Transcript Highlights:

• So they are in with these numbers, the primary commodity.
• So they are in with these numbers, the primary commodity.
• So they are in with these numbers, the primary commodity.
• And we know that new farmers, beginning farmers, are actually more open to looking at diversified farms
• Are there openings that you're still trying to fill, difficulty finding replacements?

Bills: HF3692

Committee: House Agriculture Finance and Policy

Keywords: Farmer-Lender Mediation Act, mediation, agriculture finance, debt relief, civil law, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• With that, ladies and gentlemen, we are going to go ahead and start the public hearing or open the public
• Well, the primary function of this bill isn't just about how we hold utilities accountable for their
• It was kind of going to particular groups or people, and it left us open to lots of scams.
• He said the primary driver of the increase is projected liability risk, which would make the fund act
• WPUDA has several reasons to oppose the bill, but this morning I'll focus on one of our primary concerns

Summary: The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held a public hearing on House Bill 2275, which would create a Wildfire Prevention and Protection Fund and a new council to oversee utility wildfire mitigation, claims payments, and related administration. Staff explained that investor-owned utilities would be required to participate, consumer-owned utilities could opt in, and utilities would pay annual contributions and maintain approved wildfire mitigation plans to qualify for claims coverage. The prime sponsor, Rep. Christine Reeves, said the bill was intended to address wildfire liability, support prevention, and create a more comprehensive statewide approach to wildfire risk. Members asked about retroactivity to July 1, 2021, utility contribution limits, and whether the bill would lower rates or improve mitigation funding. Public testimony was split. Supporters included the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Department of Natural Resources, wildfire survivors, and several wildfire and insurance advocates, who emphasized the need for compensation, stable funding, prevention, and better resilience planning. Opponents included several utilities, utility associations, business groups, and public utility district representatives, who argued the bill would shift uncapped costs to ratepayers, lacked clear liability reform and solvency protections, and could be vulnerable to future fund sweeps. Some witnesses cited California’s wildfire fund as a model, while others said Washington needed a broader, more holistic solution focused on prevention and liability reform. No vote was taken on HB 2275; the public hearing was closed after testimony. The committee then moved to executive session on House Bill 2238, which directs the Department of Agriculture to develop a statewide food security strategy and adds food security coordination and food system performance monitoring to the department’s duties. Four amendments were adopted: L-061, requiring consideration of regulatory cost metrics and periodic competitiveness reporting; L-062, directing the strategy to recommend legislative actions to make food more affordable and reduce food assistance need; L-060, adding people with lived experience of food insecurity and BIPOC small farmers to consultation requirements and focusing on root causes of hunger; and L-063, adding fuel and labor cost tracking to agricultural viability metrics. Amendment L-064, which would have required a consultant study on proposed agricultural labor legislation, failed on a 5-6 roll call vote. The committee then adopted the amended substitute and reported Substitute House Bill 2238 out of committee with a due pass recommendation by an 11-0 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Partner languages use is limited and decreases over time, with the primary goal of enabling students
• I once had a teacher who was working in the charter school that I opened in Albuquerque who said, 'I've
• Primarily, we want to strengthen the relationships between bureau staff and their primary contacts in
• But the design principle of Not having to duplicate the efforts was primary.
• He has been opening up office hours, and some of those Have been one-on-one conversations.

Transcript Highlights:

• And with that, we are going to open the hearing on House Bill 1458.
• And with that, we are going to open the hearing on House Bill 1458. Erica, who's you introducing?
• And we will open the hearing on House Bill 1469.
• the hearing on House And we will open the hearing on House Bill<00:26:52.320><c> 1469.
• the hearing on House and we will open the hearing on House Bill<01:24:20.480><c> 1555.

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Max Perry, on behalf of the California Police Chiefs Association, we were the other primary witness and
• Chair is recommending an aye, and we'll keep this matter open until we have a quorum.
• County, you go into any major city, open drug dealing on the streets, open drug dealing, whether it's
• Senator, you'll have five minutes to present, as will your primary witnesses in support.
• You'll have five minutes as well, your primary witnesses and support. Okay.

Summary: The committee heard several public safety bills, with testimony split between supporters who framed the measures as targeted fixes and opponents who warned about overcriminalization and unintended consequences. SB 701, by Senator Wahab, drew support from law enforcement and local government groups, who said state law lacks a tool to address the conduct at issue; the ACLU opposed it as duplicative of existing law, while public defenders said they may withdraw opposition after amendments. Because there was no quorum at that point, the bill was held open without a vote. SB 834, by Senator DeRazzo, was presented as a technical cleanup bill to improve California’s automatic record clearance system by preventing outdated “pending” charges from blocking relief, requiring local court records to match DOJ records, and creating a way for people to obtain proof of relief. It received broad support from criminal justice reform and defense organizations, with no opposition, and the chair indicated support, but no final action was taken during the hearing. SB 248, by Senator Rubio, would require DOJ to send new gun purchasers educational materials during the waiting period about safe storage, suicide prevention, domestic violence, and related resources; supporters called it common-sense education, while one opponent argued the information is already available. The committee voted the bill out on a due-pass motion to Appropriations, but it remained on call pending one additional vote. Senator Rubio’s SB 19, the Safe Schools and Places of Worship Act, would create a new offense for credible threats against schools or houses of worship even when no specific individual is named. Supporters, including law enforcement and Jewish community advocates, said current law leaves a loophole and that the bill would help prevent panic and resource-draining lockdowns; opponents from civil liberties and youth justice groups argued existing law already covers threats and that the bill would worsen the school-to-prison pipeline. After a motion and second, the committee voted due pass to Appropriations, with the measure also left on call. Later, SB 759 by Senator Archuleta, prompted by the killing of Whittier Officer Keith Boyer, would require a court hearing after a third supervision violation or new offense for people on post-release community supervision; supporters said it adds accountability, while opponents said it removes probation discretion and could increase jail and court burdens. The bill passed due pass to Appropriations and was reported as passing. The committee also heard SB 6 by Senator Ashby, which would schedule xylazine as a controlled substance while preserving veterinary use. Supporters, including veterinarians, law enforcement, and a parent who lost a son to a drug-related death, said the drug is increasingly present in fentanyl mixtures and needs to be controlled; opponents from drug policy and civil liberties groups argued scheduling would criminalize users, hinder research, and repeat failed drug-war policies. After extensive debate, the committee voted the bill out due pass to Appropriations, and it passed. Finally, SB 11, the AI Abuse Protection Act, was introduced to regulate AI-generated voice, image, and video replicas, with supporters emphasizing protection against deepfakes and nonconsensual images; the California Chamber of Commerce opposed unless amended, seeking narrower definitions and limits on consumer warnings. The hearing ended while SB 11 was still under discussion, with no final vote reflected in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• The governor's open to suggestions as we move forward, and we can exclude things and so forth.
• So just know that we're very open to that.
• I will say that the Department of Revenue is still open to this.
• to this uh we just want to still open to this uh we just want to make<00:43:31.960><c> sure</c><00:43
• source for servicing the is the primary source for servicing the depb<00:46:28.119><c> incurred</c><

Committee: Senate Taxes

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And that, that's our primary driving factor in both retention and recruitment.
• Even with those limitations of retention salary, y'all have been able, as you mentioned in your opening
• These will be covered in more detail on, in section 3, but the primary reason for the changes in general
• I'd like to focus on two things in my opening remarks, TDI's method of finance and a brief summary of
• Uh, job openings that they have. But yeah, it's, it's hard.

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll be providing some pediatric primary care, adult primary care, and then we'll have a pharmacy for
• </c><00:31:02.280><c> care,</c> uh you know, pediatric primary care, uh you know, pediatric primary care
• </c> I think people's minds are going to open I think people's minds are going to open up<01:03:46.840
• </c> some of the legalities with the open some of the legalities with the open dumping.<02:42:16.440>
• </c> update the open dumps uh inventory. update the open dumps uh inventory.

Committee: Joint Select Committee on Tribal Relations

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Consumer Advocate and the primary Consumer Advocate and the primary sponsor<00:17:37.080><c> and
• </c> committee bill is on second reading open committee bill is on second reading open to<00:35:14.079
• </c> the red button voting stations are open the red button voting stations are open for<00:49:59.079
• </c> the red button voting stations are open the red button voting stations are open for<03:16:18.920
• Voting stations are open for 30 seconds. red button voting stations are open for red button voting stations

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We also do primary research.
• I'll open it up for questions at this time.
• We'd like to see some opening up of those funds to provide...
• We'd like to see some opening up of those funds to provide capital.
• So, members, with that, I'm open to any questions.

Bills: HB2754

Committee: House International Trade

Keywords: Arizona Commerce Authority, business development, economic growth, small business support, job creation, Board of Directors, e-verify, grant administration, 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And the primary sponsor is Senator Rawlings. Senator Rawlings, you have the floor.
• </c><00:04:28.000><c> And</c><00:04:28.160><c> the</c><00:04:28.400><c> primary</c><00:04:28.720><c>
• And the primary sponsor and resources.
• And the primary sponsor is<00:04:29.280><c> Senator</c><00:04:29.680><c> Rawlings.
• That is the primary reason for electronic poll books.

Keywords: Discussion of BR 25 (2026 RS) 04:15 Presentation on voting systems by ES&S 48:14 Presentation on voting systems by Hart InterCivic and Harp Enterprises 01:13:07, 958, all

Summary: The committee met, approved the October 21 minutes, and then took up BR 25 for the 2026 regular session, a proposal to prohibit the use of tax dollars and public resources to advocate for or against ballot questions, including constitutional amendments. Senator Rawlings and the other presenters argued the current law already bars such advocacy but lacks meaningful enforcement, citing the 2024 school choice amendment campaign and other examples where public officials and school systems allegedly used taxpayer-funded resources to influence voters. They said the bill would add civil and criminal penalties, while preserving First Amendment rights for public employees acting in their personal capacities. Much of the discussion focused on whether the bill should be limited to school districts or broadened to cover other public entities, and on how to define terms such as “advocating in impartial terms.” Members raised concerns about possible effects on county and city lobbying through groups like KLC and KCO, on legitimate factual explanations by public officials, and on whether the bill could unintentionally restrict needed representation for local governments. The sponsors said the measure was intended to be narrow, would be vetted further, and would not bar individuals from speaking on their own behalf. Several members suggested revisions. Representative Lockett asked that schools and school employees be specifically named, and suggested separating the lobbying restrictions from the ballot-measure provisions into different bills. Representative Layman questioned the meaning of the bill’s language and whether it would cover factual testimony by officials. Representative Heen asked about a Jefferson County example involving legal fees used to challenge petition signatures; counsel said that situation would likely be allowable under the bill as drafted, though some members thought it should be covered. No final vote was taken on BR 25 during this discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so even though the DHS has primary responsibility, this would be just a really useful thing.
• And so even though the DHS has primary responsibility, this would be just a really useful thing.
• Thank you. even though the DHS has primary OIG has even though the DHS has primary OIG has primary<01
• responsibility, this would be primary responsibility, this would be just<01:01:56.960><c> a</c><01:01
• Okay, I think the open items, one that I mentioned earlier, the due process language, some of that has

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• office hours for them to access me, or any other ways for them to engage with the Student Regent, I'm open
• I'm open to discussing whatever they'd like to have.
• </c><00:46:55.880><c> uh</c><00:46:56.920><c> hate</c> your those those are the primary uh hate your
• those those are the primary uh hate to<00:46:57.119><c> use</c><00:46:57.280><c> the</c><00:46:57.359
• you're the primary um people you're serving<00:47:02.800><c> Miss</c><00:47:03.160><c> Luger</c><00:

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We would be open to, you know, if there's some language in there for that, we, we would be in favor of
• It also doesn't even touch the problem of opening these patients up to extreme, extreme violence.
• Let me open this puppy up. How old laptops are that that was the correct password. All right.
• A child's best interest should be the primary focus and impetus for passing this bill.
• When it opened, I was their best customer.

Bills: HB 45 , HB 755 , HB 1232 , HB 1555 , HB 2460 , HB 2702 , HB 2973 , HB 3120 , HB 3225 , HB 3314 , HB 3356 , HB 3371 , HB 3634 , HB 3638 , HB 4247 , HB 4283 , HB 4290 , HB 4302 , HB 4503 , HB 4511 , HB 4565 , HB 4581 , HB 4627 , HB 4632 , HB 4660 , HB 4668 , HB 4960 , HB 5042

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: housing, affordable housing, rent control, landlord-tenant laws, housing rights, lobbying, public entities, expenditures, government code, transparency, Texas Ethics Commission, government regulation, lobbying restrictions, government accountability, taxpayer money, HB 1232, whistleblower, whistleblower protection, public employee, retaliation

Transcript Highlights:

• to um was open from January until<00:14:30.839><c> I</c><00:14:30.920><c> think</c><00:14:31.079><c>
• So the question always is why are people, why are programs closing or not opening?
• um licensing is a big or not opening um licensing is a big piece<00:15:50.839><c> um</c><00:15:51.000
• The next bullet is inconsistency: inconsistent licensing enforcement rules are open to interpretation
• </c><00:43:23.000><c> to</c> are open to are open to interpretation<00:43:24.839><c> this</c><00:43:25.000

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> for the record and begin your opening for the record and begin your opening remarks. remarks. remarks
• </c><01:14:42.320><c> to</c> single answer and are open to single answer and are open to conversation
• </c><01:15:06.880><c> to</c> again, I I think we're open to again, I I think we're open to conversation
• We're absolutely open to that.
• But um in We're absolutely open to that.

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• My door's open once we go to the 14th.
• The floodgates didn't open.
• It opens the school districts up to lawsuit.
• It opens the school districts up to lawsuit after lawsuit.
• I believe by striking out the sentence it opens it up to—and then adding the new language—it opens it

Committee: Senate Education

Summary: The committee first approved minutes from March 9, 10, and 11, 2026. It then took up Senate Bill 1336, a proposal to codify civics and American founding content in Idaho social studies standards. Sponsor Senator Anthon said the bill was a work in progress and asked that it be sent to the 14th order for amendment, citing concerns about flexibility, local control, and implementation. Testimony from school groups was generally supportive of the goal but raised concerns about codifying standards in statute, the Western civilization requirement, staffing and scheduling impacts, and funding for curriculum changes. The committee voted to send SB 1336 to the 14th order. Next, the committee heard Senate Bill 1412, a school hiring and reporting bill combining earlier proposals on educator misconduct disclosure, mandatory reporting, employer verification, Professional Standards Commission reporting, and whistleblower protections for private school employees. Senator Nichols said the bill was intended to create uniform statewide protections and transparency. Testimony strongly supported the bill from several educators and advocates who described failures to report abuse, retaliation against whistleblowers, and cases where alleged offenders remained employed. The committee voted to send SB 1412 to the Senate floor with a due pass recommendation. The committee then considered House Bill 832, which would change career technical education hiring rules by replacing a fixed 6,000-hour industry experience requirement with standards set by the State Board of Career Technical Education. The bill was presented as a way to improve recruitment and retention of industry professionals, and it passed with a due pass recommendation. The committee also heard House Bill 711, creating alternative authorization pathways for school principals and superintendents through either a grow-your-own route or an executive leadership route. Supporters argued it would help districts, especially rural ones, recruit leaders and that it was optional; opponents said it lowered standards, did not solve retention problems, and could weaken preparation in school law, finance, and instructional leadership. Despite objections, the committee voted to send HB 711 to the floor with a due pass recommendation. Finally, the committee revisited House Bill 516, which would restrict classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity and had an amendment clarifying that incidental references in certain subjects would not be prohibited. Testimony was sharply divided, with supporters framing it as a parent-rights and transparency measure and opponents warning it would chill instruction and invite litigation; discussion focused on the meaning of “incidental reference” and the bill’s private right of action, but no final action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• So with that, I will open up for questions.
• And I also have a homeless shelter open right now in the city of St.
• I am open to questions from this committee. Thank you for their testimony.
• This bill just really opens up your eyes to a couple of different issues.
• We need more mental health beds to open up for sure.

Committee: House Special Committee on Urban Issues

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• open and honest as you can be about someone else's expertise or their position.
• Seeing no questions, Madam Vice Chair, we'll open the public hearing. Thank you, Chair.
• White-tailed deer and mule deer are the primary food source for wolves.
• Some prioritize different types of open space...
• The county—some prioritize different types of open space.

Summary: The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 5838, which would add a federally recognized tribal representative to the State Board of Natural Resources. The Department of Natural Resources commissioner and tribal leaders said the change would bring Indigenous knowledge and a voting voice to decisions on trust lands, while preserving existing tribal consultation. Some county and economic interests said they were not opposed to tribal participation but stressed the board’s fiduciary duty to trust beneficiaries and asked for more review of the board’s purpose; one witness questioned whether the beneficiaries had been consulted. The prime sponsor, Senator Claudia Kaufman, said the bill is about inclusion and equity and indicated openness to an amendment adding both eastside and westside tribal representation. The hearing closed with 142 written comments reported: 33 pro, 107 con, and 2 other. The committee then heard Senate Bill 5960, which would require Fish and Wildlife to designate at-risk ungulate populations and take predator mitigation actions when populations fall below specified benchmarks. Senator Shelley Short said the bill responds to declining deer and elk numbers and a lack of management, especially in northeast Washington. Supporters argued the bill would codify existing agency plans and restore balance in wildlife management, while opponents—including conservation groups, the Sierra Club, and several scientists and advocates—said the state’s predator-prey study found wolves were not the main driver of ungulate declines, pointing instead to habitat, forage, weather, disease, and vehicle collisions. Ranching and farm groups supported the overall goal but objected to the bill’s in-state wolf translocation provisions. The Department of Fish and Wildlife said it recognized the bill’s intent but opposed it because some directives were impractical, costly, or would require legislative approval. The hearing closed with 1,197 written comments reported: 843 pro, 352 con, and 2 other. The committee then held a work session on Lake Washington salmon predation. Larry Phillips and Muckleshoot Fisheries Director Jason Schaffler described a coalition effort to reduce predation on juvenile salmon in the Lake Washington system, saying invasive and predatory fish such as walleye, rock bass, American shad, northern pike, yellow perch, and smallmouth bass are harming sockeye and Chinook recovery. They said sockeye returns have fallen from hundreds of thousands to about 18,000 in recent years, ending tribal and sport fisheries, and argued that targeted predator removal, supported by prior state and county funding, could help restore runs. Senators asked about the methods and funding, and the presenters said fishing and netting are being used to suppress larger predatory fish and that more sustained investment is needed. Finally, the committee began public hearing on Senate Bill 1697, which would make federally recognized tribes eligible recipients for county conservation futures funds. Testifiers from the Washington Farmland Trust and the Tulalip Tribe said the bill would expand voluntary conservation partnerships, help tribes steward farmland and habitat, and make it easier to leverage county funds with other grants. They described past projects where tribal participation improved conservation outcomes but said tribes could not directly access conservation futures dollars under current law.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm certainly open to the conversation.
• You go to the next opening, which oftentimes is more than a couple of weeks out.
• You go to the next opening, which oftentimes is more than a couple of weeks out.
• To my relief, he did respond from very nearby, although he did not open the door.
• The chair then thanked him and opened the floor for questions.

Summary: The committee heard public hearing testimony on House Bill 2265, which would expand tenant protections during extreme heat. Staff explained that the bill would bar landlords from restricting portable cooling devices, require written notice of tenant rights and landlord immunity for tenant-installed devices, add a cooling duty under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, and prohibit sheriffs from physically evicting tenants during defined extreme heat periods. Representative Mena said the bill responds to the 2021 heat dome and is intended to address a gap in housing law, while committee members and the sponsor discussed unresolved questions about what “reasonably required” cooling means, how the eviction pause would work, and whether the bill could raise rents or create liability and operational burdens for landlords. Supporters, including climate, public health, tenant, and clean energy advocates, said extreme heat is a growing health threat and that renters need a right to cooling; opponents from multifamily housing, property management, and rental housing groups argued the bill is too vague, could effectively mandate costly cooling upgrades, create safety and insurance issues, and complicate eviction enforcement. The hearing also included testimony from landlords and housing providers who said the bill should be narrowed or amended, and from tenants and advocates who said it does not go far enough because it mostly permits tenant-installed cooling rather than requiring landlords to provide it. The committee then heard House Bill 1974, a proposed substitute authorizing land banks. Staff described the bill as allowing public corporations, housing authorities, and nonprofit corporations to acquire, hold, improve, lease, transfer, or dispose of property for affordable housing, with 30-year affordability requirements, annual reporting, tax exemptions, and priority transfer of certain tax-foreclosed properties. Vice Chair Hill said the bill was scaled back from earlier versions and is meant to create a flexible tool for turning difficult parcels into housing-ready land aligned with local housing plans. Testifiers from the Spokane Regional Land Bank, housing authorities, developers, youth shelter providers, and housing advocates supported the bill as a way to lower land costs, clear title issues, reduce displacement, and create a pipeline of permanently affordable housing. A counties representative also supported the concept but said they would like the grant program restored. One committee member raised a question about whether the tax-foreclosed property language could bypass the normal surplus distribution process, and staff said the provision is placed in the chapter governing properties that have already gone through foreclosure and auction, though the wording may need further review. Finally, the committee opened House Bill 2452, which would change how rent increase notices are served. Staff said the bill would remove the current requirement that rent increase notices be served like unlawful detainer notices and instead allow service by personal delivery, mail, or posting on the dwelling unit, with service by mail complete when deposited in the mail; the manufactured home version would follow the general notice rules under that act. Representative Connors said the bill responds to problems created when prior legislation required certified mail, which she said has led to tenants not receiving notices and housing providers facing higher costs and administrative burdens. Housing provider and industry witnesses supported the bill, saying certified mail is expensive, inefficient, and often not actually received, while tenant advocates opposed it, arguing that mail-only service weakens notice protections and can cause missed rent increases and displacement; they urged the committee to preserve stronger in-person or posting requirements. Some witnesses also suggested broader changes, including electronic notice, while others said the bill should be expanded to fix certified mail requirements for more than just rent increase notices.