Transcript Highlights:

• concrete slabs that most of them sit on, uh, it costs extreme amounts of money to put in plumbing, electricity
• amounts of money to put in costs extreme amounts of money to put in plumbing,<00:24:32.799><c> electricity
• c> and</c><00:24:33.760><c> so</c><00:24:33.919><c> the</c><00:24:34.159><c> even</c> plumbing, electricity
• and so the even plumbing, electricity and so the even the<00:24:34.559><c> cost</c><00:24:34.799><c>

Bills: HF3611 , HF3659 , HF3909

Committee: House Taxes

Keywords: taxation, income tax, damage awards, sexual harassment, abuse claims, immigration enforcement, taxpayers, file income tax return, Minnesota-source income, tax regulations, detention facilities, gross revenues, private prisons, Minnesota law, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We've had an 8% average annual increase in our utilities, primarily in electricity.
• now, we are kind of facing down the barrel of a 14% increase that potentially may come from Tucson Electric
• Power. ...of a 14% increase that potentially may come from Tucson Electric Power, which is the largest
• provider of electricity to the schools in Tucson Unified.

Committee: Joint Joint Legislative Audit Committee

Summary: The committee first heard a follow-up on the Arizona State Board of Chiropractic Examiners special audit. The Auditor General’s contractor reported that the board has made progress on most of the 28 recommendations from the 2024 audit, with 25 in process and three not yet implemented. Remaining concerns included complaint investigations not being resolved within 180 days, continued open meeting law compliance problems, and failure to consult the Attorney General’s open meeting law experts. The follow-up also identified new issues with posting disciplinary/non-disciplinary actions and maintaining a complete public records request log. Board staff said they had adopted new complaint timelines, subpoena limits, conflict-of-interest procedures, public meeting guidance, training, and a new licensing platform, and they described efforts to professionalize investigations and improve transparency. Members pressed the board on open meeting violations, complaint backlogs, lobbying activity, and the resignation of the board chair, while the executive director said the audit findings were being treated as a roadmap for reform. The committee then received the January 2026 Arizona school district financial risk analysis. The Auditor General’s office said the number of highest-risk districts rose from two to nine, and districts approaching highest risk increased from seven to nine. The report highlighted common risk factors such as declining student counts, budget reserve problems, use of capital funds for operations, and weakening general fund positions. Tucson Unified was used as an example of a highest-risk district, with declining enrollment, reserve declines, and capital funds redirected to operations; Scottsdale Unified was cited as approaching highest risk. The office explained its web-based dashboard, district action plans, and ongoing outreach to affected districts. Sierra Vista Unified School District superintendent Terry Romo then presented the district’s response to its financial risk designation. She said she inherited the problems, quickly developed an action plan, and is working to stabilize enrollment, reduce staffing through attrition, close an elementary school, freeze nonessential spending, tighten purchase controls, and renegotiate or cancel high-cost contracts. She also said the district is redirecting DAA funds, considering sale or lease of property, and improving communication with families through letters, videos, and enrollment outreach. Committee members questioned the district about declining enrollment, school safety, academic performance, and the pace of corrective action, while Romo emphasized that the district is trying to protect both students and finances and avoid returning to the high-risk list.

Transcript Highlights:

• And increases in utilities—we've had an 8% average annual increase in our utilities, primarily in electricity
• now, we are kind of facing down the barrel of a 14% increase that potentially may come from Tucson Electric
• Tucson Electric Power is the largest provider of electricity to the schools in Tucson Unified.

Committee: Joint Joint Legislative Audit Committee

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• trying to figure out because you know the biggest charge they're dealing with is the pumping of electric
• :40.159><c> of</c> they're dealing with is the pumping of they're dealing with is the pumping of electric
• > probably</c><00:33:41.120><c> the</c><00:33:41.360><c> second</c><00:33:41.600><c> highest</c> electric
• probably the second highest electric probably the second highest right<00:33:42.080><c> now</c><00:33

Committee: Senate Labor and Technology

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint hearing covered SB 2120, which would allow certain state and county employees rehired within one year to transfer accrued vacation and sick leave and extend the break-in-service period for health benefits. Testimony was split: the Department of Human Resources explained current leave payout and pension credit rules and raised concerns about the long transfer window, while labor representatives supported the measure. During decision-making, both committees recommended passage with amendments. The amendments narrowed the bill by changing the break-in-service period to 180 days for leave beginning on or after July 1, 2026, making the benefit transfer voluntary with a 90-day notice deadline, and changing the effective date to January 1, 2077. The recommendations were adopted by vote. The committees also heard SB 2523, an appropriation for the City and County of Honolulu Department of Information Technology to modernize the driver’s license and motor vehicle system. DIT described the current COBOL-based mainframe as decades old, said the project would use a code-share arrangement with Arizona, and estimated a $10 million, two-year conversion and rollout. Members questioned the cost, the city-state funding arrangement, and the feasibility of the project, including whether it would move to a cloud-based system. After testimony, both committees deferred the measure. In the Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs portion, SB 2032 on consumer protection for solar sales drew broad support from the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority, the Office of Consumer Protection, the Hawaii Solar Energy Association, and others. Testifiers said the bill was needed in response to misleading solar door-to-door sales and urged amendments to clarify “contractual affiliation,” exclude balcony/portable solar devices, and require disclosure of cash and financed prices. The committee then moved on to SB 2079 on vehicle titles, which had one supporter and one opponent but no testimony in person or online, and SB 2241 on zero-emission vehicles, for which the Hawaii State Energy Office submitted written support. The hearing also began discussion of SB 2579 on water-related grants, where agencies said any program would need clearer statutory standards and likely a feasibility study before implementation.

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 398, Representative Williams, an act relating to decommissioning costs for electric generating
• 02.240><c> decommissioning</c><00:05:03.120><c> costs</c><00:05:03.520><c> for</c><00:05:03.840><c> electric
• </c> to decommissioning costs for electric to decommissioning costs for electric generating<00:05:04.880

Keywords: Convene 00:00 Calendar/2nd Readings 04:07 Orders of the Day 05:07 HB 144 05:15 HB 3 08:27 HB 290 12:34 HB 84 14:53 Motions, Petitions, and Communications 40:12 Introduction of New Bills and Resolutions 45:19 Recess for ConC/Rules Meeting 46:20 ConC/Rules Report 48:12 Floor Amendments 49:42 Adjournment 50:05, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That's enough to power 45 million homes, making solar an important and rapidly growing part of our electricity
• positioned to continue playing a leading role in delivering the affordable, reliable, and pollution-free electricity
• THAT'S ENOUGH TO POWER 45 MILLION HOMES, MAKING SOLAR AN IMPORTANT AND RAPIDLY GROWING PART OF OUR ELECTRICITY
• POSITIONED TO CONTINUE PLAYING A LEADING ROLE IN DELIVERING THE AFFORDABLE, RELIABLE AND POLLUTION FREE ELECTRICITY

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The distributed energy resources are energy storage, electric generation equipment, including clean and
• 45:11.599><c> storage</c> energy resources are energy storage energy resources are energy storage electric
• <00:45:12.480><c> generation</c><00:45:13.000><c> equipment</c><00:45:13.400><c> including</c> electric
• generation equipment including electric generation equipment including clean<00:45:13.960><c> and</c

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a licensed electrician in the state of New Hampshire and the executive director of the Electrical
• </c><01:28:15.840><c> Contractors</c><01:28:16.480><c> Business</c> the Electrical Contractors Business
• the Electrical Contractors Business Association,<01:28:17.360><c> the</c><01:28:17.520><c> ECBA.
• We can't supply that material.
• We can't supply produce it that way. We can't supply that<04:18:22.960><c> material.

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• as you can see on the right-hand side, we have the front door, the demand, we have the inpatient supply
• 38.640><c> impatient</c> door the demand we have the impatient door the demand we have the impatient Supply
• 51:40.279><c> of</c><02:51:40.439><c> beds</c><02:51:40.760><c> that</c><02:51:40.880><c> are</c> Supply
• the number of beds that are Supply the number of beds that are available<02:51:41.920><c> and</c><02
• and food and all of with electricity and food and all of that<03:31:28.199><c> that</c><03:31:28.439

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Finance Committee’s Division 3 held a public work session on the Behavioral Health budget on February 27, 2025. The chair opened by explaining the schedule, materials, and deadlines for the budget process, and noted there would be no motions or votes in the division that day. Division of Behavioral Health Director Ktia Fox and DHHS CFO Nathan White then walked the committee through the division’s mission, structure, and budget materials, describing the division’s four bureaus: Mental Health Services, Children’s Behavioral Health, Drug and Alcohol Services, and Homeless Services, along with the policy unit. They emphasized the division’s role in oversight, technical assistance, quality assurance, contracting, and the continuum of care from prevention and early intervention through crisis and residential services. Much of the discussion focused on major programs and funding lines, including the 988 Lifeline contract with Headrest, a technical assistance contract with UNH, Medicaid pass-through payments to New Hampshire Hospital and Glencliff, crisis response services, cold-weather homeless responses, housing supports, and the children’s system of care. Members asked about the UNH contract, the 988 program, crisis stabilization centers, and the peer certification program; Fox explained that the peer certification is a training-and-credentialing pathway for people with lived experience to enter community-based behavioral health work, not a volunteer program. The committee also discussed the “Choose Love” program, which Fox said was created after the Sandy Hook tragedy to build resilience and strength-based emotional regulation in schools and communities. On the children’s side, Fox described the system of care account as the place where many contracted services are budgeted, including community mental health centers, care management entities, rapid response services, and residential programs. Members asked about temporary staffing, and Fox said roughly $500,000 in temporary staff costs shown in the current year would not be spent next year because the money came from a nonlapsing appropriation in HB 1573 for oversight of children’s residential services. She also said provider rate increases were a prioritized need but were not funded in the governor’s current budget, and that the Children’s Behavioral Health Resource Center was not funded, resulting in about a $1 million reduction. The session ended while the division was still moving through the children’s behavioral health slides, including questions about the Fast Forward high-fidelity wraparound program and medication management.

Transcript Highlights:

• We need these for water supply budgets and... ...groundwater quality and the like.
• We need these for water supply budgets and planning.
• We are here representing the two main programs working on water supply at Ecology.
• and that aggressive approach has led to some creative water supply solutions.
• Some cities have sufficient water supply to meet 50 years or more of growth.

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee held a work session covering the state revenue outlook, caseload forecasts, wildfire costs, budget balance, tort liability, water supply, and pension policy. The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council reported modest near-term U.S. growth, no near-term Washington employment growth in 2026, continued personal income growth, and elevated inflation, with tariffs and federal policy cited as major risks. Revenue forecasts were slightly improved for the current biennium by about $105 million but down about $185 million for the next biennium. Members asked about income inequality and housing permits; staff said personal income is an aggregate measure and housing production remains below long-term needs. The Caseload Forecast Council then reported that most forecasts were unchanged or only slightly changed, but several programs increased, including Washington College Grant, Working Connections, aged/blind/disabled cash grants, nursing homes, home and community services, and developmental disabilities personal care. The largest policy-driven change was in Medicaid low-income adult caseloads, where federal H.R. 1 was projected to reduce coverage substantially through narrower eligibility, community engagement requirements, and shorter eligibility periods. The committee also heard a wildfire funding update and a 2025 fire season review. Staff explained that the state budgets $93 million annually for suppression and uses supplemental appropriations for costs above that level, with an estimated state supplemental need of about $139 million for the current year. Department of Natural Resources officials said 2025 fire activity remained below the 10-year average in acres burned, but fires were more complex and closer to communities, contributing to higher residence loss. They described expanded use of aircraft, firefighters from other states, corrections crews, and the Arcadia 20 hand crew, and said the state did not need National Guard ground support this year. A budget preview then showed that the near general fund outlook had worsened after vetoes, lapses, and forecast changes, and that maintenance-level costs alone would leave a projected negative balance by fiscal year 2027 and about $4.3 billion by fiscal year 2029, before any policy decisions. Jason Seams, the state risk manager, reported a sharp rise in tort claim costs, with indemnity expenses nearly doubling from fiscal year 2023 to 2025 and DCYF accounting for most of the increase. He said the state self-insurance liability account has run deficits for four straight biennia and is now facing nearly $600 million in deficits, driven largely by a surge in DCYF claims, especially juvenile rehabilitation and long-running sex abuse cases. Members asked about the role of old claims, comparisons with other states, excess insurance, and whether more Attorney General staff could reduce special assistant attorney general costs. The committee then shifted to water policy, hearing from tribal leaders, Ecology, and the Washington Water Trust. Tribal witnesses emphasized overappropriation, declining flows, climate impacts, and the need for legislative oversight and tribal participation in water policy. Ecology described major projects in the Odessa sub-area, Yakima Basin, and Dungeness, along with the need for storage, recharge, conservation, and policy changes to support water supply development. The Washington Water Trust argued that climate change is reducing summer flows and that the state needs more funding, enforcement, and long-term commitment to restore instream flows. The final item was a pension update on LEOFF 1 surplus assets; staff reviewed two 2025 bills that would have merged or restructured the plan and used surplus assets, but neither passed, and instead the budget directed the Select Committee on Pension Policy to study the issue and report back.

Transcript Highlights:

• So that results in a divided supply chain.
• With supply, particularly early in launch.
• Mandating a dual supply chain where licenses are forced to operate a majority of their business in a
• The math on supply and demand does not support this bill.
• We wouldn't be allowed to supply all the NFL, NHL, and MLB doctors with CBD if they didn't trust us.

Bills: HF1545 , HF2426 , HF1615 , HF2403

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy

Keywords: medical cannabis, cultivation, cannabinoid products, plant canopy, Minnesota statutes, cannabis, hemp, lower-potency, edibles, regulations, licensing, local control, consumer safety, age restrictions, commerce policy, financial institutions, insurance regulation, limited long-term care insurance, Medicare supplement, health insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill requires that any new agreement to provide water, wastewater, natural gas, or electrical service
• What if a city is in the middle of transitioning all their buses to electric buses or some other form
• it's not surprising to many, but with my county, I believe the county purchased over 100 of the electrical
• They contract with FPL for electricity and Microsoft for software license.
• If you look at the carbon footprint of electric vehicles from origin to destruction, they are actually

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and included several member introductions recognizing guests, interns, firefighters, and a doctor of the day. The chamber then moved to the special order calendar and began taking up a series of bills, often substituting House companions for Senate measures before final passage. The first major bill, health care patient protection, required hospitals with emergency departments to adopt pediatric emergency care policies, training, a pediatric emergency care coordinator, and readiness assessments; it passed 36-0. A public records bill protecting victim identities and temporarily exempting the name of a law enforcement officer who is a victim also passed after questions about access for victims of police misconduct, with a 33-4 vote. The Senate next approved a local government cybersecurity bill creating a state-administered program through Florida Digital Service to help counties and cities strengthen cyber defenses, with priority for rural and fiscally constrained governments; after amendments, it passed 37-0. A clerks of court bill allowing clerks to retain all revenue above projections and, through a House amendment, revising legal notice and traffic citation distribution provisions, passed 38-0 despite debate over impacts on municipalities and law enforcement. The chamber also passed a trademark modernization bill and a septic system permit bill intended to reduce delays for builders; the septic bill was amended to align the House and Senate versions and passed 38-0. The longest and most contested item was the elections bill, which updated citizenship verification procedures using REAL ID and state databases, changed candidate qualification rules, and altered election administration provisions. Numerous amendments were offered and rejected, including proposals to exempt certain seniors, preserve student and retirement-center IDs, allow attestations in place of documentary proof of citizenship, and require human review over automated systems. One amendment to delay implementation until July 1, 2027, was also debated. The transcript ends while debate is still underway on the elections measure, with no final vote shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• robberies of stores like we saw on TV here, somebody takes a stolen truck and reverses it into an electric
• robberies of stores like we saw on TV here, somebody takes a stolen truck and reverses it into an electric
• robberies of stores like we saw on TV here, somebody takes a stolen truck and reverses it into an electric
• robberies of stores like we saw on TV here, somebody takes a stolen truck and reverses it into an electric
• A truck and reverses it into an electric bike store.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Health and Human Services and Judiciary meeting heard testimony on several measures, with most of the discussion focused on SB 709 and SB 955. On SB 709, relating to mental health data and related appropriations, the Department of Health supported the bill’s intent and said the funding would help maintain a data dashboard and positions, though it had no suggested amount for one blank appropriation. Members also discussed whether sections of the bill were duplicative of existing data reporting. The committees later recommended SB 709 be passed with amendments, including technical changes, deferring the date to December 31, 2050, and blanking out the appropriation for later clarification. SB 955, relating to fitness to proceed, drew mixed testimony. Judiciary opposed portions of the bill, saying some changes could have unintended practical consequences. The Office of the Public Defender supported the bill’s intent but urged keeping a three-member evaluation panel rather than reducing it to two, warning that a two-panel process could create delays if a third evaluator had to be added later. A former Hawaii State Hospital clinician said the bill placed too much blame on the courts and should address institutional and administrative problems at the hospital more directly. The Department of Health supported the intent and said it appreciated efforts to address overcrowding. After discussion about examiner shortages and status hearings, the committees recommended SB 955 be passed with amendments reducing the number of qualified examiners from three to one and making related technical changes. The committee also heard SB 1228, a child welfare services measure creating a working group related to youth legal representation and child welfare reform. DHS requested adding a Child Welfare Services representative to the work group, and multiple advocates, including the National Center for Youth Law and Hawaii Youth Services Network, testified in strong support, emphasizing the need for youth voice and implementation of Malama Ohana recommendations. Members asked whether this working group overlapped with another recently passed working group bill; testimony indicated the two measures addressed different issues. The meeting then recessed and later resumed for decision-making on the 9 o’clock calendar, where SB 709 was adopted with amendments and SB 955 was adopted with amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• We then make a determination of in-season injury to water supplies in April.
• It includes our managed recharge program, water supply enhancement through cloud seeding, modeling and
• In some cases, an alternate water supply, usually storage water, has to be found to deliver.
• in the Payette Basin for ...seed to enhance the water supply in the Payette Basin for their purposes
• I think it's really going to help balance supply for the SWC because that water's been leaking out of

Committee: Senate Resources and Environment

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Further, as we have seen with greater clarity over the past several years, ensuring supply chain security
• have been fortunate enough to work with the defense industrial base from the primes down into the supply
• the stand-up of a Navy industrial-based team to spearhead data-driven assessment of the submarine supply
• The United States should have created a rare earth supply chain. Independent of China a decade ago.
• It's imperative that we decouple and substantially bolster our domestic critical mineral supply chain

Committees: Senate Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel , Senate Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces

Keywords: defense industrial base, small business, workforce development, acquisition processes, national security, cybersecurity, critical minerals

Summary: The meeting of the committee revolved around critical discussions on enhancing the defense industrial base, focusing on small business engagement and the importance of streamlined processes in defense contracting. There was a significant emphasis on the need for more investment in the defense manufacturing sector, particularly in the face of competition from countries like China. Some members expressed frustration over the treatment of small businesses, citing barriers that prevent these innovative companies from effectively participating in defense contracts. The need for a workforce capable of meeting the common challenges posed by evolving technologies and geopolitical threats was also highlighted throughout the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Structural integrity, the integrity of plumbing systems, the integrity of electrical systems, all play
• Structural integrity, the integrity of plumbing systems, the integrity of electrical systems all play
• </c> Systems the Integrity of electrical Systems the Integrity of electrical systems<00:32:27.039><c>
• Line workers, utility line workers, are licensed by the National Electrical Safety Code for the safety
• Line workers, utility line workers, are licensed by the National Electrical Safety Code for the safety

Committee: House Housing

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Housing held a public hearing on January 31 and heard testimony on a series of housing and building-code bills. The first major item, HB 1 relating to building codes, drew sharply divided testimony. Supporters, including BIA Hawaii, Grassroot Institute, Dr. Horton, and several builders and trade groups, argued the current code-adoption process is slow, fragmented, and costly, and that reform would help housing production. Opponents, including Sierra Club Hawaii, AIA Hawaii, ICC, and labor representative Kiko Bosi, said the bill would weaken public safety, reduce statewide consistency, and could leave tenants and first responders at greater risk. No vote was taken during the hearing, and members asked questions about the effect of a governor’s emergency proclamation suspending the Building Code Council and about county authority over code amendments. The committee then heard HB 745 and HB 1321, both also relating to building codes. Grassroot Institute supported both measures, saying the system is broken and needs streamlining, while BIA Hawaii and others emphasized the cost burden of repeated code updates. Opponents, especially Bosi and ICC, argued that the bills would undermine the State Building Code Council’s role, create confusion, and prioritize cost over safety; Bosi also said labor should be included in any code discussions. Members questioned whether counties can remove state code provisions and whether the state code already supersedes county codes, and one member noted the need for clarity and consistent enforcement rather than a wholesale overhaul. Later, the committee heard HB 284 on housing, HB 761 on county permitting and inspection, and HB 738 on historic preservation. HB 284 drew support from several housing and real estate groups, while DLNR opposed it. On HB 761, HHFDC supported the bill, DLNR warned that the proposed changes could jeopardize Hawaii’s participation in the National Flood Insurance Program, DAGS said it would likely need to duplicate county permitting staff, and the Department of Planning and Permitting opposed it; Grassroot Institute and NAIOP supported it. For HB 738, HHFDC, DLNR, Grassroot Institute, Hawaii YIMBY, NAIOP, and others supported the measure, with Grassroot and NAIOP suggesting clarifications so expedited review would also cover mixed-use projects and better define the scope of work. The transcript does not show any final votes or committee action on these bills during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Did you look into the electrical—I think that is part of it.
• Same thing with electricity, correct? And you’d be powerless to do anything about it or...
• Same thing with electricity, correct?
• Same thing with electricity, correct? And you’d be powerless to do anything about it or...
• And um, you know, you could be drying out the wells and taking the electricity and raising the costs

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Certainly as the electric<00:13:43.360><c> grid</c><00:13:43.600><c> was</c><00:13:43.760><c> coming<
• /c><00:13:44.040><c> online,</c><00:13:44.440><c> they</c> electric grid was coming online, they electric
• Anybody, you know, monopoly electricity organizations go to the PUC, they have open books.
• Anybody, you know, monopoly electricity organizations go to the PUC, they have open books.
• </c> Anybody you know, monopoly electricity Anybody you know, monopoly electricity organizations<02:19

Committee: Senate Ways and Means

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we'll move on to the Columbia River Basin supply.
• So we'll move on to the Columbia River Basin supply, seeing that we have now our Eastern Washington reps
• You'll find this in our annual water supply update as well.
• The first is securing those surface water supplies.
• plan to improve streamflows and water supplies in the Walla Walla Basin.

Committee: Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we'll move on to the Columbia River Basin supply.
• So we'll move on to the Columbia River Basin supply, seeing that we have now our Eastern Washington reps
• You'll find this in our annual water supply update as well.
• The first is securing those surface water supplies.
• plan to improve streamflows and water supplies in the Walla Walla Basin.

Summary: The committee first received an update from Larry Madsen of the Office of Columbia River on eastern Washington water supply projects. He described the office’s mission to develop new water supplies for in-stream and out-of-stream uses, noting that funded projects have developed more than 800,000 acre-feet of water toward a 1 million acre-foot goal by 2030. He reviewed the four major program areas: the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program, the Walla Walla Water 2050 plan, the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, and the Icicle Work Group. He highlighted major projects such as East Low Canal work, Springwood Ranch reservoir planning, Bateman Island causeway removal, and Icicle Creek improvements, and emphasized the importance of state, federal, tribal, and nonprofit partnerships and cost-sharing. Senators asked about accelerating the Springwood Ranch study, reservoir sizing and refill potential, and how conservation fits into the Yakima plan. The committee then heard from Betsy Peabody, Dr. Micah Horwith, and Bill Dewey on the Marine Resources Advisory Council and ocean acidification. They explained that Washington was an early bellwether for ocean acidification impacts, especially on shellfish hatcheries, where low aragonite saturation and changing pH caused major oyster larval mortality. They described the state’s monitoring network, hatchery buffering systems, research partnerships, and adaptation strategies such as kelp co-culture, selective breeding, and native oyster restoration. Testimony stressed that ocean acidification is affecting shellfish, Dungeness crab, razor clams, and even salmon, and that continued state investment, emissions reductions, and nutrient pollution control are needed. Senators asked about differences between native and farmed species, real-time monitoring, and the pH/aragonite thresholds that threaten shellfish production. Finally, Todd Myers and Pam Lewis of the Washington Policy Center presented concerns about agricultural viability, sustainability, and food security. Lewis said Washington farms are under severe financial pressure, citing negative farm take-home pay, high production and labor costs, and the need to rely more on voluntary programs, tax relief, and labor cost changes. She also argued that food insecurity is rising and that donations to food banks are harder when farms are financially strained. Myers followed with remarks on forest health and salmon recovery, arguing for more active forest management, expanded use of Good Neighbor Authority, and fewer permitting barriers. He also said salmon recovery funding should be locally prioritized and science-based, with regulatory barriers reduced so projects can move faster. The committee then voted to refer Senate Bill 6154, a culvert replacement permitting bill, to the Senate Local Government Committee without recommendation, and the motion passed.