Transcript Highlights:

• strong health care workforce.
• You know I'm a fan of local control and care deeply about our towns.
• You know I'm a fan of local control and care deeply about our towns.
• I serve as the assistant directing business representative for IAM District 15.
• This bill moves us in that direction. I respectfully urge us to support this amendment.

Bills: H5386

Keywords: economic development, innovation, investment, housing, small business, global trade, infrastructure, 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He said AB 277 is a step in the right direction because it increases transparency in the hiring process
• and helps parents and guardians feel more comfortable trusting their children with behavioral health care
• The chair then directed the secretary to call the roll on file item number one, AB 277. 673.
• AB 277 marks a step in the right direction by increasing transparency in the hiring process of these
• Maybe 277 passed this morning the assembly of behavioral health care workers.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Human Services met for its first bill hearing of the 2026 legislative year and heard two measures. The chair opened with remarks about protecting safety net programs and noted limits on testimony and rules for disruptions. The committee first heard AB 673, by Assembly Member Corey Jackson, which would create the Unaccompanied Youth Support Grant Program to help homeless 16- and 17-year-olds who are not in a parent or guardian’s custody by funding referrals to housing, basic needs, educational support, and employment readiness through five-year competitive grants administered by the Department of Education. The California Department of Education supported the bill, citing the scale of student homelessness and poor outcomes for unaccompanied youth. One public witness testified in support, and there was no opposition. Members discussed budget concerns and the need to prioritize services for vulnerable youth, then moved the bill forward to the Assembly Appropriations Committee on a due pass recommendation. The committee then heard AB 277, by Assembly Member Rowelleece, which would require background checks for employees providing behavioral health treatment before hiring. The author said current law covers many other categories of workers but not behavioral health employees such as registered behavioral technicians, and argued the bill would better protect children with disabilities who may be more vulnerable to abuse and less able to report it. The author said the bill had been amended in consultation with the committee to preserve employer hiring discretion while adding the background check requirement. There was no public testimony in opposition, and members expressed support. AB 277 was moved on a due pass recommendation to the Assembly Appropriations Committee and later recorded as passing 6-0. AB 673 was also recorded as passing 4-0 after the roll was left open for absent members.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you're here to hear it or see it, it's not because we don't care.
• It is, and if we had direction from the Legislature, we'd start...
• It is, and if we had direction from the Legislature, we’d certainly change.
• So you just got to be very careful in Caddo as we move through these.
• I don't care who's coming. It didn't create more water.

Summary: The committee met with limited attendance at first, then took up a series of water, agriculture, and rural affairs measures. HB 3898 would allow the Texas Water Development Board to provide financial assistance for brackish water desalination projects in certain border counties and related nonprofit suppliers even if the projects are not in the state water plan. Supporters said it is needed to address severe water shortages in places like Webb County and to support future planning; opponents, including the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts, argued it bypasses the regional and state water planning process. The bill was left pending after testimony. The committee also heard HB 5339, which would create a higher-education grant program for regenerative agriculture research. A rancher testified that regenerative methods improved soil health, water retention, and farm viability, while a senator noted existing university research but said better coordination could help. Public testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. Members then heard HB 1523, a temporary prohibition on TCEQ issuing Austin a Class 5 injection well permit for an aquifer storage and recovery project in Bastrop and Lee counties until December 2027. Local officials from Bastrop supported the pause, citing unanswered questions about water treatment, recovery rates, and impacts on the aquifer, while Austin Water opposed the substitute, saying the project is central to its long-term water plan and that stakeholder talks were already underway. TCEQ explained its ASR permitting process and said public participation is possible but not always used in the current authorization process. The bill was left pending. HB 5659, concerning the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District and requiring majority city-council approval before certain water sales or interbasin transfers, drew testimony from district officials who said the change could interfere with existing contracts and district authority, but the chair emphasized the need for local buy-in and said the stakeholders had reached a workable compromise; testimony was closed and the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HB 1690, which would expand notice requirements for groundwater export permits so neighboring landowners and potentially affected aquifer areas are informed by certified mail and publication. The sponsor tied the bill to impacts from the Vista Ridge project, and no one testified against it; it was left pending. HB 3333 would prohibit TCEQ from issuing new wastewater discharge permits directly into the Devils River in Val Verde County. The sponsor and a conservation witness said the bill protects one of Texas’s most pristine rivers and reflects a local stakeholder agreement, while TCEQ said it can ensure water quality but acknowledged the river’s unique sensitivity; the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HCR 108 urging continuation of the U.S.-Mexico tomato suspension agreement, with supporters warning of major Texas job and consumer-price impacts if it ends, and HCR 76 urging federal action on imported shrimp, citing public health and industry concerns; both were left pending. Additional measures heard and left pending included HB 4158 on compensation for Texana Groundwater Conservation District directors, HB 654 creating a dismissal path for certain first-time deer hunting violations after self-reporting and hunter education, HB 4530 requiring Texas Water Development Board review of groundwater rights placed in the Texas Water Trust, HB 2128 directing a study of rural versus urban firefighting and rescue disparities, and HB 278 requiring groundwater districts and management areas to track progress toward desired future conditions over shorter intervals. On HB 278, witnesses split over whether the bill’s interim tracking would improve accountability or create new triggers that could be used against local districts, but no final vote was taken and the bill was left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• Care work is climate work. 4. No worker left behind. 5. The polluter pays.
• I guess sellers are going to be careful.
• I think of CERCLA being directed at mostly toxic pollution.
• For this, the oil and gas industry pays into this to take care of.
• That's direct air capture.

Transcript Highlights:

• I directed Gospel Mission in Joplin, Missouri that my wife and I co-founded in 2000.
• those organizations are in Missouri and align with the ideal that private, local, community-driven care
• This bill will ensure welfare reporting transparency to equip caring leaders and communities and so.
• They're still going to be reaching out and trying to take care of all those people, as are you.
• Take care of all those people, as are you. So again, what does the number do for me?

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll discuss those more, but basically, they are not direct, but in a roundabout way.
• This bill will have state directed payments to hospitals.
• What's the size of the risk for Medicaid, and what's the broad risk to hospital-based care?
• But I really feel that if I'm going in that direction, you know, safeguards need to be in place.
• Maybe everybody else cares about this, but it's crazy. It's crazy making.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:19:01.760><c> tax</c> we used to set up this child care tax we used to set up this child care
• </c> employees can receive child care employees can receive child care assistance<00:19:49.200><c> from
• </c> licensed or regulated child care licensed or regulated child care providers<00:19:56.320><c> operating
• Employers can receive a direct credit for direct financial assistance, including employer-paid child
• </c> um including employer paid child care um including employer paid child care subsidies<00:20:18.000

Keywords: MS Senate Floor - 25 February, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Speaker, I will take care of that. I appreciate that.
• this about Easter and it's been really inspiring to meet so many wonderful legislators that deeply care
• Speaker, I'm directed to inform the House that the Senate has failed to pass House Judiciary Committee
• And all of you who have shown kindness, care, Representative Caballero: have actually taken care of me
• Speaker, I'm directed to inform the House that the duly enrolled and engrossed copy of Senate Bill 72

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> with this when we deal with directives with this when we deal with directives at<00:34:53.440><c
• government on those CARES Act.
• </c> bit of a more direction. bit of a more direction. &gt;&gt; Mr. &gt;&gt; Mr. &gt;&gt; Mr.
• They care.
• care especially.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> duty to try to provide the ongoing care duty to try to provide the ongoing care for<00:34:31.399
• , or paddling in the same direction.
• able to link directly to us from Direct File to follow their returns with us.
• </c> to direct to direct file<01:36:02.520><c> uh</c><01:36:02.679><c> in</c><01:36:02.840><c> addition
• </c> file uh in addition to direct file this file uh in addition to direct file this project project

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Finance held informational briefings first with the Department of Defense on its FY 2026 budget request, then with the Hawaii School Facilities Authority. Major General Steve Logan outlined the Department of Defense request for $40.5 million in state funds, which he said would leverage about $74 million in federal matching funds and support 411 open projects that could attract up to $2.3 billion in additional federal grant money. He said the budget focuses on sustainment, safety, and reorganization in light of lessons from the Maui wildfires. Key requests included $1.3 million to sustain IT systems, $2.7 million for 32 HEMA emergency management positions, three new Hawaii Army National Guard positions plus four upgrades, and $1.9 million for the Youth Challenge Program to cover state-mandated fringe costs and staffing needs. He also reviewed capital improvement projects, including Youth Challenge facility upgrades, siren modernization, ADA improvements, building retrofits for disaster resilience, Army facility upgrades, a third state veterans home on Maui, HEMA EOC improvements, and a maintenance/fuel building at Diamond Head. Members asked about the siren modernization timeline, and HEMA said roughly 26 to 31 sirens would be modernized this year, with 15 on Maui, eight on Oahu, and eight on the Big Island. Questions also focused on Youth Challenge and Job Challenge enrollment and vacancies, with the department saying the Hilo Job Challenge Academy is growing and that combining Youth Challenge recruiting statewide into one Kilauea program has helped enrollment. Logan also answered questions about the New Year’s Eve medical transport mission, explaining the Hawaii Air National Guard’s relationship with active-duty Air Force assets and saying the flight cost is about $20,000 per flight hour, though the final bill had not yet been determined. On the Maui veterans home, staff said the University of Hawaii site was no longer viable after faculty senate opposition, so the department is now focused on a 10-acre Puna District site; the project remains tied to a certified $35 million state match and August 2025 and August 2026 federal suspense dates. Logan said the veterans home remains one of the department’s highest priorities, but it could not be moved higher in the submitted CIP ranking. The department also discussed a Governor’s add-on for a fire marshal/Office of Recovery and Resiliency proposal. Logan said the fire marshal position was reestablished last session but has not yet been filled, and that if the function is transferred to the Department of Defense, the department wants funding ready to move quickly. Staff later said the request would include about $1.1 million for seven positions and about $2.2 million for operating costs, though details were still preliminary. The committee then reconvened for the School Facilities Authority briefing, where Executive Director Ricky Fujitani described the agency as a startup created in 2020 to improve school and workforce housing development through standardized designs, prefabrication, best-value procurement, and public-private partnerships. He said Hawaii’s single school district still functions like 15 different districts because of its 264 schools across 15 complex areas, and that the authority’s goal is to create more efficient, maintainable, and cost-effective facilities.

Transcript Highlights:

• and this direction, and there used to be the Missouri Pacific.
• As far as you can see this direction and this direction, and there used to be the Missouri Pacific Railroad
• The board cares about because this is what most people care about that are their constituents.
• And I think that's true in some direct sense.
• And I think that's true in some direct sense.

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 3114, which would require operating railroads in Missouri to provide digital copies of valuation and station maps to the state land surveyor for inclusion in a public repository. The sponsor said the bill is intended to help surveyors locate abandoned railroad rights-of-way and determine center lines for adjoining landowners’ reversionary rights. Committee members asked about whether the bill would apply to active versus abandoned lines, whether records still exist for older railroads, and whether a deadline should be added for compliance. Railroad testimony raised concerns about the breadth of the request, potential security and proprietary issues, and the burden of compiling historical records, while indicating a willingness to continue discussions and possibly work with surveyors on a more targeted process. The committee then heard House Bill 2298, which would remove the current exemption for electric cooperatives from the requirement that condemning entities pay 150% of appraised value in eminent domain cases. The sponsor argued that co-ops should be treated the same as regulated utilities because landowners face the same burden when transmission lines cross their property, and he cited examples where co-op offers were far below what he believed comparable utility projects would pay. Landowners and a lawyer testifying in favor described alleged unfair treatment, uneven compensation, and the impact of transmission lines on farm operations and property value, while emphasizing that the bill would simply put co-ops on the same footing as other utilities. Opposition testimony from Associated Industries of Missouri and the Missouri Electric Cooperatives argued that the bill would interfere with the cooperative model, which is member-owned and governed by elected boards, and would reduce flexibility in negotiating easements. The co-op representative said the organizations are not partnered with Grain Belt Express, that any interconnection compensation is separate from the project itself, and that most easement acquisitions are settled by negotiation rather than condemnation. Committee members questioned whether co-ops already pay comparable amounts in practice, whether the bill would affect transmission projects tied to Grain Belt Express, and how co-op governance and member oversight should factor into eminent domain policy.

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't care who the president is.
• care contract.
• Similarly to the health care quality surcharge, which is on nursing facilities and intermediate care
• What is a health care practitioner?
• health care.

Transcript Highlights:

• , and child care.
• providers for reproductive justice health care or gender-affirming health care.
• I can’t take care of my families. I can’t take care of myself. I don’t understand the language.
• And people, when you get deported, do not care.
• Gina, all right, take care everybody.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on responding to federal immigration enforcement in Massachusetts, with opening remarks from Sen. Liz Miranda and Rep. Bud Williams emphasizing fear in immigrant communities, recent ICE operations, and the need to learn from advocates and affected residents rather than debate individual bills. The hearing was organized around three topics: detention, arrests, and surveillance, with members repeatedly asking what the legislature can do to improve transparency, legal access, and oversight. On detention, Leah Hastings of Prisoners’ Legal Services said most people end up in ICE custody through contact with the criminal legal system and argued that state carceral systems are deeply intertwined with immigration enforcement. She described conditions at Plymouth County House of Correction and Burlington ICE holding as concerning, citing limited medical care, disability accommodations, solitary confinement, retaliatory transfers, and poor attorney access. Hastings said Massachusetts should reduce funding for sheriffs and the Department of Corrections, ban intergovernmental service agreements and 287(g) agreements, and invest instead in housing, treatment, and other community supports. Members also discussed ICE reimbursement, the immigrant legal defense fund, and the need for more immigration attorneys. On arrests and enforcement tactics, David Albright of JALSA said federal immigration enforcement has been expanded by major new funding and incentives, including higher payments for 287(g) and bed contracts, and he noted that most ICE detainees nationally do not have criminal records. He said Massachusetts has one 287(g) agreement with the Department of Corrections and one IGSA with Plymouth County, and that ICE also uses Burlington, Hanscom, and informal local collaboration in places such as Milford and Auburn. Danny Tampona of Neighbor to Neighbor and the LUCE Rapid Response Network described more than 10,000 hotline calls from 46 cities and towns, with arrests often involving masked agents, surveillance of workers and families, traffic stops, broken windows, and arrests at check-ins or schools; he said the network is concentrated in places including Everett, Chelsea, Lynn, New Bedford, Milford, Marlboro, Framingham, and Springfield. He urged legislation requiring clear identification for law enforcement, limits on surveillance technologies, and stronger legal defense resources. On surveillance, Joshua Dancoff of Citizens for Juvenile Justice argued that current state policies allow broad sharing of fingerprints and surveillance data with ICE, including through BRIC, the Massachusetts Fusion Center, and municipal police policies. He cited cases in Chelsea and Everett where children were taken from police custody into ICE custody and said many departments automatically share arrest fingerprints and other information with federal authorities. He recommended limiting fingerprint sharing, restricting surveillance databases and task-force participation, and curbing police and sheriff collaboration with ICE even where no formal 287(g) exists. Members and witnesses also discussed the need for more immigration lawyers, possible bar advocate-style funding for immigration defense, and legislative action to prevent further collaboration and deportation infrastructure.

Transcript Highlights:

• And this is a step in that direction.
• And this is a step in that direction.
• So I like the direction you’re going here.
• And so I thought that took care of it.
• And so I thought that took care of it.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So it includes health care agencies like the Health Care Authority.
• health care.
• And access to primary care is really key to meeting our health care.
• what they're paying for primary care and behavioral health care.
• care team.

Bills: SB5877, SB5967

Keywords: anesthesiology, medical personnel, surcharges, licensing, healthcare regulations, preventive services, state authority, healthcare access, insurance coverage, public health, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• /c><00:03:07.440><c> of</c><00:03:07.599><c> crime</c> direct services to victims of crime direct services
• Finally, placements: emergency shelter, foster care, independent living, and private child care.
• Health care, not incarceration.
• </c> taking care of those two. taking care of those two.
• </c> to direct that to them directly? to direct that to them directly?

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The subcommittee first heard from the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet’s Grants Management Division on federal victim-services funding. Staff described the main grant programs they administer, including STOP VAWA, VOCA victim assistance, sexual assault services, Byrne state crisis intervention, and Project Safe Neighborhoods. They emphasized that VOCA is especially volatile because it is funded by the federal Crime Victims Fund, which has declined sharply in recent years, reducing Kentucky’s available awards and forcing cuts to state, local, and nonprofit subgrants. They also outlined steps the cabinet has taken to stabilize funding, including changing the subaward formula, aligning the grant period with the state fiscal year, subawarding one year behind the federal cycle, and retaining a reserve. Members asked about how funds reach victims, how subgrantee amounts are determined, and requested a breakdown of grant recipients and amounts; staff said they would provide that information later. The committee then received a detailed presentation from the Department of Juvenile Justice on alternatives to detention. Commissioner Randy White and staff explained that ATDs are short-term, less restrictive placements for low-risk youth, including electronic monitoring, home supervision, group homes, foster care, private child care, community programs, mentoring, evening reporting centers, and in-home wraparound services. They described the referral and approval process involving court-designated workers, detention alternative coordinators, courts, and county attorneys, and said DJJ currently has 16 ATD-related contracts, with placements, programs, and electronic monitoring among them. They also reported that between July 1, 2024, and July 30, 2025, 1,652 juveniles were involved in the process, including 168 diversion cases. Members questioned the cost of juvenile detention versus adult incarceration, whether families pay for electronic monitoring, whether there is a national model for juvenile detention, and what alternatives exist for truancy and contempt cases. DJJ said families do not generally reimburse for electronic monitoring, there is no single national model, and day treatment centers are an important alternative for some youth. The department also said it builds daily routines and wellness education into its facilities, and that more than two-thirds of its programs are evidence-based. Officials said they currently monitor vendor performance through quarterly reviews and can end contracts for poor performance, but that data tracking is still largely manual. They said the new JCOM system, now in pilot in the eastern region, should improve reporting and help identify outcomes and recidivism more effectively.

Transcript Highlights:

• Hearing none, would the gentleman from 31 care to close the debate?
• We need to be careful with that. Good job, 26. Just for regular debate, Mr. Speaker.
• I live in the second-largest city in the state, and I have direct knowledge.
• Gentleman 27, care to close the debate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
• Gentleman 27, care to close the debate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, approved the journal, and received messages from the Governor and Senate, including notice that the Governor signed House Bill 556 and that several enrolled House and Senate measures were transmitted for signatures or filing. The chamber also processed committee reports on a range of bills, including appropriations, agriculture, state affairs, and judiciary matters, and referred House Resolution 33 and later House Resolution 34 for printing. Several bills were returned to committee at the sponsors’ requests, including House Bills 649, 567, 627, 530, 903, 763, and 857. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on concurrence with Senate amendments to House Bills 629, 678, 522, 684, 561, and 860. Members described the amendments as mostly friendly or technical, covering issues such as requiring a paper copy of vehicle registration, narrowing drone-related language and penalties, changing wording on sheriff recapture funding, adding the Basque Autonomous Community flag to the flag bill, and adjusting health-related provisions involving emergency treatment, drug/alcohol exposure, and rape-kit language. The House unanimously concurred in each case. The most extended floor debate centered on House Bill 940, which revises the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance. Supporters said the bill would realign IDLA to its original purpose, curb duplicate use by districts and virtual schools, eliminate driver’s education and LaunchPad, and stop what they described as double-dipping or misuse of public funds. Opponents argued IDLA is an essential service for rural districts, homeschoolers, and students needing AP, dual credit, or courses unavailable locally, warning that the bill would cut access and harm small schools. After debate, the House suspended rules, considered the bill, and passed House Bill 940 by a vote of 48-22. The House also debated Senate Concurrent Resolution 123, recognizing the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. Supporters framed it as a tribute to Idaho ranching and rangeland heritage, while opponents objected to its connection to a United Nations initiative and raised sovereignty concerns. The resolution passed the House 39-28. Later, the House recessed and reconvened, received additional messages and committee reports, and began first reading of new bills including House Bills 944-951 and Senate Bills 1396-1398, with several measures referred to committees for further action.

Transcript Highlights:

• Things like child care... There was a difference there.
• To take care of those kids.
• We talk about how much we care about kids and how much we care about the future of education.
• We talk about how much we care about kids and how much we care about the future of education.
• That's the direction we're going.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the prior day’s journal by roll call, and a long series of special guest introductions recognizing family members, interns, public servants, nonprofit leaders, students, and a park ranger honored for life-saving actions. Committee reports and Senate messages followed, including Senate nonconcurrence on numerous amendments to Senate Bill 1421 and the appointment of a conference committee on another bill. The main floor action centered on budget conference committee reports, especially House Bill 2002 on public education. Members debated whether the conference version fully funded the foundation formula, with supporters arguing it maintained record-level funding and opponents saying it left schools about $190 million short and relied on uncertain funding sources such as blind pension, lottery, and possible ARPA dollars. After a substitute motion to send the bill back to conference was defeated, the House adopted the conference report 83-68 and then third-read and passed House Bill 2002 by the same margin. The House then took up House Bill 2003 on higher education, where members discussed a move toward a future performance-based funding model while keeping current funding flat; the conference report passed 119-28 and the bill was third-read and passed 109-32. The chamber next considered House Bill 2004, covering the Departments of Revenue and Transportation. Debate focused on transportation funding, rural roads, and a small local safety project in Lebanon that had already been addressed by MoDOT. The conference report was adopted 128-21 and the bill was third-read and passed 127-27. Finally, the House began debate on House Bill 2005 for the Office of Administration and IT-related functions, with the sponsor and supporters emphasizing IT accountability, the Movers project, and the transfer of some staff to DSS; the transcript ends during discussion of that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Uh, as I've mentioned before, I directed Uh, as I've mentioned before, I directed the<00:06:53.919
• </c><00:33:57.200><c> the</c> direct uh knowledge of the direct uh knowledge of the municipalities<00
• </c> medical condition and that's 911 CARES medical condition and that's 911 CARES and<01:01:20.720><
• </c><01:11:05.120><c> is</c> why I think you know the 911 care is why I think you know the 911 care is
• </c> more n there is 911 cares there as well. more n there is 911 cares there as well.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We represent individuals who have been sentenced to death in their direct appeals.
• Our clients have a constitutional and statutory right to effective counsel in their direct appeals.
• Our clients have a constitutional and statutory right to effective counsel in their direct appeals.
• And then lastly, $10 million for services to protect health care access. Okay.
• But the longevity—heck, they have to take care of their families just like everybody else.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Corrections, Public Safety, Judiciary, Labor, and Transportation heard presentations on the Office of the State Public Defender, civil legal aid funding, and Judicial Branch operations. The State Public Defender requested permanent funding for positions that had been temporarily funded to implement the Racial Justice Act, explaining that the workload has grown substantially through retroactive capital-case briefing, habeas proceedings, data requests, and related statistical analysis. She also presented findings from a public defense workload and staffing report showing that California’s county-based public defense system is under-resourced, with too few attorneys, investigators, and support staff, especially in rural counties, and that statewide standards and funding are lacking. Committee members asked about the scope of racial bias claims, the impact of collaborative courts and Prop. 36, and the need for statewide cost estimates and phased funding options. The committee then heard from legal aid advocates and a Los Angeles Superior Court judge in support of increased civil legal aid funding. Witnesses described the Equal Access Fund, homelessness prevention services, health care access, and immigration detention defense as cost-effective ways to prevent evictions, stabilize families, and reduce downstream public costs. They requested a $50 million increase to the Equal Access Fund, $20 million to restart homelessness prevention services, and $10 million for health care access work, along with additional targeted investments from the California Access to Justice Commission. Testimony emphasized the severe shortage of legal aid attorneys, the high demand for immigration representation, and the role of legal aid in domestic violence, housing, and family law matters. Senators asked for more information on service locations, outreach, funding losses, and how the requested amounts were calculated. In the Judicial Branch overview, Judicial Council and trial court representatives supported the Governor’s proposed budget, including a $70 million increase for trial court operations, $21.7 million for employee health and retirement costs, and funding for appellate counsel and case processing. They said the money is needed to offset inflation, supply chain costs, and staffing pressures, and to preserve access to justice. Senators pressed the branch and Department of Finance on interpreter shortages, midyear funding flexibility, courthouse facilities needs, and judgeship needs in inland counties. Finance officials said they were aware of the broader facilities backlog, and the committee requested follow-up information on the full capital and maintenance needs, interpreter funding, and updated judgeship and workload data. No formal votes were taken during the hearing.