Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> there's</c><00:03:44.319><c> there's</c> that that gap, right, there's there's that that gap, right
• like they were beforehand, right?
• Like um we counties to to do, right?
• </c> people rent out of necessity, right? people rent out of necessity, right?
• </c><00:21:21.600><c> like</c> credit money um oftent times right like credit money um oftent times right

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, with that, we'll close the hearing on House Bill 2317.
• All right, with that, we'll close the hearing on House Bill 2317.
• of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• My name is Chloe Marino, and I'm an attorney at Disability Rights Washington.
• Rights Washington.

Summary: The Early Learning & Human Services Committee held public hearings on several child care and disability-related bills. House Bill 2317 would exempt certain ECAP and Head Start programs from DCYF licensing when they operate part-day or school-day in public school buildings or on public school property. Staff and the prime sponsor said the bill would remove duplicative licensing barriers and help expand preschool seats, especially as Washington prepares to add more ECAP slots. Testifiers from Head Start, school-linked providers, and the Washington Federation of Independent Schools supported the bill, describing licensing delays, added costs, and lost classroom time; no one testified in opposition. The committee also heard House Bill 2099, which would expand ECAP access for military families with incomes up to Working Connections Child Care limits and adjust prioritization for families with deployed or single custodial military parents. The prime sponsor and multiple supporters, including retired military leaders, Head Start/ECAP advocates, ESD staff, and a military-community partnership, said military families face frequent moves, deployment-related strain, and child care shortages that affect readiness and family stability. Testifiers said the bill would help families access care without changing the program’s low-income focus or adding state cost. House Bill 2350 would require DSHS to notify residents, guardians, and family members when a residential habilitation center is found out of compliance with federal CMS requirements, and to provide follow-up notices on correction and enforcement actions. The sponsor said the bill responds to limited communication around recent noncompliance issues at Rainier School and would improve transparency; DSHS had requested a narrow amendment about how notice is provided to residents. Disability rights advocates strongly supported the bill, saying families need timely information to protect loved ones and make informed decisions. Finally, House Bill 2318 would let ECAP and Head Start children count toward the 5% subsidy participation threshold needed for Early Achievers quality improvement awards. Supporters said the current rule can discourage providers from enrolling ECAP children because it risks losing an award, even though ECAP already requires Early Achievers participation. The sponsor and testifiers described the bill as a small fix to reduce a funding disincentive for providers serving high-need children. The committee took no votes and adjourned after closing the hearings on all four bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:10:35.480><c> So,</c> playing field, right? So, playing field, right?
• </c> French or Portuguese, right? French or Portuguese, right?
• Right?
• </c> right, thank you so much. Thank you. right, thank you so much. Thank you.
• </c> All right. Representative Hicks. All right. Representative Hicks.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We've had presentations on tenants' rights, that sort of thing.
• We've had presentations on tenants' rights, that sort of thing.
• All right. Vice Chair Street.
• It's the right thing to do for the people. We want to help.
• It's the right thing to do for the people that we're doing it for, but it's also the right thing to do

Summary: House Finance met in executive session on March 2 and reviewed a series of tax and property-tax bills. Staff described measures including removing acreage limits for nonprofit public assembly hall property tax exemptions (ESSB 5252), extending timber tax distributions to certain school districts (SB 5994), expanding housing-related local sales tax uses (SB 6027), updating Department of Revenue tax administration provisions (ESSB 6113), consolidating the state property tax levy and expanding senior/disabled exemptions (ESSB 6162), extending disaster-related property tax relief (SB 6343), rolling back 2025 estate tax changes (SB 6347), adding tribes to the Conservation Futures Program (SB 6097), and extending a hazardous substance tax exemption for agricultural crop protection products (SB 6244). Members also discussed several amendments, including changes to rental assistance, library and school tax treatment, veterans’ income definitions and application assistance, estate-tax exemption and CPI language, and reporting requirements for conservation futures land acquisitions. The committee adopted some amendments and rejected others. HRA 440 was adopted to allow rental assistance as an eligible use of the local sales tax revenue for all jurisdictions rather than only Snohomish County. On ESSB 6113, the committee adopted the striking amendment H-3718.2 but rejected amendments to exempt investigative services, live presentations for schools and nonprofits, and library-related exemptions. On ESSB 6162, amendments to modernize veterans’ benefit language, require DOR application assistance, and lower the levy rate were all rejected. On SB 6347, the committee adopted an amendment restoring the estate tax exclusion amount to 2.193 million and changing the CPI reference, while the broader bill was later reported out as amended. On SB 6097, an amendment requiring county reporting on conservation futures acquisitions was rejected. The committee then voted to report several bills out with do pass recommendations: ESSB 5252, SB 5994, ESSB 6027 as amended, ESSB 6113 as amended, ESSB 6162, SB 6343, SB 6097, and SB 6244. SB 6347 was reported out with a do pass as amended recommendation after the adopted amendment. Members generally framed the bills as providing tax relief, clarifying tax administration, supporting housing and schools, or extending existing exemptions, while some members raised concerns about fiscal impact, tax burden shifts, and the need for more accountability or broader policy changes. The meeting concluded with thanks to staff and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• We see disabled people getting benefits cut.
• All right. Thank you. Representative Healy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
• And that does feel like what we're doing here right now.
• And that does feel like what we're doing here right now.
• But how do you get those contracts written and get that done right?

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The older students in my school have been reading about Judy Human, the fight for disability rights,
• First, right? First, right? Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
• All right.
• All right, welcome. Please go ahead. Okay. All right, welcome. Please go ahead.
• All right. Thank you.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Education

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education heard testimony on several bills centered on school accountability, receivership, graduation requirements, charter school access, community schools, school libraries, and student voting rights. Much of the discussion focused on the Thrive Act, S. 374, which would end state receivership and change the state’s accountability approach. Supporters, including educators, parents, advocacy groups, and students, argued that receivership has not improved outcomes in districts such as Lawrence, Holyoke, Southbridge, Boston, and the Dever, and that local communities should have more control, with greater emphasis on community schools, wraparound services, and broader measures of school quality. They also supported related bills on community schools and school library standards, and several witnesses backed a bill to expand student representative voting rights on school committees. Opponents of S. 374, especially charter school leaders, parents, students, and some education advocates, focused on Section 4 of the bill, which would change the charter school net school spending cap in the lowest-performing districts. They argued that the provision would reduce access to charter seats in communities where families are seeking more options, and that schools such as Roxbury Prep, Excel Academy, Brook, Veritas Prep, and Libertas Academy have produced strong results for students, including students of color, low-income students, and students with special needs. Several witnesses said the section would force schools to shrink or close and would remove opportunities for families in districts with long waitlists. Committee members questioned witnesses on both the effectiveness of receivership and the charter school cap language. Chair Lewis and Chair Gordon emphasized the need for a better accountability system and noted concerns about whether current measures, including MCAS-based designations, accurately reflect school quality. Some witnesses said they had discussed the possibility of removing Section 4 from the Thrive Act and suggested it might be addressed in separate charter reform legislation. No votes were taken during the hearing; testimony was received and the committee later closed testimony on S. 374 and several related bills before moving on to the student voting rights bill, S. 367.

Transcript Highlights:

• So this is Disability Day at the Capitol.
• have disabilities through advocacy, The rights, inclusion, and independence of Arizonans who have disabilities
• All right, let's see. Senator Kavanaugh, go ahead.
• It says right here, legislative intent.
• Yeah, I mean, it was like any public event, right?

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, then recognized several guests in the gallery, including a pastor, disability advocates visiting for Disability Day at the Capitol, and other constituents. The chamber also received gubernatorial nominations for the State Board of Psychologists Examiners and withdrew SB 1131 from the Education Committee. It then moved into the Committee of the Whole to consider SB 1010 and SB 1439. SB 1010, relating to historic names and the renaming of Loop 202, was amended with a legislative intent clause clarifying that the underlying freeway segments would retain their existing names, including the Congressman Ed Pastor Freeway. The bill drew significant debate on the floor, with opponents arguing it politicized highway naming and could erase existing honors, while supporters said the amendment protected current segment names and was meant to honor Charlie Kirk. The Senate adopted the Committee of the Whole report and passed SB 1010 on third reading by a vote of 16 ayes, 9 nays, 12 excused, and 2 not voting. SB 1439, relating to special plates, was also amended and advanced through the Committee of the Whole. During floor debate, Senator Sundareshan asked the sponsor whether he or affiliated companies had received compensation from the beneficiary organization, and the sponsor answered no. The bill then passed on third reading by a vote of 16 ayes, 12 nays, and 2 not voting. The Senate also announced upcoming committee meetings, heard a brief personal privilege statement about Ramadan and Lent, and adjourned until the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• I’ll start from my right.
• All right.
• We'll begin on my right.
• All right. That pleasure. All right. Is everybody ready?
• Yeah, I'm just making a statement, right. ...I'm just making a statement, right? So I'm an aye.

Bills: HB75 , HB108

Committee: Senate Criminal Justice

Keywords: building standards, youth camps, floodplains, safety regulations, environmental policies, drainage utilities, flood management, land use regulation, county authority, drainage fees

Summary: The committee heard a series of criminal justice and public safety bills, with most measures focused on tougher penalties, victim protections, and procedural changes. Bills discussed included HB 75, requiring magistrates to make written findings when denying probable cause despite believing an arrestee committed an offense; HB 413, limiting pretrial detention so it cannot exceed the maximum jail term for the charged offense, with competency-related exceptions; HB 1422, expanding sexual assault survivor protections and increasing penalties for certain sexual offenses and voyeurism; HB 2073, increasing penalties for violating protective orders or bond conditions while armed; HB 2593, raising indecent assault penalties against elderly or disabled victims; HB 108, enhancing punishment when body armor is used during violent crimes; HB 3816, expanding cruelty-to-livestock offenses to include unlawful controlled-substance administration; HB 2854, requiring parole officers to notify hospitals or law enforcement when violent parolees visit hospital premises; HB 1871, increasing punishment for attempted capital murder of a peace officer and making such offenders ineligible for parole; HB 3463, clarifying notice methods in theft-of-service cases; HB 2348, allowing video-recorded depositions of elderly or disabled witnesses; HB 2594, expanding venue options for cybercrime and digital theft prosecutions; HB 2761, clarifying that children cannot be deemed to consent to prostitution-related offenses; HB 3185, authorizing administrative subpoenas in cybercrime investigations; HB 2017, increasing penalties for certain intoxication manslaughter cases involving undocumented immigrants with prior DWI convictions; HB 2306, making certain trafficking offenses ineligible for parole; HB 1607, allowing a rear-only license plate when a vehicle lacks a front bracket; HB 1828, creating a legislative leave pool for TDCJ correctional officers; and HB 3664, requiring prospective grand jurors to complete training and proposing additional changes to grand jury procedure in a future substitute. The committee also took up HB 3073, the Summer Willis Act, which would clarify consent in sexual assault law and address intoxication-related incapacity; the committee substitute narrowed the language to situations where the perpetrator knows the other person cannot consent because of intoxication or impairment, while removing withdrawal-of-consent and “reasonably should know” language from the House version. Several bills were laid out with committee substitutes adopted, including HB 3463, HB 2594, HB 3073, and HB 3073’s substitute, and most bills were left pending after no invited or public testimony or after hearing testimony. Public testimony was especially extensive on HB 3073, with survivors, advocates, and prosecutors supporting broader consent language, while some prosecutors said the substitute was an improvement but still favored the House version’s broader protections. HB 3664 drew significant opposition from district attorneys, who argued that mandatory transcription or recording of grand jury testimony would be costly, chill grand juror questioning, and complicate timely presentations; concerns were also raised about new-evidence requirements and grand jury shopping. No final votes were taken on the bills discussed in the transcript, and the committee recessed partway through to return to the floor before continuing its hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Also signed up to speak is Karen Mosenberg from the Disability Rights Center of New Hampshire. address
• I'm the policy director at the Disability Rights Center, and I'm here in strong support of SB 670.
• Thousands of people were affected. at the Disability Rights Center and I'm at the Disability Rights Center
• So, this is why the Disability Rights Center is included because we occasionally will get reports when
• Um, uh, people with disabilities have the same right to safety as anyone else, and they have the right

Committee: House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Samuel Jan with Disability Rights California.
• And when I have conversations with people in the behavioral health space or the disability rights group
• All right. We were very close to our journey, but we're in item 7, SB 13. All right.
• All right, moving on. I agree. Here's to bring. All right, moving on. I agree.
• All right. Thank you. That bill is out. It's the choir. Yeah. I heard. All right.

Committee: House Judiciary

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Right. Still on Tabby.
• And we need both, right?
• Right?
• All right, thank you, Mr. Chair.
• That doesn't seem right.

Transcript Highlights:

• RIGHT, BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER.
• Good people doing the right thing.
• GOOD PEOPLE DOING THE RIGHT THING.
• Right back in your district.
• RIGHT BACK IN YOUR DISTRICT.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Right, so it helps.
• The Chair now calls Tanya Lavelle from Disability Rights Texas for the bill.
• I am the policy specialist with the housing and transportation team at Disability Rights Texas, and we
• Disability Rights Texas is the state's federally designated protection advocacy agency for people with
• disabilities.

Bills: HB158 , HB714 , HB 1198 , HB1630 , HB1998 , HB3509 , HB3788 , HB3875 , HB3948 , HB3977 , HB4097 , HB4313 , HB4314 , HB4317 , HB158

Committee: House Intergovernmental Affairs

Keywords: housing, veterans, surplus government property, affordable housing, funding sources, housing assistance, homeless prevention, landlord incentives, rural housing, domestic violence, community development, tenant readiness, program participants, financial assistance, homelessness, rental support, Texas Tenant Readiness Program, tenant assistance, housing stability, Texas Department of Housing

Transcript Highlights:

• All right. I am being told we Okay. All right.
• All right. Thank you, Colonel.
• That being their VA disability claims.
• Uh, we're going to fall right briefly.
• Right?

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development - Subcommittee on Veterans

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Right.
• Right.
• Right.
• Right.
• I guess, right? Am I right? Yeah.

Bills: HB113 , HB342 , HB632 , HB690 , HB1003 , HB1078 , HB1132 , HB1146

Committee: House Education

Keywords: grading scale, education reform, students, public schools, academic policy, special education, due process, local education agency, burden of proof, IEP, education law, data sharing, student information, privacy, education, LA FIRST, foreign adversaries, terrorism, contracting, school funding

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, thank you. Thank you, Superintendent. All right. On another note, okay.
• So how incredible that we're able to invest these healthcare dollars in the right place at the right
• Right now, our industry is waiting any minute now. It's actually usually released.
• All right. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.
• All right. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you very much.

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Later in the bill, a new tax is imposed on disability insurers and group stop-loss insurers.
• Later in the bill, a new tax is imposed on disability insurers and group stop-loss insurers.
• All right, at this point we'll have our second panel of Gary Strandigan, Monty Robinson, and Melissa
• As the bill is written right now, it simply goes into the general fund.
• HB 1974 will make the work I'm doing right now as the state's only land bank even more impactful.

Summary: House Finance heard several bills and took no recorded votes. HB 2367 would end special tax and emissions exemptions for the Centralia coal plant by limiting its Climate Commitment Act exemption to pre-2026 emissions, removing limits on additional greenhouse gas requirements, and repealing coal sales and use tax exemptions. The sponsor, Rep. Fitzgibbon, said the bill would help keep the plant’s transition to cleaner natural gas generation on track; Climate Solutions supported it, while business and clean-energy groups raised concerns about allowance-market impacts and asked for amendments to adjust the cap-and-invest allowance budget. HB 1974 would authorize public housing authorities, public corporations, and nonprofits to operate as land banks for affordable housing, give them priority for tax-foreclosed properties, and provide property tax, leasehold excise tax, and REET exemptions for land bank transactions. Rep. Hill said the bill was narrowed to reduce fiscal impact and support existing land banking work in Spokane; supporters said it would lower land costs and speed affordable housing development, while questions focused on how public land would be used and whether affordability should be permanent rather than limited to 30 years. HB 2650, a Department of Revenue request, would standardize notice and effective dates for local REET and lodging tax changes and clarify documentation for an affordable housing sales tax deferral. DOR supported the bill as an administrative efficiency measure, and there was no opposition testimony. HB 2626 would raise the premium tax on health maintenance organizations, health care service contractors, and self-funded multiple employer welfare arrangements from 2% to 3%, remove a dentistry-related exemption, and add a new 1% tax on certain disability and group stop-loss insurers. The sponsor said the bill is intended to help fund Apple Health and subsidies amid federal funding concerns; insurers and business groups opposed it as a cost increase likely to be passed on to consumers and employers, while patient and advocacy groups supported the revenue idea but urged that funds be dedicated to subsidies or other health care supports and that pass-through to consumers be prevented.

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, we've got a couple of introductions. All right, we've got a couple of introductions.
• So we're right there.
• Right on. Right on. I don't know how much. It's just a man. I don't know. I don't know. Right on.
• Yeah, I said, quite all right, quite all right. But, you know, your family is so lucky.
• Absolutely, this is right.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognized several introductions and memorials, including a resolution designating August 9, 2026, as Bob Graham Day and a moment of silence for firefighter Roger Timmy Miley. The chamber then moved through a long special-order calendar, with several bills substituted with House companions and adopted by voice vote or recorded vote. Early measures included a tax conformity bill tied to federal Internal Revenue Code changes, which passed 34-0, and a Medicaid/public assistance bill that drew extensive debate over work requirements, fraud reduction, behavioral health services, and SNAP/EBT reforms. Amendments offered by Senators Berman and Osgood to condition or soften the work and photo-ID provisions were rejected, and the underlying bill was placed on the third-reading calendar after lengthy questioning about implementation, exemptions, and eligibility effects. The Senate also passed bills on computer science education and AI instruction, a Parkinson’s disease registry public-records exemption and registry update, designation of the SS American Victory as Florida’s official state flagship, electronic payments for local governments, repeal of the legal-tender sunset for gold and silver, public-records protections for gold/silver custodians and stablecoin-related entities, a Florida stablecoin pilot program, and local government budget transparency/spending measures. Most of these measures were adopted after minor amendments or technical substitutions, with votes generally ranging from 31-3 to 34-0. The chamber also recognized the Florida Channel’s 30 years of legislative coverage. Later, the Senate approved a digital voyeurism bill expanding the reasonable-expectation-of-privacy definition to include private fenced yards, and an insurance customer representative licensing bill allowing high school students to complete insurance/personal finance coursework and later qualify for licensure. The final major item was a medical freedom bill that would expand parental vaccine information requirements, add a conscience-based exemption to immunization mandates, allow behind-the-counter ivermectin for adults, and repeal the sunset on the mRNA mandate prohibition; two amendments clarifying anti-kickback rules and requiring vaccine information to include risks, benefits, safety, and efficacy were adopted, while questions from Senators Smith and Massullo focused on public-health impacts and the content of the required materials. The transcript ends during discussion of that bill, with no final vote shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Right, the concern was that, because right now a regular officer, line officer is not going to be able
• All right. Language uniform throughout the bill. Any questions? All right.
• It's just you're reporting out of committee the bill as amended, right? All right, thank you, Mr.
• I'm an attorney with Disability Rights Washington, and we strongly support this bill, Senate Bill 5974
• Right now, that is not the case.

Committee: House Community Safety

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They don't have a right to impede on our First Amendment rights for freedom of worship, whether it's.
• They don't have a right to impede on our First Amendment rights for freedom of worship, whether it's
• Right.
• It's not a right.
• Might be the first time, right?

Committee: Senate Public Safety

Keywords: 987, senate, all