Transcript Highlights:

• so it still need an appropriation whether it was utilized or not would be an appropriation there things
• And that is one reason why housing construction has declined of late.
• housing.
• we're going to need at least a million new housing units, and much of it needs to be. much housing,
• housing.

Committees: Joint Transportation , Joint Joint Transportation Committee

Summary: The committee first heard from WSDOT on capital program estimating, risk management, and cash flow. WSDOT explained the differences between design-bid-build and design-build delivery, how estimates are built from base cost, risk, inflation, and unknowns, and how risk reviews scale up by project size. Staff said design-bid-build estimates are generally accurate within about 1% across the program, while design-build projects have much wider uncertainty and are better communicated as ranges; WSDOT cited a P85 budget approach for legislative funding and a lower P45 management target. Members asked about the large cost growth on the I-5 Columbia River Bridge project and about value engineering; WSDOT said the project is unusually complex and that cost containment is limited by project requirements and policy mandates. Troy Swing also discussed the idea of a risk pool, saying it would not reduce overall program risk and would still require appropriation, while emphasizing the need for more realistic early budgeting and cash flow assumptions. The committee then received the final presentation in the WSDOT Project Delivery and Innovative Practices study from HKA Global. The consultant said WSDOT already uses a robust estimating process, but recommended improving transparency by presenting budget authorizations as ranges or estimate classes, better tracking award growth and cost growth over time, and monitoring market conditions and letting schedules to improve competition. The report also discussed surety bonding, recommending that the legislature consider restoring authority for reduced bonding on select large design-build projects or allowing phased or alternative securities, and reviewed indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracting, including job order contracts and multiple-award task order contracts. The consultant said these tools could help with smaller work packages and competition, but current Washington law is restrictive and would need changes for broader use. Next, the committee heard a follow-up report on transit-oriented development policy from the Urban Institute. The consultant said Washington’s HB 1491 is nationally notable, but warned that housing construction has slowed sharply, especially in the Puget Sound, due to high construction costs, financing costs, and other market pressures. The report recommended filling the infrastructure-funding gap created by reduced impact fees, revisiting MFTE affordability requirements so they better match local market conditions, considering minimum rather than averaged density requirements near transit, expanding public land and public development options, and creating a state system to track TOD outcomes such as affordability, gentrification, and transit access. Members questioned the study’s developer interviews, the role of rent stabilization, property tax assumptions, and parking needs; the consultant said only five private developers were interviewed and offered to provide the question framework and additional follow-up materials. Finally, the committee began a study on regulating emissions from ocean-going vessels at berth. Staff and consultants explained how shore power lets ships plug into the electrical grid and shut off auxiliary diesel engines, reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, reactive organic compounds, and greenhouse gases near ports. The presentation reviewed California’s at-berth regulation, which Washington could only mirror if it acts under federal preemption limits, and outlined the study’s phases on vessel traffic, emissions reductions, implementation costs, and competitiveness impacts. No votes were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• The motion is due pass to Appropriations.
• Motion is due pass to appropriation.
• Motion is due pass as amended to Appropriations.
• to Appropriations.
• Motion is due pass as amended to Appropriations.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection heard several bills focused on privacy, AI, surveillance, and consumer protections. AB 302 would bar schools from excluding students from extracurricular activities because they do not use social media and would require schools to use at least one non-addictive means of contacting students and parents; it drew support from Common Sense Media and no opposition. AB 1705, the Reclaim Act, would require websites hosting non-consensual pornography to verify consent before upload; district attorneys and the Commission on the Status of Women supported it, while TechNet and CCIA opposed or raised concerns. AB 2007 would separate parental consent for a child’s image/likeness from general program enrollment forms in youth programs; educators supported it, while local government and parks groups raised implementation and penalty concerns. AB 2212 would update higher education sexual harassment definitions to include tech-facilitated harassment such as cyberbullying, doxing, and nudification-related abuse; students and advocacy groups strongly supported it, with no opposition. AB 1837 would extend transit agencies’ authority to use camera enforcement in bus-only lanes and at transit stops, with privacy retention limits and human review; transit agencies supported it, while some senators expressed concern about automated enforcement and surveillance, and the bill was placed on call after a split vote. AB 2392 would create an intersegmental higher education working group on generative AI training and procurement standards; it passed 5-0 after amendments removed prerequisites tying AI deployment to completion of the report. The consent calendar was also approved on call. Later, AB 1798 would prohibit life and disability insurers from using non-diagnostic genetic information in underwriting; supporters argued it protects privacy and encourages testing, while insurers opposed the bill as undermining risk-based underwriting, and it advanced on a 3-0 vote on call. Finally, AB 1883 would restrict workplace use of emotion-recognition and neural-data surveillance tools; labor and privacy advocates supported it, employers and local agencies raised safety and litigation concerns, and it passed 3-0 to Labor after narrowing amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd love to move it at the appropriate time.
• Do pass to Appropriations with recommendation to consent calendar. Solache, aye.
• Housing construction costs continue to rise, and infrastructure needs are growing.
• Any future bank would still require approval and oversight by appropriate regulators.
• File item number five, AB 2745, Fong, do pass as amended to Appropriations. Petri-Norris, aye.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact heard several bills focused on trade, affordability, and public finance. AB 2745 (Fong) would update California’s international trade and investment strategy, add a public advisory process, and allow regional trade hubs; supporters from the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce and California Forward said it would help California compete globally and attract investment, while no opposition testified. AB 2366 (Avila Farías) would require state agencies to analyze cost-of-living impacts when adopting regulations and direct the LAO to develop guidance; supporters from the New California Coalition and the California Manufacturers and Technology Association argued it would improve transparency and help address affordability, while members noted concerns about implementation and unintended consequences. The committee also heard AB 2243 (Haney), which creates a commission to study whether California should establish a state public bank and how it might be structured. Supporters from the California Public Banking Alliance, climate groups, and other organizations said a public bank could reduce borrowing costs and finance housing, climate, and small business needs; the California Bankers Association and credit unions opposed the bill, arguing it could compete with private banks, duplicate prior studies, and raise unresolved regulatory and cost issues. Several committee members said they would support the study concept but wanted the bill amended so any final decision would return to the Legislature, and the author agreed to clarify that point and remove language related to extending local public bank licensing timelines. The committee also took up consent items AB 2048 (Calderon), AB 2583 (Hoover), and ACR 129 (Haney), which were approved without opposition. After quorum was established, the committee voted AB 2366 out on a 7-0 basis to Judiciary, AB 2745 out on a 7-0 basis to Appropriations, and AB 2243 out on a 7-0 basis to Finance, with the consent calendar also approved.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members of the committee, this is the Senate companion bill to House Bill 530 that we've already passed
• We've already passed the House version of this bill. So, I'd ask for a favorable report.
• housed in these buildings<00:16:27.959><c> or</c><00:16:28.360><c> or</c><00:16:28.880><c> whatever<
• take off in like we could appropriately take off in the<00:17:03.200><c> name</c><00:17:03.560><c> of
• </c><00:19:41.919><c> as</c> funded through an appropriation as funded through an appropriation as provided

Committee: House State Government

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 1097 appropriation named claimants appropriates $370,211.08 from the general fund and $33,021.18 from
• Madam Chair, members, by way of background, a similar bill to SB 1136 was heard and passed the House
• Madam Chair, members, by way of background, a similar bill to SB 1136 was heard and passed the House
• We saw this, we saw the House version of this earlier. Rep.
• Yeah, and that's what we're trained in... ...that is not the appropriate pathway.

Summary: The committee heard a long series of Senate bills, mostly on third-read consent, covering education, public safety, health, courts, labor, and water. Several bills were briefly explained and then pulled from consent for further discussion, including measures on public records review standards (SB 1078), sexually explicit materials in schools/libraries (SB 1435 and SB 1567), burial costs in death cases (SB 1135), military flags in HOAs/COAs (SB 1184), court-ordered treatment guardianship (SB 1243), standardized state hiring (SB 1665), released-time religious instruction (SB 1741), firearm safety instruction in schools (SB 1424), student participation in extracurriculars after certain convictions (SB 1475), Celebrate Freedom Week (SB 1572), federal scholarship-granting organizations/vouchers (SB 1142), immigration-related arrest notifications (SB 1055), defamation standards (SB 1099), peace officer certification for military police veterans (SB 1107), mandatory reporting of child abuse/neglect directly to DCS (SB 1127), attorney licensing and discipline issues (SB 1148 and SB 1039), concealed weapons on college campuses (SB 1068), and firearm muffling devices/silencers (SB 1069). Members also raised constitutional, policy, and school-safety concerns on several of these bills, while supporters emphasized alternative pathways for students, veterans, and workers, and tighter reporting or licensing rules. Other bills were described without extended debate, including claims against the state for unpaid contracted services (SB 1097), workers’ compensation death benefits for surviving spouses who remarry (SB 1136), burial expense increases (SB 1135), state agency web pages for internal guidance (SB 1586), court-ordered treatment procedures and service of process in mental health cases (SB 1113), medical examiner authorization (SB 1123), tribal MOUs with DCS (SB 1125), controlled-substance scheduling conformity with federal classifications (SB 1188), EMT personal information protections (SB 1193), mammography notice updates (SB 1318), assisted-living referral disclosures (SB 1477), accommodation school GED instruction for 11th graders and students over 16 (SB 1166), credit enhancement board continuation (SB 1422), school district and charter school obligations related to religious release time (SB 1741), school firearm safety instruction (SB 1424), and school civics/freedom-week instruction (SB 1572). The committee also heard bills on CPA certification pathways (SB 1181), insurance adjuster licensing (SB 1415), county voter-registration rules online (SB 1040), campaign address privacy (SB 1259), federal land acquisition notification (SB 1281), water supply/demand assessments (SB 1202), environmental compatibility for power plants and small modular reactors (SB 1418), and groundwater recovery rules (SB 1785). The meeting ended with announcements and a brief recognition of Rep. Stephanie Hamilton with an “Affordability Award.” No final votes are shown in the transcript excerpt; instead, many bills were either left on consent, pulled for later discussion, or flagged for closed caucus. The chair then asked guests to leave so members could hold a closed caucus.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> you to advance House File 3547. you to advance House File 3547.
• > $1</c><00:08:38.919><c> million</c> Safety Omnibus appropriated $1 million Safety Omnibus appropriated
• ><00:08:46.480><c> the</c> extend the appropriation to the extend the appropriation to the continuing
• I think House Representative Swedzinski.
• I renew my motion that House to vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, House Local Government Committee.
• The number is House Bill 2071.
• So I'm the head of the single exit and multiplex housing.
• That's appropriate. What should you be ready for?
• We know we have a housing crisis.

Summary: The committee heard first from Ferndale city officials and a representative of FutureWise on annexation planning. Ferndale described its “annexation blueprint” or phased annexation plan as a way to tie urban growth area planning, capital facilities, and eventual annexation together earlier in the process. Speakers argued that counties often allow incremental development in urban growth areas without city-level standards, impact fees, or coordinated infrastructure planning, which can leave cities and taxpayers with higher future costs and make annexation less likely. Members raised questions about fire districts, county revenue loss, and whether annexation incentives or interlocal revenue-sharing agreements could help. FutureWise supported requiring annexation phasing in countywide planning policies, using pre-annexation agreements, and applying city standards in urban growth areas to make annexation more predictable and less contentious. The committee then received a primer and update from the State Building Code Council (SBCC). Staff explained the council’s composition, standing committees, technical advisory groups, and rulemaking process, including normal, expedited, and emergency rulemaking. They described the ongoing 2024 code cycle and the separate work underway on Senate Bill 5491 and related legislation concerning single-stair residential buildings and multiplex housing. Members discussed how the legislature can better direct the SBCC, the difference between prescriptive and performance-based code approaches, and the importance of involving technical experts early. The SBCC also addressed concerns about the wildfire urban interface code, noting that problems arose when code language and maps were developed on different timelines and applied to urban areas in ways that were not anticipated. Several members asked about regional differences, especially energy code impacts in eastern Washington and the role of natural gas. SBCC representatives said the council can use climate zones and appendices for some regional variation, but statewide statutory targets still constrain the energy code. They emphasized that the council is largely reactive to legislative direction and public proposals, and that clearer legislative intent would help avoid ambiguity in future code development. No votes were taken during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• I now move the House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2709 and 2671 be voted due pass.
• houses.
• Like, would you be looking at the materials used inside the house so that a house that was built with
• So all the houses, all the houses of that quality construction, same square footage...
• So we just selected a house, and it was depreciated out 85%. It made the value... ...house.

Committee: House Special Committee on Property Tax Reform

Transcript Highlights:

• Additionally, estimates from the state and housing experts believe California has a housing shortage
• But by supporting housing development, supply can better meet demand, helping stabilize housing costs
• The motion is do pass as amended to Appropriations.
• The motion is due pass as amended to Appropriations.
• The motion is due pass as amended to Appropriations.

Summary: The committee heard AB 839, which would allow up to three sustainable aviation fuel projects to qualify for expedited CEQA judicial review. The author and airline and airport supporters argued SAF is a key emissions-reduction strategy for aviation and that California needs to signal investment certainty after prior project litigation. Environmental Justice and Earthjustice opposed, saying the bill weakens the public’s ability to challenge polluting projects and that SAF facilities can harm already overburdened communities. The committee later took a roll call on the bill and it was held on call after a 3-0 vote, with the motion being due pass to Judiciary. Members then took up AB 762, which would ban the sale of disposable nicotine vapes in California. The author and a broad coalition of waste, public health, local government, and environmental groups said the devices create fire hazards, add lithium batteries to the waste stream, and burden local recycling and hazardous waste systems. Opponents, including retailers and business groups, argued the bill would mainly affect a small legal market while the illicit market would continue to supply most disposable vapes, and warned of unintended consequences. After discussion about illicit sales, EPR ideas, and reuse alternatives, the committee voted 2-2 on the motion to pass as amended to Revenue and Taxation, so the bill was kept on call. The committee also heard AB 907, which would compensate the six local air district representatives who serve on the California Air Resources Board the same as other board members. The author and supporters said the change would improve equity and help ensure local representation on CARB, and no opposition was presented. The chair expressed support, noting similar legislation had passed the committee previously, and the bill was held for a later vote once quorum issues were resolved.

Transcript Highlights:

• Item number 12, AB 2207, motion is do pass to Appropriations.
• AB 2578, motion is do pass as amended to Appropriations.
• Oh, is Carrillo in the house? Okay, Assembly Member Carrillo.
• Motion is due pass to Appropriations. AB 2254. Motion is due pass to Appropriations. Pappen, aye.
• The bill also appropriately allocates risk to project applicants, ensuring that of a The bill also appropriately

Committees: House Water, Parks and Wildlife , House Water, Parks, and Wildlife

Transcript Highlights:

• You can see our history, five-year appropriation history.
• If we go back to our five-year appropriation and we talk about the increase that we had from 23 to 24
• Technology centers operate in two houses.
• Prior to that, it was just some appropriated funding because we were previously an appropriated agency
• You should have received a calendar invite that will be in the House Chamber.

Committee: House A&B Education Subcommittee

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 741 by Representative Boyd provides relative to housing for victims of human trafficking.
• House Bill 115 by Representative Bamberg.
• There is not enough affordable house.
• We need more affordable housing.
• I will say, serving on Louisiana Housing Corporation, when we do a low-income housing tax credit development

Summary: The committee met on April 15 at 5:13 p.m. with a quorum present and took up several local and municipal bills out of order to accommodate members’ travel. HB 87, which would increase the per diem for the Livingston Parish Gas Utility District No. 1 board, was presented as a local bill with no opposition and was reported favorably without objection. HB 481, dealing with the cost of publishing official proceedings and public notices, drew extensive testimony from the Louisiana Press Association, the Police Jury Association, and committee members. Supporters said a prior agreement intended a 15% to 20% reduction in notice costs, but a calculation error would instead produce roughly a 40% reduction, threatening small newspapers; opponents questioned the process and impact on local governments. The committee ultimately voted 10-5 to send HB 481 to the floor, with members urging further negotiation and possible amendment. HB 573, a major New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board governance bill by Rep. Hilferty, was amended in committee and then supported by Mayor Helena Moreno and several council members as a way to shift more oversight and accountability to the New Orleans City Council. Supporters argued the current structure diffuses responsibility and that local elected officials need more direct authority over operations, contracts, and transparency. Dr. Tracy Washington of the Louisiana Justice Institute opposed the bill, warning that transferring control could worsen financial strain, blur accountability, and raise equity and human-rights concerns for vulnerable residents. Despite the opposition, the committee voted to report HB 573 favorably to the floor. The committee also advanced HB 162, allowing the Jefferson Place/Bocage crime prevention and improvement district to impose a fee after local approval, and HB 368, which raises penalties for unauthorized demolition in New Orleans historic districts to the greater of $50,000 or 15% of assessed value. Both were reported favorably after brief discussion. HB 441, a cleanup bill clarifying that New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board employees remain in city civil service rather than state civil service, was also sent to the floor without objection. Finally, HB 257, concerning the powers and duties of the police chief of the city of Central, was amended to require consultation with the city attorney before discipline or dismissal and to delay effectiveness until January 1, 2027; after debate over due process and the chief’s authority, the committee voted to report it favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• 12 months to ensure that they're housed and ensure that they're still successfully housed and provide
• The young person is now 20 and successfully housed.
• The young person is now 20 and successfully housed.
• And we're noticing that once young people get housed, they stay housed.
• So housing talks about housing, and young people talk about young people.

Bills: SB5911 , SB5940 , SB5942 , SB5957

Committee: Senate Human Services

Keywords: children, youth, financial stability, care services, department of children and families, housing assistance, foster care, pilot program, social services, accountability, family services, state department, child welfare, homeless youth, youth homelessness, runaway youth, young adult homelessness, housing instability, family reunification, family stability

Transcript Highlights:

• First up on our agenda is House Bill 125, House Draft 1. This is relating to firearms.
• This is House Bill 392, House draft 1.
• Okay, move on to our last item, which is House Bill 664, House draft 1.
• Okay, move on to our last item, which is House Bill 664, House draft 1.
• </c> which is House Bill 664, House draft 1. which is House Bill 664, House draft 1.

Committee: Senate Public Safety and Military Affairs

Summary: The Senate Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs met on March 19, 2025, and heard testimony on several firearms-related bills. HB 125 would require firearm sellers or transferors to provide buyers notice about secure storage laws, expand secure-storage requirements, and clarify criminally negligent storage. The Department of Law Enforcement and the Department of Education supported the bill. The Office of the Public Defender raised constitutional concerns under District of Columbia v. Heller and suggested narrowing the bill so a firearm need not be made inoperable when the lawful owner is home. Supporters, including Brady, Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action, veterans, and other advocates, said secure storage would reduce accidental shootings, youth access, theft, suicides, and school shootings. Opponents argued the bill was redundant, could criminalize victims of theft, and imposed strict liability. The committee noted 24 individuals in support and 103 in opposition. The committee also heard HB 137, which would impose a mandatory prison term for violent felons who violate firearm or ammunition possession prohibitions. DLE, the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office, and the Hawaii County Prosecutor supported the measure, arguing it targets repeat offenders and strengthens public safety. The Office of the Public Defender opposed mandatory sentencing, saying judges already have discretion to impose lengthy sentences and that mandatory terms can be inappropriate in some cases. The committee then heard HB 392, which would prohibit ghost guns and establish mandatory minimum sentencing for use of a ghost gun in a felony. DLE and the Honolulu Prosecutor supported it, while the Public Defender and several opponents said parts of the bill were redundant or could create definitional problems; the committee recorded five supporters and 70 opponents. HB 995 would amend deadlines for annual firearms carry reporting by the Attorney General and county police chiefs. The Attorney General’s office and HPD supported the bill, with the Attorney General asking for more time for police departments to submit complete data and for the April 1 deadline to be removed. The committee also heard HB 664, which would create an Office of Gun Violence Prevention, a grant program, a resource bank, and a special fund. The Department of the Attorney General supported the concept but recommended consolidating the new office’s duties with the existing Gun Violence and Violent Crimes Commission to avoid duplication and possibly repealing the existing commission statute. DLE supported HB 664, while the Tax Foundation objected to the special fund. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• It was passed by the House with proposal... It was passed by the House with proposal of amendment.
• We didn't have that appropriated.
• By saying we can't point to an exact number the way we could with an appropriation or lack of appropriation
• We used the House-passed bill.
• Um we The House and the Senate.

Transcript Highlights:

• House of Representatives.
• The President: I have the honor to transmit House File 2484, a bill relating to capital investment, appropriating
• House File 2484. Mr.
• House File 2484, a bill relating to capital investment, appropriating library construction grants.
• as transmitted: House File 719, a bill relating to capital investment, appropriating money for the Safe

Transcript Highlights:

• I am joined by my good friend and colleague, our House Chair, Representative Jack Lewis, who will introduce
• the House members.
• I'd like to introduce the House Vice Chair of the committee, Representative Lindsay Sabadosa.
• So when we started creating... ...appropriate for the police side of it.
• So I encourage the committee to consult with House counsel, Senate counsel, the AG's office.

Bills: H5426 , H5434 , S3084 , S3087 , S3088 , S3092

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Summary: The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government held a hybrid hearing on several local bills and home rule petitions. The first major item was Senate Bill 3092, authorizing the city of Newton to issue pension obligation bonds or notes. Senator Cindy Cream and Mayor Mark Laredo’s chief of staff, Dana Hansen, testified in support, saying the measure would help Newton manage its unfunded pension liability, preserve its AAA bond rating, and create about $10 million in budget flexibility over five years. Senator John Keenan supported the bill but cautioned that pension obligation bonds depend heavily on market timing and assumptions about future funding and hiring. The committee then heard testimony on a Boylston bill, Senate Bill 3088, allowing the town to contract for a newly created police lieutenant position. Boylston officials said the town’s growth and public safety needs justify a second-in-command role with supervisory, internal affairs, and emergency command duties, and that a contract is needed because of the position’s management-level responsibilities. Representative Wells asked why a lieutenant position required a home rule petition, and the chief explained that town counsel advised the arrangement functioned more like an employment contract than a standard personnel-plan position. Next, the committee took up House Bill 5426 for North Attleboro, a charter amendment package. Town Manager Mike Borg said the bill makes limited local changes: correcting charter language, expanding the Board of Health from three to five members, and requiring write-in candidates to meet a minimum vote threshold comparable to ballot candidates. The committee then heard Senate Bill 3087 for Walpole, which would create a water and sewer advisory board and change the governance structure for the town’s water and sewer system. Town officials supported the bill as a way to improve planning and accountability, but several elected water and sewer commissioners and a town meeting member opposed it, arguing it would abolish an elected board, reduce voter representation, and concentrate power in appointed officials. After testimony concluded, the committee adjourned without taking a vote in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• housing.
• from being built and market-rate housing and affordable housing.
• housing and to help those folks get back into housing.
• If we wanted to appropriate money right now to take care of our veterans, to make affordable housing,
• If we wanted to appropriate money right now to take care of our veterans, to make affordable housing,

Summary: The Assembly convened after a quorum call, prayer, and Pledge of Allegiance, then handled a series of procedural motions to re-refer bills, suspend rules, and remove items from the consent calendar. The chamber also heard guest introductions recognizing family milestones, a youth leadership program from Assembly District 13, a delegation of Japanese business leaders, and a Michoacan delegation. Later, members adopted several resolutions and consent items, including California Craft Beer Week, the Freedom Flag as a 9/11 remembrance symbol, Probation Services Week, and California Wildfire Week, along with other consent-calendar measures. The main floor debate centered on SB 417, a $10 billion housing bond for the ballot, with supporters emphasizing the state’s housing shortage, homelessness crisis, and funding for multifamily housing, supportive housing, homeownership, farmworker housing, student housing, tribal housing, infrastructure, and preservation of existing affordable units. Opponents criticized the proposal as adding debt without enough reform and objected to the use of veterans in the measure’s messaging. The Assembly passed SB 417 on urgency and on the measure, 54-7, and sent it to the Senate. Members then adopted ACA 20, which would expand and modernize the state Rainy Day Fund by increasing its cap and changing deposit rules; it passed 54-8 and was transmitted to the Senate. The Assembly also approved SB 623, a transportation-related bill addressing rideshare safety and medical lien practices. Supporters said it would curb abusive billing, restrict attorney conflicts and kickbacks, require stronger background checks for TNC drivers, and allow women riders and drivers to request women-only matches. The measure passed unanimously, 67-0. Later, the House adopted ACA 21, which removes ACA 13 from the November ballot, by 62-0, and ACA 22, which amends a ballot measure affecting taxation and local fiscal resources, by 64-0. The session concluded with an adjournment in memory of Dr. Dorothy Viola Calvin, followed by announcements, recesses, and final adjournment until the next scheduled floor session.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please make sure that it passes and that its house version gets passed.
• The kids oftentimes don't move houses, they just move schools.
• I'm going from memory; it didn't get picked up in the House.
• A man broke into the house next door, broke into the house across the street that was currently vacant
• Eighty percent of our residents graduate into independent housing.

Bills: SB604 , SB843 , SB1636 , SB2395 , SB571 , SB1224 , SB1832 , SB2392 , SB747 , SB2623 , SB2624 , SB2185

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Education K-16

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:13:58.079><c> last</c> bill that passed out of the house last bill that passed out of the house
• </c><00:27:01.120><c> behavior</c> able to model appropriate behavior able to model appropriate behavior
• </c> also looking at developing in-house also looking at developing in-house programs<01:44:17.119><c
• </c><04:17:22.399><c> Bill</c> before you today to oppose House Bill before you today to oppose House
• district appropriated and then the district appropriated and then the remainder<04:29:52.359><c> is</

Summary: The hearing focused on HB 563, which would revise the education funding formula for pupils receiving special education services by replacing the current single special education amount with three differentiated categories. Representative Rick Ladd, the prime sponsor, said the bill largely tracks a House-passed version from the prior session with minor figure adjustments, and explained that the proposal uses projected FY26 amounts for three categories based on time in general education versus more intensive placements. He also noted that the bill does not address catastrophic aid directly, but that special education aid, CAT aid, and proration all remain issues for later work sessions. Ladd and supporters argued that weighted categories better reflect actual costs and are more sustainable than treating all IEPs the same. Representative Margaret Drye said the approach was one of the best ideas from the education funding subcommittee and urged the committee to support differentiated aid. Representative Ames asked how the category amounts were derived, and Ladd said Category A follows the FY26 base, Category B is a higher weight, and Category C is a still higher weight for more intensive services, though he acknowledged the exact multipliers were developed earlier and could be revisited. He also said the committee would continue discussing whether the weights are appropriate and how they interact with CAT aid. Testimony from Bonnie Dunham strongly opposed the bill. She argued that funding based on placement rather than actual service need would create incentives to move students into more restrictive settings, could stigmatize children with labels such as "Category C," and would undermine the least restrictive environment requirements under federal special education law. She described her son’s experience in inclusive settings as beneficial and said the bill would have penalized the district for serving him there. In response to questions, she said schools and parents should base funding on the child’s actual needs and costs, not on placement, and urged the committee to recommend the bill inexpedient to legislate.