Transcript Highlights:

• , the Agency for Health Care Administration.
• You built a wonderful family that loves you, that cares for you, you care for each other.
• I don't care what type of trouble I get in for saying this. I don't care what you do next.
• care.
• We care for people. And these people in this particular population care for people.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognized several guests, including a state champion Crossroads Academy girls basketball team and a Florida State University student intern. The chamber then turned to executive appointment confirmations reported by the Committee on Ethics and Elections and other reference committees under Rule 12.7, with Chair Don Gates explaining that the committee had reviewed the qualifications and suitability of the nominees and held public hearings where required. Members debated several confirmations at length. The report containing 186 appointments was adopted 31-0 after Senator Polsky explained her no votes on three nominees, citing concerns about past comments and ideological views. The Senate then confirmed Jeffrey Aaron to the Public Employee Relations Commission by a 26-10 vote after sharp debate over his role as counsel to the Hope Florida Foundation and allegations tied to the diversion of Medicaid settlement funds; supporters argued he was a competent lawyer and no formal action had been taken against him. Chavon Harris was confirmed as Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration by a 32-5 vote, with supporters praising her work on Medicaid funding and opponents criticizing her prior leadership at DCF and the Hope Florida-related issues. Taylor Hatch was confirmed as Secretary of the Department of Children and Families by a 33-4 vote, despite concerns raised about SNAP/EBT compliance, child welfare practices, audits, and DCF’s handling of Hope Florida; supporters emphasized her commitment to reform and the difficulty of the agency’s mission. After a brief recess, the Senate held a lengthy recognition of outgoing President Kathleen Passidomo. Senators from both parties offered personal tributes focused on her leadership, toughness, humor, mentorship, and support for colleagues, especially women in the chamber. Several speakers also referenced her handling of difficult bills, her post-presidency service as Rules Chair, and her resilience after personal loss. No further legislative action was taken during the recognition segment.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> of nursing home care in New Hampshire. of nursing home care in New Hampshire.
• 23:31.679><c> care,</c><01:23:32.000><c> the</c><01:23:32.320><c> CFI</c> which community-based care,
• </c> fast as the cost of nursing home care. fast as the cost of nursing home care.
• </c> a facility uh like Epsom Healthc Care a facility uh like Epsom Healthc Care Center<01:34:30.560>
• </c> all the good work that they do caring all the good work that they do caring for<01:41:20.800><c>

Committee: House Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• need to take care of.
• need to take care of.
• </c> take care of. take care of.
• I don't care either way.
• I don't care either way. I'm just not? I don't care either way.

Transcript Highlights:

• experience in the foster care system.
• And it's with love and care and affection.
• good care of her.
• An ALF must obtain a memory care services license if the ALF serves one or more memory care residents
• such memory care.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> healthc carees health plans must cover. healthc carees health plans must cover.
• That is a health care access problem. Early care is better.
• . care. care.
• That is a healthc care billing problem. That is a healthc care access<00:36:35.520><c> problem.
• I don't care.

Transcript Highlights:

• Too many health care workers have had career... ...injuries.
• , there are doctors that can take care of us and our family members.
• The reality is this is about human capital over a component to care.
• that our skilled workers are cared for. ...make sure that our skilled workers are cared for.
• If a good bill comes to my committee, I don't care who sponsors it.

Bills: SB1063 , SB1118 , SB1153 , SB1154 , SB1209 , SCM1001

Committee: Senate Appropriations, Transportation and Technology

Transcript Highlights:

• They connect people with health care.
• They connect people with health care. Some of them have telemedicine booths.
• Obviously, all the food banks care very deeply about SNAP.
• That's 50% of our population now seeing a gap in their medical care.
• Take care. Again, thank you so much for being here.

Committee: Joint Economic & Rural Development & Policy Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Care Services benefits paliative care Care Services benefits paliative care provides<00:18:49.440
• </c><00:53:19.119><c> for</c> Grace provides Solution by caring for Grace provides Solution by caring
• Next we have Partners in Care, Oʻahu Continuum of Care. Aloha, thank you all.
• </c><02:15:50.599><c> training</c> healthc care training healthc care training hello<02:15:52.960><c>
• </c> patients families and healthc Care patients families and healthc Care Professionals<02:43:33.040

Summary: The joint Ways and Means and Finance informational briefing on grants and aids was held February 14 and was organized as a high-volume public testimony session with strict procedures: no Q&A, one representative per applicant, one minute per testimony, in-person testimony first, and then Zoom participants. The chairs also announced a recess at 11:00 a.m. for floor sessions and a reconvening at 1:00 p.m. Testimony was heard first from neighbor island applicants, then Oʻahu applicants, with members repeatedly directing speakers to line up and keep remarks brief. Neighbor island testimony focused on a wide range of capital and operating requests. Health and community projects included Hawaii Island Community Health Center’s workforce housing in Kau, Wuli Hawaiian Homestead Association’s learning center and predevelopment work, Rescue Tube Foundation’s beach rescue tube expansion, Puna Community Medical Center’s planned hospital/ER campus, Maui Humane Society’s free veterinary care after the wildfires, Hawaiʻi Care Choices’ palliative care readiness, and the Lyman Museum’s HVAC replacement. Other requests included the Maui Advanced Manufacturing Alliance’s Pāʻia Mill redevelopment, Laua 2020’s preschool and learning lab, Mālama Aina’s USDA-compliant meat processing facility, the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association’s water safety programs, Kaha P Organization’s agriculture education support, Ohana Arts’ youth performance project, Friends of the Children’s Justice Center’s emergency closet, EOA Pacific’s Marshall Islands teacher training, and the Central Pacific Youth Athletic Club’s new facility. Oʻahu testimony included the YWCA Oʻahu/Pythink Center’s renovation of Juliet M. Atherton Hall and its community kitchen, West Oʻahu Community Health Center’s wildfire protection and security needs, the Early School’s playground improvements, Surfing the Nations’ food distribution center expansion, and Sounding Joy Music Therapy’s weekly services for people with disabilities. Speakers generally emphasized community benefit, workforce development, health access, food security, disaster recovery, and support for children, seniors, and underserved populations. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• In child care, we have $89 million ongoing General Fund for DSS to administer child care programs as
• And MAGA Republicans in Congress have voted to gut funding for food aid and health care.
• are going to be their number one source of health care in that scenario.
• As we talked about today, the health care systems are under significant financial strain.
• Our health care safety net. Thank you.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Committee opened its hearing on the Governor’s 2026-27 budget with remarks emphasizing the start of a months-long process, the need for fiscal responsibility, and concerns about structural deficits, federal funding losses, housing and homelessness, and oversight. The vice chair echoed those concerns, warning against budgets built on short-term fixes and urging accountability. The Department of Finance presented a balanced budget year proposal of about $349 billion in total expenditures, including $248 billion General Fund, while acknowledging a structural imbalance in the out years and proposing a workload budget with limited new spending or cuts. Finance said the budget relies on stronger-than-expected revenues, but also on constitutional obligations such as Proposition 98 and Proposition 2, and on suspending a rainy-day fund true-up deposit to cover a projected $2.9 billion budget-year deficit. The administration highlighted higher education funding, climate and wildfire resilience investments, a new ZEV incentive, added Health and Human Services costs tied to H.R. 1, child care funding, and three tax proposals: third-party delivery tax compliance, a sustainable aviation fuel tax credit, and an extension of the California Competes tax credit. The LAO, by contrast, warned that the budget is “precariously balanced,” cited downside risk from stock market-driven revenues, and urged the Legislature to use reserves, avoid suspending rainy-day deposits, and begin shrinking multi-year deficits sooner rather than later. Member questions focused on wildfire mitigation and insurance, transit and GGRF funding, federal cuts affecting CalFresh and Medi-Cal, the proposed tax credits, homelessness accountability language, and education funding. Several members pressed for earlier partnership on deficit solutions and for more scrutiny of budget choices. The committee also discussed declining enrollment in K-12, community colleges, and CSU, with concerns about whether funding formulas are aligned with actual student demand. No formal votes or final actions were taken in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• and substantiated allegations of abuse and neglect for children in foster care by placement type.
• Now we know that we have a tremendous system of foster care.
• Now we know that we have a tremendous system of foster care.
• , and taking into account what they have to say about what that care has been like.
• President, again, this amendment touches... ...that care has been like. So taken together, Mr.

Summary: The Senate began with several adjournment motions in memory of John Edwards and Hadley Boucher, each adopted by voice vote, followed later by a unanimous adjournment motion in memory of Barney Frank. The chamber also observed moments of silence for the deceased. In between, the Senate considered a child welfare bill, House No. 4646, with multiple amendments offered on issues including a Massachusetts Children’s Cabinet, student transfers, reasonableness in statutory language, electronic backpack records transfer, Office of the Child Advocate information integrity, timeout and isolation standards, best-interest-of-the-child standards, CRA filing prerequisites, probation petition standards, truancy and engagement standards, and mandated reporter definitions. Several amendments were withdrawn; others were adopted or rejected. Notably, amendments on student transfers, reasonableness, electronic backpacks, information management integrity, and the Senate Ways and Means draft were adopted, while several Tarr amendments were not adopted. After amendment consideration, the Senate ordered the bill to a third reading and then passed it to be engrossed by a roll call vote of 39 in favor and none opposed. The transcript indicates the bill was then sent forward after engrossment. Separately, the Senate took up the House’s amendment to the Massachusetts Data Privacy Act, voted not to concur, and requested a committee of conference, appointing Senators Creem, Finegold, and O’Connor. The Senate also adopted an order to reconvene the following Monday at 11 a.m. and to dispense with printing a calendar before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• He's passionate about custom patient care.
• to be a part of the health care community serving our state.
• This is a health care workforce well-being day of awareness, so I appreciate that.
• to caring for those that care for Arizona.
• I understand that there are issues on both sides of this that people care very deeply about.

Transcript Highlights:

• of a few things, but we will break for that service approximately... ...seeing if we can take care of
• integration and engagement, culture of safety, teamwork behaviors, and comprehensive care integration
• A master's degree in business administration and a bachelor's degree in health care administration.
• She has expertise in health care information technology, interoperability, and has worked on physician
• . a master's degree in business administration and a bachelor's degree in health care administration.

Transcript Highlights:

• And it feels like they don't care. This feels like a crime that people don't care about.
• I tell you who cares about it. It's us. It's the people that understand this and care about it.
• And it feels like they don't care. This feels like a crime that people don't care about.
• I tell you who cares about it. It's us. It's the people that understand this and care about it.
• Just reality, these need to be taken care of.

Bills: SB132 , SM16 , SM17

Committee: Senate Senate Rules

Transcript Highlights:

• Nobody cares about that until those potholes.
• the child care tax credit.
• And instead, we're using that money to provide a child care tax credit and a dependent care tax credit
• And I don't know about you all, but I ran on access to care.
• A vote on this bill is to improve access, reduce delays in care, and strengthen our health care infrastructure

Summary: The House convened, opened with prayer and the Pledge, approved the journal, and welcomed several guests in the gallery, including a high school student and an advocate connected to the domestic violence bill HB 2995. The chamber then moved through multiple Committee of the Whole calendars, first advancing HB 4155, HB 4156, and HB 4157, then HB 4164, HB 4165, and HB 4166, all with do-pass recommendations and no substantive amendments on those calendars. Later, the House also considered SB 1326, a victims’ rights measure, adopted a floor amendment, and reported it out as amended. The House corrected an earlier clerical error regarding HB 4155-4157 being referred to engrossing rather than third reading. The House then took up a long series of final passage votes on Senate bills. SB 2174, SB 2611, SB 1011, SB 1012, SB 1016, SB 1018, SB 1038, SB 1039, SB 1040, SB 1053, SB 1055, SB 1057, SB 1060, SB 1061, SB 1068, SB 1069, SB 1075, SB 1100, SB 1113 on reconsideration, SB 1160, and SB 1170 all passed. SB 2873, SB 1004, SB 1009, SB 1042, SB 1043, SB 1049, SB 1093, and SB 1143 failed. SB 2995, the emergency family-law/domestic-violence bill known as the Alec and Lydia Act, passed with the required two-thirds vote after extensive debate; supporters said it would better protect children and clarify judicial standards, while opponents argued its definitions were overly broad and could harm families. SB 1018 on foreign laws also drew extended debate over Sharia law, with supporters framing it as a defense of American values and opponents calling it unnecessary and discriminatory. Several votes included explanations focused on policy concerns. SB 1004 on sex-offender registration and monitoring drew debate over whether electronic monitoring is effective. SB 1040 on voter registration transparency prompted arguments over public access to voter rolls versus privacy and security. SB 1118 on municipal zoning and historical homes was debated as a property-rights and local-control issue, with supporters saying it could help preserve affordable housing and opponents warning it would override local decisions. The House also adopted motions to reconsider prior actions on SB 1043 and SB 1100, and it requested the Senate return SB 1552 for reconsideration. The session ended with the House still processing additional Committee of the Whole business, including HB 4158, HB 4159, HB 4160, HB 4161, HB 4162, and HB 4163, with HB 4162 and HB 4163 receiving floor amendments and do-pass recommendations.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:03:36.480><c> or</c> All petitions filed by health care or All petitions filed by health care
• We all care about public safety.
• </c> I do think though we have to be careful I do think though we have to be careful when<01:50:31.280
• </c> in a dispute with a healthc care in a dispute with a healthc care institution.<01:50:56.639><c>
• And so, so this... health care health care providers<02:51:03.120><c> um</c><02:51:03.439><c> being</

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm here to present AB 2164, the Care Without Fear Act.
• Here to present 2164 the Care Without Fear Act.
• fragile reproductive health care system.
• I provide health care in California because I know my state will always protect health care access.
• AB 2164, the Care Without Fear Act, is the next step in protecting this care.

Summary: The committee heard several public safety bills and took action on multiple measures. AB 1662 by Assemblymember Wilson, which would require notice to the DMV when a defendant receives diversion in certain driving-related cases so points can still be assessed administratively, drew support from law enforcement, district attorneys, AAA, and road safety advocates, with opposition from the Western Center on Law and Poverty. The bill passed on a due pass motion to Transportation and was held on call. AB 1741 by Assemblymember Pacheco, as amended, would allow sexual battery committed during an unlawful residential intrusion to be charged as a wobbler; prosecutors and victim advocates supported it, while public defender organizations argued existing law already covers the conduct and warned the bill was overbroad. It passed due pass as amended to Appropriations and was held on call. AB 2760 by Assemblymember Sharp Collins would let counties with an Office of Inspector General expand that office’s oversight to probation and animal control departments. Supporters, including the author, an Ella Baker Center representative, and San Diego County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe, said it would improve transparency and help counties lacking capacity. Probation officials and Fresno County opposed, citing existing oversight structures and concerns about conflicts, confidentiality, and duplication. The bill passed due pass to Local Government, with some no votes, and was held on call. AB 1753 by Assemblymember Wix, the Survivor Pathways to Safety Act, would strengthen firearm relinquishment and protection-order enforcement, expand firearm prohibitions for certain threats and violations, and broaden remote hearing and notification provisions. Support came from gun violence prevention, victim, medical, and law enforcement groups; gun rights organizations opposed on due process grounds. It passed due pass as amended to Judiciary and was held on call. The committee also heard AB 1743 by Assemblymember Wix, which would allow local governments and certain universities to request firearm trace data from DOJ for research and policy purposes. Supporters said the data would help identify trafficking patterns and inform evidence-based policy, while opponents warned about privacy, misuse, and stigmatizing lawful dealers. The bill passed due pass to Appropriations and was held on call. AB 2164, the Care Without Fear Act, would strengthen California’s shield-law protections for reproductive health care providers against extradition and related enforcement; supporters framed it as protecting lawful care in California, while opponents raised concerns about abortion and gender-affirming care and due process. It passed due pass to Judiciary and was held open. AB 2664, the Safe Worship Zone Act, would create a narrow buffer around houses of worship to prevent harassment of people entering or exiting; faith-based and anti-hate groups supported it, while civil liberties and some community groups opposed it as an unconstitutional speech restriction. The bill passed due pass to Appropriations and was held on call. The committee then began hearing AB 2122 by Assemblymember Kalra, which would prohibit bench warrants for Vehicle Code infractions and allow noncustodial warrants for other infractions, but the transcript cuts off before testimony or action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• also have economic leverage over workers and can stall negotiations, make threats, cut off health care
• and More many groceries Child Care and More many workers<00:10:21.720><c> today</c><00:10:22.519><c>
• </c> appropriate deviating from this careful appropriate deviating from this careful balance<00:14:26.759
• You're possibly paying COBRA or rolling the dice and not having health care.
• 00:29:39.960><c> situation</c> dire need in a health care situation dire need in a health care situation

Transcript Highlights:

• program goes to large cities, those with a population over 300,000, to counties and continuums of care
• And I left out that I've been involved with three different team of cares.
• I, like my colleagues, am very careful... To improve and get better results for all.
• County has, so the L.A. region includes all of the L.A. continuum of cares as well as L.A.
• There are other systems of care as well, the health care systems, criminal justice systems, that have

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Accountability and Oversight held a hearing on California’s homelessness funding, focusing on the Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention (HAP) Grant and the Encampment Resolution Grant Program. HCD described new accountability requirements, including regional action plans, stronger reporting and expenditure conditions, housing-element compliance, encampment response plans, and public dashboards that track fiscal spending, service outcomes, and encampment resolution status. Officials said the goal is to use the data to identify underperforming grantees, provide technical assistance, and, if needed, withhold or reallocate funds. Local officials from San Diego, Fresno, and Santa Cruz said the programs have helped expand shelter, outreach, and permanent housing, and that state dollars have leveraged local and federal resources. Mayor Todd Gloria said San Diego has used HAP to expand shelter and safe sleeping options, reduce downtown encampments, and increase housing production, but argued the state’s new accountability website is too high-level and does not fully reflect countywide conditions, behavioral health outcomes, or the role of continuum-of-care partners. Fresno officials said HAP and other state funds helped the city add shelter beds and reduce homelessness, while Santa Cruz emphasized that state funding helped build local coordination and draw in federal vouchers. Members pressed the panel on whether HAP is actually reducing homelessness, what the best success metrics should be, and whether the state is getting full, usable data from grantees and subcontractors. Several members asked for more granular jurisdiction-level reporting, better tracking of nonprofit spending, and clearer measures beyond point-in-time counts and “people served.” HCD said it is still improving HMIS participation and data quality, but can already show outcomes such as exits to permanent housing and returns to homelessness. The hearing ended with broad agreement that transparency is important, but disagreement remained over the best measures of success and how much emphasis should be placed on housing, prevention, shelter, and treatment.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:21:19.440><c> nursing</c> proposal to add home care nursing proposal to add home care nursing
• Um so the direct care and treatment.
• Uh this is a senate care facilities.
• Um this is a Senate only care hub grant.
• Uh it is Minnesota care area.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we need to be really careful here.
• This local bill enables child care home owners to expand responsibly and increases child care options
• This local bill enables child care home owners to expand responsibly and increases child care options
• We have to be careful of that. But, um, thank you.
• We have to be careful of that.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, moments of silence for former member Terry Fields and the Parkland victims, the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognition of guests and visitors. The chamber then adopted the Rules and Ethics Committee’s special order report setting the day’s calendar and debate times. The main measure taken up was HB 1119, relating to materials harmful to minors in public schools and charter schools, which the sponsor described as a clarification of existing law to keep pornographic or sexually explicit material away from minors and to give districts clearer standards for review and objection processes. The bill drew extensive debate over constitutional concerns, local control, litigation risk, and the scope of the definition of “harmful to minors.” Members supporting the bill argued it was needed to close loopholes and protect children, while opponents warned it could lead to overbroad book removals, conflict with federal court rulings, and costly lawsuits. A series of amendments sought to narrow or redirect the bill: proposals by Gant, Aristide, Bartleman, Eskamani, Nixon, Rainer, Woodson, and Harris would have preserved literary value review, protected educational and abuse-prevention materials, exempted LGBTQ-inclusive books, limited objections, preserved funding for districts, or delayed enforcement during ongoing litigation. Supporters of the amendments framed them as protecting parental choice, academic value, student safety, and district finances; opponents said they would weaken the bill’s child-protection purpose. All of the amendments failed. After the amendment process, the House waived rules, read HB 1119 a third time by title, and entered structured debate on final passage. Debate continued along the same lines, with opponents emphasizing book removals, First Amendment concerns, and the impact on students and schools, and supporters reiterating that the bill was intended to prevent minors from accessing obscene material. The transcript provided ends during structured debate and does not include the final vote on HB 1119.