Transcript Highlights:

• Makarios, then Griffith, Hunt, and Massick.
• Let's go to Bill Griffith, Greg Hunt, and Holly Masik. So, Mr.
• Hunt. Good morning, Mr. Chair, committee members.
• I'm Greg Hunt, Economic Development Manager for the City of St. Louis Park.
• Hunt. Are you related to Ethan? No, sir. Okay, just wondering.

Bills: HF2048 , HF2360 , HF2006 , HF950 , HF912 , HF3140 , HF2931

Committee: House Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• Conway, Cortes, Dhingra, Dozier, Fortunato, Frame, Gildon, Goehner, Hansen, Harris, Hasegawa, Holy, Hunt
• , Kauffman, King, Krishnadasan, Holy, Hunt, Kauffman, King, Krishnadasan, Leavitt, Lovelett, Lovick,
• Goehner, Hansen, Harris, Hasegawa, Holy, Hunt, Kauffman, King, Krishnadasan.
• Hunt. Goehner, Holy. Hunt. Kauffman. King. Krishnadasan. Leavitt. Lovelett. Lovick.
• Hunt. Kauffman. Kauffman.

Bills: SB5223 , SB5286 , SB6002 , SB6178 , SB5892 , SB5177 , SB6039 , SB5874 , SB5863 , SB5972 , SB5941 , SB5203 , SB6014 , SB5993 , SB5831 , SB5928 , SB5912 , SB5825

Summary: The Senate convened with ceremonial opening activities, approved the previous day’s journal, and referred committee reports and new introductions, including SB 6346, to the appropriate committees. It also confirmed several gubernatorial appointments to college and board positions: Glenn F. Ellis to the Peninsula College Board of Trustees, Suzanne Donaldson to the Clark College Board of Trustees, and Jesse E. Johnson to the Highline College Board of Trustees, each by large bipartisan margins. The chamber then considered and passed a series of bills, often after suspending the rules to move them directly to final passage. These included SB 6014 on pregnancy-related accommodations; SB 5863 on preservation and inspection of Lakeland Village historical records; SB 5874 on correcting unemployment insurance employer reporting procedures for small businesses; SB 5972 expanding interest arbitration for certain correctional employees; SB 5286 formalizing reimbursement for local public safety services provided to state hospitals; SB 5877 making a technical correction related to certified anesthesiologist assistants; SB 5904 restricting nursing titles to licensed human persons; SB 5915 updating the health technology assessment program; SB 5919 creating voluntary wildfire-prevention incentives for agriculture; SB 5938 adjusting foreclosure prevention fees and exemptions; SB 5957 expanding the Homeless Youth Advisory Committee; SB 6102 aligning the ambulance transport quality assurance fee with federal rules; and SB 6103 advancing a rural hospital conversion intended to help East Adams Hospital remain open. The most debated measures were SB 5825, which authorizes the Washington State Leadership Board to solicit gifts, grants, and endowments, and SB 6002, which regulates automated license plate reader systems and driver privacy. On SB 5825, two Jeff Wilson amendments seeking to limit administrative use of donated funds and cap contributions were both rejected, but the bill ultimately passed 33-16. On SB 6002, an amendment to broaden authorized uses of ALPRs was rejected, a striking amendment was adopted, and the bill passed 48-9 after extensive floor debate focused on privacy, surveillance, law enforcement utility, and the need for clear rules. Most other bills passed with little or no opposition, though SB 5972 and SB 5203 drew some dissent over impacts on smaller counties and land-use concerns tied to wildlife connectivity planning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Also, we as a department work with Decision Innovation Solutions out of Iowa to complete the study.
• this study, I was, the partners that worked with you, can't thank you enough for the team down in Iowa
• But anyway, what used to be marshy sloughs in western Stutsman County when I was a young kid hunting
• But anyway, what used to be marshy sloughs in western Stutsman County when I was a young kid hunting
• You're catching walleyes in these sloughs now instead of hunting ducks.

Committee: Joint Agriculture and Water Management Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't even see a deer. I don't even see a frog.
• You could have guides doing hunting. No, no hunting?
• No, hunting is prohibited.
• Hunting guide licenses or hunting guiding in general is prohibited on the WMAs.
• I remember, I think that they went up on their deer license on people from Louisiana.

Committee: House Natural Resources & Environment

Transcript Highlights:

• Nunn of Iowa. >> Pursuant to House Resolution 936, the gentleman from Iowa, Mr.
• </c> Iowa seek recognition? Iowa seek recognition?
• Nun of Iowa. offered by Mr. Nun of Iowa.
• </c> gentleman from Iowa. gentleman from Iowa.
• The gentleman from Iowa reserves.

Bills: HCR66 , HB2550 , HR432 , HB3898 , HB3383 , HB3638 , HB3628 , HR939

Keywords: military funding, defense, appropriations, fiscal year, government, labor relations, collective bargaining, federal employees, workforce protection, executive order, federal labor relations, labor management, federal oversight, government reform, Clean Water Act, Federal Water Pollution Control Act, PERMIT Act, waters of the United States, WOTUS, EPA

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Deers is here. Senator Dossett is here. Senator Fricks is here. Senator Gillespie is here.
• I'm from Deer Creek High School.
• Those wishing to vote or change their vote, Senator Jett, Senator Hamilton, Deer Salahhar, Pugugh, Alverrd
• They bour for a follow up, so they think they're on hunting.
• They think there's something they're about to go hunt because they hear that boom and they're wanting

Bills: SB1627 , SB227 , SB366 , SB1193 , SB1433 , SB1450 , SB1481 , SB1749 , SB1810 , SB1812 , SB1921 , SB1948 , SB2044 , SB2178 , SB169 , SB1877 , HB1409 , SB1266 , SB1432

Keywords: criminal code cleanup, duplicate statutes, statutory consolidation, repealer bill, emergency clause, Title 21 crimes, Title 47 DUI, child abuse reporting, child neglect, child sexual abuse material, child pornography, sex offenses, rape, stalking, domestic abuse, domestic violence, human trafficking, sex trafficking, gang-related offense, eluding police

Transcript Highlights:

• We've moved fishing and hunting permits online so that somebody can carry their license on their phone
• as decisions and how things happen with land access and working with landowners and duck clubs and hunting
• You've seen the data and shocking studies proving that 92% of the wolf pack's diet is cattle, not deer
• When they are managed effectively, research shows they support healthier deer herds, stronger riparian
• When they are managed effectively, research shows they support healthier deer herds, stronger riparian

Transcript Highlights:

• With the outdoor stewardship program, we teach hunting. So we teach the hunter safety course.
• We teach hunting. So we teach the hunter safety course. We work with Standing Rock Game and Fish.
• A woman in front of us hit a deer, and it was, I mean, How do you calculate that?
• , because they can only hunt on tribal land.
• So a non-tribal member who has a tribal hunting license can only hunt on tribal property or fee land

Summary: The Tribal and State Relations Committee met at Standing Rock with tribal council members, state legislators, and agency representatives to discuss state-tribal coordination and local priorities. Early discussion focused on process concerns, including the short agenda time and the need for better communication, more advance notice, and more relevant state department staff at future meetings. Tribal leaders asked for lists of state tribal liaisons and bills affecting tribes, and state members said they would follow up, share grant and deadline information, and plan another meeting in Bismarck with program experts and agency staff. A major portion of the meeting centered on health, child welfare, law enforcement, housing, infrastructure, and sovereignty issues. Tribal speakers said rural health transformation funding and other state programs often do not fit direct-service tribes or IHS-funded systems, and they raised concerns about Medicaid, ICWA, foster care delays, human service zones, housing shortages, and the placement of Native children off-reservation. They also discussed missing and murdered Indigenous people, search-and-rescue cooperation, cross-deputization, extradition and banishment ordinances, and the need for stronger law enforcement partnerships that respect tribal sovereignty. Other concerns included poor roads, water and sewer needs in Sioux County communities, census accuracy, and the impact of data centers and other development on water and health. Economic development and regulatory issues were also discussed. Standing Rock representatives raised concerns about charitable gaming and e-pull tabs, saying the machines function like Class III gaming and have harmed tribal revenue while spreading into local businesses. They also described problems with county-issued fireworks permits and state/county liquor licensing rules that they said undermine tribal authority within reservation boundaries. In response, legislators said the committee would continue to look at these issues, and one member suggested possible legislation such as limiting e-tabs near tribal lands. The committee also heard from Joseph McNeil of Sage Development Authority about a 235-megawatt wind project on tribal, allotted, and fee land; he said federal permitting delays have stalled the project and asked for state support to help move it forward. The meeting concluded with a presentation from Dave Archambo of Wojou, a nonprofit focused on land regeneration, buffalo, food sovereignty, cultural programming, and youth wellness. He described the organization’s work on buffalo processing, gardening, fishing, hunting, language, and arts programs, and framed it as a response to historical trauma and community healing. The committee then broke for lunch and planned to resume with the Wojou presentation after the recess.

Transcript Highlights:

• For clarity, this bill is dealing strictly with the hunting license and the lottery fees that will be
• So I am theoretically not opposed to recreational hunting at all.
• If somebody wants to guide somebody for an alligator hunt?
• So we do have a commercial guide license, hunting guide license in statute already.
• I mean, it's getting where duck hunting, you can't hardly duck hunt with a dog anymore until it gets

Committee: House Natural Resources & Environment

Transcript Highlights:

• My uncle hunted deer. We had one deer every year.
• We had one deer every year to eat, and then we ate bass from the St. Johns River afterward.
• My uncle hunted deer. We had one deer every year. to our state parks. We were poor.
• My uncle hunted deer. We had one deer every year to eat, and then we ate bass from the St.

Committee: Senate Fiscal Policy

Summary: The committee took up a series of criminal justice, health, and public safety bills, with several measures reported favorably after brief sponsor presentations and mostly no opposition. CS for SB 1782 on dangerous excessive speeding, CS for SB 306 on Medicaid provider network access, CS for SB 716 on mandatory minimums for certain sexual offenses by registered offenders, CS for SB 1084 on intimate image dissemination and digitally forged images, and CS for CS for SB 1604 on corrections-related litigation and sentencing changes all passed the committee. Members also approved CS for SB 1838, which increases protections for court officials from tampering, harassment, and retaliation, and CS for SB 1252, which directs FDLE to study a statewide pawn data database. CS for SB 468 on fleeing or eluding, CS for SB 490 on off-duty concealed carry for certain officers, and CS for SB 890 on blood clot screening and treatment also received favorable votes, with SB 890 drawing supportive testimony from the bill sponsor, medical and patient advocates, and family members affected by blood clots. The most extensive debate centered on CS for CS for SB 1804, which would create a capital offense for adults trafficking children under 12 or mentally incapacitated persons for sexual exploitation. Senator Martin defended the bill as a response to especially heinous crimes and argued it fit within constitutional punishment principles, while several members raised concerns about the Eighth Amendment, the risk of lengthy and costly litigation, and the possibility of retraumatizing victims. The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers testified in opposition, citing moral objections, due process concerns, and constitutional precedent; the bill nevertheless was reported favorably. The committee also approved CS for CS for SB 572, the “Pam Rock Act,” which tightens dangerous-dog rules, adds enclosure, microchip, insurance, and penalty requirements, and allows stronger enforcement actions after serious attacks. The Rock family and animal control supporters testified in favor, describing the bill as a response to fatal dog attacks and urging stronger accountability for owners. For SB 572, members discussed insurance requirements, the role of local authorities in classifying dangerous dogs, and whether the bill would affect ordinary pet insurance or only liability coverage after a serious attack. The sponsor said the measure is not breed-specific and is aimed at dogs that have already caused significant harm. The committee also heard testimony from family members of Pam Rock and other victims, along with supporters from animal control and sheriff’s offices. All of the bills taken up in the meeting that were voted on were reported favorably, and no roll-call votes failed.

Transcript Highlights:

• /c><03:42:05.000><c> then</c> uh species that aren't hunted and then uh species that aren't hunted and
• </c><04:05:42.239><c> or</c> these problems to purchase a hunting or these problems to purchase a hunting
• </c><04:12:21.840><c> and</c> license a license is for hunting and license a license is for hunting and
• </c><04:18:09.000><c> fishing</c> sense that you know the hunting fishing sense that you know the hunting
• We don't raise deer, and yet people go out and pay for a hunting license to shoot deer.

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from the University System of New Hampshire chancellor on the system’s budget, enrollment, finances, workforce role, and response to federal policy changes. The chancellor said the governor’s recommended budget would reduce university system funding by about $16.5 million over the biennium, or roughly 8.3%, and asked that state funding be held at the governor’s level. She described planned cost reductions already underway, including lower headcount, reduced benefits and retirement contributions, property sales, and lease reductions, and said the system expects to remove about $20 million from its cost structure in fiscal year 2026. A large portion of the discussion focused on enrollment and finances. The chancellor said fall 2024 enrollment was about 23,000, with New Hampshire enrollment increasing for the first time since 2013, and noted that the system remains a major workforce pipeline, with about 3,000 graduates entering the state workforce each year. She explained that net tuition has fallen over time because of declining enrollment and increased financial aid, while research grants and contracts have grown significantly. She also walked through endowment funding, explaining that payouts are based on a 12-quarter rolling average and are intentionally smoothed to reduce volatility; members asked for follow-up information on payout comparisons, administrative salaries, headcounts, and compensation per student. Members questioned the university about the relationship between state support, tuition, endowments, and research spending. The chancellor said the system has used state capital support to leverage major investments, including the UNH Life Sciences building, Plymouth’s Hyde Hall, and the Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center, and described partnerships with businesses such as Lonza and regional manufacturers. She also explained a long-running New Hampshire 529-related revenue stream that has built endowment support for scholarships, and said the system’s endowment now totals about $988 million. In response to questions about possible cuts, she said the system is considering academic program sharing, consolidation of specialties, online delivery, AI-assisted administrative efficiencies, and footprint reductions, but declined to name specific programs. The committee also discussed DEI-related issues and federal grants. The chancellor said the system is reviewing executive orders and a U.S. Department of Education Dear Colleague letter, and that general counsel is working through websites, programs, and more than 1,200 federal grants to ensure compliance. She said the system spends about $3 million on what it calls DEI-related offices and services, but emphasized that these services include disability support, veteran support, Title IX, ADA, and employment-law compliance, and that the system does not have race-based programs, separate housing, or separate graduation ceremonies. She reported that the system had received stop-work orders on four federal grants totaling about $700,000 and warned that reductions in federal direct or indirect costs could affect research, jobs, and innovation.

Transcript Highlights:

• properties or deer hunting properties, there's a lot of hunting clubs out there that are owned by a
• And a lot of times, those hunting clubs... And you have to follow those rules.
• Do the people in most of the hunting clubs, or at least some of the hunting clubs, know what the rules
• I'll lose the thought, and I'll be thinking about turkey hunting here in just...
• I'll lose the thought, and I'll be thinking about turkey hunting here in just a second.

Committee: All HOUSE RULES

Transcript Highlights:

• Iowa is unlimited. tax credit. Uh as you probably know and tax credit.
• Iowa is unlimited.
• Tyler Deers or Dyers. Good morning, Chair Rest, members of the committee. My name is Tyler Deers.
• My name is Tyler<01:47:13.679><c> Deers.
• I serve as the Midwest Tyler Deers.

Committee: Senate Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• They've been hunting far longer than that, but they both hunt on their own, and they are big game hunters
• and hunt every single year.
• and hunt every single year.
• It was very common during hunting season for the neighbor to come down with deer strapped to the trunk
• And by 9 and 10, I was hunting deer, antelope, turkey.

Summary: The Senate convened, established a quorum, offered an invocation, and handled several announcements and courtesy motions, including excusing some members and relaxing the dress code. The chamber then adopted committee reports on several bills, including Senate Bill 50, Senate Bill 30, and Senate Bill 43. It then moved to third reading of Senate Judiciary Committee substitute for Senate Bill 17, the “Stop Illegal Gun Trade and Extremely Dangerous Weapons Act.” SB 17 was read at length and explained by Senator O’Malley and co-sponsor Senator Bergman as a gun crime prevention measure aimed at dealer security, employee training, recordkeeping, reporting requirements, inspections, and a ban on future dealer sales or transfers of certain firearms and accessories, including high-capacity magazines, .50-caliber rifles and cartridges, gas-operated semi-automatic firearms with detachable magazines, and machine guns. Supporters argued the bill targets the retail-to-criminal pipeline, improves accountability, and would help reduce gun trafficking and violence. Opponents argued it infringes on constitutional rights, would not stop criminals from obtaining guns, and would burden law-abiding citizens and dealers. The chamber then debated Floor Amendment No. 1 by Senator Brantley, which would have struck Section 7, the portion banning certain weapons and devices. Supporters of the amendment said Section 7 was the most constitutionally vulnerable part of the bill and would likely be litigated, while opponents said the section was central to the bill’s purpose and consistent with Second Amendment case law. The amendment failed on a roll call vote, 15-22. A second amendment by Senator Block, which would have exempted certain under-21 employees from the bill’s age restriction if they were military members, veterans, or had completed hunter safety or 4-H programs, was then taken up and debated, with supporters emphasizing military training and youth firearms education as evidence of responsibility.

Transcript Highlights:

• Conway, Cortez, Dhingra, Dozier, Fortunato, Frame, Gildon, Goehner, Hansen, Harris, Hasegawa, Holy, Hunt
• Hunt. Kauffman. Krishnadasan. Leavitt. Leavitt. Lovelett. Leavitt. Lovelett. Lovick.
• Hunt. Hunt.
• Hunt. Holy. Hunt. Kaufman. King. Krishnadasan. Leavitt. Lovelett. Lovick. McEwen and Drew.
• Hunt. Kaufman. Kaufman.

Bills: SB5223 , SB5286 , SB6002 , SB6178 , SB5892 , SB5177 , SB6039 , SB5874 , SB5863 , SB5972 , SB5941 , SB5203 , SB6014 , SB5993 , SB5831 , SB5928 , SB5912 , SB5825

Summary: The Senate convened with opening ceremonies, approved the previous day’s journal, and referred committee reports and new bill introductions to the designated committees, including sending SB 6118 and SB 6292 to Ways and Means. The chamber then confirmed several gubernatorial appointments to college boards: Glenn F. Ellis to the Peninsula College Board of Trustees, Suzanne Donaldson to the Clark College Board of Trustees, and Jesse E. Johnson to the Highline College Board of Trustees, all by unanimous or near-unanimous roll call votes. The Senate then considered and passed several bills. SB 6014, a technical cleanup to pregnancy and postpartum accommodation laws, passed 41-8 after supporters said it clarified privacy protections and removed barriers for workers. SB 5863, dealing with preservation and inspection of state historical records tied to Lakeland Village, passed 49-0. SB 5825, authorizing the Washington State Leadership Board to solicit gifts, grants, and endowments, passed 33-16 after two proposed amendments to limit administrative costs and cap contributions were rejected. SB 5874, allowing employers to correct certain unemployment insurance reporting errors, passed 49-0, and SB 5286, setting a statutory reimbursement cap for local police and fire services provided to state hospitals, passed 49-0 after an amendment set a $750,000 per-biennium maximum per facility. The Senate also passed SB 5904, requiring nursing titles to be used only by licensed human persons, and SB 5915, updating the health technology assessment process used for coverage decisions, both unanimously. SB 5919, creating voluntary wildfire-prevention incentives for agricultural producers and fire districts, also passed 49-0. SB 5938, making adjustments to foreclosure prevention fees and exemptions, passed 49-0. SB 5957, expanding the Office of Homeless Youth Prevention and Protection Program and its advisory committee, was taken up near the end of the transcript, with supporters emphasizing youth safety and trafficking prevention; the roll call was underway when the transcript ended. A major policy debate centered on SB 6002, which regulates automated license plate reader systems and driver privacy protections. After a proposed amendment to expand authorized uses was rejected, the bill’s striker was adopted. Supporters described the measure as a bipartisan privacy-and-public-safety balance that limits misuse and unauthorized sharing of ALPR data while preserving law enforcement utility; opponents argued it still needed more work or broader privacy protections. The engrossed second substitute passed 48-9. Another significant debate involved SB 5972, expanding interest arbitration for correctional employees in local city and county governments; supporters cited consistency and labor stability, while opponents warned of burdens on smaller counties. That bill passed 34-15. SB 5203, creating a wildlife connectivity planning and funding framework, passed 31-18 after supporters argued it would reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve grant competitiveness, while critics said it was too prescriptive and could affect rural land use and agriculture.

Transcript Highlights:

• Hunt.
• Hunt.
• Hunt.
• Hunt.
• Hunt.

Committee: Joint Agriculture

Transcript Highlights:

• construction pathway began with Mortonson and now includes partners like Ryan Companies, Whiting Turner, Hunt
• </c><00:04:45.360><c> Electric,</c><00:04:45.680><c> and</c><00:04:45.919><c> Egan,</c> Turner, Hunt
• a nonprofit critical access hospital serving families across south central Minnesota and northern Iowa
• a nonprofit critical access hospital serving families across south central Minnesota and northern Iowa
• That's about a 120-mile stretch. uh and northern Iowa. Um and I've been uh and northern Iowa.

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:

• 02.000><c> as</c><00:04:02.159><c> to</c> For example, studies have shown that rodents in the lab and deer
• So can a farmer buy treated seed in Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and bring it into the state, or does
• So can I can a farmer buy treated seed So can I can a farmer buy treated seed and<00:36:54.480><c> Iowa
• ,</c> and Iowa, and Iowa, Wisconsin,<00:36:57.599><c> South</c><00:36:57.839><c> Dakota</c><00:36:58.960

Transcript Highlights:

• meat, them good cube steaks, and them good backstrap that we done went out and hunted for and make sure
• won't have to lose that good venison, won't have to lose that good venison, good<01:08:10.480><c> deer
• ><c> them</c><01:08:11.280><c> good</c><01:08:11.599><c> cube</c><01:08:12.000><c> steaks</c> good deer
• meat, them good cube steaks good deer meat, them good cube steaks and<01:08:12.640><c> them</c><01:08
• for and make done went out and hunted for and make sure<01:08:16.799><c> that</c><01:08:16.960><c> we

Transcript Highlights:

• They balance the populations by hunting deer and elk, and that therefore allows the vegetation to thrive
• They prevent, like I said, overgrazing by elk and deer, which restores our riparian zones.