Transcript Highlights:

• And again, we would say that by shifting the burden from the tens of thousands of small businesses to
• It’s a simpler, more unified standard for small businesses.
• There's a small question of this issue. Be right back.
• We went from a small number of refiners in California to over 200 fuel suppliers.
• So it's somewhat small when you look at the scope.

Summary: The subcommittee first received an informational update on the Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement (GoServe), including California Volunteers, the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications, and the Youth Empowerment Commission. GoServe reported strong participation in College Corps, Youth Service Corps, and Climate Action Corps, along with outreach results from OCPSC and the Trusted Messenger Network. The Department of Finance said the programs remain a priority but noted prior budget reductions, while the LAO said it had no new recommendations. Committee members raised questions about program diversity, geographic reach, administrative costs, and whether the programs duplicate existing volunteer opportunities; one member criticized the programs as costly and duplicative, while another emphasized the value of volunteerism and asked about the men’s service challenge. The item was informational only. The committee then heard an overview of the Board of Equalization’s property tax responsibilities and its first budget proposals since the 2017 reorganization. BOE described its role in county assessment oversight, state-assessed property valuation, and related tax administration. Members asked about BOE’s interaction with counties, property tax reassessments, and local tax notices; BOE explained it mainly works with county assessors and handles technical property tax questions, while local special district charges are generally outside its scope. The committee also considered a BOE proposal to implement SB 293, which would give additional time for certain intergenerational property tax transfer claims after the 2025 wildfires. BOE requested $154,000 for guidance, public materials, and inquiry response work, saying the change is urgent for wildfire-affected families, especially in Altadena. The LAO had no concerns, and the item was held open. BOE also presented an information technology modernization proposal for its state-assessed property program, seeking $3.2 million in 2026-27 and $3.1 million in 2027-28 to replace a 30-year-old mainframe system. BOE said the current system relies heavily on manual data entry and paper processes, creating inefficiencies, cybersecurity risks, and delays, while modernization would free staff for more audits and valuation studies. The LAO supported the need but urged a high bar for new IT projects; Finance said the project met the threshold of necessity. Members generally supported the upgrade but asked about audit gains, revenue impacts, and implementation risks, and the item was held open. Finally, CDTFA gave its department overview and then discussed a proposal to require all delivery network companies, such as Uber Eats and DoorDash, to be treated as marketplace facilitators for sales tax purposes. CDTFA said the current carve-out creates confusion for restaurants and small businesses because some DNCs collect and remit tax while others do not, and the change would improve compliance and shift reporting to larger platforms. Members debated whether the proposal amounts to a tax increase for consumers, with CDTFA and Finance arguing it is a consistency and compliance measure rather than a new tax, while others said it would likely raise consumer costs. The committee also discussed broader CDTFA issues, including local sales tax districts, revenue-sharing agreements, and the growth of special taxing jurisdictions. No votes were taken, and the agenda items were informational or held open.

Transcript Highlights:

• business owners from small business owners about their interaction with state agencies.
• </c> small business owners uh from small small business owners uh from small business<00:52:05.240><c
• And, of course, he's a small business owner. He hires that out to a production company.
• As a small business myself and working with many small businesses, the ability to obtain records and
• I'm going to cite Michelle Small, who was responsible, let's say, five years ago.

Committee: Senate Commerce

Transcript Highlights:

• more cost effective to construct on smaller gap or infill lots, such as might be found in existing small
• As a result, these small floorplate single-stair buildings have a much lower risk of occupants being
• And right now, we force small apartment buildings to spend just an enormous amount of money on spaces
• You recover that wasted space in a small building, and that building can become 10 homes or more instead
• These are small bills, but they have huge, huge consequences.

Committee: Senate Housing and Human Services

Summary: The Senate Committee on Housing and Human Services met with a quorum, adopted the June 16, 2026 minutes, and then unanimously adopted S-1 substitutes for House Bills 5570 and 5571. The chair said the committee would take testimony and likely not move to final passage that day, in order to allow more discussion and questions. The bills, as substituted, would allow local governments to permit certain multifamily buildings up to four stories to be built or converted with a single staircase, subject to conditions such as limits on units per floor, floor size, and existing fire safety requirements. A sunset provision was described as ending the statute once LARA adopts corresponding building code rules. Representatives Fairbairn and Wooden testified in support, saying the bills are intended to address Michigan’s housing shortage by making smaller infill and “missing middle” projects more feasible and less costly. They argued the current two-stair requirement drives up costs, makes land assembly harder, and limits development on narrow or irregular lots. Senators asked about stair width, emergency safety, the choice of four stories instead of six, and why the American Institute of Architects opposed the approach; the sponsors said the 48-inch stair width was intended to allow two-way movement, four stories was a compromise aligned with expected code changes, and the architects preferred rulemaking over statutory change. Supportive testimony came from Pew Charitable Trusts, which said research from New York City, Seattle, and other places found fire death rates in modern single-stair buildings to be indistinguishable from other multifamily buildings, and that modern safety features such as sprinklers, alarms, and fire-rated construction make these buildings safe. A developer from Ann Arbor and the Michigan Home Builders Association said the reform would improve floor-plan efficiency, reduce wasted circulation space, lower construction costs, and help smaller projects pencil out. Abundant Housing Michigan also supported the bills, estimating they could reduce apartment construction costs by nearly 13%. The clerk read in numerous written cards in support from business, housing, municipal, and advocacy groups, while the Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs and the Michigan Professional Firefighters Union were listed as neutral. The committee adjourned without further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I married a Lexington High School graduate whose family has a small cottage in the National Seashore
• Alternative student transportation is when transportation is provided by a school district in a small
• Alternative student transportation is when transportation is provided by a school district in a small
• This just illustrates how a very small number of individualized routes can disproportionately drive up
• Anti-drag can detect obstructions such as a small backpack, strap, or a dog leash.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security held a public hearing with opening remarks from Senate Chair John Cronin and House Chair Dan Cahill, followed by member introductions and instructions limiting testimony to three minutes. The committee first heard testimony on S. 2743, an act addressing staged suicides. Elizabeth Sherin Feiner of Jewish Family and Children’s Service and later Susan Altman, a domestic violence advocate, described cases in which deaths initially treated as accidents or suicides were later found to be homicides, arguing the bill would improve training, investigation protocols, and accountability in deaths involving domestic abuse. Committee members asked about current police and medical examiner practices, and one member noted that sudden-death determinations are handled by the chief medical examiner in Massachusetts. The committee then heard testimony on S. 2861, a special commission to examine school bus safety, led by Representative Sabadosa and Amanda Taylor, whose daughter Summer Steel was killed in a school bus door incident. Taylor urged adoption of anti-pinch sensor technology on new buses, saying it could have prevented her daughter’s death. Representative Sabadosa and later a Mazur USA representative supported the bill, explaining that anti-pinch and anti-drag technologies are already used in other transportation sectors and could prevent similar tragedies. The hearing also included discussion of costs and the fact that the proposal would apply prospectively to buses manufactured going forward. Finally, the committee heard testimony on S. 3021, updating Massachusetts student transportation. Ever-Driven Technologies and Chamber of Progress supported the bill, saying it would modernize Section 7D requirements for smaller passenger vehicles used for alternative student transportation while keeping core safety standards in place. They argued the change would help districts serve students experiencing homelessness, in foster care, or with disabilities, reduce costs, and expand transportation options amid a statewide transportation crisis. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the committee adjourned after public testimony concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c> In some ways, our gifts seem so small, In some ways, our gifts seem so small, even<02:08:07.920
• </c><04:24:10.479><c> part</c> represents represents only a small part represents represents only a small
• </c> start a new bank or build a small start a new bank or build a small community<05:30:20.160><c> bank
• Let's say I'm a small business.
• So, I urge the and small businesses.

Transcript Highlights:

• people</c> small amount of people small amount of people that<00:15:20.285><c> [snorts]</c> that [snorts
• Again, most small companies like this would just continue either to pay themselves if they can in a small
• :50.520><c> this</c> most small companies like this most small companies like this would<00:22:51.840
• </c> themselves if they can in a small themselves if they can in a small business<00:22:55.120><c> at
• Representative small business owners.

Bills: HF3843 , HF3597 , HF4003 , HF3167 , HF4193

Committee: House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Between 2017 and 2022, more than 7,000 small- to mid-sized California farms went out of business due
• We are a small rural school district serving about 4,300 students... ...personal capacity.
• As a small farmer myself, you know, I often wonder where I can procure some of the items, other than
• And part of the challenge, as I understand it, talking with small and large farmers, is that you have
• AB 1603 is a small step, but in the right direction.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Agriculture heard five bills and took up four consent items. AB 312 would shorten from six months to three months the time agricultural commissioners must hold proceeds from the sale of seized agricultural commodities before unclaimed funds go to the county general fund. The author said it is a narrow administrative change that preserves existing ownership and recovery protections; there was no opposition, and the bill advanced on a 5-0 vote. AB 1731 would create the California Healthy Food Procurement Fund Program to connect schools with California farmers and food businesses through an approved vendor system and procurement support, with a priority for climate-smart agricultural practices. Supporters included school nutrition, farm, environmental, and consumer groups, as well as a rural school district and a farm that described the bill as helping local markets and student access to fresh food. Senators raised questions about climate-smart eligibility and school budgets, but the bill was supported and passed 5-0 to Appropriations. AB 2380 would raise the maximum county fee used to support county agricultural commissioner operations, with a three-year phase-in. The author and the county commissioners’ association said the increase is needed because fees have not been updated in decades and the work is essential for pest control, pesticide enforcement, and public safety. The bill passed 4-0. The committee also heard AB 1603, as amended, which would require DPR to list PFOS pesticides in the pesticide use reporting database and share the information with county agricultural commissioners; the author and supporters described it as a transparency measure, while agricultural and industry groups said they would remove opposition once amendments were in print. It passed 4-1. The four consent items—AB 1711, AB 2326, AB 2685, and AB 2778—were also approved.

Transcript Highlights:

• The business community has Go-Biz and the Office of Small Business Advocate to help companies navigate
• So just as the state leverages Go-Biz to ensure the business sector thrives, we need a small, nimble
• My family started our small winery 10 years ago. We don't own vineyards.
• My family started our small winery 10 years ago. We don't own vineyards.
• SB 917 brings that same modern framework to small wineries.

Summary: The Governmental Organization Committee met as a subcommittee for much of the hearing because a quorum was initially absent, and it heard several bills focused on nonprofit support, alcohol regulation, immigration-related funding restrictions, outdoor advertising, and green building standards. SB 1240 by Senator McNerney would create an Office of Nonprofit Empowerment to help nonprofits navigate state procurement, grants, and reimbursement processes; supporters, including the Child Care Resource Center and the Little Hoover Commission, said nonprofits provide essential services but face delayed payments and burdensome bureaucracy. Committee members raised accountability concerns, but the author emphasized the bill does not dispense grants and would cost about $1.7 million in the first year. The bill was later approved and sent to Appropriations. The committee also heard SB 917 by Senator Laird, which would remove the estate-grown grape requirement for wineries selling at farmers markets, allowing more family wineries to participate; winery and grape grower representatives said the change would help direct-to-consumer sales and local growers. SB 1171 by Senator Caballero would make private entities that contract with ICE ineligible for state-funded loans or grants; supporters from immigrant-rights groups described ICE detention and raids as harmful and inhumane, while some members spoke in favor of using state funds to avoid indirectly supporting ICE-related activity. Both bills advanced on party-line or near-party-line votes and were sent to Appropriations or Local Government as noted in the roll calls. Senator Rubio presented SB 1195, which would expand tied-house exemptions for certain entertainment, convention, and sports venues in specified counties, and SB 1228, which would allow a small number of existing outdoor advertising displays to continue operating despite a statutory sunset. Supporters said SB 1195 would create economic opportunity and clarify current law, while SB 1228 was described as a narrow fix to preserve legally permitted signs and local revenue; both bills passed the committee and were sent to Appropriations. The committee also considered SB 1398, which would recognize Green Globes as an alternative green building certification for state projects alongside LEED; supporters argued it would add flexibility and competition, while the U.S. Green Building Council opposed bypassing the Department of General Services’ equivalency review. The bill was approved and sent to Appropriations. The committee also took up a consent calendar and adjourned at 2:55 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• It addresses the needs of small counties like mine.
• It addresses the needs of small counties like mine.
• It is a tax increase on homeowners, on small businesses.
• It is a tax increase on homeowners, on small businesses.
• Let's protect the homeowners and the small businesses on their let's protect the homeowners and the small

Bills: HB2720 , HB2073 , SB5816 , SB5919 , SB5831 , SB6244 , SB6044 , SB5109 , SB5877 , SB6258

Keywords: behavioral health, emergency services, health insurance, provider access, mental health funding, premium assistance, funding, healthcare, subsidies, juice grapes, agriculture, commerce, state regulation, market access, fire safety, insurance incentives, best practices, community protection, voluntary measures, mortgage modification

Summary: The House began by signing several bills and receiving messages from the Senate that multiple House bills had passed there or that Senate bills had been signed. It then took up third reading and concurrence on a series of bills, often with sponsors explaining that Senate amendments were technical, clarifying, or improved the bills, while opponents argued some amendments broadened exemptions, weakened election protections, or created tax increases and other unintended consequences. Among the most debated measures were bills related to election administration and voting rights, utility and energy programs, local government finance, tourism promotion, and public safety. House Bill 2215 failed to concur in Senate amendments after concerns that an exemption was too broad. House Bill 1710, dealing with voting rights/election procedures, passed 57-39 after a roll call vote despite objections that it could complicate elections and reduce local control. House Bill 1750 and House Bill 1916 also passed after roll calls, with supporters describing them as technical or protective of election integrity and opponents warning about voter dilution, local authority, and access issues. Other bills passed with varying levels of support: House Bill 1903 on utility assistance passed 70-26 after supporters said it would help small counties and make the program voluntary and state-funded; House Bill 2532 on nitrous oxide sales passed unanimously as a public health and youth safety measure; House Bill 1974 on housing/conservation-related policy passed 59-37 amid debate over nonprofit advantages and county revenue impacts; House Bill 2296 passed 95-1 after supporters said it would help renters and utilities with energy efficiency; House Bill 2325 passed 91-5 with added transparency for tourism oversight; House Bill 2442 passed 51-45 despite sharp disagreement over property tax and levy implications; and House Bill 2594 passed 95-1 as the state version of McKinney-Vento protections for unhoused students. The House also transmitted or received several bills and ended the session briefly at ease.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I think that that small infraction is no price to pay.
• That small infraction is no price to pay when it comes to protecting against incidences and giving a
• So not to exceed $100, as I think you mentioned, small infraction, very minimal fine.
• And if there's no punishment, however small, associated with it, then you run the risk of not having
• This discrimination on small people. Did I say that right? Short people.

Committees: House Transportation , House Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't need to know about how you treat small business, how you react to small business, because when
• I was sharing with another small business, they said, wow, I heard they made a big announcement.
• When I was sharing with another small business, they said, 'Wow, I heard they made a big announcement
• So I had conversations with several people there, and a lot of those small businesses already worked
• So a small online business may not collect the tax if they don't meet that economic threshold.

Committee: Senate Rules

Summary: The Senate Committee on Rules met to consider several gubernatorial appointments and routine committee actions. The committee first approved, by unanimous 5-0 votes, appointments to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission, the appointment of Lee Herrick as California Poet Laureate, a reference of bills to committees, and floor acknowledgments. Members then heard testimony from Trista Gonzalez, nominee to lead the Department of Tax and Fee Administration, who described her long career in tax administration, efforts to improve taxpayer compliance and service, readiness for the state’s lithium extraction tax, and the department’s work on online sales tax, cannabis, and tobacco enforcement. Senators asked about responsiveness to legislators, small business support, accountability, and enforcement; public commenters from tax and accounting groups supported her nomination. Her appointment advanced to the full Senate on a 5-0 vote. The committee also heard from Aaron McGuire, nominee to lead the Board of State and Community Corrections. He discussed the board’s expanded responsibilities, including annual detention-facility inspections, large grant programs for violence intervention and reentry, and the new in-custody death review division. Members questioned him about grant oversight, audit transparency, statutory authority for in-custody death reviews, and conditions in local detention facilities, especially in Los Angeles County juvenile facilities. McGuire said the board uses screening, site visits, audits, and compliance reviews to reduce fraud and ensure grant funds are used appropriately, and that trailer bill language had clarified access to records for death reviews. He also said staffing shortages remain a major issue in some juvenile facilities and that the board continues to work with counties and the courts to improve conditions. Public support came from nonprofit reentry providers and Giffords. His appointment also advanced to the full Senate on a 5-0 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's going to open up the vendor market a little bit to some very small vendors that do very small projects
• This low threshold can result in long-lasting changes made by a small group of voters.
• My wife and I are fortunate enough to work together in this small business.
• This is very scary for a small business like ours.
• You've got additional interest carry expense, and we're not talking about small dollars.

Bills: SB32 , SB464 , SB996 , SB1163 , SB1173 , SB1277 , SB1452 , SB1453 , SB1548 , SB1882 , SB1883 , SB2016 , SB 32

Committee: Senate Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• We're a small I don't know... Also, we talk about rural versus urban versus charters.
• We're a small charter school of 200 students. We can't just add a teacher for three sections.
• In a small rural district like Grace, the IDLA is not just a supplemental program.
• In a small district with limited the district or ask families to do so.
• For small schools like mine, IDLA isn't a convenience.

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Korean Americans have built thriving small businesses that anchor local economies, including restaurants
• Many opened small businesses and entered farming and food distribution.
• Families who start with little, who open small businesses, serve in uniform, raise their children to
• We are small but mighty.
• So we have Senator Small to be able to sound. Members, we will return to motions and resolutions.

Transcript Highlights:

• But this bill is a small but important step toward fixing it.
• We also have what we hope is a friendly small amendment on line 16 of the bill.
• Small customers are not equipped to manage wholesale market risk.
• Small customers are not equipped reason.
• </c><01:17:13.640><c> commercial</c> residential and small commercial residential and small commercial

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• do is to help lower the premium costs in '27 for folks who are on our qualified health plans, our small
• That's our individuals and small businesses where they And small businesses where they currently may
• And then the small group market, and those are small businesses who offer health insurance to their employees
• There's also been no relief for the small group plans, and they have never received subsidies and have
• That'll help small businesses. That'll help small individuals. That'll help schools.

Transcript Highlights:

• It would make a real difference for small business owners like me.
• AB 1435—let's keep our small businesses... Thank you, Mr. Chair, members.
• AB 1435—let's keep our small businesses alive. Thank you very much.
• And it will help small business.
• And it will help small business.

Committee: House Revenue and Taxation

Summary: The Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee met with several bills, first reviewing housekeeping rules, announcing that AB 317 and AB 480 had been pulled, and noting that most other measures would go to suspense. The committee established a quorum and then heard AB 232, which would create catastrophe savings accounts for homeowners to save pre-tax dollars for wildfire, flood, or earthquake preparedness and recovery costs. Support came from the Department of Insurance and the California Bankers Association, with no opposition testimony, but the bill was referred to suspense. The committee then approved a consent calendar of four bills by a 4-0 vote. It next heard AB 1443 to exclude tips from state income tax for five years; AB 1435 to help small businesses and property owners recover cleanup costs from unauthorized encampments and illegal dumping; AB 1428 to create a child care fund financed by a new tax on income above $10 million; AB 691 to provide a tax credit for adopting shelter pets and paying related veterinary costs; AB 1219 to cut personal income taxes for middle- and low-income taxpayers; AB 1354 to offer a tax credit for increased residential insurance premiums; AB 19 to establish education savings accounts for school choice; and AB 567 to provide insurance rate stabilization and suspend certain insurance taxes when premiums rise sharply. Each of these bills drew testimony from authors and supporters, with some opposition on the tax and insurance measures, and each was referred to the suspense file. Throughout the hearing, committee members generally acknowledged the policy goals of the bills while noting fiscal concerns and the need for further discussion. AB 761, the only item slated for an immediate vote, was ultimately pulled by the author and held over to the next hearing. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• But if it was for all farmers that are small, midsize, that would be... >> Aloha.
• But if it was for all farmers that are small, midsize, that would be... Party of Hawaii.
• </c> small farmers. small farmers.
• as a small farmer or small<01:25:37.600><c> rancher</c><01:25:38.000><c> as</c><01:25:38.159><c> well
• </c> small rancher as well. small rancher as well.

Bills: SB874 , SB2097 , SB2098 , SB2126 , SB2154 , SB2153 , SB2160 , SB2123 , SB2110

Committee: Senate Agriculture and Environment

Summary: The committee heard several agriculture-related bills. SB 874 on veterinary medicine would require veterinarians, upon a client’s request, to provide a written prescription for an animal patient in an existing veterinary client-patient relationship, allow Hawaii-licensed pharmacies to dispense those prescriptions, and authorize the Veterinary Medicine Board to set penalties. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive, with supporters citing lower costs and consumer choice; the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association said veterinarians already should be doing this and supported the bill if amended. One testifier in opposition argued the bill needed a conspicuous notice requirement so pet owners know they can request prescriptions. Committee members and the Department of Agriculture said they were not aware of widespread problems, and discussion focused on whether the measure was already consistent with current practice and whether amendments would address remaining concerns. The committee also heard SB 2097, which would create a climate-resilient food systems grant program in the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity and appropriate funds. The department, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Hawaii Farmers Union, Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, and others supported the bill, saying it could help farmers and ranchers invest in resilience, infrastructure, and technology. Several testifiers asked for clearer definitions, especially for terms like “food hubs” and “resilience hubs,” and suggested adding technical assistance and clearer eligibility criteria. The department explained the program was intended for shovel-ready projects in the middle of the supply chain, with a focus on farmers in a certain revenue range, and said it was modeled on a USDA program. SB 2098 would establish a clean plant program to produce and distribute disease-free plant material to growers, nurseries, and other producers. Testimony was supportive, emphasizing biosecurity, nursery industry needs, and preventing invasive species and crop disease. The department described the program as using tested clean stock, tissue culture facilities, and data collection to support future planting decisions, and estimated a two-year ramp-up. Members questioned whether the program duplicated existing work at CTR/other partners and whether data collection should be centralized, but the department said the effort would build on existing varieties and partnerships rather than overlap them. Finally, SB 2126 would create a conventional farming grant program for small and midsize conventional farmers. Supporters from the department, Hawaii Farm Bureau, and Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council said conventional agriculture deserves support and that the bill would help increase food production. Opposition and comments focused on the bill’s exclusion of organic farmers; one farmer said the measure was unfair unless amended to include organic producers, while a Farmers Union witness said the bill was too vague about the grant’s purpose and should be clearer about its goals. In response to questions, the department said the exclusion of organic farming was not intentional and that the bill was meant to support all agriculture, though no vote or final action was taken in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Farmers and ranchers of color, as well as small scale. I'm Chair, members.
• Farmers and ranchers of color, as well as small-scale producers, have faced longstanding discrimination
• My name is Moretta Brown, and I am the owner and operator of Berkeley Basket CSA, which is a small-scale
• Farmers of color and small-scale producers like myself have long faced systemic barriers to land access
• AB 52 would provide stability and accountability to ensure that small-scale and socially disadvantaged

Committee: House Agriculture

Transcript Highlights:

• May is Small Business Month, so what a perfect time to present this bill.
• As a result, businesses, particularly small businesses and small mom-and-pop property owners, are now
• I really hope that we can continue to help small businesses during this time of Small Business Month.
• Stimulating local economies means supporting small businesses.
• Stimulating local economies means supporting small businesses.

Committee: House Revenue and Taxation