Transcript Highlights:

• Number four is Education, Care Solace, Inc.
• Care Solace is not going to be— it does not provide the services.
• Number 19, DHS, Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care. This is an original contract.
• DHS, Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care. This is an original contract.
• Number 22, SAU Tech, with Strictly Business Lawn Care.

Committee: All JBC-PEER REVIEW

Transcript Highlights:

• And he was why he's been watching me, and to my surprise, we care about some of the same issues.
• And the Goodwill program actually allows free child care.
• This is hopefully to get more children out of foster care.
• The average child, once they get into foster care, gets bounced around from house to house.
• These children ask to be in foster care, but I have a child. I'm proud.

Transcript Highlights:

• the vape tax revenue flowing to the Foundational Public Health Services account and the Andy Hill Care
• wholesaler, and reselling the drugs to persons selling at retail or to hospitals, clinics, health care
• Second, we were trying not to create new definitions in law by referencing the Health Care Authority's
• Their care fund receives funding from two sources.
• This generates much needed revenue and prevents future health care costs.

Summary: House Finance held public hearings on three Senate bills. SB 6129 would raise cigarette taxes, replace current nicotine/vapor product taxes with a 95% tax on nicotine products, and adjust revenue distributions to the Andy Hill Cancer Research account, the Foundational Public Health Services account, and a youth prevention account; staff and supporters said it would correct an unintended loss of public health funding and reduce youth nicotine use, while opponents argued it would be highly regressive, harm retailers and wholesalers, and push sales into illicit markets. SB 6231 would repeal the data center sales tax exemption for refurbishment and end replacement server equipment eligibility; the sponsor and staff said it would raise roughly $200 million and remove an obsolete preference, while labor, port, business, and data center representatives opposed it, citing lost jobs, reduced investment, and concerns about upsetting existing contracts and rural economic development. SB 6228 would repeal the preferential B&O rate for warehousing and reselling prescription drugs and create a lower preferential rate for critical access pharmacies; the sponsor said it would restore horizontal equity in the tax code and offset impacts on rural pharmacies, but pharmacy groups, wholesalers, retailers, and business organizations warned it would raise medication costs, worsen pharmacy closures, and be passed through to patients. The committee heard extensive public testimony on all three bills. Supporters of SB 6129 included public health, cancer, pediatric, and emergency medicine advocates who emphasized youth prevention, cessation funding, and long-term health savings; opponents included tobacco, vape, retail, and business groups who said the bill would increase black-market activity and burden small businesses. SB 6231 drew opposition from construction trades, ports, local governments, chambers, and data center interests, who argued the tax preference supports ongoing construction, permanent jobs, and local tax bases, while committee questions focused on whether the bill would affect existing refurbishment contracts. SB 6228 was opposed by pharmacy associations, independent pharmacists, wholesalers, grocery retailers, and AWB, who said the tax increase would be passed through and could accelerate pharmacy desert conditions; the sponsor and supporters framed the bill as a correction to an outdated preference and a way to protect critical access pharmacies. No votes were taken; each hearing was closed, and the chair announced amendment requests were due Thursday at 5 p.m. and amendments posted by Friday at 5 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• include changing the sales tax on services and live presentations to exclude before- and after-school care
• provided in person and on-site by elementary schools and presentations given by nonprofits. ...school care
• And the legislation here says, well, we don't care how you file at the federal level.
• It's necessary for us to fund health care for Washingtonians.
• We have an upcoming event on immigration enforcement and patient access to care.

Summary: House Finance met in executive session on Gross Substitute Senate Bill 6346, the proposed “millionaires’ income tax” package. Staff reviewed the bill and a long list of amendments affecting the new income tax, related business tax changes, and several exemptions and implementation provisions. The committee adopted amendments to exempt diapers from sales tax, allow certain tribal income treatment clarifications, create an advisory group to help implement the tax, move up the repeal date for some business tax changes, and require the measure to go to the voters; several other amendments on federal conformity, agricultural income, pass-through entities, and the marriage threshold were rejected or withdrawn. The committee then adopted the striking amendment as amended and advanced the bill on a 9-6 do pass vote, with supporters arguing it would fund education, health care, child care, and tax relief, and opponents warning about competitiveness, capital flight, and the state’s spending growth. The committee then held a public hearing on Senate Bill 6097, which would add federally recognized Indian tribes as eligible entities for county Conservation Futures Program funding. Staff said the bill would not change the tax levy structure and would have no state revenue impact, while tribal witnesses said it would improve voluntary conservation partnerships for habitat, farmland, and open space. Members asked about the bill’s scope, and staff confirmed it applies only to federally recognized tribes. House Finance also heard Senate Bill 6162, a property tax reform measure that would consolidate the state school levy, expand senior and disability property tax exemptions, raise income thresholds, and simplify the application process with a standard deduction. The prime sponsor and county assessors supported the bill as a way to help seniors, disabled persons, and disabled veterans stay in their homes and reduce administrative burden, while several testifiers opposed it as a tax shift that would raise costs for others and potentially strain local revenues. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 6113, an administrative and technical tax cleanup bill related to last year’s tax changes; the Department of Revenue supported it and noted a possible clarifying amendment, while nonprofits, schools, libraries, health care groups, workforce training providers, and trade associations asked for additional exemptions for live presentations and related educational activities. The chair announced that Senate Bill 6097 would be added to Monday’s executive session, Senate Bill 6114 was removed, and amendments for Monday’s bills were due by 5 p.m. that day.

Transcript Highlights:

• and is referred to the Committee on Health Care.
• Now, the bill has been read the first time and is referred to the Committee on Health Care.
• The bill ought to pass when amended as recommended by the Committee on Health Care.
• [clears throat] Care Advocate, Vermont [clears throat] Care Advocate, Vermont Legal<00:18:38.080><c>
• Healthc Care Advocate, Vermont Legal Healthc Care Advocate, Vermont Legal Aid.<00:19:12.720><c> Madam

Transcript Highlights:

• And then moving into support for our seniors, both the home and community-based care...
• for our seniors, both the home and community-based care.
• My question, though, as someone who cares about how we're... Detention camp.
• I want to shift gears to the health care budget and health care appropriations.
• And I know that there's a health care committee later today.

Summary: The Appropriations Committee first took up SB 7010, which would authorize Roth contributions in state and local deferred compensation plans. Senator Mayfield explained that current law only allows pre-tax contributions, and the bill would let the Department of Financial Services and local governments offer post-tax Roth options. The bill had one support appearance card, no debate, and was reported favorably by roll call vote. The committee then received a lengthy presentation from the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget on the governor’s recommended “Floridians First” budget, totaling $117.4 billion and $53.2 billion in general revenue. The presentation highlighted reserves, debt paydown, tax relief, and proposed reductions and efficiencies, along with major spending areas in education, health care, public safety, corrections, transportation, and economic development. Key proposals included higher K-12 funding, teacher salary increases, funding for Everglades and water quality projects, emergency preparedness, corrections staffing and facility funding, cybersecurity, law enforcement recruitment bonuses, and affordable housing and infrastructure investments. Members asked extensive questions about property tax reserves, litigation funding, emergency response fund balances and spending, the Alligator Alcatraz detention facility and federal reimbursement, the Second Amendment sales tax holiday, animal abuse hotline funding, Hope Florida, corrections staffing, and teacher pay. A major portion of the discussion focused on the Department of Health’s planned changes to the ADAP HIV medication program, with senators and a public witness expressing concern about access to life-saving medications and possible misuse or redirection of funds. The committee did not take further action on the budget presentation, and the meeting ended after additional comments supporting the budget and the corrections funding, with SB 7010 already approved.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are 103 acute care and behavioral health hospitals in Washington.
• Acute care hospitals offer services like inpatient, outpatient surgical, and emergency care.
• There are 103 acute care and behavioral health hospitals in Washington.
• Acute care hospitals offer services like inpatient, outpatient surgical, and emergency care.
• DOH was late with 72% of acute care hospital inspections as of December 2024.

Summary: At the May 14, 2025 JLARC meeting, members approved the January 9 minutes and adopted the 2025–27 biennial work plan with a minor typo correction. Staff reviewed the new work plan studies, including a drug take-back program fee/expenditure review due in December 2025 and a state energy performance standard compliance review due in June 2027, and noted JLARC’s recent session activity, including several bills passed related to JLARC work and recommendations. The committee then heard a preliminary cannabis market study showing Washington businesses likely produced two to three times more cannabis than retailers sold in 2023. Staff and RAND said LCB’s data systems are incomplete and unreliable, limiting regulation, tax verification, and diversion tracking; they recommended that LCB submit a plan by year-end for collecting accurate data by the end of 2026. Members and LCB discussed the long timeline for a new traceability system, the causes of missing sales and weight data, overproduction, diversion, and the social equity program’s effect on producer licenses. JLARC also presented a preliminary hospital oversight report concluding that the Department of Health is late on many hospital inspections, does not verify third-party inspection standards, does not review adverse health event correction plans, and could make hospital data more accessible. The committee discussed fee funding, language access, and inspection timing, and DOH said it would work on a strategic plan and continue coordinating with JLARC. Members also heard a preliminary report on the public records survivor exemption, which found agencies are using it but need more guidance; JLARC recommended keeping the exemption and having the Attorney General provide additional training. Finally, the committee approved the DDA processes and staffing final report for distribution, which recommended performance metrics, stronger data quality controls, and workforce planning; DDA concurred. JLARC also introduced proposed study questions for a future DCYF juvenile rehabilitation review focused on safety, security, programs, staffing, education, and contraband, and the meeting adjourned after members asked about scope and facility conditions.

Transcript Highlights:

• HAP program goes to large cities those with a population over 300,000 to counties and continuums of care
• that later, but that's a way that we get specific client data that rolls up from the continuing of care
• The state agency's responsibility to take care of encampment and property.
• There are other systems of care as well, the health care systems, criminal justice systems that have
• So this is every continuum of care and you can select down to.

Transcript Highlights:

• As we work to ensure Californians can care for their families, we cannot allow the people who care for
• Those who do often come back with no leave remaining to care for themselves or their families.
• But not every workplace values their workers' rights or health care needs.
• Frontline clinical social worker at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton.
• I represent health care workers in the state facilities across California.

Summary: The committee heard a series of bills focused largely on labor, education, workforce, and public employment issues. AB 65 would provide public school employees up to 14 weeks of leave with full benefits for pregnancy and pregnancy-related health issues; supporters said current rules force educators to exhaust sick leave and suffer long-term retirement penalties, while the bill’s author noted it mirrors budget trailer language. AB 1818 would change HEERA procedures for CSU bargaining by shifting certain renegotiation disputes to PERB; Teamsters and other labor groups supported it as a way to stop CSU from unilaterally refusing agreed raises, while CSU moved from opposed to neutral after amendments. AB 1940 would explicitly reference menopause, perimenopause, and postmenopause in workplace protections; supporters said it would clarify rights and improve awareness, while business opposition argued existing reasonable-accommodation law already covers these issues and warned of expanded liability. AB 1534 would add guardrails for new short-term Workforce Pell programs, including tuition caps, limits on income-share agreements, and transparency around partnerships with unaccredited entities; the author later said the bill would be amended to include private institutions. AB 1896 would bar people who participated in immigration enforcement from holding California public jobs during a specified period; supporters framed it as a public-trust measure, while police and public-safety groups opposed categorical exclusion and urged a more individualized vetting approach. AB 2300 would streamline distribution of WIOA workforce funds and reduce delays in local workforce board contracting, with supporters emphasizing faster service delivery and no reduction in accountability. AB 2223 would require CDCR to report standardized data on contracted medical and mental health staffing, vacancies, and costs, following an audit that found heavy reliance on contractors and poor transparency. AB 2483 would create a pathway and certification for formerly incarcerated firefighters to move into firefighting careers after release, with strong support from the author and witnesses who described the work as a real career path and reentry opportunity. AB 2142 would require temporary classified school employees working more than 75% of the school year to receive permanent-employee benefits and protections; school administrators and community college groups opposed it as too rigid for grant-funded and fluctuating positions. AB 2367 would require quarterly reporting from state-run health care facilities on vacancies, overtime, registry/contract staffing, and missed staffing minimums, building on state auditor recommendations; health care workers supported it as a transparency and accountability measure. Several measures were voted out of committee or placed on call. AB 1818, AB 1534, AB 2300, AB 2483, and AB 2223 all received do-pass votes to the Senate Appropriations Committee, though each was placed on call after roll call. AB 65 and AB 1940 also advanced on do-pass motions but were placed on call. AB 2142 received a do-pass vote with opposition and was placed on call. S.J.R. 15, a resolution urging Congress to protect California employers from higher federal unemployment taxes tied to the state’s UI debt, drew divided testimony: business groups supported it, while labor and some members argued California should solve the problem itself and keep the unemployment system solvent; the resolution was also placed on call. The transcript also included committee discussion about working with authors on amendments, especially for AB 1940 and AB 1534, and several members noted support or co-authorship while raising concerns about implementation details and fiscal impacts.

Transcript Highlights:

• The City of Boston Animal Care and Control, Kathleen...
• and control Kathleen Perhaps, the City of Boston Animal Care and Control.
• I am the director of the City of Boston Animal Care and Control.
• We have animal care and adoption centers in Boston, Brewster, and Denham.
• We all care about animal welfare and sound pet care.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Summary: The committee held a lengthy hybrid hearing of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, with testimony spanning local board training, animal welfare and enforcement, municipal charters, water district dissolution, and other home rule matters. Chairs Rausch and Lewis set strict time limits because of the large number of speakers and explained that written testimony would also be accepted. Members heard from local officials, advocates, municipal employees, and residents, with many bills receiving broad support from municipal and advocacy witnesses. Several speakers supported bills requiring or expanding training for local boards and commissions, including pre-service training for planning, zoning, and other land use boards. Supporters said training would help volunteers understand complex laws, improve consistency, reduce legal challenges, and speed up housing and development decisions. Related testimony also backed a bill to modernize historic district commissions and another to allow associate planning board members to serve more broadly when needed to maintain quorums. A major portion of the hearing focused on animal legislation. Witnesses supported bills to expand citations for cruel conditions beyond dogs, update dangerous dog procedures, improve animal health inspections and breeder oversight, strengthen tethering rules, and protect pet consumers. Animal control officers, humane organizations, and some victims of dog attacks described enforcement gaps and the need for clearer standards, while several dog trainers and the American Kennel Club opposed parts of the dangerous dog bill and tethering restrictions, arguing they would limit humane training tools and professional discretion. The committee also heard strong support for a bill to create a statewide pet shop and consumer protection framework. The committee also heard testimony on several local home rule petitions. Medford officials and residents strongly supported a new city charter that would replace the current at-large council with ward-based representation and periodic charter review. Wayland representatives supported a bill to preserve the library’s Millennium Fund as intended, Cambridge officials backed creation of an employment and job training trust, and Carver officials supported dissolving the North Carver Water District due to compliance and financial problems. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chair repeatedly invited written testimony and follow-up materials.

Transcript Highlights:

• They'd be more than willing to have child care for the day.
• Secondly, meeting growing health care needs.
• Health care represents one of the largest drivers in this budget.
• careful stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
• Health care is a problem.

Summary: The Senate reconvened, read committee reports, and assigned House Bill 89 with House Amendment 1 and House Bill 393 with House Amendment 1 to the Senate Finance Committee. It then adopted Consent Calendar 64, which included resolutions recognizing Take Our Children to Work Day, Juneteenth, National Farmers Day, Invisible Disabilities Week, Stonewall Uprising Remembrance Day, National Nonprofit Day, and two property-assessment working group resolutions. The calendar passed by a unanimous roll call, and the chamber heard remarks supporting Juneteenth, Delaware agriculture, invisible disabilities awareness, and the nonprofit sector. The Senate passed the fiscal year 2026 and 2027 revenue estimates in Senate Joint Resolution 16 and Senate Joint Resolution 17, and approved the fiscal year 2027 operating budget in Senate Bill 335 after extended debate on budget growth, recurring costs, health care, education, public safety, retiree obligations, and fiscal restraint. It also passed Senate Bill 336, the one-time supplemental appropriation bill, which includes one-time investments such as a $100 million transition toward a weighted education funding formula, election support, early childhood education, classroom projects, lead remediation, and campaign finance modernization. Several members praised the budget process and staff, while others cautioned against future spending growth. Among policy bills, the Senate passed House Bill 369 to codify the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety, House Bill 268 to increase penalties for assaulting postal workers, House Bill 374 to require workforce reporting on large public works projects, Senate Bill 253 with House Amendment 1 to standardize school bullying parental-notification procedures, Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 342 to modernize the Delaware Motion Picture and Television Development Commission, House Bill 402 to extend Clean Air Act Title V permit fees, and Senate Bill 346 with Senate Amendment 1 to streamline Environmental Appeals Board timelines. The Senate also began consideration of House Bill 293, which would add hate crimes to the Victims’ Compensation Assistance Program, but the transcript cuts off before its vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Presbyterian is the largest health care provider in the state, and they would be.
• We see it in long-term care constantly. They made a huge mistake in The 90s.
• And we have decades of things where we talk about reasonable care. What is reasonable care?
• and to provide economic health care.
• People have suffered because they do not have adequate health care.

Committee: Senate Senate Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• We have that we take care of, really dark green like our shirts that you see here, like a camouflage
• We have that we take care of, really dark green like our shirts that you see here, like a camouflage
• one of the key features is to make care one of the key features is to make this<00:16:16.160><c> into
• the highest level of care for our animals<00:24:50.919><c> from</c><00:24:51.120><c> specialists</c>
• for those animals expertise for caring for those animals is<00:26:02.880><c> housed</c><00:26:03.159

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> care in their state law. care in their state law.
• </c> essential medical care. essential medical care.
• </c> care and gender-affirming health care care and gender-affirming health care without<04:18:20.120
• and careful evaluations.
• and careful evaluations.

Transcript Highlights:

• And when the legislature decides they don't care anymore, ...don't care anymore, then we're stuck paying
• We take care of that for them.
• A few of the large ones being integrated primary care... ...being integrated primary care expansion,
• that ideally is... ...for primary care that ideally is integrated with behavioral health care, which
• like the state hospital, but more long-term care skilled nursing type care that we now have the capacity

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• Don't know, don't care.
• Don't know, don't care.
• Don't know, don't care.
• That's true for a managed care organization.
• Um but again that is care organization.

Transcript Highlights:

• Will it be the long-term care? type. Will it be the long-term care?
• </c> pay for the cost of providing the care. pay for the cost of providing the care.
• ,</c> talking about earlier, wound care, talking about earlier, wound care, orthopedics, orthopedics,
• </c> Health and Human Services takes care of. Health and Human Services takes care of.
• </c> access to medical care across the state. access to medical care across the state.

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:09:27.839><c> for</c> policy let us never Tire of caring for policy let us never Tire of caring
• is legitimate health care.
• is legitimate health care.
• <02:01:31.560><c> Vision</c> Care Vision Care Vision Care<02:01:34.000><c> Chiropractic</c><02:01:34.960
• If I knew that all of us have people we care about, constituents we care about, loved ones we care about

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:02:40.520><c> or</c> psychiatric, or psychological care or psychiatric, or psychological care
• </c> of corrections to provide adequate care of corrections to provide adequate care and<01:10:34.480
• . care. care.
• </c> care setting. care setting.
• </c> to be in hospital-level care. to be in hospital-level care.

Transcript Highlights:

• We call the company and ask to take care of this problem for everybody.
• harm access to care.
• I had to receive medical care on several occasions because of his abuse.
• We live in the trauma of abuse and hoping they care.
• I just wanted to say that, you know, it's not exclusive caring about people and caring about animals,

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on the Judiciary

Summary: The Joint Committee on the Judiciary held a lengthy public hearing on a wide range of civil actions, labor, consumer protection, and animal welfare bills. Chair Lydia Edwards and Representative Michael Day opened with strict testimony rules and time limits, then heard from legislators and advocates on measures including animal-abuser pet ownership bans (S. 1207/H. 1914), a name-change privacy bill (S. 1045/H. 1973), tort claims reform (H. 1724), law enforcement council coverage under the Tort Claims Act (S. 1199), civil rights and qualified immunity-related proposals (H. 1641), employee free speech/captive audience restrictions (S. 1078/H. 1653), consumer protection and civil rights jurisdiction expansion (S. 1041), private right of action for wage theft (H. 1916), gun-owner liability insurance (H. 1836), pseudoephedrine sales tracking (S. 1243/H. 1581), prepaid legal services plans (H. 1612), structured settlement protections (H. 1863), third-party litigation financing disclosure (H. 1861), antitrust reform for small businesses and workers (S. 1038/H. 1982), legal notices in online-only newspapers (S. 1279/H. 1632), and several animal cruelty and protection bills including H. 1938, H. 1949, S. 1277/H. 1934, and H. 1764. Testimony was largely supportive from bill sponsors and advocacy groups, with repeated themes of protecting vulnerable people and animals, improving access to justice, and updating outdated laws. Supporters of the animal bills argued for stronger possession bans, broader cruelty citations, and civil removal tools to prevent repeat abuse; opponents or conditional supporters raised due process and enforcement concerns, especially around warrantless seizures and requiring retail or shelter staff to check registries. On the labor and consumer side, supporters said the antitrust bill would curb monopoly power and help small businesses and workers, while opponents warned it could destabilize competition and burden successful firms. The employee free speech bill was backed as a response to captive audience meetings, and the wage-theft bill was presented as a way to let workers or organizations pursue claims when individual employees are afraid to come forward. Several public officials and association representatives testified on the law enforcement and civil rights bills. Chiefs of police supported adding law enforcement councils to the Tort Claims Act, saying it would close a liability gap for regional mutual-aid collaborations. But police representatives opposed changes to the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act and qualified immunity-related provisions, arguing the federal system already provides a workable forum and that expanding liability could increase costs, reduce morale, and worsen recruitment and retention. On the consumer/civil rights bill, Senator Collins and a veteran described an out-of-state assault case that they said showed the need for Massachusetts to let residents seek redress at home when rights are violated elsewhere. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the hearing itself; the committee mainly received testimony and questions. Several witnesses indicated they had submitted written testimony or proposed amendments, and some bills drew requests for favorable reports while others were explicitly opposed unless amended.