Transcript Highlights:

• For every 100 people that reported intimate partner violence, 65 were women.
• For every 100 people that reported intimate partner violence, 65 were women.
• For every 100 people that reported intimate partner violence, 65 were women.
• For every 100 people that reported intimate partner violence, 65 were women.
• For every 100 people that reported intimate partner violence, 65 were women.

Committee: House Human Services & Homelessness

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SB 281 SD1, which would define and prohibit torture as a Class A felony. The Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office, HPD investigators, and other supporters said the bill is needed because existing laws do not adequately capture torture, especially cases involving children and vulnerable persons. Several testifiers emphasized that starvation is a common method of torture that often leaves little visible evidence, and they urged the committee to restore the original starvation language removed from the measure. The Office of the Public Defender said it did not oppose the bill’s purpose but raised concerns that the language was too broad and could create trial issues, particularly around minors and vulnerable people, and suggested narrowing amendments. The chair indicated the testimony had made a strong impression and said the committee would try to move the bill forward. The committee then heard SB 292 SD1, relating to sexual exploitation and safe harbor protections for survivors seeking medical or law enforcement help. The Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office supported the measure, noting that a prior version raised equal protection concerns that were no longer present, and said survivors should be able to seek help without fear of prosecution. Written support was also noted from several advocacy and state groups. Testimony in support focused on retaliation fears, trafficking, and the need for manpower and resources to address exploitation and related crimes. Finally, the committee took up SB 295 SD1, which would increase penalties for violating temporary restraining orders and orders for protection and treat a violation of one as a second offense for the other. The Public Defender’s Office objected to the mandatory jail component, arguing judges should retain discretion and that there was no clear evidence mandatory jail deters violations. The transcript cuts off before any final committee action or vote on SB 295 was recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• When I was in college, I sent intimate images to someone that I was dating.
• Months later, I discovered that they were using those images to create content without my consent.
• That content is still online. I was devastated and didn't know who to turn to.
• We are facing market consolidation, a global content market actively out-competing California for production

Committee: House Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:

• have been sexually assaulted or experienced physical violence and or stalking by an individual. intimate
• I will support the resolution AGR 10 based upon the contents of the resolution. based upon the hysterical

Transcript Highlights:

• We're not going to talk about the content in there, but more for background, as, you know, maybe if we
• Higher Education, so with that I'll turn it back to Commissioner Olson. not going to talk about the content
• in not going to talk about the content in there<00:06:42.039><c> but</c><00:06:42.160><c> more</c><00
• emerging issues within that field, and so training on things like trauma-informed care, stalking, intimate
• emerging issues within that field, and so training on things like trauma-informed care, stalking, intimate

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• 2019, most homeowner insurance companies responded positively to my call, providing at least 75% of contents
• This bill would require insurers to pay 100% of contents coverage without needing a detailed inventory
• Then people that I know intimately, going to church, lost everything.

Summary: The committee first heard AB 597, a bill to strengthen consumer protections for disaster survivors who use public adjusters. The author and the Department of Insurance said the measure would cap public adjuster fees at 15% for claims tied to declared disasters, require clearer contracts, prohibit solicitation during emergency conditions, and allow consumers to rescind contracts that were solicited during prohibited periods. Insurance industry groups supported the bill, while public adjuster representatives opposed it as written but said they were willing to work on revisions. The committee approved the bill and re-referred it to Appropriations; the roll call was ultimately recorded as 16-0. The committee then held its fourth oversight hearing on the Department of Insurance’s Sustainable Insurance Strategy, with Commissioner Ricardo Lara giving an extensive update on wildfire-related market reforms and consumer protections. He said the recent Southern California wildfires had not derailed the strategy and described actions including advance claim payments, a one-year moratorium on residential non-renewals in affected areas, a new fraud strike team, smoke-damage claim guidance, additional living expense protections, and a consumer claims tracker. He reported more than $12.1 billion in claims paid, over 37,000 claims filed, and more than 7,000 survivors assisted directly. He also discussed related bills and reforms, including AB 597, SB 495, SB 547, SB 429, SB 616, AB 888, and AB 2026. Members questioned the commissioner about the Fair Plan’s growing exposure, the $1 billion assessment, rate increases, non-renewals, underinsurance, and whether the reforms would actually stabilize the market. Lara said the assessment was already approved, that policyholders would not be hit with one large bill because insurers have two years to recover costs, and that the department was pushing insurers to use catastrophe modeling and reinsurance tools in exchange for commitments to write more policies in wildfire-distressed areas. He said the department expects to see market stabilization by 2026, though he emphasized the timeline depends on insurer participation, implementation of the new regulations, and future disaster activity. Members generally expressed support for the goals of the strategy while pressing for clearer expectations for consumers and faster action on mitigation and market reform.

Transcript Highlights:

• to quote our Supreme Court, "An individual poses a credible threat to the physical safety of an intimate
• In 2023, 205 Texans were victims of intimate partner violence or stalking. ...state laws prohibiting
• During the time that I've been doing this work, the number of intimate partner homicides has more than
• Seventy-six percent of women murdered by intimate partners and eighty-five percent of women who survive
• Due to intimate partner homicide, right now as written, the bill does not cover stalking.

Bills: HB259 , HB 1128 , HB1337 , HB1506 , HB1794 , HB2215 , HB2470 , HB2771 , HB2882 , HB2993 , HB3053 , HB3428 , HB3669 , HB3789 , HB3924 , HB4201 , HB4675 , HB259

Committee: House Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

Keywords: healthcare, insurance, patient rights, medical expenses, access to care, affordability, legislation, firearms, penal code, regulation, short-barrel firearms, ammunition, gun control, public safety, Texas law, short-barrel, law enforcement, election judges, concealed handgun, polling places

Transcript Highlights:

• I feel like this is an intimate conversation about a topic that I care deeply about.
• This bill is done in a way that's ownership-neutral, platform-neutral, content-neutral.
• This bill is done in a way that's ownership-neutral, platform-neutral, content-neutral.
• California remains the best place in the world to make content.
• California remains the best place in the world to make content.

Committee: Senate Revenue and Taxation

Transcript Highlights:

• I have worked with her intimately over the past 5 years and I have found her to be collaborative, engaging
• I have worked with her<00:04:57.760><c> intimately</c><00:04:58.480><c> over</c><00:04:58.640><c> the
• 58.760><c> past</c><00:04:59.200><c> 5</c><00:04:59.520><c> years</c><00:05:00.080><c> and</c> her intimately
• over the past 5 years and her intimately over the past 5 years and I<00:05:00.400><c> have</c><00:05

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Summary: The Judiciary Committee held a Governor’s Message hearing on two nominations. For GM 750, Tracy Fujita was nominated to the Commission to Promote Uniform Legislation for a term ending June 30, 2030. Testimony in support came from several officials and commission members, including the Deputy Attorney General, Maui Behavioral Health Resources CEO Nicole Hokoana, Maui Council Chair Alice Lee, and Uniform Law Commission members. Fujita said her county-level legislative law background at the Department of Corporation Counsel and Office of Council Services would help her serve, and she expressed particular interest in health care legislation. For GM 778, Jessica Schafer was nominated to the Commission on the Status of Women for a term ending June 30, 2030. Support testimony came from Commission Executive Director Yasmin Chaney and multiple others. Schafer said her background includes prosecuting domestic violence cases, working in a human trafficking clinic, investigating sexual misconduct in higher education, and leading gender-based violence programming at the University of Hawaii; she said she is especially interested in sexual and gender-based violence issues but is open to broader commission work. After questioning, the committee moved to decision-making on both nominations. The chair recommended advise and consent for each, and the committee adopted both measures without any no votes or reservations. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So is it your contention that those are all poorly performing schools? Thank you, Senator Lewis.
• My contention is, and I think this is shared by... ...many others that basing that on just pure MCAS
• Developing these skills is so incredibly important in an era when misinformation floods the content we
• They identify what content students actually know and document how much they've grown over any period
• They identify what content students actually know and document how much they've grown over any period

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Education

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:

• </c> visualizations of minors in an intimate visualizations of minors in an intimate manner.<04:28:16.000
• A common type of intimate visual representation is a deepfake nude.
• A common<04:33:44.799><c> type</c><04:33:45.119><c> of</c><04:33:45.439><c> intimate</c><04:33:45.920
• ><c> visual</c> common type of intimate visual common type of intimate visual representation<04:33:46.959
• </c><04:35:07.199><c> imagery,</c> 2024, non-consentual intimate imagery, 2024, non-consentual intimate

Committee: House Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• My point isn't, you know, I'm not intimately aware of all the things that are happening in Durham, where
• My point isn't, you know, I'm not intimately aware of all the things that are happening in Durham, where
• My point isn't, you know, I'm not intimately aware of all the things that are happening in Durham, where
• My point isn't, you know, I'm not intimately aware of all the things that are happening in Durham, where
• My point isn't, you know, I'm not intimately aware of all the things that are happening in Durham, where

Committee: House Housing

Transcript Highlights:

• This study is essential because in New Mexico we experience some of the highest rates of intimate partner
• Rates of intimate partner violence in the nation, with devastating impacts on individuals, families,
• So I've been doing this work in intimate partner and domestic violence since 1999, and I absolutely agree
• The network of intimate partner domestic violence, community-based, nonprofit, non-governmental domestic
• ...and long-term housing, working in your community with possibly affirming heart to receive an intimate

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 130, which would require heart calcium scans for people over 50, allow pharmacists to manage related screening and medication, and eliminate cost-sharing barriers for the testing and treatment. The sponsor argued the bill could prevent coronary artery disease deaths and reduce long-term health costs, while an industry lobbyist questioned whether it would actually save patients money and raised concerns about the substitute language. After questions about costs, rural access, pharmacist training, liability, and the effect of treatment, the committee adopted a due pass recommendation on the committee substitute by a 6-4 vote. The committee then considered House Bill 31, the EMS personnel licensure interstate compact. Supporters from the Chamber of Commerce, Think New Mexico, the Health Care Authority, and an autism advocacy group said the compact would help address EMS shortages, improve emergency response, and support rural health workforce needs. One opponent warned about out-of-state personnel practicing under unfamiliar standards and possible retention problems. The committee adopted an immunity-related amendment and then gave the bill a 9-0 do pass recommendation. House Bill 33, the psychology inter-jurisdictional compact, was also heard and amended with a similar immunity change. Supporters said it would expand telehealth and behavioral health access, while some members questioned data on workforce shortages, standards, and how the compact would affect New Mexico’s oversight. The committee approved the amended bill 8-0. House Bill 43, a cleanup bill for PERA disability and survivor pension provisions, was presented as a technical measure to clarify statutes, update the disability earnings cap to match Social Security, and reduce ambiguity without changing benefits or liabilities. Members asked about double-dipping, survivor provisions, and fiscal impact, and the bill received a 9-0 do pass recommendation. The committee also heard Senate Memorial 22, which asks the Legislative Finance Committee to study how CYFD-administered state and federal funds support domestic violence services. Sponsors and advocates said funding has been flat or reduced despite rising need, and that providers need clearer, more transparent data; committee members expressed concern that the state lacks a clear accounting of where the money goes. The memorial passed on a 9-0 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• precautionary boil-water notice during this entire time, and that was because we had a low chlorine content
• officials to pursue a port direction of ship repair and the associated workforce training based on an intimate
• officials to pursue a port direction of ship repair and the associated workforce training based on an intimate

Summary: The committee took up a long agenda of land use, public records, infrastructure, and local-government bills. The most debated measures were CS for CS for HB 399 and CS for HB 979, both sponsored by Rep. Borrero, which sought to streamline development approvals and reduce local-government barriers. HB 399 would require simple-majority approval for certain land development applications, mandate local definitions of compatibility, and add provisions affecting destination resorts, manufactured housing, historic properties, and a study of urban development boundaries. HB 979 would allow administrative rezoning of environmentally damaged five-acre-or-larger parcels in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties for residential use if adjacent to neighborhoods. Supporters argued both bills would increase housing supply, encourage cleanup of contaminated land, and lower costs; opponents argued they preempt local decision-making, weaken voter-approved growth controls, and do not guarantee affordability. Both bills were amended and then reported favorably, with HB 399 passing 16-10 and HB 979 passing after debate. The committee also approved CS for HB 437, a public records bill by Rep. Andrade, on a 25-0 vote. The bill requires agencies to respond to public records requests within three days by producing the records, citing why they cannot, or giving a good-faith estimate of time and cost; it also limits agencies from later relying on exemptions not previously raised. Proponents said the measure addresses long delays and nonresponses by agencies, while school district representatives warned the timeline could be difficult for large, complex requests. The committee adopted the bill and sent it favorably. Several local and special district bills were also approved. CS for CS for HB 1103 would help local governments coordinate with FWC on derelict vessels and anchoring issues and passed unanimously. CS for HB 1245, dealing with biosolids regulation, also passed unanimously. CS for HB 4081 to expand the East Point Water and Sewer District passed 25-0. CS for HB 4103, creating a state special district for the Apalachicola water and sewer system, passed 25-1 after testimony from city officials who argued the city had improved its water system and should retain a role. CS for HB 4105, expanding the Port St. Joe Port Authority into a multi-county regional board, passed 23-3 despite opposition from residents concerned about infrastructure, environmental impacts, and local control. The committee also began consideration of PCS for CS for HB 433, an agriculture-related bill with changes to surplus lands and other provisions, but the transcript cuts off before final action on that measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• But first, I'll give you, Senator Dhingra and I are intimately aware of the sentencing task force.
• Second of all, it's my contention that any parole system should be administered by an administrative
• because it's essential that people with the lived experience in these systems, especially the lifelong intimate

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:

• They had to actually remove all sexual content. They had content throughout their 22 chapters.
• This content is euphemistically referred to adult content, but it's also legally referred to. to as harmful
• content, and that's for a reason.
• And that is obscene content, which is defined as harmful content. and what the Federal Communications
• Why can't we label books containing indecent content? profane content.

Bills: SB12 , SB1565 , SB13 , SJR12 , SB686 , SB371 , SB204 , SB609 , SB112 , SB400 , SB813 , SB 12 , SB 13

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Education K-16

Transcript Highlights:

• I feel like this is an intimate conversation about a topic that I care deeply about.
• This bill is done in a way that's ownership-neutral, platform-neutral, content-neutral.
• This bill is done in a way that's ownership-neutral, platform-neutral, content-neutral.
• California remains the best place in the world to make content.
• But there is a gap in that vision: commercial production, advertising, branded content, and short-form

Summary: The committee heard and advanced several tax-related bills, beginning with AB 760, which would exempt settlement payments tied to the Garden Grove chemical incident from California income tax. The author and a school district trustee described evacuations, school closures, and losses to residents, businesses, students, and staff, arguing the payments should make victims whole rather than be taxed. There was support from the Orange County Board of Supervisors, no opposition, and the bill passed 3-0 to Appropriations, with committee amendments accepted. Members then heard AB 2319, creating a California post-production tax credit for film and television work done in-state, even when principal photography occurred elsewhere or the project did not receive the existing film credit. The author and supporters from the Motion Picture Editors Guild, California Post Alliance, and others said post-production jobs and facilities are leaving California and that the bill would help retain high-wage work; opponents were not present. The committee members generally supported the measure, and it passed 3-0 to Appropriations. AB 2186 followed, excluding future reparations benefits for descendants of formerly enslaved people from state income tax. The author and NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference said taxing such benefits would undermine reparative justice; there was no opposition, and the bill passed 3-0. The committee also heard AB 762, which would ban the sale of disposable nicotine vapes and add enforcement tools. Supporters, including waste, recycling, local government, and public health groups, said disposable vapes create fire hazards, waste problems, and costs for local agencies; opponents argued the bill would mainly eliminate the legal market while leaving illicit products untouched and urged stronger enforcement instead. The author accepted committee amendments adding CDTFA enforcement, but the bill was not voted on because a motion was pending and members were absent. Later, AB 1519, AB 2172, AB 2222, AB 1793, AB 2089, and AB 1265 were heard and each received support from committee members and passed 2-0 or 3-0 to Appropriations, with amendments accepted where noted. AB 1519 clarified that the 20-year tax collection statute of limitations should not be reset by later fees or penalties; AB 2172 would let large counties use a single assessment appeals commissioner for complex property tax appeals; AB 2222 would create a temporary tax credit for local news organizations to retain and hire journalists; AB 1793 would authorize symmetrical cash rounding to the nearest nickel after the federal penny phaseout; AB 2089 would streamline the welfare exemption filing process for affordable housing; and AB 1265 would extend and revise the historic building tax credit to encourage adaptive reuse for housing and mixed-use projects.

Transcript Highlights:

• We feel contentment when we feel one with the world around us.
• It is the contentment and fulfillment of a parent holding close to a child.
• When our minds are right, we feel the contentment and happiness of a parent holding their child.
• In this role, I became intimately aware of the challenges facing California's county jails.
• Importantly, the cases were not about speech or online content.

Summary: The Assembly convened, established a quorum, and opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance before moving through the daily file. Several measures were taken up and passed, including bills on county jail accountability (AB 2257), claims against public agencies (AB 2529), affordable housing management metrics (AB 2689), digital wellness instruction in schools (AB 2071), pedestrian and bicycle safety project streamlining (AB 1976), manufactured home transport permits (AB 2012), a Surplus Land Act amendment tied to an Inland Empire soccer project (AB 2139), a Monterey Bay stewardship authority (AB 1548), online electrician licensing (AB 1707), a Caltrans study of navigation apps’ traffic impacts (AB 2105), coastal resiliency permitting reforms (AB 2051), downtown housing streamlining and financing (AB 2074), Cal Fire compensation (AB 2129), emergency care authority for Del Puerto Health Care District (AB 2282), charter school facilities hardship relief (AB 2316), theft by a peace officer under color of authority as serious misconduct (AB 2337), an Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-serving institution designation (AB 2374), energy and cannabis support bills (AB 2464, AB 2537), and a suicide prevention plan requirement for treatment facilities (AB 2562). Most of these measures passed with broad bipartisan margins, and several were described as support bills with no opposition. The floor also debated a major criminal justice measure, AB 2727, which would raise the threshold for elderly parole eligibility for people serving sentences for violent sex offenses and add screening safeguards. Supporters from both parties emphasized child protection, survivor trauma, and specific local cases involving offenders who had become eligible for release; the bill passed 66-0. Another significant debate centered on AB 1958, which would clarify procedures under the California Racial Justice Act by refining how disparity claims are established and rebutted; the author said he would take Senate amendments to address concerns from district attorneys. The Assembly also considered AB 2313, a gas-to-electric transition bill allowing customers with planned service line replacements to opt out of gas service and use funds to electrify their homes. Members raised concerns about cost shifts and equity, and the author responded that the bill includes no-cost-shift language, larger credits for disadvantaged communities, and would not proceed if the math does not work; it passed 41-21. The final major item was AB 1709, a high-profile social media safety bill creating a minimum age of 16 for accounts on platforms using addictive features and establishing an e-safety commission. The author and many supporters from both parties framed the bill as a response to youth mental health harms, addictive design, and the need for age-based safeguards, while some members raised concerns about impacts on LGBTQ youth and other isolated young people who rely on online spaces. Supporters said the bill targets addictive design rather than speech and is intended to preserve safe online connection while limiting harmful features. The measure drew extensive bipartisan support and was still under debate at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• We feel contentment when we feel one with the world around us.
• It is the contentment and fulfillment of a parent holding close to a child.
• When our minds are right, we feel the contentment and happiness of a parent holding their child.
• In this role, I became intimately aware of the challenges facing California's county jails.
• Importantly, the cases were not about speech or online content.

Transcript Highlights:

• Many of the examples brought up today were based on content.
• So, to try to mitigate most of this harmful content.
• Many of the examples brought up today were based on content.
• And I know that on its face this looks like a content we're based on content.
• The opposition focused so much on content. The opposition focused so much on content.

Committee: House Judiciary

Summary: The committee first heard AB 2, which would impose enhanced financial penalties on large social media companies when negligence proven in court causes harm to children and teens. The author and supporters, including Common Sense Media and education and child advocacy groups, argued that social media algorithms and design features amplify harmful content and that existing remedies are not enough to deter misconduct. Opponents from TechNet, CCIA, the Chamber of Commerce, EFF, and others warned the bill was vague, could chill content moderation and encryption, invite litigation, and be preempted by Section 230. Several members raised concerns about defining “harm,” but the bill passed on a roll call vote and was sent onward. The committee then took up AB 282, which would allow landlords and housing providers to establish preferences for tenants who use housing vouchers or other rental assistance, clarifying that such preferences are not unlawful source-of-income discrimination. Supporters from housing authorities, local governments, AARP, legal aid groups, and housing nonprofits said the bill would help voucher holders find units and improve voucher utilization. There was no opposition testimony, and the bill passed with a roll call vote and was sent to Appropriations. Next was AB 882, dealing with court reporter availability and the use of electronic recording in certain cases when an official court reporter is unavailable. The author and supporters, including court reporter and labor representatives, said the bill is a temporary, narrowly tailored response to a shortage while preserving accurate records. Opponents from consumer attorneys, defense counsel, the Judicial Council, and others argued the bill was too narrow, could harm access to justice, and should be expanded or revised. Members from both parties expressed mixed views but generally supported continuing the conversation; the bill passed and was placed on call. The committee also heard AB 325 on algorithmic price fixing, which would update antitrust law to address collusion through pricing software and digital tools. Supporters said the bill targets modern forms of cartel behavior and closes loopholes that let companies coordinate prices through algorithms. Opponents from the Chamber of Commerce, Civil Justice Association, TechNet, retailers, hospitals, and others argued the conduct is already illegal, the bill is overbroad, and its definitions and burden-shifting provisions need work. Members requested clarifications to key definitions and pleading standards, but the bill passed as amended and was placed on call. The committee then briefly heard AB 935, which would strengthen civil rights data collection and transparency, especially for educational settings; it had no opposition, passed, and was placed on call. Finally, AB 67 was presented to let the Attorney General enforce the Reproductive Privacy Act and seek penalties against local governments that interfere with abortion access. Supporters framed it as an enforcement tool to protect reproductive rights, while opponents from California Family Council and others denounced it as expanding state power to protect abortion access; the transcript cuts off during that item.

Transcript Highlights:

• And again, protecting women... ...and girls in their most intimate moments.
• There's probably anyone in those private intimate spaces. Is that correct? That's right.
• Finally, we've kind of talked about the different areas and the different silos of where these intimate
• male who was transitioning to become a female, that they were allowed in those practices. private, intimate

Bills: SB15 , SB9 , SB7 , SB1 , SB2 , SB67 , SB15 , SB9 , SB7