Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the Deputy State Engineer.
• Planning Act.
• the regional water plans across the state, that we're... ...recognizing the important role that our
• tribal communities play with respect to our planning efforts and with respect to the implementation of
• Okay, and that includes state and federal money? Just state.

Transcript Highlights:

• He's a long-range planning manager there.
• Alon Basak, County Planning Manager for Pierce County.
• I’m the planning director for the City of Spokane.
• I've been at planning a long time now since 1970... I've been planning a long time now since 1978.
• You know, how do you manage the workload that is long-range planning, current planning, enforcement,

Summary: The committee held a work session on local government issues, beginning with an update from the State Building Code Council on four legislatively mandated code amendments now in CR-102 rulemaking: temporary emergency shelters, reduced minimum dwelling unit size, multiplex housing up to three stories and six units, and single-exit apartment buildings up to six stories. Council staff also described a separate embodied-carbon appendix proposal that remains under public review, with testimony both supporting and opposing it. Members asked about the rationale for some of the code limits, including the restriction on connecting multiplex buildings. The committee then heard a panel on annexations from MRSC, Pierce County, and the Association of Washington Cities. Witnesses reviewed annexation methods, including petition, election, and interlocal agreement approaches, and said larger annexations are increasingly using interlocal agreements because they can address infrastructure, revenue sharing, and public process concerns. They described barriers such as inconsistent local standards, the cost of infrastructure, referendum risk, census requirements, and the difficulty of persuading residents and local officials to support annexation. Members asked about the five-year restriction on residential zoning changes in one annexation method and whether a hearing examiner could reduce political pressure on local decision-makers. A second panel discussed subdivision reform. The Master Builders Association urged raising the short-plat threshold within urban growth areas to 30 lots as a simpler first step, citing permitting delays and added housing costs. The City of Spokane described implementation problems with recent housing laws, including uncertainty about how to review plats under HB 1110, lot-splitting administration, and added notice requirements for unit lot subdivisions. AWC said there was broad agreement that subdivision decisions should be more administrative, but public hearings remained a point of disagreement. The committee also heard from FutureWise, the Washington State Association of Counties, and Lewis County on county development regulation and enforcement, with witnesses emphasizing underfunded code enforcement, inconsistent standards between counties and cities, and the need for better coordination, incentives, and possibly stronger enforcement tools. No votes were taken; the chair said the committee would continue working on possible solutions in future sessions.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm State Senator Jason Lewis.
• State and federal law states that eligible students must be given reasonable accommodations or must be
• They create and implement individualized health care plans, administer medications and treatments, perform
• Over 40 states already require it.
• I urge the committee to revise the bill to require DESE to develop a phased implementation plan within

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education held a public hearing on a large slate of bills, with the chairs emphasizing time limits, written testimony, and grouping similar measures together. Early testimony focused on opioid use disorder education in schools (S.382), with Senator Keenan arguing that students should be taught about the risks of substance use disorder and naloxone use as part of health curricula. Representative DeCost also briefly introduced H.551, a narrow bill concerning parent rights for children in third grade and younger. Several bills were then closed without testimony, including measures on type 1 diabetes informational materials and other diabetes-related proposals. A major portion of the hearing centered on school health and emergency response bills. Supporters of H.652/S.342 on diabetes management in schools described inconsistent district practices and urged clearer standards so students can receive care in classrooms rather than being sent out of instruction. Bills on epinephrine access and seizure disorders drew extensive testimony: advocates for stock epinephrine in schools argued that unassigned epinephrine can save lives and should be funded in a cost-neutral way, while a pediatrician opposed one version as an unfunded mandate. For seizure-safe schools (S.422/H.635), students, parents, educators, and advocates described missed or delayed responses to seizures, stigma, and the need for staff training, seizure action plans, and emergency medication protocols. A separate bill, H.645, allowing anti-seizure medication on school buses, was supported by a parent and student who said current law forces costly and restrictive transportation arrangements. The committee also heard testimony on youth skin health bills (S.334/H.600/H.619), which would let students carry and apply sunscreen at school and camp without a physician’s note. Supporters from melanoma prevention, dermatology, and industry groups said the bills would remove unnecessary barriers and promote sun-safe habits, while one witness cautioned about drafting details and unintended consequences. The hearing then moved to CPR/AED education for graduation (S.456), where Senator Tarr, a student advocate, and the Red Cross all supported requiring hands-on CPR certification for high school students. Finally, the committee took testimony on healthy school lunches (H.539/S.401): supporters from the Healthy School Lunch Coalition and school food directors backed stronger nutrition standards and a standing advisory council, while Consumer Brands Association witnesses opposed the bill as too vague and potentially disruptive. A nutrition scientist also warned about unintended restrictions on medically necessary or innovative foods. The chairs closed the hearing on the healthy lunch bills and then opened testimony on universal school meals for virtual schools (H.700), with Superintendent Patrick Latuka supporting access for students in Commonwealth virtual schools who currently receive no meal support.

Transcript Highlights:

• Lastly, on transparency, we need to codify a transition plan and implementation timeline, specify responsiveness
• Unlike other areas of state policy where the Governor's administration clearly implements the law, our
• This aligns funding and policy implementation directly with the State Board and Governor.
• Importantly, the state superintendent... Implementation directly with the State Board and Governor.
• To fully realize this promise on these investments, the state must ensure that the policies can be implemented

Summary: The committee heard several education-related bills, with the most extensive discussion focused on AB 2189, AB 2615, AB 2496, AB 1750, and AB 1644. AB 2189 would create an $800,000 grant program through the State Council on Developmental Disabilities to support a statewide parent network for special education advocacy and training. Supporters said families need stronger coordination and information to navigate special education, while an opponent argued the bill could duplicate existing family-led organizations. The bill passed 6-0 and was sent to Appropriations, held on call for add-on votes. AB 2615, a cleanup bill to AB 715 on antisemitism and instructional materials, drew the most controversy. The authors said it was intended to clarify prior commitments by removing references to professional responsibility standards, refining the “factually accurate” language, and clarifying how discriminatory materials are handled. Supporters said it would help protect students from discrimination, while many educators, civil rights groups, and other organizations opposed it unless amended, warning that the factual-accuracy language could chill teaching and be applied too broadly. The committee chair and members raised concerns about implementation but ultimately supported moving the bill forward; it passed 5-0 and was held on call. AB 2496 would streamline school accountability reporting by making the California School Dashboard the primary transparency tool, phasing out the School Accountability Report Card over time, and making mid-year LCAP reporting optional. Supporters said this would reduce duplication and administrative burden while preserving access to key data; opponents worried families could lose the simplicity and accessibility of the current SARC and that the mid-year update still serves an important purpose. The bill was approved 3-0 and held on call. AB 1750, which would extend full salary for an additional five months for school employees who exhaust sick leave due to illness or injury, was supported as a dignity and retention measure but opposed by administrators over staffing and cost concerns; it passed 4-0 and was held on call. AB 1644 would require a bell-to-bell smartphone ban in TK-8 and recommend it for high school, with exceptions for instructional and safety needs; supporters said phones are harming attention and learning, while opponents argued districts had just adopted local policies and needed more flexibility. The transcript ends during discussion of that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• state attorney's offices.
• , no raise for state employees.
• In recognition, the state provided free admission to Florida State Parks.
• We see state government overreach with the state using funding to limit decisions that should be made
• We are in the state, in the state house. We are at the local, the Senate, the federal.

Keywords: 998, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And finally, we will hear from CalHR and DGS on their plans to implement the Governor's recent executive
• This would include the spending plan and also vote cow. How about require state?
• And so if there's any changes in state statute to implement the changes that would be seen as a state
• to achieve that plan.
• And so, right now, we're working with those state departments as they implement telework themselves.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• plans.
• There was a proposal on the table to at least delay the implementation of the plan, if I understand that
• So the two counties that Burleson spans have both implemented new appraisal plans: one on a three-year
• plans, policies, or practices that authorize or require property appraisals inconsistent with state
• Consistency for appraisal districts across the state in implementing the appraisal cap under section

Bills: HB329, HB361, HB546, HB1547, HB1745, HB2786, HB3235, HB3370, HB3575, HJR83

Keywords: appraisal, property value, residential real estate, tax code, appraisal review board, property owners, property tax, homeowners, property owner rights, property appraisal, taxation, Texas Tax Code, real estate, ad valorem tax, homestead exemption, market value, condemnation, tax appraisal, open-space land, land use

Transcript Highlights:

• The core IIJA formula program gives states funding certainty to properly plan and deliver for the future
• states. programs.
• modernizing a 58-year-old bridge on State Road, State Route 9.
• a budget impact to one state or the other to try to do a bi-state crossing.
• So it varies geographically from state to state.

Keywords: Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, IIJA, bipartisan infrastructure, funding flexibility, NEPA, environmental reviews, bureaucratic delays, federal funding, infrastructure investment

Summary: The committee meeting focused on the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, discussing the ongoing implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Chairman Capito highlighted the bipartisan nature of the legislation and the necessity of refining existing provisions to ensure effective delivery of transportation projects. Notable emphasis was placed on the need for flexibility in funding to address inflation impacts and delays caused by bureaucratic hurdles, especially relating to environmental reviews under NEPA. Witnesses from state transportation agencies provided valuable insights into real-world challenges faced in project execution, ultimately underscoring the importance of continuous federal support for infrastructure development. The discussion also touched on the broader implications of federal funding freezes by the previous administration, which have reportedly hindered several ongoing and planned projects. This issue raised significant concern among committee members, who urged the need for reliable funding and the removal of unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles that could cause delays in project implementation. The meeting concluded with a commitment from the members to work collaboratively to overcome these challenges and ensure a smooth path forward for critical infrastructure investments.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is why, to start the 2023-24 school year, Moundsby High School implemented a plan to consistently
• And I cannot stress how important it is that the people tasked with implementing the plan be the designers
• implemented a plan to consistently implemented a plan to consistently restrict<01:34:53.520>
• /c> with implementing the plan be the with implementing the plan be the designers<01:35:07.920> of
• states red, purple and blue pass these. states red, purple and blue pass these.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It was in the plan to be about a five-year project, so that was part of the plan all along.
• That's like the Be Well program at the state. Program at the state. Moving to page 15.
• There was some money for implementation in the prisons, some implementation for juveniles.
• We'll work with them to provide a detailed plan of implementation.
• Chair, Representative Dixon, so the request kind of mirrors what other states have implemented, I believe

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I'll use the state employee plan for example.
• state cannot regulate those self-funded plans when it comes to plan design.
• And as stated before, there are many other states who implement this as part of their Medicaid home-
• And as stated before, there are many other states who implement this as part of their Medicaid home-
• those states that have implemented<05:00:38.080> that.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So item K, we change protection plan to immediate safety plan. Obviously, words have meaning.
• So we're changing protection to immediate safety plan.
• So, protection plan was an old term that DCFS used.
• So, protection plan was an old term that DCFS used. Now we use immediate safety planning.
• home with their parents and we feel like we can implement a protection plan.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill had $100 million for states in total to help implement this.
• implementation of that if that choice is made by the state to proceed with that option.
• <00:11:13.160> and to help us with the planning and to help us with the planning and implementation
• Hampshire, State Suicide Prevention Plan, that we then evaluate implementation, recommend initiatives
• Hampshire, State Suicide Prevention Hampshire, State Suicide Prevention Plan,<00:57:20.880> that

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee met on May 29 and approved the draft minutes. DHHS Commissioner Weaver then opened the department update by asking Medicaid Director Henry Litman to brief members on federal and state Medicaid changes, and later turned to DHHS Chief Operating Officer David Weathers for an update on data governance. Members also asked that acronyms be spelled out in future materials and requested a follow-up on the federal Medicaid rule once it is published. Litman reviewed several federal Medicaid provisions tied to HR 1/"OBBA" and related state implementation issues. He said the first major change would be restrictions on certain non-citizens’ Medicaid coverage, affecting about 400 people in New Hampshire, with notices likely 30 to 60 days before the effective date. He also discussed new work requirements/community engagement rules, saying New Hampshire is on track to implement them and will likely need a state plan amendment rather than an 1115 waiver. Other changes included shorter retroactive coverage periods, a new state option for certain community-based services with an estimated $740,000 in implementation support, a freeze and phased-down reduction in the Medicaid enhancement tax beginning in state fiscal year 2029, and limits on directed payments to hospitals after a grandfathering period. He also noted that Medicaid enrollment has fallen from pandemic-era levels, with about 167,000 people covered as of May 1, and that the department is working with CMS on child premiums and other cost-sharing changes approved in HB 2. Committee members asked how the department could plan for the 2029 changes given the number of elections before then, and Litman said federal rules may be adjusted over time as states and stakeholders raise concerns. He emphasized planning for the worst while hoping for the best, and said rural health care transformation funding would help the state prepare. In the second presentation, Weathers explained that data governance is now embedded in DHHS operations to control access, manage reporting, and respond to risk. He defined it as managing what data is collected, how it is used, who can access it, and what laws apply, and said DHHS has moved from governance as a committee to governance as an operational process. He described privacy impact assessments for new systems going into production, monthly privacy and security training, and ongoing review of access controls and data-sharing rules.

Transcript Highlights:

• That best product for the state. We also spoke to many states as well.
• State or they're moving to another state, but they're moving between neighborhoods.
• States?
• State government.
• In addition, the state...

Transcript Highlights:

• environment protection plan is.
• environmental protection plan.
• environmental protection plan, but the guidelines in the plan are weak and largely optional.
• And expressly stating that all pesticide and herbicide laws, local, state, and federal, ...must be followed
• plan is supposed to be that sort of one-stop shop, if you will. ...where regional water quality, state

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• County-run health plans are currently implemented in 32 counties.
• 00:41:43.359> implemented health plans are currently implemented health plans are currently implemented
• I want to simply state that every state that's implemented one of these models has stabilized pharmacy
• I want to simply state that every state that's implemented one of these models has stabilized pharmacy
• I want to simply state that every state that's implemented one of these models has stabilized pharmacy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• and complying with of implementing and complying with multiple<00:01:33.680> state<00:01:34.000
• <00:03:49.680> of change similar to that of the state of change similar to that of the state
• <00:09:22.200> and Noah hanapin but across the state and Noah hanapin but across the state
• <00:48:15.880> Jordan's<00:48:16.400> implementation implementation Jordan's implementation
• These steps take careful planning and implementation, requiring collaboration among multiple staff members

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Education Policy Committee met under a co-chair arrangement and heard opening remarks emphasizing civility, direct testimony from school leaders, and a focus on whether state policy is meeting student needs in the least intrusive and most cost-effective way. Chair Coleman asked testifiers to keep remarks brief and policy-focused, and the committee began with a series of superintendents describing local budget pressures and the cumulative impact of state mandates. Anoka-Hennepin Superintendent Corey McIntyre said the district, the state’s largest, is serving about 37,000 students and faces a roughly $26 million deficit even after major reductions, including cutting about $44 million and roughly 250 central office jobs. He cited rising costs tied to compensation, special education and multilingual cross-subsidies, unemployment, paid leave, READ Act implementation, student/staff safety and K-3 discipline requirements, and transportation, saying the district still faces about $50 million in mandate-related shortfalls and may need to reduce class size and student supports. Senator Kunesh responded that summer unemployment claims are paid from a separate state budget line, not the district general fund, and asked about paid leave costs; McIntyre and the chair clarified the district’s concern was the possibility of future costs if state funding ends. Prior Lake-Savage Superintendent Michael Thomas said district revenues are rising only about 2.5% to 3% while expenses are growing 5% or more, driven by inflation and vendor costs. He argued that the state’s inflationary funding tie should be maintained, and asked for an increase in local optional aid of $250 per pupil and more flexibility for districts that struggle to pass local levies. Minnetonka Superintendent David Law argued that schools are being asked to absorb broader community burdens, including food and mental health needs, while still being judged on academics and graduation; he said REACT funding fell short, forcing the district to shift reading funds to staff development, and urged the committee not to roll mandates forward without funding. Fergus Falls Superintendent Jeff Drake said expanded unemployment, earned sick and safe time, and paid family leave are creating staffing and budget challenges for rural districts, estimating unemployment costs could reach $240,000 annually and sick and safe time about $25,000, with added difficulty recruiting support staff and substitutes. No committee votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Then we have a state plan.
• Our upcoming budget year is for state fiscal year 27, and we still have about another year to plan.
• Is there an implementation plan?
• Historically, that money is allocated to states on July 1st to give districts and charters time to plan
• PED has an implementation plan for the amount of changes that will be coming, regardless of what the

Transcript Highlights:

• The state auditor is the first.
• I was going to ask about the intermediate housing that other states have implemented.
• state law?
• state law?
• You have a presence here in the state? We have a presence here in the state for SVPs.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit Committee held an oversight hearing on the state auditor’s October 2024 report on California’s Forensic Conditional Release Program (CONREP) for sexually violent predators. Members and witnesses discussed public safety, the long delays in finding community housing, the role of local housing committees, and the Department of State Hospitals’ oversight of Liberty Healthcare, which operates much of the program. Several legislators from rural and high-desert districts said their communities have been disproportionately affected by placements and questioned why many placements end up in remote areas. State Auditor Grant Parks said the audit found that CONREP participants were convicted of new offenses less often than sexually violent predators who were unconditionally released, but that 18 of 56 participants had been revoked and returned to state hospitals for noncompliance. He said it took an average of 17 months to place current participants in the community, with 20 additional people awaiting placement for an average of 20 months, and that the program incurred significant pre-placement costs. Parks also said local officials were often unclear about their role, DSH had not given clear guidance at the time of the audit, and California lacks a transitional housing option used in some other states. He reported that DSH had implemented four of the five audit recommendations, while declining the recommendation to explore state-owned transitional housing. DSH Director Stephanie Clendendon and Liberty representative Ken Carabello defended the program as a court-ordered, highly supervised treatment model intended to reduce reoffending and support reintegration. They said DSH is actively involved in placement review, that Liberty searches countywide under statutory restrictions, and that community feedback and court approval are part of the process. DSH said it has now implemented guidance for housing committee designees, formal program reviews, an outcome tracker, and an analysis of whether to separate some Liberty services into different contracts. DSH continued to oppose transitional housing, arguing it would not solve the core siting and statutory problems and would add cost. Several members remained critical, arguing the program is broken, costly, and unfairly concentrated in certain communities, and some called for major statutory changes or suspension of the program.

Transcript Highlights:

• When you don't have a plan, but you're required to have a plan, you need to delay said program if you
• have no plan.
• we can't have a plan.
• Implementation date. One of the things that we do have to recognize is the diversity of this state.
• So you wouldn't plan that project with a bike lane to Fargo, but you would plan it differently to move