Transcript Highlights:

• The department takes its role in protecting sensitive and private health data very seriously.
• The department takes its role in protecting sensitive and private health data very seriously.
• The department takes its role in protecting sensitive and private health data very seriously.
• The department takes its role in protecting sensitive and private health data very seriously.
• </c> opposed to a robust set of um of data opposed to a robust set of um of data that<01:45:04.440><c

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, the data and the tech is the last pillar.
• Representative Murphy, we can get that data for you.
• Yes, we can get that data for you. Thank you.
• And then we do have two pending data and technology infrastructures that relate to... ...pending data
• We're also coordinating the data and planning.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum, approved the March 18 minutes, and then received a series of updates on health-related projects and Department of Health and Human Services budget matters. Representatives from CHI St. Alexius in Bismarck and Williston, and Altru in Grand Forks, reported progress on behavioral health expansion projects, including demolition and construction milestones, updated timelines, funding status, staffing plans, and barriers such as an unbudgeted air handler replacement in Williston. Members asked about original completion dates, use of telehealth, recruitment of psychiatrists and other staff, and whether the new beds might reduce the need for patients to travel to Jamestown State Hospital. The projects were described as on track overall, with completion expected in 2027 for the larger builds and earlier openings for some phases in Williston. The committee then heard from HHS leadership on technical line-item transfers and the Salaries and Wages Block Grant. Donna Ockland explained that recent transfers were administrative corrections to place spending in the proper budget lines and did not involve new spending, and she reviewed FTE counts and vacancies across the department. Questions focused on behavioral health staffing changes and the use of consultants in the Rural Health Transformation Program. Pat Rainer outlined the rural health program’s first-year grants and priorities, including workforce retention, rural rotations and housing, community wellness initiatives, behavioral health promotion, safety net services, hospital equipment, suicide prevention training, technology, and EMS support. He said North Dakota’s plan was drawing positive national attention, but the department still needed to obligate roughly $199 million by September and was working with CMS on timing and compliance. The committee also received an update on certified community behavioral health clinics from Elena Zeller. She said North Dakota had been accepted as a demonstration state, with certification efforts underway in Williston, North Central, Fargo, and Dickinson. Members asked about care coordination, service growth, staffing, and whether certification would expand to all clinics; the department said it was still collecting baseline data and evaluating impacts before making future recommendations. Finally, Rebecca Askins reviewed SNAP payment error rates, explaining that the 2025 rate was finalized at 9.89 percent and that the department is working on training, system changes, and quality assurance steps to get below 6 percent. Members pressed on the causes of monthly variability, the performance of the SPACES system, and accountability for ongoing errors, and the department said it expects improvement over the next 6 to 12 months.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, House Bill 525 deals mainly with data collection and reporting information.
• It's merely data collection. Names are redacted. Data collection. Names are redacted, so thank you.
• I mean, and that's for all our data that's up on the website. So that won't change.
• It's purely data collection. Thank you, Representative Carpenter. Do we have a motion?
• It's purely data collection. Thank you, Representative Carpenter. Do we have a motion?

Committee: House Administration of Criminal Justice

Summary: The committee first took up HB 74, which would create a Louisiana Spectrum Alert for missing persons with autism spectrum disorder. Representative Eccles said the alert would be modeled on Amber and senior alerts and could be absorbed within existing resources. The committee heard emotional support testimony from a parent describing the dangers of elopement and drowning risks for autistic children, and several members voiced support. HB 74 was reported favorably. Members then considered HB 1033 and HB 1034 by Chairman Bacala. HB 1033 expands the statutory definition of critical infrastructure to include additional facilities such as airports, spaceports, aerospace facilities, mass transit, government facilities, military installations, and oil and gas exploration platforms. It drew mostly support from economic development and law enforcement groups, with one opposition card from the Sierra Club, and was reported favorably. HB 1034 authorizes parish presidents, mayors, sheriffs, police chiefs, and chief executive officers to establish temporary protection zones for public safety for up to 72 hours, with a warning before criminal penalties attach. The committee adopted an amendment clarifying that the bill cannot be used in a manner inconsistent with state firearms preemption law, heard concerns from the ACLU about vagueness and possible overreach, and then reported the bill favorably as amended. HB 59, by Representative Marcel, would require East Baton Rouge Parish and its municipalities to fund the 19th Judicial District public defender’s office in a manner parallel to the district attorney funding structure. The bill drew support from the public defender, the district attorney, and the state public defender, but several members raised concerns that the language could create an unfunded mandate or litigation risk for local governments. Despite those concerns, the committee reported HB 59 favorably. HB 175, as amended, redirected $500,000 annually from Louisiana Lottery net proceeds into a Veterans Service Grant Fund administered by a new board in the Department of Veterans Affairs; testimony emphasized support for veterans programs, treatment courts, homelessness services, and community organizations, and the bill was reported favorably as amended. The committee also advanced HB 568, which increases penalties for drug-free school zone violations involving open marijuana use and other drug activity. Supporters said the bill would give law enforcement and prosecutors a clearer tool to address visible drug use near schools and large events, while opponents warned it could over-criminalize marijuana and create proof problems. The committee reported HB 568 favorably. Finally, HB 525, which requires DPS&C to publish certain incarceration data online, was amended to remove parish jail census data after DPS&C said it would not post that portion; the department said it would publish the remaining data and codebook online. The committee then reported HB 525 favorably as amended.

Transcript Highlights:

• The last data I have, unfortunately, is from 1998.
• Yes, I do have statistics, and I do have data to reaffirm what I've stated.
• Does AAA gather any data on speed limits and deaths?
• And some of the data we got from Nebraska would be even more than 20%.
• We weren’t able to get any data from Iowa, but certainly we can try to...”

Committee: House Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight

Summary: The House Committee on Transportation met on Senate Bill 1408, which would allow Missouri to raise the maximum speed limit on rural interstates from 70 to 75 miles per hour. Senator Berger, the bill sponsor, argued the change would better match neighboring states, improve traffic flow, and reflect modern vehicle safety technology. Several members supported the idea as a practical adjustment, while others questioned whether the time savings were worth the safety tradeoff, raised concerns about driver behavior, truck speed governors, road design, fuel use, and the possibility that higher posted limits would lead to even faster driving. Testimony was sharply divided. Supporters, including a motorist advocate and some committee members, said 75 mph is common in surrounding states and worldwide, that most crashes are caused by inattention rather than speed alone, and that MoDOT should be able to set limits based on engineering and traffic conditions. Opponents included a Hazelwood police lieutenant, AAA, the Missouri Insurance Coalition, and MoDOT Director Ed Hassinger. They argued that higher speeds increase crash severity and fatalities, that Missouri’s roads and traffic volumes differ from flatter neighboring states, and that the bill could disproportionately affect young and older drivers as well as roadside workers. MoDOT said its data shows speed is a major factor in fatal crashes and cited fatality increases in Arkansas and Kansas after those states raised rural interstate limits. Committee members also debated whether the bill actually mandates 75 mph or merely authorizes MoDOT to set it where appropriate. MoDOT and AAA said any increase should be tied to engineering studies and roadway-specific analysis, while supporters argued the department already has that discretion and that the bill simply removes an outdated cap. No vote was taken in the excerpt. After closing the hearing on SB 1408, the committee moved on to House Bill 3447, a towing and recovery bill that would require more insurance for large commercial vehicles, improve notice and dispute procedures, and address abandoned vehicles; testimony on that bill began with the sponsor and representatives from the towing and trucking industries.

Transcript Highlights:

• actually had the full spectrum of data for analysis.
• So they actually showed that, from a data standpoint, that was the data that came out of that actual
• So I am wondering what data is... ...months.
• So I am wondering what data you have on the deterrent effect that that increased penalty created.
• I don't currently have data to be able to tell you. ...I don't currently have data to be able to tell

Bills: HB99 , HB49 , HB164 , SB30 , SB43 , SB50 , SB136

Committee: House House Judiciary

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 99, which would make changes to the Medical Malpractice Act, especially around punitive damages. The chair and sponsor said the bill would not be voted on that day and that public comment would wait until Monday, when a fuller presentation and any recommended substitute would be considered. Dr. Brooke Baker, a physician-lawyer, gave a long presentation on physician wellness, malpractice stress, and the effect of litigation on staffing and burnout, while also discussing hospital ownership structures, private equity, and rural hospital vulnerability. She argued that punitive damages are often pled too broadly in New Mexico, that the amendment language was unclear about which entities would be capped, and that better oversight and internal quality systems—not punitive damages—are the better tools for addressing bad actors and unsafe care. Committee members from both sides asked extensive questions about the patient compensation fund, indemnification, corporate structures, the effect of caps on insurance and recruitment, and whether the bill would protect physicians’ personal assets. No vote was taken on HB 99, and the committee recessed before moving to the next bill. The committee then returned to House Bill 49, a public safety measure increasing penalties for felons who possess firearms. The sponsors and law enforcement witnesses said the bill is aimed narrowly at serious violent felons who are already prohibited from having guns, and that it would align state sentencing with federal law and give police and prosecutors a stronger tool against repeat violent offenders. An amendment was offered to narrow the bill further, add destructive devices, and make the offense a second-degree felony rather than escalating to first degree on repeat offenses. The amendment was adopted without opposition. Public testimony on HB 49 was largely opposed. The Law Office of the Public Defender argued the bill criminalizes possession without a new act of violence, that current law already punishes felon-in-possession conduct, and that New Mexico has repeatedly increased penalties without evidence of reduced gun crime. The ACLU of New Mexico also opposed the bill, saying increased penalties are not a proven deterrent. The transcript cuts off as additional online opposition testimony was beginning.

Transcript Highlights:

• I could have washed you in data. But what lifts me every day are the stories I hear.
• But I want to share some of the limited national and federal data that are currently available. than
• on workforce outcomes, examining data on workforce outcomes, examining our<00:37:41.520><c> majors,<
• </c><00:37:50.640><c> to</c><00:37:50.880><c> make</c> going to need more complete data to make going
• federal data that are currently<00:38:01.359><c> available.

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education met without a quorum and postponed approval of the minutes. The committee first heard from Northern Kentucky University President Katie Short Thompson, who highlighted NKU’s enrollment growth, student success metrics, national recognition for value, lower student debt, and new programs tied to regional workforce needs, including AI, cybersecurity, supply chain analytics, cardiovascular perfusion, and the Norse Network Hub for employer access. She asked for a $5 million recurring base funding adjustment to align NKU’s general fund support with peer institutions, along with support for tuition waivers with FAFSA requirements, continued debt collection authority through the Department of Revenue, inclusion of fire and tornado insurance premiums in base funding, inflation and performance-funding support, and increased asset preservation funding. She also outlined capital priorities for the Hail College of Business building, Nunn Hall, and the MEP building, and requested $5.4 million to match private support for the Young Scholars Academy, a dual-credit program serving first-generation and low-income students. Representative Tipton questioned NKU about the number of older students using tuition waivers and whether the university could continue the program without a statutory age-based mandate. Thompson said the number of students over 65 using the waiver was small, that some students pursue degrees while others audit classes, and that external fundraising could potentially support the program if state funding changed. Tipton also confirmed NKU’s requested priorities and the $5.4 million match for the Young Scholars Academy. The committee then heard from University of Kentucky representative Dr. Cavallo, who framed UK’s request around accountability, workforce development, research, and health care impact. He described a patient story to illustrate UK’s medical mission, cited growth in enrollment, degrees awarded, hospital patients treated, and research grant revenue, and emphasized UK’s role in extension services and disaster response. He said UK is consolidating services for efficiency and is focusing on future workforce needs, especially artificial intelligence, noting the launch of the state’s first AI bachelor’s degree and a partnership with Microsoft to expand AI tools and training across campus and the Advancing Kentucky Together network. He also discussed demographic challenges, the need to retain graduates in Kentucky, and the importance of aligning programs and funding with long-term state needs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Will your data be fed to another option that will do a study?
• That's information we got from the DOT, and that's good-quality data.
• We could not operate as efficiently as we do without this data-driven approach.
• The foundation and operations in CRAB is solid certified data, data that is reported by all 39 counties
• There are some gaps in the data that we recognize, and one area that we are excited...

Committees: Joint Transportation , Joint Joint Transportation Committee

Summary: The committee first heard an update on the Joint Transportation Committee study of transportation impacts if the Lower Snake River dams were removed. WSDOT and its consultant described the study as focused on transportation mitigation, not on whether dam removal should occur. They outlined geologic risk work on drawdown and erosion, identified vulnerable embankments and nearby roads, rail, and utilities, and explained a total logistics cost model used to compare base conditions and several future scenarios. Those scenarios included no-dam conditions with new unit-train terminals, short-line rail options, a combined “many solutions” scenario, and a future scenario still to be defined. Members asked about irrigation, impacts in Idaho and Oregon, port capacity, emissions, competition, EV trucks, and whether the model could test reduced grain volumes; staff said the model can estimate transportation changes and costs, but not broader farm-economics impacts. WSU’s independent review said the model had improved but still had limitations in spatial detail, routing accuracy, and testing, and that stakeholder engagement remained important though delayed by model development. No votes were taken. The committee then received an update on the alternative sidewalk funding study. Consultants said the study is in its early information-gathering phase, with a statewide survey of cities and counties, interviews, national research, and legal review of possible funding mechanisms. They described current sidewalk funding as fragmented, with grants, transportation benefit districts, levies, and some utility-tax allocations used in Washington, but no dedicated statewide source. They said the study is especially examining a possible sidewalk utility fee, while parcel taxes appear unlikely under Washington’s property-tax rules. Members asked whether any new mechanism would duplicate existing taxes, how a sidewalk fee would be collected, and whether development requirements for sidewalks count as dedicated funding; the consultants said the study is aimed at expanding local options rather than mandating adoption. Deliverables include a preliminary draft by mid-December, a “Sidewalks 101” document by year-end, and a final report by mid-June next year. The committee also heard a brief update on the ocean-going vessels at berth emissions study. Staff explained that the report is nearing completion and will be presented at the next JTC meeting. They highlighted federal Clean Air Act constraints, noting that Washington’s options are shaped by California’s waiver-based standards and that deviations from California’s vessel-at-berth rules could invite litigation. Staff said stakeholder outreach is underway and asked for any missing participants to be identified before the final report is issued. Finally, the committee began hearing from county representatives on local transportation challenges. The county engineers’ association emphasized ongoing collaboration with state agencies and local partners on issues such as fish passage barriers and infrastructure needs, but the presentation was cut off as the meeting moved on to the next item.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're getting some of that retail data supplies where people are doing just that.
• We can look at all that data.
• That's what my data says. Payments have gone up to anesthesiologists.
• And so, I would encourage the committee to dive into that data.
• So I guess the data in 2024 has shown that we are making improvements.

Bills: HB136 , HB451 , SB425 , SB466 , SB905 , SB1986 , SB2311 , SB2450 , SB2805 , SB2826 , SB2919 , SB3001 , HB136

Committee: Senate Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• What we see in our data, not only in Hobbs but also nationwide.
• Because PSFA is not the decision makers; we're the data collectors.
• A lot of those other ones in that same column are associated with the last data input to the data itself
• Input to the data itself.
• Review your data and get any of your corrections to me by May 15th. technical corrections or your data

Committee: House Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task Force

Transcript Highlights:

• So I'm really going to be looking at what the data tells us at that time.
• Well, data matters, whatever I think you've said: what gets measured gets fixed.
• SB 1188 requires that any EMR data processed by artificial intelligence for diagnostic purposes or to
• centers and large data center projects, to Finance.
• centers and large data center projects, to Finance.

Bills: SJR12 , SJR81 , SCR39 , SB22 , SB32 , SB241 , SB393 , SB414 , SB458 , SB464 , SB568 , SB583 , SB609 , SB660 , SB693 , SB731 , SB732 , SB746 , SB783 , SB785 , SB897 , SB993 , SB996 , SB1008 , SB1029 , SB1035 , SB1036 , SB1120 , SB1122 , SB1147 , SB1163 , SB1188 , SB1197 , SB1209 , SB1227 , SB1245 , SB1267 , SB1307 , SB1321 , SB1332 , SB1386 , SB1394 , SB1396 , SB1470 , SB1494 , SB1537 , SB1596 , SB1598 , SB1610 , SB1664 , SB1814 , SB1822 , SB1841 , SB1948 , SB2065 , SB2155 , SB2406 , SB2407

Summary: The Senate opened with a quorum call, invocation, approval of routine motions, and the reading of gubernatorial nominations and several honorary resolutions. The chamber adopted resolutions recognizing Jack and Jill of America Day and DJ Daniel Day at the Capitol, with multiple senators offering remarks praising youth leadership, perseverance, and public service. The Senate also introduced the Doctor of the Day and then proceeded to a long series of floor actions on bills. A major focus was Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 568, which overhauls special education funding and services in public schools by moving from a placement-based model to an intensity-based system tied to student needs and IEPs. Senators Bettencourt, Creighton, and Menendez emphasized transparency, parent input, evaluation funding, dyslexia services, and better alignment of funding with actual services; Senator Hinojosa shared a personal story about dyslexia and the importance of early intervention. The bill was advanced on second and third reading and finally passed 30-0. The Senate also passed SB 1396 to prohibit national sex education standards in public schools, SB 2065 on the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System, SB 1664 requiring clearer public disclosure of transmission and distribution utility rate changes, SB 1029 on advertising certain used motor vehicles, SB 1120 expanding rights for family violence victims, SB 1036 regulating residential solar retail transactions, SB 464 creating school-proximity restrictions and penalties for tobacco and vaping sales, SB 1035 giving farmers and ranchers equitable relief from certain local agricultural regulations, SB 1610 addressing civil commitment facility safety and prosecution issues, SB 1197 extending drone restrictions to spaceports, and SB 1386 changing legislative witness immunity from transactional to testimonial immunity. Another major bill was Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1188, which updates electronic health record requirements. Senator Kolkhorst said the bill builds on Texas medical privacy law by requiring U.S.-based storage of EMR data, prohibiting recording of voter registration status and credit score information, requiring provider verification and disclosure for AI-assisted diagnosis or treatment recommendations, preserving parental access to minors’ records until age 18, and ensuring EMRs can capture metabolic health and biological sex information. A floor amendment clarified the bill’s scope and enforcement, and the bill passed 23-7. Several measures drew debate, especially SB 414 on bond ballot transparency, where Senators Eckhardt and Menendez questioned whether requiring estimated interest and total debt cost on ballots could be misleading or difficult to implement because interest rates and financing terms can change before issuance or over time. The transcript ends during that discussion, with no final action shown on SB 414.

Transcript Highlights:

• Florida is using data analytics.
• Florida is using data analytics.
• Florida is using data analytics.
• Florida is using data analytics.
• Florida is using data analytics.

Committee: Joint Health Services

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> department will annually obtain the data department will annually obtain the data from<00:03:46.799
• ,</c><00:05:13.120><c> public</c> framework grounded in data, public framework grounded in data, public
• </c> consistent data collection, clear consistent data collection, clear criteria,<00:13:43.120><c> and
• Um, but we're going to have to take a deeper dive into that data.
• I do know that just in that data.

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, here's some data.
• </c> operational efficiency and data operational efficiency and data analysis.<00:30:01.279><c> We're
• </c> establishing a programmatic data establishing a programmatic data tracking<00:30:26.399><c> system
• So this is our data, and this is something called our data dashboard. We just developed this.
• So this is our data and this is something called our data dashboard. We just developed this.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> data, we have 11 out of the 12 months. data, we have 11 out of the 12 months.
• The Senate data only through January.
• through April and now we have had data through April and now we have data<00:15:46.240><c> through</
• </c> when we move from looking at data when we move from looking at data through<00:25:35.919><c> April
• > but</c><01:02:50.960><c> early</c> know, data data has changed, but early know, data data has changed

Summary: The Committee of Conference on HB 1 and HB 2 was called to order, and Legislative Budget Assistant Michael Kaine reviewed the working documents before the committee. He explained the compare report, the detailed change sheet, the HB 1 index, the HB 2 side-by-side, the surplus statement, and a revenue handout, noting that the committee would vote up or down on all detail-change items and that unresolved items on hold would be removed from the final bills. He also identified staff available to answer technical questions and noted that the committee would track the dollar impact of decisions as it proceeded. Members then turned to the revenue outlook, with discussion focused on the gap between the House and Senate budget positions. House members said their budget guidance was based on revenue estimates that were significantly below the governor’s proposal, and they discussed whether additional revenue could close part of the gap. Department of Revenue Administration Commissioner Lindsey Stepp presented updated revenue estimates based on May data, explaining the methodology and the ranges for fiscal years 2025, 2026, and 2027. She said business taxes were the largest source of uncertainty, with estimates reflecting current economic conditions, recent revenue performance, and a range of possible growth rates. Committee members questioned the assumptions behind the business-tax ranges, including why the low and high scenarios were set at 2% and 8% growth. Stepp said the range was based on historical performance and current economic factors such as inflation, tariffs, and business behavior, and she noted that June is a major estimate-payment month for business taxes. Members also discussed recent revenue trends, including the effect of tariffs and the possibility of federal tax policy changes affecting repatriated profits. The commissioner and House members also discussed other revenue sources, including rooms and meals and real estate transfer taxes, with the House side arguing that lower mortgage rates and home prices could increase real estate transfer revenue. No votes were taken in the portion provided, but the committee discussed possible upward adjustments to House revenue assumptions, including increases of roughly $70 million in total based on the updated outlook and additional insurance-related revenue.

Transcript Highlights:

• It gives parents storage of that data.
• But when you look at the data and if we make our decisions based on data and not emotion, which can be
• </c> Also heard concerns about uh data Also heard concerns about uh data retention<01:41:04.400><c> or
• </c><01:41:17.440><c> locally</c> bill they could store the data locally bill they could store the data
• </c><01:41:34.800><c> I</c> you're unlikely to lose the data. I you're unlikely to lose the data.

Bills: HF2436

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Keywords: child welfare, economic assistance, child care, grant program, video security cameras

Transcript Highlights:

• I guess they had to work out some data.
• I guess they had to work out some data.
• This ensures compliance, data integrity, and continuity of services.
• This ensures compliance, data integrity, and continuity of services.
• Simply put, this report or this assessment connects data to action.

Summary: The committee met to receive a detailed financial operations presentation from the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency, with staff walking members through funding sources, budgeting, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and grants management. Sabrina Walker explained VR’s blended funding structure, including federal grants, state appropriations, program income, and interagency contracts, and emphasized that state funds are essential to meeting the federal match and maintenance-of-effort requirements. Members asked repeatedly about transparency, audit controls, and the risk that state cuts could reduce federal drawdowns; staff responded that all reports reconcile back to the SCEIS accounting system, are subject to state audits and internal reviews, and that even modest state reductions could significantly reduce total available funding. The committee also discussed pre-employment transition services for students with disabilities, with staff confirming services are offered through school districts, charters, and private schools, and that contracts are monitored for performance and compliance. The presentation then shifted to budgeting and internal controls. Walker described a zero-based departmental budgeting process, monthly monitoring reports, contingency reserves for unexpected expenses, and a formal annual cycle that culminates in board approval. Members asked about facilities tracking, culture, and how the agency maintains accountability; staff said facilities staff inspect buildings and equipment, supervisors justify line-item requests, and the process has become smoother over time as departments learned the system. Cynthia Johnson followed with an accounts receivable overview, describing invoicing, receipting, aging, customer verification, year-end reporting, and the use of cross-training, shared email inboxes, and spreadsheets as checks and balances. She also explained work training center billing, interdepartmental transfers, and the revolving fund used to issue consumer checks more quickly than standard vendor payments. Olivia Perez presented accounts payable operations, including invoice processing through SCEIS and OnBase, the three-way match, travel reimbursements, revolving fund checks, State Treasury Office interactions, and handling of reversals, rejections, and levy notices. She reported that AP processed 67,723 SCEIS payments, 13,670 case management system invoices, 3,379 travel reimbursements, and 15,693 revolving fund checks in fiscal year 2025, with only 70 payment rejections. The final portion of the meeting covered Grants and Funds Management, where Walker explained federal reporting, drawdowns, payroll allocation, asset tracking, lease and IT contract reviews, cost allocation, and closing packages. She noted upcoming system changes such as S/4HANA, Workiva, and SC Pro, but said the agency is receiving training and feedback opportunities. No formal votes or legislative actions were taken during the presentation portion beyond approval of the prior minutes and a brief recess.

Transcript Highlights:

• The data shows that this education works.
• We don’t really have the data to know how many schools are doing this.
• I don’t think that we have a lot of data. Thank you. I don’t know.
• I don’t think that we have a lot of data on how often that happened.
• That has some of the lowest numbers of non-... anecdotal evidence and data that we could point to.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery

Summary: The Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery opened its first public hearing of the 2025–26 session with remarks from the Senate and House chairs outlining the committee’s priorities. They noted recent work on addiction and recovery legislation, the ongoing youth behavioral health crisis, and that members might need to leave periodically for floor votes. The chairs explained hearing procedures, including three-minute testimony limits, written testimony deadlines, and reporting deadlines for Senate and House bills. The hearing then focused on several bills related to youth mental health, overdose prevention, and psychedelic treatment research. A major portion of the hearing centered on bills to improve youth crisis response and overdose prevention. Testimony strongly supported bills to print the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on student ID cards, with speakers from mental health organizations, crisis centers, and individuals sharing personal stories of depression, suicide attempts, and the importance of making 988 as familiar as 911. Another set of bills would require schools to stock naloxone and provide overdose prevention education. Physicians, harm reduction advocates, students, and grieving family members testified that school-based Narcan access and education could save lives, reduce stigma, and help students recognize overdoses and understand Good Samaritan protections. Senator O’Connor and Tamika Perry also testified for a bill to strengthen substance use prevention education and reduce overdose abandonment, emphasizing the need to teach students about overdose risks and the legal protections for calling 911. The committee also heard testimony on a bill to authorize a pilot program for psychedelic treatment in licensed facilities. Senator Friedman and several medical and behavioral health professionals argued the proposal was a narrow, research-based approach distinct from the broader ballot question rejected in 2024. They said the bill would allow only a small number of supervised clinics to use psychedelics for conditions such as depression, PTSD, anxiety, and substance use disorders, with data reporting and Department of Public Health oversight. Supporters described it as a cautious way to study promising treatments while avoiding unsupervised or commercialized use. Finally, the committee heard support for a bill to create a special commission and five-year strategic plan for children’s behavioral health services, with testimony that the current system is fragmented, difficult for families to navigate, and strained by workforce and funding challenges. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing; the committee primarily received testimony and questions on the bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• and again and again on how many data and again and again on how many kids<00:34:43.679><c> are</c><00
• </c><00:36:02.960><c> on</c><00:36:03.280><c> can</c> district has to review data on can district has
• 91A excluded data, the probability that a community data, the probability that a community can<00:39:
• </c><00:39:55.440><c> and</c> the idea of collecting data and the idea of collecting data and monitoring
• All of those questions are based off of data that the entire team has collected and gone through.

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, the rationale for this is based on data collected by CPE.
• </c> rationale for this uh is based on data rationale for this uh is based on data collected<00:41:25.440
• So yes, we can provide that data.
• So yes, we can provide<00:54:14.000><c> that</c><00:54:14.160><c> data.
• We just didn't have provide that data.

Summary: The committee met for its fifth and final Interim Joint Budget Review Subcommittee on Education meeting, but did not initially have a quorum and approved the minutes later when enough members were present. The Council on Postsecondary Education, represented by President Aaron Thompson and Vice President Bill Payne, opened with condolences for the UPS crash victims and then presented higher education budget recommendations for the 2026-2028 biennium. Thompson emphasized the return on investment from state support for higher education, citing gains in retention, enrollment, persistence, graduation, reduced time to degree, lower student debt, and expanded dual credit participation, while noting that affordability and access remain priorities. Payne outlined CPE’s operating funds request, including $43.3 million in the first year and $86.6 million in the second year for inflation adjustments, plus $30 million and $45 million for performance funding. He said the inflation request would apply across the board to institutions to offset rising costs, and that the KSU land grant match would not need additional funding because the state has already met the matching requirement. He also explained that state support for educating students has not kept pace with inflation over time, creating pressure on institutional budgets and tuition, though tuition increases have been held to historic lows in recent years. A major portion of the discussion focused on the performance funding model and how it affects smaller institutions. CPE proposed two approaches to address institutions that have received little or no performance funding, especially Kentucky State University and Morehead State University. The first approach would create a $20 million minimum distribution pool, providing $1.95 million to each university and $4.4 million to KCTCS, with the goal of giving smaller and rural institutions a base level of support. The second approach would provide direct appropriations totaling a little over $5.6 million to Kentucky State, Morehead State, and five community colleges that have not been receiving performance funding. Members, especially Representative Tipton and Senator West, questioned how the model had treated small schools over time, and CPE officials explained that the original small school adjustment was not large enough to prevent KSU and Morehead from effectively being left out of the distribution. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, enforcement remains a challenge due to the critical lack of data.
• I'm going to skip down and avoid some of these words, but I want to ...of data.
• It sounds like a lot of the data that is collected is already collected by state agencies.
• It sounds like a lot of the data that is collected is already collected by state agencies.
• And they must submit an annual report on data from the automated traffic enforcement system.

Committee: House Transportation

Summary: The Assembly Transportation Committee heard several bills, beginning with SB 712 by Senator Grove, which would expand the smog-check exemption for classic vehicles from model years 1976 to 1986, phased in over five years and sunset in 2032. Supporters, including lowrider and classic car advocates and the Specialty Equipment Market Association, said the bill would preserve car culture, reduce burdens on owners of rarely driven vehicles, and support related businesses. Opponents, including air district representatives, the American Lung Association, and environmental groups, argued the bill would increase pollution and weaken an important clean-air program. The committee ultimately passed SB 712 on a due-pass-as-amended vote to Appropriations after adopting amendments and holding the roll open for additional votes. The committee then took up SB 800 by Senator Reyes, presented by Assemblymember Richardson, which would direct Caltrans and local governments to assess mitigation measures for suicides on locally owned overpasses crossing state highways. Support came from local officials, health organizations, and community groups, who described the measure as a needed suicide-prevention step and a way to identify high-risk locations for safety improvements. There was no organized opposition, and members spoke in favor of the bill before it was moved on a due-pass vote to Appropriations. Next, the committee considered SB 30 by Senator Cortese, as amended, to restrict California public entities from selling, donating, or transferring decommissioned diesel locomotives and railroad equipment with Tier 1 or older engines unless the engine is removed, while allowing some Tier 2 and newer transfers with approval. Supporters said the bill would prevent older diesel engines from continuing to pollute elsewhere and would reduce health and climate harms. Transit agencies opposed the measure, arguing it could limit useful transfers of locomotives and should instead allow case-by-case air-quality review. The bill passed out of committee on a 6-4 vote, with the roll held open. The committee also heard SB 791 by Senator Cortese, which would replace the flat $85 dealer document processing charge with a 1% fee capped at $350, along with new disclosure requirements. Dealers and industry groups supported the bill as a way to recover costs and modernize a fee that has lagged behind inflation, while consumer advocates opposed it as too high and burdensome for buyers. After extensive questioning about transparency, negotiability, and affordability, the committee passed SB 791 to Appropriations. The meeting also included the start of testimony on SB 34, a port-related air quality and anti-automation measure from Senator Richardson, with support from ILWU and allied groups and opposition from some transit and business interests, but the transcript cuts off before final action on that bill.