of North Dakota, line of credit, tasers, body cameras

Summary: The committee met to review revised long sheets and section-by-section language for a human services/health budget bill, with much of the discussion focused on how to present block grant funding and full-time equivalent (FTE) positions for behavioral health clinics and CCBHCs. Members debated whether to keep FTE counts in the budget at all, ultimately leaning toward removing or zeroing out the FTE references while keeping the dollar authority, and reducing the salaries-and-wages block grant by about $4.75 million. They also discussed public health federal authority, agreeing to remove about $60 million in unused federal spending authority tied to COVID-era funds, and clarified that if federal money later becomes available it could be requested through the Emergency Commission. A major topic was the provider inflation increase. The House version had 2% and 2%, while members debated alternatives and appeared to settle, at least for further work, on 2% in the first year and 1.5% in the second year, with staff asked to recalculate the fiscal impact. The committee also reviewed FMAP changes, noting a revised 2027 FMAP estimate and its effect on general fund and other funds, and discussed whether to adjust public health and other line items accordingly. Several members emphasized that many of these numbers are still tentative and will be refined before final action. The committee also touched on several policy items and capital-related provisions, including behavioral health services, Medicaid expansion, the moratorium on new ICF beds, and a proposed amendment for a medical homes/fourplex-related item that would show a $400,000 legislative investment with repayment from a developer. There was extended discussion of the All True hospital/facility proposal, with some members favoring leaving it in with a smaller initial commitment and others preferring to remove it and revisit later in conference committee. The meeting ended with staff asked to continue updating the bill language and members instructed to review remaining sections before the next meeting; no final votes were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• requirements of the position.
• Philip Warner, head of HR, said there were 1,433 filled positions with total positions in Public Safety
• We have 1,838 positions filled right now.
• And we budget positions; we're budgeting the positions we're allocated and the funding we have to budget
• Some of them are more general analyst positions and administrative positions, clerical positions.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So you said— So you said there was 22 positions and now 44 positions.
• So it’s still 44 positions.
• Twenty-eight positions were going to cost $5 million? Well, 28 positions.
• 44 positions?
• per position.

Summary: The subcommittee heard May Revision presentations for the Office of Emergency Services, Judicial Branch, CDCR, and the Department of Justice, with the LAO offering comments and recommendations throughout. For Cal OES, the administration outlined funding for relocating the Red Mountain communications site, increased FEMA reimbursement authority, cybersecurity grants, next-generation 911 support, and a reduction to the Flexible Cash Assistance for Survivors of Crime program. Members raised concerns about VOCA backfill and disaster reimbursement, while the LAO recommended approving the 911 request with reporting, adding contingency planning for cybersecurity grants, clarifying the FEMA reimbursement language, and increasing reporting on emergency spending. For the Judicial Branch, the May Revision included funding for implementation of the Trial Nations Access to Justice Act, reductions tied to court facilities and employee benefits, and General Fund solutions such as a reduction to the pretrial release program, a reversion from the Trial Court Trust Fund, and elimination of the jury duty pilot program. The LAO cautioned that the pretrial reduction could affect detention and release decisions and recommended tighter legislative oversight over the trust fund transfer and reallocation language. Members questioned the impact of the pretrial cut, the lack of Prop. 36 court funding, and the rationale for the jury pilot elimination; the Judicial Branch said it was generally supportive of the budget as proposed. CDCR presented requests for roof repairs, fire alarm replacements, CalAIM-related costs, and trailer bill changes on incarcerated college students, mental health hiring, and tuberculosis testing, along with a planned prison closure by October 2026. The department also proposed reducing or delaying several items, including radio replacement, ADA improvements, COVID mitigation, and some facility upgrades, while adding a $125 million placeholder for consultant-driven operational savings. The LAO recommended rejecting or reducing several San Quentin-related proposals, questioned the staffing and contract medical requests, and urged more transparency on the consultant savings plan; members expressed concern about the realism of the savings targets and the potential legal or operational risks from delaying ADA and radio projects. For DOJ, the May Revision proposed ongoing funding and 44 positions to defend against federal actions, IT and accounting system upgrades, implementation funding for AB 1877, and a special fund loan. The LAO supported the KLETS connection but asked for a contingency plan if the new DMV link is delayed, noted that AB 1877 would not be fully implemented without additional funding, and recommended limiting and reporting on the federal accountability workload. Members questioned the size and permanence of the DOJ request, the use of the earlier $25 million special session appropriation, and the pace of federal litigation; DOJ said the new request would support ongoing litigation, expert assistance, and coordination across multiple cases and states.

Transcript Highlights:

• My position is the director position at the top. Do you have a deputy? I do not.
• These positions were created from positions that we had.
• positions were created from positions positions were created from positions that<01:43:35.400>
• for those positions.
• Do we have that position filled? So we do have a privacy position filled.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: House Finance Division III convened a work session on the DHHS budget, with the chair noting there would be no votes and that the committee would spend the day hearing from the commissioner’s office. Nathan White, DHHS Chief Financial Officer, opened with the Division of Finance/Office of Business Operations, explaining that the unit supports the department through daily financial management, AP/AR, audit work, expense projections, transfers, and procurement functions such as contracts, amendments, RFPs/RFAs, and grants management. He also described the division’s revenue and reporting work, including federal draws, CMS-64 reporting, and the public assistance cost allocation plan, and said the department had centralized rate-setting work and a small team handling Medicaid rate analysis and nursing facility rebase work. Members asked about vacancies, turnover, and budget changes. White said the division had 18 positions unfunded in the governor’s budget, reducing personal services from about $10.8 million to $9.9 million, and estimated the division’s vacancy rate at about 11 percent, below the department average. He said turnover was relatively low, with one retirement at the manager level and higher turnover mainly at lower AP-level positions. He also explained that some budget lines reflected reallocations rather than new spending, including fringe benefits centralized elsewhere and an EBT card contract moved into this unit because the staff member overseeing it works in Finance. When asked about a rent/lease increase, he said it was due to higher copier leasing costs under a statewide DAS contract. White highlighted several management and technology improvements. He said a business intelligence tool procured in 2022, using Salesforce and Excel-based data, helped DHHS better track federal revenue and maintenance-of-effort spending, reducing FY24 General Fund lapse by about 70 percent and federal/other revenue lapse by 88 percent compared with FY23; he warned that the tool is not funded in the current budget. He also described Lean Six Sigma efforts in the contracts team, training for vendors and nonprofits on procurement and indirect cost rules, and a Finance Academy to standardize policies and procedures. On the contracts side, he said the department uses Smartsheet for project management and DocuSign for electronic signatures, which cut contract execution time dramatically, but noted DocuSign is also not funded in the governor’s budget. The session ended as the committee prepared to move on to the Employee Assistance Program presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please state your name, who you represent, and your position on the bill.
• Please state your name, who you represent, and your position on the bill.
• Please state your name, who you represent, and your position on the bill.
• State your name, who you represent, and your position on the bill.
• We don't have a position on whether it's EV or combustible engine.

Transcript Highlights:

• “This would convert an additional position into another permanent position.
• in terms of permanent positions.
• the CPUC's positions.
• We currently have 183 positions.
• So the positions on page 19, those are all authorized permanent positions.

Summary: The committee first heard Issue 1 on trailer bill language to redirect funding for emergency demand-response programs. The Department of Finance proposed using about $26.9 million in General Fund originally set aside for the Distributed Energy Backup Assets program to bolster the Demand-Side Grid Support Program for summer 2026, and using about $70 million in CalCHAP interest to support ratepayer-funded demand response in summers 2027 and 2028. The CEC and CPUC said they are working on a transition from DSGS to ELRP or a successor program, while the LAO noted the General Fund money would otherwise revert to savings. Members pressed the administration on whether demand response remains important, whether DSGS has been successful, and whether the state should keep funding it through the CEC rather than shifting to a ratepayer-funded CPUC program. The CEC and CPUC said the programs are not directly comparable, emphasized different cost structures and enrollment metrics, and said a CPUC rulemaking is underway with a proposed decision expected in Q3 2026. No vote was taken in the transcript. The committee then took up Issue 2, a budget proposal tied to SB 254 and the new transmission accelerator. GoBiz and the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank described a five-year, roughly $26 million request to staff and administer the accelerator and manage Proposition 4 and AB 1207 funds for transmission financing. Members asked about state liability, ownership of financed lines, FERC revenue requirements, and whether the program would help underserved regions and offshore wind development. Staff explained that the accelerator would only consider projects already identified through CAISO’s competitive transmission planning process, and that state financing would be a small portion of large projects intended to lower overall costs to ratepayers. The LAO said it had no specific concerns but urged the Legislature to ensure the final language matches its intent. The committee also heard Issue 3 on petroleum market oversight. The CEC and its Division of Petroleum Market Oversight requested additional positions and funding to implement ABX2-1 and continue work on supply stabilization, refinery monitoring, and transportation fuels analysis. Members questioned why the work was funded through the Energy Resources Programs Account, whether existing staff from the paused price-gouging work could be reassigned, and whether the program had produced evidence of price gouging or improved supply conditions. CEC and Finance said the new positions are needed because the workload has expanded, while some existing staff remain on related analysis and reporting duties. The discussion ended without a vote in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• It does contain positions. Refer to personnel.
• It also contains positions. Refer to personnel.
• It contains positions. Refer to personnel.
• It contains positions. Refer to personnel.
• Those amendments contain both positions and special language.

Keywords: 1204, all

Summary: The committee met to quickly review a long agenda of agency and governor’s letters, with the stated purpose of referring items to the appropriate subcommittees and passing over the rest until next Tuesday. Under agency communications, letters from the Auditor of State, Supreme Court, Secretary of State, and Lieutenant Governor were referred to personnel because they contained positions. Under the governor’s letters, a series of items were referred either to personnel or special language. Personnel referrals included letters involving the Department of Education, Department of Health, DHS divisions and offices, Department of Finance and Administration, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Public Safety. Special language referrals included items for the Department of Finance and Administration disbursing officer, Department of Correction, Department of Shared Administrative Services, Department of Commerce/Workforce Services, Energy and Environment, and other related requests; one education item and one public safety item were referred to both personnel and special language. No substantive debate or votes were described beyond the referral decisions. The chair then announced a busy schedule for the following week, including personnel, JBC, claims, peer review, and special language meetings on Tuesday through Thursday, and adjourned the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• number of positions authorized.
• The requested positions will increase the total number of positions authorized at ASU by three.
• Peer approved the appropriation for this position yesterday.
• It eliminated six positions.
• So these are positions that we, that did not reflect what we were doing.

Summary: The committee first reviewed several personnel actions. It approved the Arkansas State Police request to swap three corporal positions for three lieutenant positions to supervise increased trooper staffing along the I-40 corridor, with no net increase in positions and an estimated cost of $89,000 from general revenue. It also approved Arkansas State University-Jonesboro’s request for three project/program administrator pool positions to support the new College of Veterinary Medicine, and approved the Department of Commerce Economic Development Commission’s request for an extra help position tied to Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act work. One item was pulled from consideration. The committee then received a report on a reduction in force at the Department of Veterans Affairs that eliminated six positions. Senator Petty asked for reassurance that veterans’ services would not be harmed, and VA Secretary Colonel Rob Ader explained that the action was part of a broader restructuring rather than a simple cut, intended to realign the agency, free resources, and expand services such as a new continuum-of-care program, veteran employment support, and stronger coordination with employers as veterans transition out of service. He said the agency also expected to save money. Members also questioned VA officials about the impact on county and district veteran service officers and about severance and retirement implications for affected employees. VA officials said the county VSO program remains in place, with efforts underway to improve training, supervision, and consistency across counties, including reporting to county judges. They also explained that severance is based on years of service, is not recouped if an employee later takes another state job, and that retirement eligibility and early-retirement penalties would still apply under existing rules. The committee took no further action after the reports and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a reclassification of a class 5910 temp position to a class 10 classified position.
• to a class 10 class 5910 temp position to a class 10 classified<01:43:33.679> position.
• restore a position under securities administration exams and abolish a position as well.
• That was the House position. is tight? That was the House position.
• with the House position. Yep. Okay. Mr. with the House position. Yep. Okay. Mr.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Committee of Conference on HB 1 and HB 2 was called to order, and Legislative Budget Assistant Michael Kaine reviewed the working documents before the committee. He explained the compare report, the detailed change sheet, the HB 1 index, the HB 2 side-by-side, the surplus statement, and a revenue handout, noting that the committee would vote up or down on all detail-change items and that unresolved items on hold would be removed from the final bills. He also identified staff available to answer technical questions and noted that the committee would track the dollar impact of decisions as it proceeded. Members then turned to the revenue outlook, with discussion focused on the gap between the House and Senate budget positions. House members said their budget guidance was based on revenue estimates that were significantly below the governor’s proposal, and they discussed whether additional revenue could close part of the gap. Department of Revenue Administration Commissioner Lindsey Stepp presented updated revenue estimates based on May data, explaining the methodology and the ranges for fiscal years 2025, 2026, and 2027. She said business taxes were the largest source of uncertainty, with estimates reflecting current economic conditions, recent revenue performance, and a range of possible growth rates. Committee members questioned the assumptions behind the business-tax ranges, including why the low and high scenarios were set at 2% and 8% growth. Stepp said the range was based on historical performance and current economic factors such as inflation, tariffs, and business behavior, and she noted that June is a major estimate-payment month for business taxes. Members also discussed recent revenue trends, including the effect of tariffs and the possibility of federal tax policy changes affecting repatriated profits. The commissioner and House members also discussed other revenue sources, including rooms and meals and real estate transfer taxes, with the House side arguing that lower mortgage rates and home prices could increase real estate transfer revenue. No votes were taken in the portion provided, but the committee discussed possible upward adjustments to House revenue assumptions, including increases of roughly $70 million in total based on the updated outlook and additional insurance-related revenue.

Transcript Highlights:

• position. Okay. position. Okay.
• position becomes vacant, not to fill that position.
• position becomes vacant, not to fill that position.
• You funded the position. You authorized the position.
• You funded the position. You Yep. You funded the position.

Keywords: 10am HB 1 & HB 2, 928, house, all

Summary: The committee of conference on HB 1 and HB 2 reviewed comparison documents and worked through a long list of House and Senate positions, agreeing on some technical or already-enacted items while setting aside others for later discussion. Early on, members agreed to delete a House Bill 2 section tied to a bill already passed into law, and a representative explained a technical amendment to the EFA provisions clarifying enrollment-cap repeal language and compulsory attendance rules for EFA students. That amendment was discussed but a vote was postponed because not all members were present. The committee also noted that the overall EFA budget numbers had already been settled separately. Several items were either agreed to or held for further negotiation. Members agreed to delete sections already covered by other enacted bills, including BTLA-related language, and to accept a technical amendment changing "municipalities" to "political subdivisions" in a section affecting funding eligibility. They also agreed on some items involving workers’ compensation second injuries, certain pilot-program language, and some sections related to state loan repayment and other technical corrections. In contrast, they set aside or disputed items involving site evaluation, lottery-related provisions, opioid abatement, the Commission on Aging, Granite Advantage premium costs, renewable energy/offshore wind funding, special education funding, and several education trust fund and unique-fund provisions. The committee spent substantial time on policy disputes. The House side argued against keeping money in dedicated Fish and Game funds rather than increasing the main Fish and Game fund, while the Senate side defended its approach and raised concerns about fee impacts, including one tied to the fishing license. The members also discussed a housing appeals board proposal, with one member suggesting a possible compromise that would preserve some function while shifting duties and possibly sunsetting the arrangement later; the contracts for the positions were noted as running through June 30, 2028 and June 30, 2029. Another extended discussion concerned the child advocate records-access section, which one side wanted removed as policy that should go through the normal bill process, while another member asked to hold it and suggested a possible middle-ground, time-limited approach. Later, the committee agreed to remove sections already handled in other bills, including House sections 254 and 255, and discussed but did not resolve disputes over liquor licensing functions, cannabis-related language, cost containment, special education, and several fee and fund provisions. The Senate explained its position on the governor’s commission language, saying opioid abatement trust funds could not be used for that purpose and that the commission should continue to be funded through 5% of gross liquor profits; it also described renaming the body the Commission on Addiction Treatment and Prevention and expanding its scope to include problem gambling. The meeting ended with several major items still open for later negotiation.

Transcript Highlights:

• IN TERMS OF POSITIONS 13 POSITIONS ARE FORFEITED BY THE AGENCY WHEN WE HAD A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF VACANCIES
• BACK TO POSITION.
• BUT WE HAVE SUCH A DISPARITY NOW BETWEEN THE OPERATIONAL POSTS AND POSITIONS AND THE FUNDING POSITIONS
• I HAD 53 HOUSING UNITS REQUIRE 814 POSITIONS AND I DON'T HAVE THOSE 814 POSITIONS.
• FUNDED POSITIONS PAY SIGNIFICANTLY MORE.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of the person's elected position, regardless of whether that position was partisan or nonpartisan.
• to fill this position.
• With the district, when you look at all the position titles, we have levels for so many positions here
• district legislative aid position.
• So, Every position, it's assumed, must meet their comparable position within the region.

Transcript Highlights:

• Kerk’s position.
• Kerk's position. Too understand his Dr. Kerk's position.
• Seeing none, we'll close the hearing. positions. So, this bill will allow positions.
• . position. position.
• c> position non-compete business and position non-compete business and position associates. associates

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• these positions?
• to them for the position. to them for the position.
• positions are quite high. positions are quite high.
• staff position on Kauai. staff position on Kauai.
• uh for telework positions. uh for telework positions.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:19:33.679> within support associate position within support associate position within
• Corner's request for this AP position Corner's request for this AP position but<00:20:08.760>
• In fact, we support a new extension agent position along with creation of the AP position.
• So, we are requesting, Chair, that you consider two positions: the AP position of the original bill and
• In fact, we support a new extension agent position along with creation of the AP position.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Higher Education heard five bills and later took up one joint Housing/Higher Education measure. On SB 1146 SD1, relating to the Alaw Canal, testimony from DLNR and UH was in support of funding an action plan and pre-engineering concept plan to address debris management and water quality in the watershed; members discussed the cost burden on DLNR and the possibility of identifying upstream sources of debris. On SB 1232 SD2, relating to wastewater systems, the Department of Health, DHHL, and several advocacy groups supported a three-year pilot program at UH’s Water Resources Research Center to test new wastewater technologies, with witnesses saying it could help certify cheaper alternatives and reduce cesspool upgrade costs. On SB 119 SD1, relating to nursing, witnesses supported funding a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Maui College. On SB 865 SD1, relating to agriculture, UH CTAHR, the Hawaii Farm Bureau, and many island agricultural groups supported funding for a Kona Cooperative Extension position, with testimony and committee discussion favoring an extension agent over an administrative support role. On SB 1487 SD1, relating to UH revenue bonds, UH supported authorizing revenue bonds for priority capital projects, and members asked for clarification that the measure was a preliminary authorization rather than a specific spending plan. In decision-making, the committee recommended passing SB 1146 SD1, SB 1232 SD2, SB 119 SD1, SB 865 SD1, and SB 1487 SD1 with House Draft 1 amendments, mainly to change defective dates to 7/1/3000 and, for SB 865, to upgrade the position to an extension agent. Votes were unanimous in favor on the measures, with one recusal noted on SB 865 and some members excused on other votes. The committee then recessed and later reconvened for a joint House Housing/Higher Education hearing on SB 1553 SD2, relating to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. DHHL asked that the bill be deferred because due diligence was incomplete and more discussion was needed with UH and other stakeholders; UH said it was coordinating access to the property and described its current and future use. Both committees agreed to defer the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• position.
• The positions: they adopted the same position we did.
• The positions: they adopted the same position we did.
• position.
• the house position. the house position.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• other positions are today.
• new positions and three new positions new positions and three new positions were<01:17:21.840>
• We have 30 positions total and three that are unfunded authorized positions.
• And again, 14 positions that are funded, classified positions, zero unfunded positions, either classified
• c><02:17:57.920> positions, positions, zero uh unfunded positions, positions, zero uh unfunded

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Development to complete a comprehensive review of the classification and compensation systems for all positions
• We have in here $330,000 for salaries for those positions.
• , we need some sense that these positions can be filled.
• So the staffing positions, we are in the process of recruiting.
• 00:23:27.520> filled sure that these positions can be filled sure that these positions can be

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Committee on Labor and Technology heard several labor and personnel measures. Senate Bill 1567 would require the Department of Human Resources Development to conduct a comprehensive review of the executive branch classification and compensation system and allow it to contract with a third party outside normal procurement rules. Director Brana Hashimoto testified in support, saying the state has more than 1,400 classes of work and limited staff to keep the system current; she said outside vendor help and market data are needed to update class specifications, minimum qualifications, and pay structures. She noted the project scope and timeline would depend on funding, and said the governor had approved about $1 million for the effort. Members asked about vendor scope, comparisons to the private sector and other public employers, consolidation of obsolete classes, and whether the exemption from procurement rules would speed the work. The committee also heard Senate Bill 326 on defense of state employees, with testimony in support from HGEA, the Hawaii State AFL-CIO, and the Hawaii State Teachers Association. Senate Bill 337 would expand the pool of interest arbitrators used in collective bargaining disputes by allowing the Hawaii Labor Relations Board to request a list from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and to use arbitrators from both FMCS and the American Arbitration Association; HGEA supported the bill, saying the broader pool would improve selection and address communication issues. Senate Bill 1233 would create a State Internship and Workforce Development Program within DeHerd. The University of Hawaiʻi, HGEA, the Hawaii Primary Care Association, and the Chamber of Commerce supported it. DeHerd said the program could help place interns into vacancies and convert them to civil service jobs, but said it would need about five FTE and roughly $330,000 in salaries to administer a program serving about 50 to 75 interns at a time; members questioned whether the positions could be filled and whether the program could proceed without added resources. The committee then heard Senate Bill 1359, which would increase the employer-based composite monthly contribution to the Hawaii EUTF Benefits Trust Fund beginning in January 2026 and then tie future increases to Medicare Part B premium changes with a lag. The EUTF administrator testified, and a member noted the measure resembled a bill that had died in conference the prior year. Senate Bill 1454 would give the Labor and Industrial Relations director authority to issue wage payment violation orders, establish penalties and appeals, and broaden the definition of wage; the department supported it, explaining it would align procedures under chapter 387 with existing chapter 388 enforcement and make investigations easier. Finally, the committee moved through a series of collective bargaining cost-item bills for various bargaining units and related entities, with testimony generally in support from Budget and Finance, HGEA, UH, HHSC, UPW, and other unions and associations. One amendment request was to include bargaining units 1 and 10 in the temporary hazard pay funding bill, and the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association noted its airport firefighters unit was still in arbitration and would provide final numbers later.

Transcript Highlights:

• These three positions will be utilized at Blanchard Springs State Park.
• The bonuses would be paid to all current and new CNAs taking a position with the agency.
• These three positions will be utilized at the Blanchard Springs State Park.
• This is a three positions once filled is roughly $264,000 that includes match.
• total number of positions.

Keywords: 1204, all