Transcript Highlights:

• Some months later, my son was booked into the Berkshire County House of Correction.
• Ten months later, he followed me.
• He was given a sentence of 18 months' probation with the GPS monitoring system.
• a job, and then six months later, you have a quarry, so we have to let you go.
• There may be 10 this month.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on the Judiciary

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard testimony on a wide range of criminal justice, victim services, and records-sealing bills. Early testimony focused on H.1811, the Clean Slate automated record-sealing bill, with supporters arguing that automatic sealing after existing waiting periods would remove barriers to jobs, housing, and education without changing eligibility rules. Advocates from legal aid, business, and housing organizations said the current petition-based system is underused, burdensome, and costly, while opponents of expanding surveillance-related laws urged the committee to preserve privacy protections. The committee also heard testimony on H.1693, which would immediately seal records in cases ending without conviction and clarify the presumption of innocence, with speakers describing how dismissed cases still create lasting collateral consequences and prevent people from moving forward. No votes were taken during the hearing. Several bills centered on victim safety and domestic violence. Senator Michael Moore testified for S.1201, which would keep child-protective orders in effect even if the parent or guardian who filed them dies, and for S.1204, which would update the wiretap statute. Multiple survivors and advocates supported S.1215 and S.1222, arguing for a narrow wiretap defense for recordings made to document threats or abuse and for making GPS tampering a separate felony offense. Testifiers described situations in which GPS devices were cut off or disabled and said current law leaves victims at risk and gives abusers too much leeway. The committee also heard emotional testimony on H.1685/S.1238, a bill prompted by the suicide of Stavri Yanka in custody, with the sponsor, his mother, and the sheriff describing the need for better information-sharing so suicide-risk information follows a person into custody. Law enforcement and prosecutors supported several due-process and dangerousness-related bills. MassCOP, the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, and the State Police Association backed H.1828/S.1039/S.1235, which would require de novo Superior Court review for POST Commission suspensions over two weeks or decertifications, arguing officers need a meaningful appeal beyond administrative review. The committee also heard support for H.1691, expanding the dangerousness statute to additional offenses; Bristol County District Attorney Quinn said the changes would let prosecutors seek detention in serious cases such as child rape and manslaughter when facts warrant it. In contrast, the Committee for Public Counsel Services opposed expanding dangerousness detention, warning that pretrial detention causes serious harms and disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic defendants. The hearing also included testimony on H.1654/S.1063 to enhance victims’ rights and H.1525, which would rename and expand community corrections into community justice programs, with supporters emphasizing reentry, reduced stigma, and broader service access.

Transcript Highlights:

• We just want to do the full work of this committee and be fully aware of those, fully informed of them
• We just want to do the full work of this committee and be fully aware of those, fully informed of them
• ><c> needed</c><00:26:20.919><c> a</c> a really tight month and I just needed a a really tight month
• Her original mortgage was $1,200 a month, so things were tight but manageable.
• Now she's paying about $1,900 every month, leaving her with $200 a month for groceries, medicine, and

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• I've been here 10 months and I room.
• </c> and addition um some of you may be aware and addition um some of you may be aware of<00:45:31.359
• Um, and you know, hopefully we'll month.
• Uh, we hope that that'll be completed within the next month.
• Um, as you all are well aware, project.

Summary: The Interim Joint Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary met without a quorum and heard an update from the Administrative Office of the Courts on the judicial branch budget. AOC Director Zach Ramsey and budget director Carol Henderson outlined the branch’s current funding structure, noting that fiscal year 2026 general fund support is about 2.77% of the state general fund, below the National Center for State Courts’ typical 2% to 4% range. They emphasized Kentucky’s unusual responsibility for courthouse facilities, with the judicial branch directly involved in construction, maintenance, and operations across 229 facilities in all 120 counties. AOC said nearly 91% of its general fund is spent on personnel and other non-discretionary costs, and that the branch has long relied on agency revenue, restricted fund carryforwards, and vacancy credits to balance court operations. Members were told that Senate Bill 25 required a $34.5 million transfer into a reserve account, part of which was used to purchase the Chamberlain Avenue building in Frankfort. AOC reported that only $11.9 million remains in restricted funds, while it projects needing about $13.5 million to cover fiscal year 2026 obligations, not including roughly $9 million in flood-related remediation costs for Hardin and Franklin counties, much of which it expects to recover through insurance and FEMA. Looking ahead to the next biennium, AOC said it will seek full funding of court operations at $341 million annually, a $13.5 million increase to bring current services into the base appropriation rather than relying on reserves. It also previewed additional requests, including a 15% across-the-board pay parity plan for Kentucky Court of Justice personnel, replacement of declining master commissioner fee revenue tied to 141 deputy circuit court clerk positions, funding for technology subscription and case management system costs, JAV audiovisual system upgrades, AEDs and medical kits for courthouses, and other staffing and operational needs. Senator Funky Frommeyer asked whether the 15% salary proposal was included in the $13.5 million increase; AOC said it was not, and that it would be an additional request. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're going to honor a lady from Missouri for National Women's History Month.
• Were you aware of that? That's not the case. But that's what I read.
• Were you aware of that? That's not the case. But that's what I read.
• I am not aware of churches in Kansas City closing.
• I am not aware of churches in Kansas City closing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Some are there only for a month.
• We expect that report, I would think, this month.
• Every year, every month, we box him out; we take him out, right?
• And so for those that aren't aware.
• We have a 12-month. Medicaid now.

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Please be aware that violations of these rules may subject you to removal or other enforcement actions
• That's why she tried to retire almost four months ago and they wouldn't let her, and she's here today
• premature to bring in a bill with an enforcement mechanism forward today when we still have nine months
• premature to bring in a bill with an enforcement mechanism forward today when we still have nine months
• place to start if there are people who will not comply with the law that is set to take effect nine months

Committee: House Communications and Conveyance

Transcript Highlights:

• danger of a shutoff, as well as ongoing energy grant for those who need kind of ongoing assistance on a month-to-month
• ><c> on</c><00:05:27.120><c> a</c> kind of ongoing assistance on a kind of ongoing assistance on a month-to-month
• 27.680><c> basis</c><00:05:28.240><c> with</c><00:05:28.400><c> paying</c><00:05:28.680><c> their</c> Month-to-month
• </c> make in the cold W Minnesota one months make in the cold W Minnesota one months it's<00:16:00.639
• Have we had reports of fraud or waste in the LIHEAP program that the department's aware of?

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate

Transcript Highlights:

• Does it alarm you that anti-semitic acts are up 360 percent in the last eight months?
• They need to understand that the attacks of this month are a precursor to collective punishment against
• Two months later, when I got home, I went to the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.
• Excuse me, roadside safety measures, targeting public awareness campaigns and stronger infrastructure
• Just earlier this month, we recognized the voters for her numerous contributions to our state.

Transcript Highlights:

• of and been missed. every month, which obviously meant that every month, which obviously meant that
• </c> aware of what has to occur. aware of what has to occur.
• And we've talked about this for months and months and months, and here we are again.
• Uh, are you all aware of that or are you aware of their pending potential legal problems?
• I was aware of that.

Summary: The committee first established a quorum, approved the minutes from the November 10 meeting, and then approved a large agenda of contracts and related items, with the total agenda amount stated as $359,638,393.88. Most items were approved without objection, but two contracts were pulled for discussion: attorney general panel counsel contingency fee contracts and a Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission personal services contract. For the attorney general’s office, Chris Lewis explained that the contracts were panel counsel contingency fee agreements, with 14 qualified awards from 16 applicants. He said the contracts were contingency-based, so no money would be paid unless cases were successful, and that the fee structure worked out to roughly 5% under the statutory waterfall. Senators asked about the size of the contracts, whether the terms were uniform, why no Kentucky firms were among the awardees, and how the public should understand the large dollar figures. Lewis said one Kentucky firm applied but was disqualified for a late submission, other Kentucky firms had inquired but did not apply, and local firms could still work with national firms on cases. The committee then approved the contracts. The Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission contract drew more extensive questioning. Commission representatives said they had previously had a contract disapproved because the proper process was not followed, so they used an RFI process posted on the state and commission websites for at least three weeks. They received one applicant, a Kentucky firm, and set the rate at $125 per hour. Members questioned whether the commission was acting beyond its ethics mission, whether staff were helping draft complaints against legislators, and whether the commission was taking on a prosecutorial or human-resources role. The commission said its role is limited to enforcing the legislative code of ethics, providing advisory guidance, and following the formal complaint process; it does not pursue matters outside that code. Members also raised concerns about the earlier procurement misstep and the commission’s credibility, and the commission apologized, said it had corrected the process, and pledged to comply going forward. The committee then approved the contract.

Transcript Highlights:

• They just got these this year; this was in the fall, so they hadn't had them but two or three months.
• the librarian pushes two or three months the librarian pushes the<00:05:10.600><c> button</c><00:05:
• I'll be very frank: I wasn't really even aware that this existed or was possible.
• that this this wasn't really even aware that this this existed<00:18:47.880><c> or</c><00:18:48.080>
• <00:42:05.560><c> because</c><00:42:05.839><c> of</c> month because of month because of flooding<00:42

Summary: The House Primary and Secondary Education Committee met and first took up House Bill 14, which would establish Alyssa’s Law in Kentucky public schools. The bill, as amended by committee substitute, would allow districts to implement wearable panic alert systems for school staff beginning in the 2025-26 school year. Sponsor Rep. Kevin Jackson and supporters described the system as a silent badge/button that can alert school offices, 911, first responders, and other personnel, with different button sequences for different emergencies. Testimony from Lori Alade, Alyssa’s mother and founder of Make Our Schools Safe, emphasized that “time equals life” and said the technology can help in active threats, medical emergencies, weather events, and other urgent situations. Students from St. Margaret Mary’s Kentucky Youth Assembly also supported the bill, citing the Georgia school shooting response as an example of how such systems can save lives. Members asked about vendor neutrality, costs, training, and whether the system could be used off campus; sponsors said the bill is intended to be vendor neutral, estimated statewide costs ranged from about $2 million to $6 million, training would be provided before the school year, and they would follow up on the off-campus question. The committee approved HB 14 with the committee substitute attached. The committee then reconsidered and approved House Bill 48, a cleanup measure related to school reporting requirements. The substitute was described as addressing department concerns about eliminating certain reporting forms while preserving district flexibility and reducing burdensome reporting. It would allow schools to maintain or use alternative reporting methods, provide KDE a timeline and guidelines for reporting on Cognia software used for CPS and C-dips, and require a written report to the LRC describing reporting requirements imposed on public schools and districts, with items not reapproved by the legislature sunsetting in 2026. The bill passed the committee with the committee substitute attached. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 190, as amended by committee substitute, which would shift the measure from a planning-and-action bill to a planning-only bill for advanced coursework and codify some gifted-student regulations. Rep. Duvall and Dr. Julia Link Roberts of WKU said the bill is intended to expand opportunities for high-potential students by requiring districts to set policies on advanced coursework or accelerated learning options for grades 4 through 12. The substitute changes the standard from “proficient” to “distinguished,” allows districts flexibility in how they implement the policies, and may require automatic enrollment for students scoring distinguished, with opt-out provisions and a principal exception if coursework conflicts with career pathways or CTE access. Members discussed how the proposal differs from current advanced programs, the broader inclusion of students, and district variation in available opportunities. No final vote on HB 190 was included in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• There is a woman, a in 4 months.
• I was paying $7,400 a month for my mom. Now I'm paying $11,000 a month for my mom.
• </c> they were paying $4,300 a month. they were paying $4,300 a month.
• </c> $2,800 a month, excuse me, in November. $2,800 a month, excuse me, in November.
• </c> Today they are paying $4,300 a month. Today they are paying $4,300 a month.

Transcript Highlights:

• Every week for the past few months, at any given time, there are thousands of appointments available
• , at any given for the past few months, at any given time,<00:09:44.000><c> there</c><00:09:44.240><c
• </c><00:18:49.679><c> ago,</c> have lost Kayla nearly 17 months ago, have lost Kayla nearly 17 months
• and months and months, and many who run very, very tight margins couldn't survive.
• and months and months, and many who run very, very tight margins couldn't survive.

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• I think we're all aware, as attorneys in this room, there are no caps on damages for pain and suffering
• This is the payout between fiscal year and claims filed, and we see a 18-month to 24-month, sometimes
• This is the payout between fiscal year and claims filed, and we see a two, 18 month to 24 months, sometimes
• But first, I'll give you, Senator Dhingra and I are intimately aware of the sentencing task force.
• Feels like we've just been talking for a few months. It hardly had a break.

Committee: Senate Law & Justice

Summary: The committee work session began with a staff presentation on state tort liability, focusing on why Washington’s tort payouts and claims have risen and how sovereign immunity, statutes of limitation, damages rules, and case law shape state exposure. Staff and the Attorney General’s Office highlighted that DCYF, DSHS, and DOC account for the largest share of claims and payouts, with Washington’s broad waiver of immunity and lack of caps on non-economic damages making it unusual compared with many other states. The discussion emphasized childhood sexual abuse claims, foster care and juvenile rehabilitation liability, and the impact of recent cases and the 2024 statute of limitations changes. Agency witnesses from DCYF, DSHS, and DOC described rising claims, delayed payout timing, difficulty defending older cases with limited records, and efforts to reduce future liability through practice changes, electronic health records, medication-assisted treatment, staffing, and early resolution programs. The committee then shifted to parole and sentencing. Staff from the Sentencing Guidelines Commission and Public Safety Policy and Research Center reviewed Washington’s move from indeterminate sentencing and parole to the current determinate sentencing system under the Sentencing Reform Act, and explained that parole can coexist with sentencing guidelines in other states through different models. They also summarized Criminal Sentencing Task Force recommendations related to three-strikes, persistent offender review, and a second-chance review process, noting that the task force did not reach consensus on those ideas. Judges Veronica Galvan and Cindy Larson, speaking for the Minority and Justice Commission and the Superior Court Judges Association, supported considering a parole or review-board model as a way to address racial disparities, improve fairness, and create a more centralized and transparent review process with data collection and judicial review. The final panel began with prosecutors, with Eric Eisenger introducing himself and indicating he would speak from both his role as Benton County prosecutor and as a former defense attorney. The transcript cuts off before the prosecutors’ full testimony or any committee action on the parole topic, and no votes were taken during the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I think it is a good way to just make them aware. Right.
• In Missouri, teen drivers have at most 48 months of licensed driving experience.
• Additionally, instead of the four years or 48 months that we currently, positions.
• A lot of states have a six-month or one-year break in service.
• Well, I'll just say this: I'm not aware of any district not.

Committee: House Elementary and Secondary Education

Transcript Highlights:

• I would say it was about four months ago, maybe five months ago. I'd have to look it up.
• Where would you prioritize them so we can make other states aware of it?
• Since that time last month, he has sent another $11,000 in gift cards.
• We've seen that last month there was a breach at Gmail, which exposed email addresses and passwords.
• Education and awareness remain the most effective tools to reduce harm.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we're just over two months away from the opening of that connection, which will make a huge difference
• So I am not aware of state-run or other, like, city-local government-run models.
• You estimate it could save us as high as nine months.
• You estimate it could save us as high as nine months of time off this permitting process.
• permitting processes are grounded in the principle that the property owner is aware of and involved

Bills: HB2313 , HB2451 , HB2298 , HB2566 , HB2517

Committee: House Local Government

Keywords: grocery stores, public ownership, food accessibility, community services, economic development, tax increment financing, local government, municipal finance, public infrastructure, property title protection, land record fraud, county auditors, voluntary program, real estate, procurement, contracting, transparency, financial oversight, municipal permitting, transit projects

Transcript Highlights:

• The CIRA consideration includes risk factors such as management's awareness of climate.
• The founders of our country We're keenly aware of the threat to liberty posed by the concentration of
• We're going to talk about those things, and in case there's any doubt, for months we worked with them
• Now, we don't know how long that litigation has been pending or what it is, but we know that for months
• Despite being made aware of the significant harm, they continue to support those proposals.

Bills: SB312 , SB945 , SB946 , SB1367 , SB1861 , SB2044 , SB2337 , SB2403 , SB2819 , SJR54

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Both the Interior and Energy Departments have been subject to whiplash in just the last two months, from
• As the Committee is aware, the Department of Energy performs a number of critical functions.
• training models in China, 18 months is the blink of an eye in utility planning terms and there's real
• Are you aware of any personal holdings, investments, or interests that could constitute a conflict or
• President, I'm aware of no conflicts.

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee

Keywords: nuclear energy, permitting process, energy production, public lands, national parks, uranium imports, legislative bills, infrastructure development

Summary: The committee meeting was dominated by discussions on a variety of legislative bills including major topics such as nuclear energy advancement, the effects of regulatory hurdles on energy production, and proposals to improve national park staffing and maintenance. Members expressed concerns over the federal government's handling of uranium imports and the necessity for maintaining a robust domestic nuclear supply chain. Efforts to streamline permitting processes to facilitate more efficient energy project development were also a focal point, alongside public testimony from stakeholders in the energy and environmental sectors. The meeting highlighted the urgent need for infrastructure development to meet rising energy demands while addressing climate change impacts.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are packing on that burden to bring closure, awareness, solutions.
• Also, raising awareness for MMIP, ACR 39, by Senator Ramos?
• But education, awareness, our children absolutely got to have that.
• our children absolutely got to have that But education, awareness, our children—absolutely.
• It really felt like this is MMIP month, that we're getting together and getting this done.

Summary: The Select Committee on Native American Affairs opened with a welcome and acknowledgment of Native land, then heard testimony focused on missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP), the Feather Alert system, and the impact of Public Law 280 (PL 280) on tribal communities in California. Chairpersons Antonette Del Rio, Cheyenne Stone, Charles Martin, and others described historical trauma, ongoing underreporting, and the need for education, tribal consultation, and stronger state and county responses. Members of the committee repeatedly emphasized equity, urgency in missing-person cases, and the importance of media attention, data collection, and better coordination with tribes. A major theme of the first panel was the practical failure of law enforcement systems in MMIP cases, especially in PL 280 jurisdictions. Chairperson Charles Martin described the case of Morongo tribal citizen Amy Porter, whose disappearance and death were not met with a timely Feather Alert, and said the family had to organize its own search. Witnesses and members discussed the need for better training, cross-jurisdictional communication, and more consistent use of Feather Alerts. Several members noted that California’s diverse tribal landscape, including federally recognized, non-federally recognized, and rancheria communities, makes one-size-fits-all responses inadequate. The second panel focused on exploitation and trafficking in a PL 280 state. Professor Carol Goldberg explained that PL 280 created serious underfunding, weakened trust, and made investigations harder by shifting jurisdiction without providing resources. Chairman Joe James, Morning Star Gali, and Dustin Contreras linked trafficking and MMIP to historical violence, jurisdictional gaps, and the targeting of Native communities by traffickers who exploit weak coordination. They urged stronger tribal policing authority, more formal partnerships, mandatory training, youth education, and funding for victim services and trauma recovery. Committee members asked about the relationship between trafficking and MMIP, the need for school-based prevention, and how task forces and local partnerships could be expanded. The final panel began with Acting Director Isaac Borges of the Attorney General’s Office, who outlined state efforts including Missing in California and Indian Country outreach, the Native American Marcy’s Law card, tribal response planning, and a PL 280 advisory council. He said the state is working with POST on updated training and with tribal experts to improve law enforcement response. The hearing concluded with continued calls for budget support, better media outreach, and implementation of the bills and reforms discussed, including Feather Alert improvements, tribal policing authority, and stronger coordination across state, county, and tribal systems.

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, members, because some of you may not be fully aware of the committee's role, You want to look at
• Now, members, because some of you may not be fully aware of the committee's role, I've actually asked
• However, if rulemaking is required by statute and has not been initiated within six months of the effective
• However, if rulemaking is required by statute and has not been initiated within six months of the evaluation
• , if rulemaking is required by statute and has not been initiated within six months of the effective

Summary: The Joint Administrative Procedures Committee met for its first meeting of the year, with roll call and member introductions followed by an orientation on the committee’s role in reviewing agency rulemaking. Staff explained that JAPAC/JAPSI oversees whether agency rules stay within statutory authority, reviews proposed and existing rules under Chapter 120, and can recommend objections when rules enlarge, modify, or contravene enabling statutes. The committee also adopted its biennial rules of procedure by motion and roll-call vote. The main substantive item was staff’s recommended objections to 32 existing Agency for Health Care Administration rules. Staff said the common issue was a sunset provision added to rules, which they argued is not authorized by Chapter 120 because rules may be amended or repealed only through formal rulemaking, not allowed to expire automatically. Staff noted the sunset language could create confusion and affect interrelated rules, and recommended formal objections. The chair reported that he and the vice chair had met with the agency, which agreed to work on compliance and amend the language. No public testimony was offered. After brief committee discussion, including questions about timing, the chair said the agency would return with a compliance proposal at the next scheduled meeting, likely in February. The committee deferred further action on the 32 recommended objections until that meeting, and the meeting adjourned.