Transcript Highlights:

• barrier to Californians accessing high-quality communication services.
• To access and equity.
• that no California is left behind from receiving access to safe, reliable, and affordable services.
• essential service, and we have statutory mandates that require us, the customers, must have access to
• We work to ensure that Californians have access to high-performance, affordable broadband services alone

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• accessing our needed services.
• gap and make sure communities continue to have access to critical services.
• to critical services.
• , access to healthy and nutritious foods, access to affordable housing, violence prevention, and elder
• This funding supports coordination to access critical services for our community statewide.

Transcript Highlights:

• to services.
• And as a result, more seniors now have access to long-term services and supports through Medi-Cal.
• The first is that the Legislature might want to consider actions to ensure sufficient access to services
• support nutrition investments, access, and home and community-based services pilot programs to support
• continue to offer services.

Summary: The joint Assembly Budget Subcommittee hearing focused first on long-term services and supports for older adults, especially the “forgotten/overlooked middle” who earn too much for Medi-Cal but cannot afford private long-term care. Administration witnesses from DHCS, the Department of Aging, and Social Services described Medicare’s limited long-term care coverage, Medi-Cal’s role, the elimination of the Medi-Cal asset test, and ongoing state studies and listening sessions on financing options. Testimony from advocates and researchers emphasized rising homelessness among older adults, the need for better navigation and coordination across health, aging, housing, and social service systems, and short-term policy steps such as share-of-cost reform, housing stability supports, and protecting home- and community-based services. Members highlighted the need for a coordinated, no-wrong-door approach and asked for the most impactful budget investments to address affordability and homelessness risk. The second major topic was the Community-Based Adult Services (CBAS) program. CDA reported that CBAS helps participants remain in the community, that 304 centers operate statewide serving about 42,000 people, and that demand is stable but access gaps remain in some regions. DHCS explained that a 2024 rate increase authorized by SB 159 became inoperative after Proposition 35, and that a separate 10% rate change on the fee schedule was the result of a DHCS system error; the department said it would not require recoupment, though managed care plans may act under their contracts. CBAS providers and advocates warned that reimbursement rates have not kept pace with costs, that several centers have closed, and that clawbacks could trigger more closures. They requested $74.8 million ongoing General Fund to close part of the rate gap and preserve the program, while members expressed concern about closures and the cost savings of keeping people out of more expensive institutional care. The hearing then moved to In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) and statewide collective bargaining. CDSS reviewed provider recruitment and retention efforts, including electronic timesheets, direct deposit, and the now-completed IHSS Career Pathways program, which trained more than 59,000 providers. CDSS also summarized its AB 102 workgroup report on statewide versus regional bargaining, saying the final report would be sent to the Legislature soon and that statewide bargaining appeared more viable than regional bargaining, though it would require clear statutory scope and major fiscal changes. The department estimated that each $1 per hour statewide wage increase would cost at least $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion annually. Labor advocates argued that IHSS wages, benefits, and training are too inconsistent across counties and called for statewide bargaining, consumer participation, and ongoing state funding. County representatives supported stronger wages but cautioned that counties need protection from new costs and administrative burdens, and consumer advocates warned that moving bargaining to the state could weaken local consumer control and the program’s consumer-driven structure.

Transcript Highlights:

• access the services they need.
• access the services they need.
• model to expand access to immigration legal services in some of the most underserved... ...to expand
• access to immigration legal services in some of the most underserved regions of the state.
• While access to immigration counsel and legal services has been limited, the environment created under

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Human Services heard several bills focused on homelessness, child care, food security, public assistance, immigration legal services, and veterans’ benefits. SB 479 would allow city-based local health jurisdictions, including Berkeley and Oakland, to use multidisciplinary homeless response teams and share specified information across departments; supporters said the change would improve coordination and outcomes, and no opposition testified. SB 902 would allow electronic signatures for child care and development services paperwork while preserving paper options; supporters said it would reduce burdens on families and providers, and the bill passed to the Assembly Education Committee 4-0. The committee also heard SB 1025, creating an Office of Food Security and Affordability to coordinate California’s food assistance efforts, and SB 1030, repealing the CalWORKs “man-in-the-house” rule. Supporters of SB 1025 said the state’s food system is fragmented and needs a coordinated strategy; SB 1030 supporters argued the rule is outdated, redundant, and rooted in racist and sexist assumptions. Both bills received no opposition testimony and were approved on 4-0 votes, with SB 1025 sent to the Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact Committee and SB 1030 to Appropriations. The committee then approved SB 1077, which would require CDSS to create a communications and contingency plan for CalFresh disruptions during federal government shutdowns, including a public webpage and planning for state-funded benefits; it passed 4-0 to Appropriations. SB 1194 would codify the Immigration Legal Fellowship Project to expand immigration legal services in underserved areas, and supporters emphasized the need for legal representation in rural and Central Valley communities; it passed 4-1 to Judiciary. SB 1201 would seek federal waivers to protect veterans from CalFresh time limits, require referrals to county veterans service officers, and adjust treatment of job-search expenses; it passed unanimously 6-0 to Military and Veterans Affairs. The consent calendar, including SB 557 and SB 1051, also passed unanimously. After all items were heard, the committee completed roll calls for absent members and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• This includes services for individuals like career assessments, referrals to supportive services to mitigate
• We will continue to work with these individuals to make sure that they have access to career services
• And for families experiencing homelessness, without access to technology, without access to their bank
• Hopefully we'll be able to continue to have equitable access to HLC services. So thank you.
• be able to access a system.

Keywords: 1212, all

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• connected to the services that they needed.
• Individuals who want to remain safely in their homes lose guidance on how to access services and avoid
• It ensures continuity of ADRC services during transitions so individuals do not lose access to this critical
• to vital services and supports needed to thrive.
• Any disruption to services to vulnerable adults should concern all of us.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care met without an initial quorum and heard four Senate bills focused on older adults and people with disabilities. SB 837 by Senator Reyes would require Aging and Disability Resource Connection programs to provide disaster and emergency preparedness education tailored to older adults and people with disabilities. Supporters, including the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers and the California Commission on Aging, cited recent wildfire deaths and the need for better evacuation planning and preparedness. The bill passed on a due pass motion and was re-referred to the Committee on Emergency Management. SB 971 by Senator Choi would create a Healthy Aging Community Partnerships Program to encourage voluntary local partnerships, including with community colleges and other entities, to support social connection, technology help, caregiver resources, and other healthy aging activities. Supporters said it would promote independence and prevent isolation at no mandated cost, while one member questioned whether the bill addressed a current legal gap and whether public health departments should be involved. The committee approved the bill on a due pass motion and re-referred it to the Committee on Health. SB 1261 by Senator Laird would allow Aging and Disability Resource Connections to continue operating for one to two years during transitions when an area agency on aging or independent living center operator changes, preventing service disruptions. Testimony from Access Central Coast and the California Association of Area Agencies on Aging emphasized the importance of continuity for thousands of clients. The committee passed the bill and re-referred it to the Committee on Appropriations. SB 991 by Senator Menjivar, presented by Assemblymember Gonzalez, would require the Department of Social Services to classify substantiated abuse in residential care facilities for the elderly by specific abuse type rather than a broad residents’ rights category. Ombudsman advocates argued this would improve transparency and accountability; members also discussed whether similar protections should extend to younger adults in other licensed settings. The bill passed on a due pass motion and was re-referred to the Committee on Human Services.

Transcript Highlights:

• our services to residences and day programs.
• Medicaid plays a critical role in ensuring access to health care, long-term services and supports, and
• We're also concerned that losing access to their services might jeopardize their ability to live in the
• to vital services that they need to live in the community.
• And every year, thousands of people lose their Medicaid coverage and lose access to HCBS services because

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities held its quarterly meeting on September 10, with roll call, approval of the June minutes as amended, and welcoming remarks for newly appointed commissioner Rachel Caprilyan and reappointed commissioners. Chair Denise Garlick outlined plans for a statewide community hearing series, beginning with a November 4 hybrid hearing at Needham Town Hall focused on the Boston/Metro West region, and described the creation of a nonvoting advisory council to broaden the commission’s expertise across health care, transportation, housing, education, employment, business, and local disability commissions. Commissioners discussed the nomination process, the need for geographic diversity, and the goal of having the council in place by the December quarterly meeting. The main presentation addressed proposed federal Medicaid and SNAP changes in H.R. 1, with Jennifer Bertrand of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council warning that the law could cut federal Medicaid spending by $1 trillion over 10 years, impose work requirements, require redeterminations every six months, restrict provider taxes, and reduce SNAP benefits. She said these changes could increase uninsurance, create administrative barriers, and threaten home- and community-based services, with a Massachusetts analysis projecting 141,000 to 203,000 MassHealth members could lose coverage over six months. Commissioners and attendees responded that the changes could harm people with disabilities, caregivers, and provider organizations, increase institutionalization risk, and intensify competition for limited state resources; several emphasized the need for disability groups and broader health care stakeholders to coordinate advocacy. Subcommittee reports highlighted recent and upcoming work. The Disability Employment Subcommittee reported on a June “Strength and Support” event, an August presentation by Run the Gamut, and an upcoming MAPC/Employment First workshop in Worcester, while the Long-Term Services and Supports and Health Equity Subcommittee discussed a presentation from the Lurie Institute for Policy Research on community living dashboards and disparities in Medicaid and LTSS. Commissioners also shared announcements about upcoming events, including the Paul Spooner Generational Leisure Summit, the Disability Policy Consortium’s John Winsky Memorial Award ceremony, the Massachusetts Health Council’s annual celebration, and a September 17 hearing on insurance coverage for hearing aids. The meeting ended with congratulations to commissioner Carl Richardson for an accessibility award and a motion to adjourn, which passed.

Transcript Highlights:

• For minors, public libraries provide safe and free access to resources. access to computers, as well
• access to.
• adult section would be to restrict their access to the library.
• preach the freedom to read, the freedom to access, and the freedom to view to circumvent all protective
• Children have no access to the entire library.

Bills: HB256, HCR19, SB2101, SB2334, SB2633, SB2637, SB2713, SB2781, SB2782, SB3059, HB1130

Keywords: severe weather, adaptation plan, vulnerability assessment, environmental protection, state agencies, federal agents, transparency, law enforcement, identification, public trust, immigration enforcement, HCR 19, Texas concurrent resolution, federal immigration enforcement, masked agents, facial coverings, visible identification, uniforms, badges, name tags

Transcript Highlights:

• the developmental services system, and we know that other individuals may be able to access some services
• Where you live should not matter when it comes to deciding whether you have access or not to our services
• access to services statewide.
• access to services statewide.
• live in deep poverty in order to access critical health care services.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This program seeks to strengthen community safety and well-being by increasing access to services for
• This program seeks to strengthen community safety and well-being by increasing access to services for
• access grant money and deliver services, or whether the work was unique to each community and its individual
• Our mission is to provide equitable access to dance and performance, as well as holistic wraparound services
• Our mission is to provide equitable access to dance and performance, as well as holistic wraparound services

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to the financial services.
• the service to higher ed.
• It makes it very difficult to convert it to be accessible.
• Again, the goal is to make these accessible to the public.
• So to examine access in North Dakota.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> people have access to health care that people have access to health care that they<00:05:41.319>
• </c><00:10:20.120><c> provide</c> Services um and I'm here to provide Services um and I'm here to provide
• </c><00:32:36.600><c> to</c> that individuals do not lose access to that individuals do not lose access
• </c> would improve access to these types of would improve access to these types of drugs<00:40:06.599
• But we wanted to make sure there was access to payment there.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• be closer to family, but they don't have the same access to food.
• So what's being done for more timely and easier access when it comes to customer service?
• So what's being done for more timely and easier access when it comes to customer service?
• It is, you know, one of the key doorways to ensuring access, in addition to in-person and online service
• For Sun Bucks, we need to be strengthening a family's ability to access it.

Summary: The joint oversight hearing focused on food insecurity in California and how state and federal nutrition programs, agricultural production, and food distribution systems intersect. Assemblymembers emphasized that many Californians, including farmworkers, seniors, children, and communities of color, remain food insecure despite California’s agricultural abundance. Panelists and members discussed CalFresh, WIC, school meals, Sun Bucks, food banks, and the impact of federal policy changes, including possible nutrition cuts, tariffs, and immigration enforcement, on access to food and the agricultural workforce. Secretary Karen Ross described CDFA programs aimed at improving access to fresh food and supporting local agriculture, including the senior farmers’ market program, California Nutrition Incentive Program, Healthy Refrigeration Grant Program, Community Food Hubs, Farm to School, urban agriculture, and a proposed tribal food sovereignty program. She said these efforts help connect local producers to consumers, expand healthy food access, and build infrastructure such as refrigeration, mobile markets, and aggregation hubs. Department of Social Services Deputy Director Alexis Fernandez Garcia outlined CalFresh, CFAP, Sun Bucks, CACFP, emergency food programs, and tribal nutrition assistance, noting that CalFresh and related programs significantly reduce poverty and food insecurity, but participation gaps remain for non-English speakers, some Asian American communities, and undocumented households. PPIC researcher Tess Thorman presented data showing that 13% of California households experienced food insecurity in 2023, with higher rates among households with children and Latino, Black, and other households. She said nutrition programs reduce poverty and food hardship, but federal rules, income thresholds, immigration restrictions, and high living costs limit their reach. Members asked about simplifying applications, improving call center access, increasing outreach in multiple languages, and adjusting benefits for inflation. Officials said the state has used available federal options to streamline enrollment, improve customer service, and target outreach, but many core rules and benefit levels are set federally. The second panel shifted to food production and market access. A farmer, a UC food systems leader, and a produce distributor described efforts to connect small and medium farms with food banks, schools, universities, and Medi-Cal food-as-medicine programs. They highlighted programs such as Farms Together, the USDA Southwest Regional Food Business Center, Farm to School, food hubs, and climate-smart infrastructure grants as ways to create stable markets for local growers while improving food access. Speakers also raised concerns about land tenure, consolidation, regulatory burdens, labor constraints, and the loss of federal funding, and members discussed whether state investments and Prop. 4 funds could help sustain and expand these efforts.

Transcript Highlights:

• The next slide shows common barriers to accessing services.
• people might have to drive long distances to access services.
• access to them.
• service functions such as access and intake and monitoring functions to local IDD authorities.
• One last thing, when availability and access to these services breaks down, we've kind of identified

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It requires the Department of Social Services to make transition support services available to adoptive
• are leading, to service cuts in transit.
• For our developmental services, the extension of the remote access that was going to sunset, and now
• to find ways to invest in our home and community-based services system.
• to find ways to invest in our home and community-based services system.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

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• Due to these efforts, we provide a service that is needed by our families that don't have access to transportation
• Due to these efforts, we provide a service that is needed by our families that don't have access to transportation
• for them to access these services.
• for them to very um easy and accessible for them to to<01:26:46.960><c> access</c><01:26:47.360><c>
• c> know</c><01:26:49.239><c> we're</c> to access these services so I know we're to access these services

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• use of members receiving these services and not losing access to other care.
• access to service would be for our FQHCs, particularly given the fact that we are creating a situation
• will force them to impoverish themselves to access Medi-Cal.
• With abortion access under attack across the country, California has made efforts to expand the services
• Cuts to dental services.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It also benefits families by providing clarity and access to support services, and if people are able
• c> to</c><01:19:54.560><c> care</c> patients to have timely access to care patients to have timely access
• The individuals we see with SMI that have Medicaid coverage have full access to functional support services
• The individuals we see with SMI that have Medicaid coverage have full access to functional support services
• try to get the insurers to come to the table and recognize these services as being services that are

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• have access to clinical placements.
• to identify programs to grow access to higher education through these partnerships.
• AB 2540 will expand equitable access to medication abortion services for students attending community
• This is an attempt to slow down access to time-sensitive care.
• They deserve access, and we need to make sure that they have that access.

Summary: The Assembly Higher Education Committee heard several measures focused on community college baccalaureate programs and trustee compensation. AB 2528 would raise the maximum monthly compensation cap for community college district trustees, with the author and supporters arguing the change is permissive, long overdue, and needed to make service more accessible to working people and better reflect community diversity. CSEA took a tweener position, warning about optics and asking for longer public notice before any compensation increase, while some members raised concerns about taxpayer costs and benefits. The bill was discussed but no final vote is reflected in the transcript excerpt. The committee then took up AB 2053, which would authorize Coast Community College District to offer a cybersecurity bachelor’s degree. Supporters said the bill addresses a workforce shortage, serves working adults and veterans, and includes an LAO evaluation and a sunset. CSU and its Academic Senate opposed the bill, arguing it duplicates existing CSU programs and could set a precedent for more one-off degrees. Members also raised questions about funding, Prop. 98, and whether the program would divert resources; the author said the district already has funding and that the bill is a narrow pilot. The committee voted to do pass and re-refer the bill to Appropriations, with several ayes and some no votes, and the roll left open for additional members. AB 2301, a pilot allowing up to 10 community college districts to offer nursing bachelor’s degrees, drew broad support from nursing, labor, and community college groups who said California faces a severe nursing shortage and that community colleges offer a more affordable pathway for working and rural students. CSU and other opponents argued existing ADN-to-BSN pathways are more efficient and that the bill could worsen competition for limited clinical placements and faculty. Members questioned funding and Prop. 98 impacts; the Chancellor’s Office said the pilot would not require new state funding and would rely on existing mechanisms such as Strong Workforce and nursing infrastructure grants. The committee voted to do pass and re-refer AB 2301 to Appropriations, with the roll again left open. The transcript then began AB 2694, a broader workforce-responsive baccalaureate expansion bill intended to address duplication rules and create a more flexible process for community college bachelor’s degrees, but the discussion was not completed in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• How do we make government more accessible and easier to be able to figure out what I need?
• But at least it gives access to someone, someone's going to know about it and help could be, going to
• provide greater access, both to the infrastructure, to startup opportunities, and to education and training
• workforce side, access to startups.
• and then also to the candidates, the people who are going to want access to these training resources

Keywords: 907, all

Summary: The committee held a series of informational briefings on information management and technology issues. It first heard from ACLU representatives on data privacy, who argued that Oregon should strengthen protections against private data brokers, government purchases of personal data, reverse warrants, automatic license plate readers, and local police surveillance. They urged data minimization, limits on data sales and retention, and broader transparency and accountability measures. Members asked about practical uses of license plate readers, state sales of data, and how Oregon’s approach compares with other states; the presenters said similar proposals have been adopted elsewhere, including data minimization in Maryland and a state version of the Fourth Amendment Is Not for Sale Act in Montana. The committee then received a detailed update from the Department of Administrative Services and Enterprise Information Services on licensing system modernization for 14 boards and commissions with the most immediate need. DAS said it is seeking a shared procurement approach through an RFP that would create either one scalable system or two tiers of systems, depending on agency needs and security requirements, with contracts expected by September. Committee members emphasized the need for a more unified, user-friendly statewide login and service experience for businesses and residents, and raised concerns about small agencies “figuring it out on their own” without sufficient cybersecurity or technical expertise. EIS said it is overseeing the investment review, security and architecture review, and future implementation planning, and noted that multiple agency requests may still come back to the legislature in the next session. The committee also discussed a revised cybersecurity incident notification concept. Staff explained that the earlier bill had raised stakeholder concerns, so the co-chairs directed further interim work with the Oregon Cybersecurity Advisory Council and other local government and K-12 stakeholders. The goal is a narrower, voluntary “911-style” notification process that would let public bodies alert peers and potentially receive assistance after cyber incidents; a temporary voluntary process is being tested now, with a work group developing language for possible 2027 consideration. Finally, the committee heard updates from the new state chief data officer on data governance, data sharing, geospatial work, and the state transparency website, followed by a briefing on data centers from NCSL and the Technology Association of Oregon. The data officer described efforts to expand data inventories, data governance plans, data literacy, and interagency sharing, along with statewide aerial imagery, geospatial standards, and the open data portal. The data center discussion focused on national and state trends, including rapid growth in data centers, rising electricity and water demand, and legislative responses such as new rate classes, reporting requirements, and cost-allocation rules to protect ratepayers. No votes were taken; the meeting was informational only.