Transcript Highlights:

• What prompted this partnership with DCR was the call from the community for more community engagement
• The community sees these elements integrated into rehabilitative programs and supported by community
• </c> like to see re-entry in the community like to see re-entry in the community closer<01:40:48.960>
• </c><01:42:01.800><c> health</c> and community health and community health personnel<01:42:04.199><c>
• I feel like the ʻAiea and Hālawa communities, what they communicated to us, is also in that report.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And it's not one type of community.
• It's some of our urban gateway cities, our suburban communities, and certainly our smaller rural communities
• But in our communities, often tears them apart.
• Sometimes our communities try again.
• It is here, it is expanding, and it is devastating our communities.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate took up a long series of FY26 budget amendments during debate on the Ways and Means budget bill. Early on, an amendment on debt service and the Debt Affordability Committee was rejected. A major education amendment offered by Senator Lewis and supported by Senator Comerford was then adopted; it directs DESE to begin a public process, with $200,000 in funding, to review and recommend updates to the Chapter 70 municipal contribution formula and related school funding structures as the Student Opportunity Act nears full implementation. Senators argued that school districts across the Commonwealth are under severe fiscal strain, citing rising special education, transportation, health insurance, and Proposition 2 1/2 pressures, and that the current formulas are increasingly out of alignment with local needs. The chamber also considered and voted on many other amendments, with several adopted and several rejected. Adopted amendments included measures on public payroll transparency, regional EMS, a small business group purchasing cooperative pilot, simplifying Medicaid eligibility determinations, and early education background checks. Rejected amendments included proposals on first-time homebuyer savings accounts, population change studies, competitiveness studies, emergency contract reform, natural gas cost containment, a $200 per pupil aid increase, regional school reimbursement increases, a Foundation Budget Review Commission-related study, special education service studies, welfare benefit audits, short-term capital gains, and an MBTA sustainability plan. Senator Durant also spoke in support of Amendment 766, which would create a crumbling concrete assistance fund for homeowners affected by pyrrhotite, with tax-exempt aid, federal funding applications, audits, and a stakeholder working group. Near the end of debate, Senator D. DiDomenico praised the Shannon Grant program for gang violence prevention, and the Senate adopted a final corrective amendment containing technical fixes and local earmarks. The bill was then ordered to a third reading and, after a roll call on engrossment, passed to be engrossed by a vote of 38-2. The Senate also approved a motion to adjourn to the following Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. and recessed in memory of Yaron Lashinsky, Sarah Lynn Milgram, and Leslie A. Feeney.

Transcript Highlights:

• And the community college system is actually very important to me.
• Our local community colleges.
• Baccalaureate programs, right, at the community college.
• Final question for you is: if you could think about the community...
• with our stakeholders, the community groups, hearing what the issues are for them and their communities

Committee: Senate Rules

Summary: The Senate Rules Committee met to consider several governor’s appointments, bill referrals, rule-waiver requests, and floor acknowledgments. The committee approved a series of non-appearing appointments, including Peter Briar-T to the Southern Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission, multiple appointments to the Acupuncture Board, Roy Mathur to the Board of Pilot Commissioners, and Davina Hurt to the California Water Commission, with most votes unanimous and Hurt’s appointment approved 3-2. The committee also approved bill referrals, rule waivers for guests on the Senate floor, and floor acknowledgments. The committee then heard testimony from Lillian Corral, appointed to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors. Corral emphasized her background as a first-generation college graduate and immigrant, and said her priorities would include helping students connect to livable-wage jobs, supporting Vision 2030, improving data and digital infrastructure, expanding dual enrollment, and considering regional bachelor’s degree programs at community colleges where workforce needs justify them. Senators questioned her about achievement gaps, the role of data in improving student outcomes, the expansion of community college bachelor’s degrees, faculty staffing, and her employer New America’s positions on privacy, age verification, and TikTok. The committee voted 3-0 to advance her appointment to the full Senate. The committee also heard from Paul Tupi, nominated to lead the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Tupi described a career in law enforcement and said he would focus on public trust, timely licensing, licensee education, and enforcement against irresponsible operators. Senators asked about ABC’s enforcement tools, including decoy operations, shoulder-tap checks, delivery compliance, and investigations tied to alcohol-related crashes; funding stability; delivery alcohol violations during COVID; and ABC’s approach to entertainment zones and other alcohol-policy changes. Support testimony came from industry and advocacy representatives, who praised his responsiveness and open-door approach. The committee approved his appointment 5-0 for consideration by the full Senate.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's rural and a good community to be a part of.
• tragedy within our own community.
• So we appeal to your sense of community, to your sense of safety and service, to those in our community
• So we appeal to your sense of community, to your sense of safety and service, to those in our community
• Lester here to spend in their communities.

Committee: Senate Finance

Summary: The committee met for public testimony on the Finance budget, with the main discussion focused first on funding for disability services and then on the LA GATOR scholarship program. Several individuals testified in support of fully funding Families Helping Families and Louisiana Rehabilitation Services (LRS), describing how advocacy, transition services, and direct support workers help people with disabilities access education, employment, and independent living. Witnesses urged the committee to preserve or increase state general funds to draw down federal matching dollars, and provider groups said current reimbursement rates and staffing shortages are leaving agencies in deficit, creating waitlists, overtime costs, and difficulty retaining workers. Committee members thanked the speakers and noted that the testimony would be used to compare the governor’s, House, and remaining budget requests. The committee then heard extensive testimony in support of increasing funding for the LA GATOR scholarship program. Supporters included policy groups, school leaders, parents, and students who argued that the program expands educational choice, helps low-income and special-needs students find schools that fit their needs, and should be fully funded at the level of demonstrated demand. Speakers from Catholic and Christian schools said GATOR funding had helped students thrive academically and spiritually, but that shortfalls left many eligible students without awards, hurt kindergarten enrollment, and forced schools to raise private donations to cover gaps. Several witnesses emphasized that the program is not a zero-sum attack on public schools, but a way to let education dollars follow students. A few committee questions focused on the fiscal impact and on whether choice programs improve outcomes without harming public schools. Testimony cited enrollment growth, parent demand, and data from other states to argue that school choice can improve student and parent outcomes and may also strengthen traditional public schools through competition. No votes or formal actions were taken during the public testimony portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> want to live in a thriving community want to live in a thriving community where<00:29:51.200><c>
• And across four Minnesota communities.
• </c> we have more communities ready to go. we have more communities ready to go.
• </c> communities across our great state. communities across our great state.
• </c> $3.2 billion of preserved community $3.2 billion of preserved community wealth.<01:01:19.119><c>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:03:50.359><c> communities</c> of a community but those two communities of a community but those
• </c><01:04:42.880><c> 1,700</c> Community our community is only 1,700 Community our community is only
• Our students are community members.
• Our students are community members.
• </c> prior to that they live in the community prior to that they live in the community playing<01:20:

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• bonus and the nuclear communities bonus created and a few other Bonus, and the nuclear communities bonus
• that are working together to understand the technology, but also it is a community-on-community, onto
• And thinking about how Energy Communities Alliance and other communities are working...
• Thinking about how Energy Communities Alliance and other communities are working together, we've heard
• Thinking about how Energy Communities Alliance and other communities are working together, we've heard

Committee: Joint Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee

Summary: The committee met to hear a series of presentations on advanced nuclear economics, workforce, community impacts, and financing. Nucleon Energy’s William Bridge presented a report estimating the economic impacts of hypothetical 200-megawatt and 600-megawatt SMRs, including construction and operating jobs, local spending, tax revenue, and the private-sector conditions needed to attract investment. He said the report used nth-of-a-kind cost assumptions, discussed security and water siting considerations, and argued that early community engagement and permitting work should be timed to when projects are closer to being economic. Committee members questioned cost assumptions, security staffing, transmission and water siting, and whether large reactors or SMRs are more likely to be financed in the near term. Lori Brady of the Nuclear Energy Institute then outlined national nuclear workforce needs and NEI’s strategic workforce planning. She described declining labor-force demographics, the need for hundreds of thousands of new energy workers by 2050, and six workforce priorities: career awareness, pipelines, training and qualification, policy support, retention, and non-traditional pipelines. She highlighted the Nuclear Works career website, the Nuclear Energy Academic Roadmap, the new federal Energy and Natural Resources career cluster, and the Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program for community colleges. Members asked about AI, robotics, and when training should begin relative to future plant construction; Brady said AI is not expected to replace workers broadly and that training timelines depend on the specific project and staffing plan. Red Wing, Minnesota Mayor Gary Yako described hosting the Prairie Island nuclear generating facility. He said the plant provides a large share of the city’s property tax base, supports well-paid jobs, contributes to local emergency preparedness, and is a strong community partner through donations and employee involvement. He said the city supports relicensing, has regular emergency drills, and has had no issues with dry cask storage. The committee also heard from NEI’s Benton Arnett, who reviewed the current financing landscape, including federal tax credits, DOE loan authority, offtake agreements, and the shift toward project developers and special-purpose vehicles. He said early projects face high first-of-a-kind costs, but federal support and long-term power purchase agreements are helping make projects financeable. Finally, DOE’s Julie Kazeraki described the Office of Energy Dominance Financing and its role in supporting new nuclear, restarts, uprates, and supply chain investments, emphasizing that federal loan and tax-credit tools are intended to reduce upfront risk and improve project affordability.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> like this one to keep host communities like this one to keep host communities whole<00:47:18.480
• and save these communities money.
• and save these communities money.
• and save these communities money.
• and save these communities money.

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This store, as it is in many other communities, was the center of my community.
• This store, as it is in many other communities, was the center of my community.
• major store in my community.
• That gives my community, my council, the union, the people in my community, the neighborhood groups,
• Corporations should not be given the power simply to close the store without communicating with the community

Summary: The Labor and Commerce Committee heard public testimony on several bills. Senate Bill 618, the Eric Schrauss Memorial Act, would remove the current time-and-exposure qualifiers for the workers’ compensation presumption that certain heart problems in firefighters and law enforcement officers are occupational diseases. The sponsor and family members of fallen firefighters testified in support, describing delayed claims and arguing the bill would spare grieving families from lengthy appeals. Opponents including counties, self-insurers, cities, and L&I’s research staff said the current qualifiers are based on science, warned the change would greatly expand claims and costs, and noted a 2023 advisory committee did not recommend the change. No vote was taken. The committee also heard Senate Bill 5379, which would extend interest arbitration rights to Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission law enforcement rangers. The sponsor and a park ranger testified that rangers are commissioned peace officers who cannot strike and are paid less than comparable law enforcement, leading to staffing shortages and turnover. The bill was presented as a fairness and retention measure. Testimony on Senate Bill 6147, concerning grocery store closures in food deserts, was split: supporters from Tacoma, labor, and local government said a six-month notice requirement would help communities respond to closures like the Fred Meyer shutdown in South Tacoma, while grocers and industry groups argued the bill was too prescriptive, would add legal risk, and would not solve underlying crime and business pressures. Senate Bill 6106, requested by the Employment Security Department, would exempt tribes from the state WARN-style notice law and make employee names and addresses submitted in layoff notices confidential under the Public Records Act. ESD and business groups supported the bill as a clarification and privacy fix, and no opposition was heard. The committee then took testimony on Senate Bill 5927, which would cap future workers’ compensation COLAs at 3%; employers and self-insurers supported it as a way to address volatility and long-term liabilities, while labor, injured-worker advocates, and others opposed it as an across-the-board benefit cut that would erode wage replacement. L&I explained it has been studying possible COLA changes but did not bring forward its own proposal. Finally, Senate Bill 6287 on kratom would restrict adulterated or harmful kratom products, require labeling, set a 21+ sales age, and allow local regulation; supporters backed the age limit and bans on concentrated 7-OH, while some industry witnesses opposed the private right of action and local patchwork rules. The committee adjourned after public testimony; no final votes or executive action were taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Communities are carved up like a pie. Competitive races vanish.
• we can help special needs communities or communities that are not in reach you can count me in.
• and in other communities as we strive to improve our own.
• living in fear due to the Federal Administration's attacks on our immigrant communities and communities
• This is an important tool for schools to allow effective communication.

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They clearly communicate how they feel each and every day.
• The Community Choices Waiver provides essential home or community services that help people stay independent
• They would do better out in the community. That's why all these community waivers now exist, right?
• , mobility, safety, and community inclusion.
• She is rated excellent in this community.

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Mary Selecky, who is also from a rural community, I am very committed to our rural communities and, in
• I'm the Director for the Office of Community Health Systems.
• and that that need was indeed meeting the community need.
• It is purely what the community sees as kind of best practice.
• And then we're looking at services, community by community, hospital by hospital, to ensure our stability

Summary: The committee heard a JLARC presentation on the Department of Health’s oversight of hospital inspections, complaints, and reporting. JLARC said DOH was late on 72% of acute care hospital inspections as of December 2024, had not verified that third-party accrediting standards were substantially equivalent to state standards, did not consistently require proof of those inspections, did not review adverse health event corrective plans, and could make hospital data more accessible. JLARC also raised a possible language-access barrier in the complaint system. Members asked about complaint filing by staff, the meaning of adverse health events, inspection outcomes, and whether the audit compared DOH to other agencies. JLARC said it had not reviewed inspection results or cross-agency comparisons, but noted inspectors were dedicated and working long hours. DOH later said it concurred with the recommendations and outlined a strategic plan with target dates for improving timeliness, verifying accreditation standards, expanding language access, reviewing adverse event laws, and improving public data access, with annual reporting to the Legislature expected. The committee then heard a Department of Health presentation on certificate of need modernization. DOH described the current certificate of need process, which reviews need, financial feasibility, quality, and cost containment for certain facility changes and new services, and said the program has not been modernized since the 1980s. DOH proposed 10 statutory modernization recommendations, including clarifying the program’s purpose, creating a planning entity, adding flexibility, reducing legal costs, updating access-to-care standards, expanding oversight to freestanding emergency departments and urgent care, addressing equity, improving cost control coordination, strengthening long-term funding, and using better data systems. Members asked about oversight of freestanding urgent care and EDs, funding sources, and whether the process could be streamlined or made more responsive to complaints or other triggers. A third panel discussed artificial intelligence in health care. Lucy O’Rourke of the Coalition for Health AI described CHAI’s work on responsible AI principles, technical standards, model cards or “nutrition labels,” testing and governance tools, and educational resources for providers. She said the group is focused on trust, transparency, fairness, safety, security, and privacy, and noted Washington’s AI-related policy work as among the more progressive in the country. No questions were asked. The final portion focused on the financial impact of federal and state health care policy changes. The Washington State Hospital Association said hospitals are facing low or negative operating margins, service reductions, layoffs, and closures, and that state cuts and taxes enacted in 2025, combined with federal HR1 changes, will significantly worsen finances. Providence Swedish leaders described staffing reductions, service cuts, delayed capital investments, and pressure from denials, tariffs, and reimbursement changes, while emphasizing that frontline staffing cuts are tied to service reductions rather than nurse-to-patient ratio changes. The Washington Health Benefit Exchange then began a presentation on expiring federal ACA premium tax credits, state Cascade Care Savings assistance, and eligibility changes affecting lawfully present non-citizens, with examples showing large premium increases for customers if federal subsidies expire.

Transcript Highlights:

• We never get in front of our communities.
• in which your children go to school, in communities where libraries are the hub for our community engagement
• in which your children go to school, in communities where libraries are the hub for our community engagement
• They build homes in those same historic communities.
• we communicate today.

Committee: Joint Economic Development and Workforce Services Interim Committee

Keywords: 985, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> some revitalization in the communities some revitalization in the communities that<00:30:36.919>
• </c><00:53:44.640><c> and</c> the aesthetic of your community and the aesthetic of your community and
• </c> and we're revitalizing our communities and we're revitalizing our communities and<00:59:08.119><
• </c> only just Greater Minnesota communities only just Greater Minnesota communities but<00:59:23.960
• </c><01:11:31.239><c> Development</c> provides direct Community Development provides direct Community

Committee: House Housing Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> smaller communities smaller communities with<00:02:37.519><c> less</c><00:02:37.760><c> capacity
• </c><00:03:02.080><c> are</c> is most of us the rural communities are is most of us the rural communities
• . communities. communities.
• communities communities um<00:27:37.360><c> for</c><00:27:37.760><c> towns</c><00:27:38.240><c> to</
• ,</c><00:51:47.280><c> to</c> our rural towns and communities, to our rural towns and communities, to

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We rely on Medi-Cal to maintain their health and stay in their homes and communities.
• We are strong supporters of home and community-based services.
• Wanted to thank you for rejecting the cuts to the community advocacy contracts.
• , immigrant communities.
• These are some of our most vulnerable communities right now.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These youth go on to become confident, skilled civic and community leaders who are breaking the cycle
• of generational trauma in our Cambodian, refugee, and immigrant communities.
• You know, California's community colleges make up the largest system in the United States.
• Half of all students in higher ed in the state of California go to a community college.
• They need the jobs that help them rebuild with a sense of growth and community.

Summary: The Senate began with a quorum call, prayer, and the Pledge of Allegiance, then moved through several floor recognitions. Members honored the Natomas Nighthawks boys basketball team for their championship season, and the chamber also recognized the 2026 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awardees for work on homelessness, education, youth civic engagement, community college success, and mental health. Individual awardees highlighted included Chris Chapman, Leanne Chun, Darla Cooper, Virgil Moorhead Jr. and Amy Matheson, Adrian Hillman and Aaron Garner Ford, and Selina Alvarez. The Senate also welcomed former U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios Perez and later heard committee and budget subcommittee announcements. On legislation, the body considered and passed Senate Resolution 88 by Senator Blakespear, commemorating the 50th anniversary of modern biotechnology and the 20th anniversary of the California Biotechnology Foundation. The resolution emphasized California’s role in biotech innovation and the industry’s economic and public health impact. The Senate also passed Senate Resolution 90 by Senator Gonzalez, recognizing April 14–16 as Khmer New Year and celebrating Cambodian American culture, especially in Long Beach. The chamber confirmed five gubernatorial appointments: Alan Guy, Henry Nutt III, and Steven Pennelli to the Contractors State License Board; Jacob Arkavakotov to the Medical Board of California; and Dr. V. V. Ling Sai to the Medical Board of California. All confirmations were approved by unanimous or near-unanimous roll call votes. The Senate also suspended a rule to allow Senate Bill 1447 to be heard in policy committees after the deadline, and later announced that the next floor session would be held on Monday, April 13, 2026. The session concluded with adjournment in memory of Rod Diridon Sr., with extended remarks from Senators Cortese, Wahab, and Becker describing his long public service, leadership on transportation and environmental issues, and lasting influence in Santa Clara County and beyond.

Transcript Highlights:

• This season, ...school, their community, and their city with pride.
• of generational trauma in our Cambodian, refugee, and immigrant communities.
• California's community colleges make up the largest system in the United States.
• Half of all students in higher education in the state of California go to a community college.
• They need the jobs that help them rebuild with a sense of growth and community.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Committee on Community Affairs will now come to order. Elizabeth, please call the roll.
• I serve as the Deputy Secretary of Community Development at Florida Commerce. of Commerce on the Community
• I serve as the Deputy Secretary of Community Development at Florida Commerce.
• It also helps us preserve community fabric.
• We would only do an acquisition if it was, say, beneficial to that community.

Summary: The Committee on Community Affairs met with a quorum present and heard several housing and disaster-recovery items. The committee heard SB 48 by Senator Gates, which would require local governments to allow voluntary accessory dwelling units, preserve homestead treatment for the owner-occupied portion of the property, limit undue parking restrictions, require 30-day minimum rentals, extend certain density bonuses for military families, and allow reusable tenant screening reports. The bill drew strong support from the Florida Association of Mortgage Professionals and several others, and it was reported favorably. The committee also heard SB 34 by Senator Sharif, creating a historic cemeteries program to help preserve historic African-American cemeteries and allow sale of excess vacant land if proceeds are used for long-term maintenance; it was also reported favorably. The committee then considered and recommended confirmation of Fox Henderson to the Board of Directors of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. Members also received a presentation from the Department of Commerce on the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program and Rebuild Florida. Deputy Secretary Justin Domer described the state’s administration of HUD disaster recovery funds, including more than $4.3 billion received since 2017, housing repair and replacement programs that have completed 5,271 homes, and infrastructure and mitigation projects such as sewer conversion in Alford, the new Calhoun-Liberty Hospital, and the Florida Keys desalination plant. Members asked about average project costs, contractor oversight, corrective actions for deficient work, and audit procedures; Domer said the department uses inspections, vendor oversight, and financial penalties, and noted stricter contract consequences in newer programs. The Division of Emergency Management also presented on Elevate Florida, a federal mitigation program that allows homeowners to apply directly for elevation, reconstruction, acquisition/demolition, or wind-mitigation projects, with a 75/25 federal-homeowner cost share and no state funds. Director Kevin Guthrie said the program is designed to reduce repetitive flood losses and keep homeowners in place, and that it has received more than 12,000 applications, with about 1,500 prioritized, 500 on a wait list, and 305 submitted to FEMA for final approval. Members asked about the 25% match for seniors, the wait list, contractor procurement, and how projects are classified; Guthrie said the program uses insurance proceeds where available, has competitively procured 27 contractors, and may shift projects from elevation to reconstruction depending on damage and flood rules. The committee adjourned after the presentations and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• within their own communities.
• within their own communities.
• They're going to have 10 community cafe conversations.
• to have 10 community cafe conversations.
• That's super important to all of our communities, especially some of mine, as my community was affected

Summary: The House Appropriations Committee met in executive session on a proposed substitute operating budget bill and worked through a long series of amendments before voting on the bill. Members discussed a wide range of budget items, including court funding for Thurston County civil filings, Attorney General funding for a domestic extremism task force, grants for Yakima aquatics access, North Mason mobile integrated health, mentoring programs, poverty reduction work, a proposed Department of Housing task force, federal grant inventory staffing, HEAL Act funding, assisted living rebasing, DCYF family resource centers and pediatric interim care, law enforcement training and equipment, shellfish and birthing center licensing fees, school bus depreciation, charter school accountability, transition to kindergarten priorities, and several Fish and Wildlife and OSPI grants. The committee also considered amendments related to the Columbia River Gorge Commission, shrub-steppe habitat mitigation, and a study on Lower Snake River reservoir drawdown impacts. Debate on many amendments centered on whether items were statewide priorities or local projects, and on the fiscal constraints of the budget. Supporters often argued that proposals would protect vulnerable populations, improve public safety, or leverage future savings and outside funding; opponents frequently cited budget pressure, the availability of existing funding, or the need to avoid singling out local projects. Some amendments were adopted, including Clark 343 on intent to fund up to 10,000 additional eCAP slots, Jones 419 on paint stewardship funding, and Stevens 070 limiting birthing center license fees. Many others failed, including amendments on Thurston County court funding, the domestic extremism task force, Yakima aquatics, North Mason mobile integrated health, mentoring, poverty reduction workgroup funding, the Department of Housing task force, federal grant staffing, HEAL Act funding, assisted living rebasing, the PIC Center contract, the Lacey regional training academy, and several Fish and Wildlife and OSPI-related proposals. The committee then moved to the underlying bill, Proposed Substitute House Bill 2289, and adopted a do pass motion after disposing of the amendments. The transcript indicates the committee ultimately reported the bill out of committee with a do pass recommendation.