Transcript Highlights:

• This is true whether you're in a rural area or suburban or an urban area like San Francisco.
• This shortage is felt the hardest in rural areas like the Central Valley.
• Both residential and commercial rates are impacted, and the... ...or justification.
• Especially in rural areas, one of the issues is how do we just handle this?
• In fact, as you're going through these changes, we have all sorts of impacts on the quality of life,

Summary: The Assembly met after a quorum call and first dealt with a procedural dispute over four amendments to AB 1240. The Speaker ruled the amendments out of order as not germane, and the Assembly sustained that ruling on a 49-16 vote. Members then added co-authors to several consent-calendar resolutions, including measures on the National Conference of State Legislators, Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, ALS Awareness Month, and Men’s Mental Health Month, before adopting the consent calendar. The chamber also heard guest introductions, including a welcome for Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, and took up a motion to bring AB 41 up out of file, which failed 19-48. The bulk of the meeting was floor action on a long series of bills and resolutions, many of which passed with broad bipartisan support. Measures approved included ACR 40 supporting immigrant students and FAFSA privacy; AB 917 on permanent status for certain school employees; AB 985 on anesthesia access; AB 7 and AB 42 on higher education and student services; AB 245 providing property tax relief for wildfire victims; AB 255 allowing funding for drug-free recovery housing; AB 279 updating K-12 library standards; AB 289 creating a pilot for automated speed enforcement in highway construction zones; AB 291 on an educator apprentice program; AB 327 addressing swatting; AB 340 on confidential union communications; AB 341 creating an oral health technical assistance center for people with disabilities; AB 356 on San Diego health care infrastructure; AB 410 on bot disclosure; AB 476 on copper theft enforcement; AB 477 on educator pay targets; AB 485 on stolen wages and business licensing; AB 487, the insurance committee’s technical omnibus bill; AB 573 on tobacco retail license fees; AB 598 on school mapping technology; AB 635 on mobile home law enforcement referrals; AB 651 on remote participation for incarcerated parents in dependency hearings; AB 654 on homelessness hotline assistance in Los Angeles County; AB 662 creating a South County higher education task force; AB 667 on language access in professional licensing; AB 669 limiting early denial of addiction treatment; AB 670 on naturally occurring affordable housing; AB 695 on online continuation of community college for deported students; AB 723 on disclosure for digitally altered real estate images; AB 727 placing Trevor Project information on student IDs; and AB 736, a $10 billion affordable housing bond for the June 2026 ballot, which passed on a 61-11 urgency vote after extensive debate. Debate on AB 736 was the most extensive of the day, with supporters arguing the bond would help address California’s housing crisis and give voters a chance to weigh in, while opponents criticized the state’s bond debt and past spending results. The Assembly then recessed for caucus meetings and later returned to continue the daily file, where additional measures were taken up, including AB 798 adding diapers and wipes to the emergency food bank reserve program, which passed 56-0, and AB 821 on career technical education, which was presented as bipartisan-supported as the transcript continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:18:58.440><c> organ</c> indigenous leaders rural organ indigenous leaders rural organ organizations
• I am the director of government affairs at the Minnesota Rural Electric Association.
• Solar panels, when turbines, they have an environmental impact.
• Solar panels, when turbines, they have an environmental impact.
• Solar panels and turbines have an environmental impact.

Committee: House Energy Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Using the framework for development impact fee disclosure and transparency developed in AB 1820, which
• Brian Augusta, on behalf of the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation.
• Brian Augusta, on behalf of the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, in support.
• There's a follow-on impact that we're feeling in the entire economy of Southern California.
• These standards directly impact the quality and durability of the housing we are building.

Committee: House Housing and Community Development

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• To follow up with that, we the impact.
• </c> Dakota County, we anticipate the impacts Dakota County, we anticipate the impacts um<00:24:31.120
• And this also shows the impact state.
• ><c> on</c> significant negative impacts on significant negative impacts on Minnesota<01:08:27.359><c
• ><c> loss</c><01:08:31.440><c> of</c> Negative impacts include a loss of Negative impacts include a loss

Bills: HF3738 , HF2295 , HF3520 , HF3666

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Keywords: pediatric care, hospital discharge, home care, healthcare accessibility, nursing services, family support, mental health, crisis services, Dakota County, mobile crisis response, public safety, treatment services, rehabilitation, behavioral health fund, client eligibility, home and community-based services, case management, waiver services, county services, disability advocacy

Transcript Highlights:

• John Kennedy, representing the rural counties, and Nick Lapis with California's Against Waste.
• And the environmental toll isn't limited to the impact of the fires.
• What would this bill actually impact? It's worth thinking about.
• Rural areas are seeing higher statistics than anywhere.
• They directly impact the resources schools need to serve them.

Committee: Senate Revenue and Taxation

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, the fiscal note is really about the impact of making the services online.
• It also can... ...and negatively impact our ability to provide patient care because it can delay our
• This program in the Texas House was modeled to identify rural students.
• For rural trucks, it's the same situation.
• I know the impact of being accepted and the impact of being rejected. I failed my first transition.

Bills: HB1106 , HB3284 , HB541 , HB713 , HB1403 , HB1586 , HB1942 , HB2070 , HB2844 , HB2851 , HB3151 , HB3749 , HB3940 , HB3963 , HB4454 , HB4466 , HB4795 , HB5154 , HB5394 , SB1357 , HB1052 , HB4099 , HB4638 , HB5147

Committee: Senate Health & Human Services

Keywords: child abuse, neglect, gender identity, sexual orientation, child welfare, marriage, family, Texas Commission, family welfare, marriage support, stability, premarital education, child development, strong families, direct patient care, healthcare, physicians, medical services, insurance regulation, maternal health

Transcript Highlights:

• I implore you to listen to the voices of those directly impacted.
• Afternoon, Ann Katten with California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation in support.
• have a big impact on agriculture.
• The changes to Section 1051... ...which could impact water supply reliability.
• I'm working on talking with rural county representatives and Rethink Waste.

Committee: House Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But we also know that that impacts the workforce.
• But we also know that that impacts the workforce.
• In the most rural communities, rural or small towns, through the work of Rural Affairs Director Ann Gobe
• The impact of this modernization is measurable.
• These are real jobs with real economic impact.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Summary: The hearing in Barnstable opened with remarks from the House and Senate co-chairs about the importance of holding Ways and Means budget hearings on the Cape, especially given the region’s seasonal economy and infrastructure needs. The committee then heard testimony from Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones on the governor’s FY27 budget proposal. She highlighted funding for workforce programs including the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, Career Technical Initiative, registered apprenticeship, YouthWorks, reentry workforce programs, and services for young adults with disabilities. She also discussed MassHire career centers, the MassHire Innovation Project, and the Department of Unemployment Assistance modernization effort, noting improved call wait times and claims processing, but acknowledging continued challenges and federal funding uncertainty. Members asked about job-seeker barriers such as child care, housing, and transportation; domestic outmigration of young workers; youth work permits; unemployment insurance costs and the COVID assessment on employers; and the state’s unemployment rate and UI trust fund solvency. Jones and Undersecretary Josh Cutler explained the difference between workforce training funds and the unemployment trust fund, described the statewide trigger that extends unemployment benefits from 26 to 30 weeks when regional unemployment averages 5.2 percent, and said the administration is reviewing the trust fund with labor and business stakeholders. They also said the administration is trying to preserve front-line DUA staffing while shifting resources to customer service and adjudication, including a Friday adjudication pilot and seasonal hires. Senators and representatives also pressed the administration on regional equity in workforce funding, especially for Hampshire Franklin MassHire, which was described as serving a large rural area with fewer resources than other regions. Administration officials said they are reviewing MassHire funding formulas and modernizing the system with a policy committee and state workforce board input, but did not offer an immediate fix. The committee also heard that early childhood education apprenticeships are expanding quickly, with state funding leveraged to secure federal grants and support new Grow Awards. The hearing then moved to the Executive Office of Economic Development, where Secretary Eric Paley outlined House 2 proposals for economic development, including support for the Community One Stop for Growth, rural economic development, workforce partnerships, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, AI, small business assistance, tourism, and tax incentives. Undersecretary Leila D’Amilia followed with testimony on consumer affairs and business regulation, describing funding for consumer protection, banking oversight, occupational licensure, and public safety inspections.

Transcript Highlights:

• What is the fiscal impact on this bill? Thank you for the question.
• Currently, there's not a fiscal impact on this.
• Currently, there's not a fiscal impact on this.
• In rural Oklahoma. He's requesting it.
• There is no fiscal impact to the state.

Summary: The committee considered and advanced a series of bills, beginning with House Bill 3834, which creates a revolving fund at the Department of Health for ibogaine research. The author said the measure is limited to clinical trials, has support from several tribal nations, and would not have an immediate fiscal impact, though retirement-related costs were discussed as roughly $1 million based on prior estimates. HB 3834 passed 20-0. House Bill 3940, updating Oklahoma Military Department provisions, National Guard retirement benefits, and some Uniform Code of Military Justice language, also passed after questions about the same estimated retirement cost and the effect of changing the date for implementation; it passed 21-1. Members then approved House Bill 4346, with an amendment aimed at addressing fraud concerns in agricultural sales tax exemptions. The bill would extend reciprocity to holders of ag sales tax exemption cards from Texas and other surrounding states, allowing them to use those exemptions in Oklahoma border communities. Opponents argued the change would place too much burden on retailers to verify out-of-state cards and could increase liability, but supporters said it would help rural businesses. The bill passed 17-4. House Bill 2947, allowing clinical interns and accredited behavioral health graduate programs to bill Medicaid for supervised services, passed 21-0, and House Bill 3257, extending state benefits for 100% disabled veterans to those similarly disabled due to negligence at a VA hospital, also passed 21-0. The committee next passed House Bill 3264, which adds domestic abuse by strangulation to the list of 85% crimes. Supporters emphasized the seriousness of strangulation and its connection to later homicide risk, while questions focused on prison population growth and costs; the bill passed 21-0. House Bill 4326, dealing with Oklahoma Promise homeschool language and the definition of certified classroom personnel, was amended to remove unrelated T-SET restructuring language and then passed 19-2. House Bill 4421, “Leo’s Law,” which requires fentanyl testing in child welfare drug screens when fentanyl use is suspected, drew emotional testimony about a child’s death and had its fiscal estimate discussed as dropping from $125 million to about $16 million; it passed 22-0. Finally, the committee approved House Bill 3944, a State Finance Act cleanup and modernization measure, after questions about reporting dates and public finance oversight, and House Bill 3979, which raises financing caps under the Oklahoma Economic Development Finance Pool, after an amendment to add an effective date and emergency clause; both passed 21-0. House Bill 4118, updating the family caregiver tax credit and raising the maximum credit while keeping the annual cap unchanged, passed 20-1. The meeting ended with thanks to members and staff and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:06:04.240><c> the</c> productivity positively impacting the productivity positively impacting
• </c> not doing that we don't know what impact not doing that we don't know what impact that<00:19:32.600
• impacting impacting electric<03:09:20.720><c> uh</c><03:09:20.960><c> costs</c><03:09:21.399><c> or<
• </c> the co-op have been adversely impacted the co-op have been adversely impacted just<03:09:29.720>
• </c><04:13:04.399><c> and</c> those um you know those impacts and those um you know those impacts and

Committee: House Science, Technology and Energy

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• > a</c><00:24:21.679><c> lot</c><00:24:21.760><c> of</c><00:24:21.840><c> the</c><00:24:22.000><c> rural
• </c><00:24:22.320><c> counties</c> process for a lot of the rural counties process for a lot of the rural
• in one way or state have been impacted in one way or another<00:42:30.560><c> by</c><00:42:30.880><c
• At that meeting right now, what I'm hoping to cover would be to have a discussion about rural utilities
• </c><00:48:36.000><c> um</c><00:48:36.800><c> uh</c><00:48:37.119><c> utility</c> from one of the rural

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It certainly provides parameters, but it also provides understanding for those that might live in a rural
• If you're in an urban area, you could do 10 to 12 in a week, but in some of our more rural places, three
• They all have indicated separately and then collectively serious concerns with the negative impact this
• They all have indicated separately and then collectively serious concerns with the negative impact this

Bills: SB1824 , SB1813 , SB1326 , SB1277 , SB1937 , SB1217 , SB1826 , SB1641

Committee: House Business

Keywords: corporation, corporate governance, business entities, Oklahoma General Corporation Act, limited liability company, LLC, shareholder rights, beneficial owner, controlling shareholder, control group, interested director, fiduciary duty, books and records inspection, corporate records, ratification, defective corporate acts, putative stock, stock issuance, treasury shares, rights and options

Summary: The committee met with a quorum present and heard several bills, mostly business, licensing, and economic development measures. HB 1277, presented by Rep. Hill, updated OESC job-search requirements and added flexibility for rural residents; it passed 8-0. SB 1217, an OREC request bill presented by Rep. Osborne, would allow a person to tour a house without first signing a contract with a real estate agent; after questions about federal real estate settlement issues and buyer-agent compensation, it passed 7-1. SB 1826 would eliminate the sunset on the Oklahoma Enterprise Zone Incentive Leverage Act and passed 8-0. SB 1824 updated the Oklahoma General Corporation Act as a mirror to a House bill and passed 8-0. SB 1813 would allow the governor to enter athletic trainer licensure compacts with other jurisdictions and passed 7-1. SB 1326 modernized self-storage facility operations and passed 7-0. The committee then took up SB 1937, the Taxpayer Dollars Protect Workers Act, which would condition economic development incentives on labor-practice requirements intended to preserve secret-ballot organizing, employee privacy, and employer rights. Rep. Blancett raised concerns that the bill could harm the film, entertainment, and Olympic-related industries and undermine economic diversification, while Rep. Lepak argued it was aimed at preventing coercive organizing tactics and said similar measures had passed in other states. After a brief debate, the bill passed 5-1-2. Finally, SB 1641, requiring an email address in LLC articles of organization filed with the Secretary of State, passed unanimously. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• toward the hybrid program, some of the... ...the hybrid program, some of the conversations regarding rural
• It's looked at as a district impact rather than a student impact.
• But the thinking is on the transportation and rural component.

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, moving into the impact team, Everybody knows Tamara Figueredo.
• All right, moving into the impact team, All right, moving into the impact team, you're all familiar with
• He's a team lead downstairs for the impact team, adding all sorts of value around here.
• The governor does recommend spending authority for the rural health transformation grants.
• Every single cut that we had to make has impacts.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee opened the session with roll call, confirmed a quorum, and introduced new members, staff, and pages. Co-chairs and staff then reviewed JFAC’s role as the legislature’s main budget committee, the committee’s daily schedule, and the resources available through legislative staff, the impact team, and the newly released 2026 Legislative Budget Book and related budget tools. The committee received a detailed briefing from the Division of Financial Management on the JFAC calendar and then from Governor’s Budget Director Lori Wolf on the governor’s FY 2026 and FY 2027 budget recommendations. Wolf said the budget is balanced but tight, relying on a mix of ongoing reductions and one-time actions rather than reserve fund transfers. Major budget actions included a 3% ongoing reduction across most state agencies, reversions of certain one-time balances to the general fund, no recommended pay increase for state employees or teachers, and higher employee health insurance costs. The budget also proposed reductions or policy changes in Medicaid, virtual school funding, Idaho Digital Learning Academy, and some transportation and water-related funds, while preserving funding for public safety, education, water, and transportation priorities. Members questioned the assumptions behind the budget, especially the projected ending balances, the use of one-time transfers, the impact of rising health insurance costs on employees, the effect of Medicaid cuts on services and cost shifts, and the rationale for reductions to online education and IDLA. Several members also asked about the proposed federal tax conformity changes, including the timing of implementation and the treatment of Idaho’s existing R&E tax credit. Wolf said the conformity estimate was based on Tax Commission analysis and that the administration was not recommending use of the budget stabilization fund. No votes or formal actions were taken; the committee concluded by noting that the Economic Outlook Committee would meet later in the week and that JFAC would continue budget hearings the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• As a county prepares an environmental impact statement on the impacts of the planned action, EIS is not
• That has a real impact on housing.
• I’m excited that it’s actually had such a huge impact.
• A rural home, new construction, on a 40, A rural home, new construction, on a 40-acre piece, probably
• We have seen a positive impact from that.

Summary: The Local Government Committee met in work session and heard a series of presentations on SEPA, permitting reforms, and building code implementation. Department of Ecology staff gave an overview of the State Environmental Policy Act, explaining its role in state and local decision-making, common exemptions, planned actions, and recent housing-related statutory changes such as transit-oriented development exemptions and SEPA appeals protections for certain local ordinances. Committee members asked about repeated SEPA reviews, cultural and historic resource review, and how SEPA relates to NEPA; Ecology responded that repeated reviews usually occur when proposals change and that programmatic EISs can help front-load analysis. Seattle’s Department of Construction and Inspections described how recent SEPA exemptions reduced residential review volume and supported more housing permits, and said the city is considering raising thresholds further. The State Building Code Council provided an update on code adoption timelines and legislative tasks tied to the 2024 codes, including single-stair housing, multiplex housing, dwelling unit size, and temporary emergency shelter standards. Council staff said the content of the codes is largely set, but administrative timelines have been delayed, prompting a motion to postpone final adoption while pursuing ways to preserve the planned implementation schedule. Members asked about the timing of code changes and the impact on housing costs, and staff said the legislative topics remain on track for inclusion in the 2024 code package. Committee staff then reviewed recent permitting legislation, including SB 5290’s permit decision deadlines and fee-refund provisions, later bills limiting pre-application meetings and clarifying that building permits are excluded from those timelines, and project-specific changes affecting middle housing, ADUs, lot splits, passive house projects, self-certification, transit-oriented development, and parking requirements. Commerce’s Dave Anderson reported on SB 5290 implementation, including guidance on permit fees, studies on staffing and statewide permitting systems, grants to local governments, and the first annual performance report, which showed mixed results and highlighted the importance of digital tools, clear checklists, staff training, and coordination across departments. Local officials from Issaquah and Kitsap County described their own process improvements, including code updates, optional pre-application meetings, new staffing, reporting systems, and a phased “Two by Six” review model in Kitsap, while also noting challenges from staffing shortages, agency coordination, and the burden of implementing multiple new mandates.

Transcript Highlights:

• Many people already experience barriers accessing birth control, especially those living in rural Missouri
• and those with lower ...barriers accessing birth control, especially those living in rural Missouri
• Packages ...in the mail can be impacted by extreme outside temperatures, which can make them less effective
• It reduces unintended in the mail can be impacted by extreme outside temperatures, which can make them
• In 2024, 98 of the state's 101 rural counties lacked access to primary medical care, making frequent

Committee: House Health and Mental Health

Summary: The House Committee on Health and Mental Health met in executive session and first adopted a substitute for House Bill 3401, Representative Phelps’s workplace violence bill, then voted the House Committee Substitute do pass. The substitute broadened language by removing a specific reference to bodily fluids, based on testimony from hospital security personnel that broader wording would be easier to prosecute. The roll call showed the substitute adopted and the bill passed out of committee. The committee then heard House Bill 2370, sponsored by Representative Peters, which would require private insurance to cover a one-year supply of self-administered hormonal contraceptives at one time, similar to Missouri HealthNet. Supporters included ACOG, the Missouri State Medical Association, Beacon Reproductive Health Network, and the Missouri Nurses Association, who argued the bill would improve access, reduce missed doses and unintended pregnancies, and save costs by reducing barriers such as transportation, work schedules, and pharmacy refill gaps. The Missouri Insurance Coalition opposed the bill, arguing it would impose a mandate on private plans, increase costs—especially for brand-name products—and raised questions about whether the bill would require bulk dispensing and how it would interact with existing refill rules. The committee also heard informational testimony from MoSPI noting rural access barriers, higher adherence with 12-month supplies, and that Missouri HealthNet already covers an annual supply. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 3278, sponsored by Representative Lobbinger, which would create a multidisciplinary adult protection team framework for adults 60 and older and adults 18 and older with cognitive impairments or disabilities. The bill is intended to improve coordination among agencies handling abuse, neglect, and exploitation cases by allowing limited information sharing and reducing duplicated investigations while preserving confidentiality and guardianship protections. DHSS testified in support, saying the bill would provide a clearer framework for existing multidisciplinary teams, streamline coordination, and help protect vulnerable adults without creating new positions or infrastructure. Committee members asked about membership, meeting frequency, conflicts of interest, and how the bill differs from the ombudsman system; the sponsor and DHSS explained that the teams would be case-specific, generally meet as needed or quarterly, and apply to community cases rather than facility residents. The sponsor also submitted letters of support from existing multidisciplinary teams and related organizations.

Transcript Highlights:

• So there's a couple of different policy issues that impact that.
• It's something that we do pretty frequently when there's legislation that could have a potential impact
• And that's a problem for rural air service.
• The RACE program pays is the subsidy to keep these rural airports going.
• Like this is when you've had an impact or something has happened.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This feedback loop is especially critical for rural and under-resourced institutions, which often lack
• It also supports rural communities by aligning local talent with the jobs that exist in their regions
• we hosted more than 1,400 student visitors on site, and this also allows us to go and positively impact
• The skyrocketing cost of tuition has impacted the amount that each profession is eligible for.
• in blue are counties where providers would get an additional. ... stipend if you are working in a rural

Bills: SB1998 , SB646 , SB2786 , SB2076 , SB2615 , SB1961 , SB1418 , SB2647 , SB1322 , SB2788

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: pediatrics, medical education, subsidiary, preceptorship, medical training, student programs, mental health, loan repayment, education funding, mental health professionals, healthcare access, Texas Success Initiative, exemption, public officers, employees, higher education, Capitol view, Austin, urban planning, construction

Transcript Highlights:

• Essentially, our CRNAs provide an incredibly valuable healthcare option in almost all of our rural communities
• Enhanced health care options in our rural communities and all over New Mexico, but primarily our rural
• And so it's very important that it impacts an entire health plan when you talk about Medicaid membership
• It will have a phenomenal financial impact on the cost of care.
• start on the next bill, the medications, the LDL lowering medications, it starts to have an immediate impact

Committee: House House Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• And as you know, with that many counties, it's a fairly rural area.
• There are size factors because we know that, especially as you get very small rural districts, you lose
• and district size units that accounts for some economies of scale, if you will, in those very small rural
• Negatively impact student performance, and so traditionally, we have provided additional funding because
• While we agree that there are some negative impacts of high mobility, the data that we use to calculate

Committee: House House Education