Transcript Highlights:

• Threats to their safety, to their privacy, or to accessibility.
• Delays and disruption to their access for care.
• I rise to present AB 574, which allows patients to access up to 12 medically necessary physical therapy
• Like many rural communities, Lindsay families face serious barriers to accessing services.
• Until finally they were able to secure services three minutes closer to home.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We express our gratitude to the sailors of PCU Arizona for their service to our nation, and we recognize
• for or otherwise facilitates access to abortion services as a component of family planning programs
• Referrals for or otherwise facilitates access to abortion services as a component of family planning
• streamline access to minerals on federal land withdrawals.
• And this simply urges Congress, the President, and federal agencies to streamline access to critical

Summary: The House opened with prayer, the pledge, attendance, and a series of guest introductions and recognitions, including the Dr. of the Day, Korean community guests, students, local officials, and a proclamation honoring the future USS Arizona SSN-803 and the USS Arizona Legacy Foundation. The chamber also announced committee assignments and took up several procedural motions, including reconsideration motions on HB 4027 and HB 2444, both of which were granted and returned to third reading. The House then moved into Committee of the Whole to consider measures on Calendar Numbers One and Two. In Committee of the Whole, HB 4034, dealing with CTE-related issues, was amended and reported do pass after debate over concerns from Tempe Union High School District and EVIT, with supporters saying the bill clarified statute and reduced future disputes. HB 2444 was amended and reported do pass. HB 2992, a pilot program related to sexual abuse prevention, drew opposition over concerns about opt-out instruction, pilot status, and classroom burdens, but it passed Committee of the Whole on a 31-21 division vote after amendments. HB 4027, involving highway naming, was amended and reported do pass despite objections that the amendment still appeared to elevate Charlie Kirk over the existing Ed Pastor designation. On third reading, HB 293 passed 31-22 and HB 2502 passed 37-16. HB 2229, relating to maternal services and funding for pregnancy resource centers, generated extensive debate over abortion-related implications and was defeated 26-27, though a motion to reconsider later succeeded 27-21. HB 2533 failed on reconsideration, while HB 2750 passed 44-9 and HB 2999, a special taxing districts bill tied to housing affordability, passed 32-21 after supporters argued it would lower financing costs and help build more affordable homes. H.C.M. 2009, urging federal action to streamline access to minerals on federal land withdrawals, passed 31-22. The House adjourned until the next day after additional announcements and personal privilege remarks, including a proclamation for Sleep Apnea Awareness Month and a call for more efficient floor action.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've got to do something to constrain the cost and the rising cost of fire services, or return those
• “I want to begin with access to care because this is where the system is failing patients.
• Then they're forced to find an in-network primary care doctor.” “...and leave my services just to generate
• It's difficult for patients to access a lot of these medications.
• Thank you for your testimony today and for your service to the community.

Bills: S2732 , S2738 , S2739

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Financial Services

Keywords: healthcare, direct primary care, insurance, referrals, network providers, payment denial, insurance costs, manufactured homes, homeowners insurance, affordability, state regulations, insurance market, consumer protection, mobile homes, firefighting, water supply, cistern program, rural areas, urban interface, state funding

Transcript Highlights:

• access, and only four are available today, and many of those remain... ...to be returned to student access
• This is not taxpayer money going to classrooms, to teacher pay, or to student services.
• Is this really what we want our children to have access to?
• had access to.
• had access to.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for former member Terry Fields and the Parkland victims, the Pledge of Allegiance, and routine organizational actions including approval of the journal and adoption of a special order report. The chamber then took up House Bill 1119, relating to materials harmful to minors, which the sponsor described as a measure to clarify and strengthen standards for removing obscene or pornographic content from public school classrooms and libraries while preserving educational uses and not targeting classical literature, LGBTQ content, or other protected viewpoints. Members questioned the bill’s use of terms such as “predominantly,” its relationship to existing local review processes, the impact on AP/IB and college-level materials, the applicability to voucher-funded schools, and the risk of additional First Amendment litigation and costs. The sponsor responded that the bill was needed because current standards were being bypassed and that the legislation was aimed at material harmful to minors, not general literary value. The House considered numerous amendments, most of which were defeated. Amendments offered by Representatives Gant, Aristide, Bartleman, Eskamani, Nixon, Rainer, Woodson, and Harris sought, among other things, to preserve parental choice during review periods, restore a whole-work constitutional standard, limit repeated objections, protect educational and abuse-prevention materials, prevent LGBTQ-inclusive books from being labeled harmful solely on that basis, shield school districts from funding penalties, and delay enforcement in districts already under litigation. Supporters of the amendments argued that the bill would encourage censorship, remove books with clear literary or educational value, burden districts with costs and lawsuits, and harm students who rely on school libraries for access to reading material and representation. Opponents of the amendments argued the bill was necessary to protect minors from explicit content and that the proposed changes would weaken that protection. All of the amendments described in the transcript failed. After the amendment process, the House waived rules, read HB 1119 a third time by title, and entered structured debate on final passage. In closing debate, opponents repeated concerns about constitutional vulnerability, overbroad book removals, and the educational harm of limiting access to literature, while supporters framed the bill as a child-protection measure and a clarification of existing law. The transcript ends during the structured debate on final passage, before the final vote on the bill is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• So you really have to, if you’re going to have any opportunity to be flexible and provide equitable access
• to the program, you have to kind of have access to a fund to get the kids into the program, you know
• maximize resources and provide access to high-quality learning opportunities.
• A scalable, efficient model designed to maximize resources and provide access to high-quality learning
• IDLA does perform a huge service to the state.

Committee: House Education

Summary: The House Education Committee heard House Bill 918, which would realign the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance (IDLA) by narrowing its mission, reorganizing its board, capping administrative costs at 30%, requiring outside and periodic LSO audits, setting course fees and a per-course state funding cap, and eliminating funding for private school, virtual school, K-5, and driver’s education participation, as well as custom sections except in limited emergency cases. The sponsor, Rep. Doug Pickett, said the bill was intended to address concerns about double-dipping, private use of a taxpayer-funded program, and IDLA expanding beyond its original supplemental purpose while preserving access for rural students and emergency staffing needs. Committee members questioned the rationale for the cuts, the board restructuring, the treatment of dual credit and advanced opportunities funding, and whether the bill would affect students taking IDLA courses during the school day. Pickett said the bill was designed to redirect dual credit through Advanced Opportunities, maintain flexibility without setting a hard enrollment cap, and keep the program focused on filling instructional gaps. IDLA Superintendent Dr. Jeff Simmons and several school leaders testified in opposition, arguing the bill would reduce school choice, shift costs to families and districts, limit middle school electives and dual credit, and disproportionately harm rural schools that rely on IDLA for courses they cannot staff locally. Supporters of the bill emphasized oversight, fiscal restraint, and limiting what they described as overuse of the program. After testimony, Rep. Galavis moved to send HB 918 to the floor with no recommendation. A motion to hold the bill in committee failed 10-4, and a substitute motion to hold the bill in committee to a time certain on Monday, March 23, passed on a roll call vote. The committee adjourned with the bill set to return on Monday.

Transcript Highlights:

• who need access to quality early learning.”
• , to eat, to drink, to use a napkin, to take his meds, to brush his teeth, to access his modified van
• , to drive him where he needs to go, and to access those places when he gets there.
• And it is time to fund services for all of the Hunters.
• Voters prefer to maintain the current income tax rates in order to invest in programs and services.

Committee: All REVENUE & TAXATION- HOUSE SALES, USE, MISC. TAXES & EXEMPTIONS SUBCOM.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• them to access the drug that took their life.
• the fans who just want to see the artists they love have access to those shows.
• We know that the longer it takes for people to be able to return home, the harder it is to maintain services
• I want to thank you for your service.
• to do cost recovery on the services that are rendered.

Summary: The Assembly convened, established a quorum, and opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance before moving through the daily file. Several measures were taken up and passed, including bills on county jail accountability (AB 2257), claims against public agencies (AB 2529), affordable housing management metrics (AB 2689), digital wellness instruction in schools (AB 2071), pedestrian and bicycle safety project streamlining (AB 1976), manufactured home transport permits (AB 2012), a Surplus Land Act amendment tied to an Inland Empire soccer project (AB 2139), a Monterey Bay stewardship authority (AB 1548), online electrician licensing (AB 1707), a Caltrans study of navigation apps’ traffic impacts (AB 2105), coastal resiliency permitting reforms (AB 2051), downtown housing streamlining and financing (AB 2074), Cal Fire compensation (AB 2129), emergency care authority for Del Puerto Health Care District (AB 2282), charter school facilities hardship relief (AB 2316), theft by a peace officer under color of authority as serious misconduct (AB 2337), an Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-serving institution designation (AB 2374), energy and cannabis support bills (AB 2464, AB 2537), and a suicide prevention plan requirement for treatment facilities (AB 2562). Most of these measures passed with broad bipartisan margins, and several were described as support bills with no opposition. The floor also debated a major criminal justice measure, AB 2727, which would raise the threshold for elderly parole eligibility for people serving sentences for violent sex offenses and add screening safeguards. Supporters from both parties emphasized child protection, survivor trauma, and specific local cases involving offenders who had become eligible for release; the bill passed 66-0. Another significant debate centered on AB 1958, which would clarify procedures under the California Racial Justice Act by refining how disparity claims are established and rebutted; the author said he would take Senate amendments to address concerns from district attorneys. The Assembly also considered AB 2313, a gas-to-electric transition bill allowing customers with planned service line replacements to opt out of gas service and use funds to electrify their homes. Members raised concerns about cost shifts and equity, and the author responded that the bill includes no-cost-shift language, larger credits for disadvantaged communities, and would not proceed if the math does not work; it passed 41-21. The final major item was AB 1709, a high-profile social media safety bill creating a minimum age of 16 for accounts on platforms using addictive features and establishing an e-safety commission. The author and many supporters from both parties framed the bill as a response to youth mental health harms, addictive design, and the need for age-based safeguards, while some members raised concerns about impacts on LGBTQ youth and other isolated young people who rely on online spaces. Supporters said the bill targets addictive design rather than speech and is intended to preserve safe online connection while limiting harmful features. The measure drew extensive bipartisan support and was still under debate at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• This leaves a significant gap. number of schools without consistent access to assist to essential health
• of reading, of course, and being able to have access to find the resources that you need.
• LIDAs are the front door to publicly funded services for tech... with IDD and they help families access
• to available resources, deliver community services. including much-needed crisis services.
• capacity to deliver services that support people. to remain in community.

Bills: HB367 , HB497 , HB549 , HB983 , HB 1188 , HB 1290 , HB1368 , HB2243 , HB2310 , HB2849 , HB3099 , HB3546 , HB3629 , HB3627

Committee: House Public Education

Keywords: education, absences, severe illness, life-threatening, school policy, verification, healthcare, insurance, affordability, coverage, patient rights, school health, respiratory distress, airway clearance devices, medication training, public health, HB 983, Texas Education Agency, TEA, educator privacy

Transcript Highlights:

• adoptee does not have access to information related to their birth family or health history.
• I also want to highlight that they do not have access to this information that also, as I like to describe
• It was devastating to learn that at age 56, I wasn’t allowed to access my own identity.
• It is a human right, a matter of dignity, to have access to one’s original birth certificate, or OBC.
• Lacking access, I turned to DNA testing.

Summary: The committee first took up SB 490 by Senator Umberg, which would require the Department of Health Care Services to investigate allegations of unlicensed sober living or residential recovery facilities within set timelines, issue notices promptly, and conduct follow-up site visits. Supporters, including a Garden Grove councilmember and the League of California Cities, said the bill would improve public safety, clarify enforcement, and address complaints about illegal operations in neighborhoods. County behavioral health representatives opposed the bill, arguing counties lack jurisdiction over these private facilities, could face liability and unfunded workload increases, and should not be pulled into enforcement responsibilities that belong to the state. After extensive discussion about whether the bill creates a county role or merely a pathway for local assistance, the committee passed SB 490 on an 8-0 vote and placed it on call for missing members. The committee then heard SB 381 by Senator Wahab, which would allow adult adoptees, and in some cases descendants of adoptees, to obtain their original birth certificates, create a contact preference form for birth parents, and remove current limits that omit certain birth information from amended certificates. The bill drew strong support from adoptees, birth parents, and advocates who said access to original records is a matter of identity, dignity, and health because it can reveal family medical history and cultural background. Several committee members expressed support for the goal but raised concerns about privacy, the potential emotional impact on birth parents, and whether the contact preference form adequately protects confidentiality. The author and supporters said the bill is narrowly tailored, that the form is nonbinding, and that many birth parents are open to contact; they also noted the bill had been amended to delay implementation and allow public notice. The transcript ends amid continued debate, with members indicating the bill would continue moving forward with further work, but no final vote is shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• , they're not able to get access to care.
• We saw huge costs to not doing dental services to many of these people.
• live in their homes and they have limited access to community-based services.
• more services to the people that they see.
• no longer are able to access service, they can call us and we will help them find another provider.

Summary: The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee held a budget hearing on the Division of Medicaid within the Department of Health and Welfare. Legislative Services analyst Alex Williamson reviewed Medicaid’s five budgeted programs, enrollment groups, staffing, historic spending growth, and the distinction between ongoing base adjustments and one-time enhancements. She explained that most Medicaid spending is in trust and benefit payments, discussed the large FY 2026 and FY 2027 budget changes, and walked through the governor’s recommendations, including hospital assessment fund alignment, claims forecast updates, MMIS procurement funding, estate recovery, program integrity support, and population forecast adjustments. Members asked extensive questions about the 4% provider rate reduction, the expansion population, federal match rates, and the effect of House Bill 345 and federal changes on Medicaid costs and eligibility. Williamson and Deputy Director Sasha O’Connell said the expansion population has declined, but costs are driven by utilization, provider rates, pharmacy, hospital, developmental disability, behavioral health, and long-term care services. They said the department is pursuing cost containment through prior authorization, redeterminations, higher cost sharing, and program integrity efforts, while noting that expansion is codified in law and any repeal or major eligibility change would require legislative action and could affect hospital assessment revenue and other offsets. The committee also discussed the MMIS replacement project, with lawmakers emphasizing milestone-based funding and risk control. O’Connell explained the estate recovery request as a replacement case management system plus contractor support to help recover Medicaid costs from estates, and said the program is federally required and revenue-generating. Several members raised concerns about backlogs, contractor costs, and whether AI or other technology could improve efficiency in program integrity and estate recovery. No votes were taken during the hearing; the discussion remained informational and focused on the governor’s budget recommendations and possible future reductions or policy changes.

Transcript Highlights:

• And without action, we risk devastating service cuts to this system.
• lawful registered voters' access to the ballot.
• to the ballots for our military and overseas voters. to provide access to the ballots for our military
• Our goal with this bill is to provide a access route, a secure access route, one that the Secretary of
• So we need to get new ideas on how to make voting accessible to this population of voters.

Committee: House Elections

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• :45.240><c> access</c><02:38:45.640><c> to</c> improving access and improving access to improving access
• </c><02:53:18.520><c> to</c> that we're increasing the access to that we're increasing the access to
• have better access to care through pharmacist delivery of clinical services.
• </c> important to improving access to care. important to improving access to care.
• c> to</c><03:22:26.880><c> care</c> patients to have better access to care patients to have better access

Committee: House Executive Departments and Administration

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• minors' access to technology content.
• minors' access to technology content.
• minors on the application to provide prescribed age verification for any person attempting to access
• It would require adults to provide identification to access content online that adults could access in
• related to interfering with religious services.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• expand community-based access to behavioral health services.
• We collaborate here with ArtsWA and our BFA Advisory Committee to improve access to the arts in local
• increase access to community and social services.
• expand access to high-quality early learning options.
• develop this proposal to expand access to the program at a community scale.

Bills: HB2330 , HB2338

Committee: House Capital Budget

Keywords: energy systems, capital funding, state campus, school infrastructure, sustainability, weatherization, energy efficiency, community projects, environment, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• She didn't have an ability to work with reentry services to accept those services.
• These are not the services we want you to invest in.
• I need to access multiple therapies and supports to be able to be here in front of you today.
• to accessing medical aid-in-dying in California.
• to be lost, and patients to lose access to health care in their communities.

Summary: The committee heard several health-related measures. SB 27 by Senator Umberg would revise and expand California’s CARE Court by limiting the expansion to people with bipolar I disorder with psychotic features, clarifying the definition of “clinically stabilized,” and narrowing the role of nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Supporters, including behavioral health officials and family members, said the bill would reduce dismissals and better serve people with severe illness; opponents warned the expansion would strain county staffing and housing resources and could undermine voluntary engagement. The bill passed on a do pass motion to the Committee on Public Safety. SB 503 by Senator Weber Pierson would require AI tools used in health care facilities to be identified, monitored, and mitigated for bias when used in clinical decision-making or resource allocation. The author and supporters from Kaiser Permanente and the California Medical Association said the bill would help prevent discriminatory outcomes and improve trust and safety. The committee discussed the need to clarify developer and deployer responsibilities, and the bill passed as amended to Privacy and Consumer Protection. SB 68 by Senator Menjivar would require restaurants to provide written allergen information for the top nine food allergens, with tiered flexibility for smaller establishments. The bill was supported by patients, families, nurses, and allergy organizations, who described severe reactions and the difficulty of relying on verbal disclosures alone. The California Restaurant Association opposed unless amended, seeking broader use of the national model food code and additional liability language. The bill passed as amended to Appropriations. The committee also heard SB 403 by Senator Blakespear, which would remove the sunset from the End of Life Option Act; supporters described the law as a compassionate, well-functioning option for terminally ill patients, while faith-based groups opposed it. The bill passed to Judiciary. Later, SB 41 by Senator Wiener was introduced to rein in pharmacy benefit manager practices that steer patients to mail-order pharmacies and reimburse community pharmacies below cost; community pharmacists and several health organizations testified in support, describing pharmacy closures and patient access problems.

Transcript Highlights:

• If we are to stay true to our values, we must continue to defend access to comprehensive reproductive
• Or other states have access to the PMP?
• people gain access to employment, gain access to jobs, and have full participation in their communities
• be able to access opportunities.
• They also are frequently denied access to needed mental health and other services by the abuser as a

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on the Judiciary

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee heard extensive testimony on several Judiciary bills, with the largest portion focused on S. 1178/H. 2052 to reduce mass incarceration and end life without parole. People incarcerated at MCI Framingham, MCI Norfolk, and NCCI Gardner described personal growth, rehabilitation, restorative justice work, family separation, and the belief that parole eligibility after long sentences would better reflect public safety and human development. Speakers emphasized that life without parole removes hope and can undermine rehabilitation, while supporters argued that many lifers are older, less likely to reoffend, and could contribute positively if given a chance at parole review. Committee members did not take votes during the hearing. The committee also heard testimony on S. 1139 to restore the statute of limitations for wrongful death claims involving tobacco use, with Sen. Keenan explaining that a recent SJC decision had cut off claims where the injured person did not sue within three years before death. He said the bill would restore families’ ability to seek redress in cases involving long-latency tobacco harms like COPD. Another major topic was S. 1205, which would add abusive litigation to the definition of coercive control in domestic violence law; Sen. Michael Moore said the bill would stop abusers from using repeated court filings to harass and financially burden survivors. The committee also took up S. 1114 on automatic record sealing, with Sen. Friedman and others arguing that the current petition-based process is slow, burdensome, and disproportionately harms people with criminal records, especially Black and Latino residents. Testimony also supported H. 1965/S. 1132 on compensation for wrongful conviction, with advocates and sponsors describing a faster administrative claims process, transitional support, and higher compensation without the current cap. Sen. Payano testified for S. 1241 to expand educational programming for incarcerated emerging adults, saying education reduces recidivism and improves reentry outcomes. A substantial portion of the hearing focused on S. 2522, an update to Massachusetts’ shield law for reproductive and gender-affirming care. Sen. Friedman, the Attorney General’s office, and DPH Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said the bill is needed to strengthen protections against out-of-state legal attacks, protect patient and provider data, clarify enforcement authority, and add a state-level EMTALA-style emergency care requirement. Committee members asked detailed questions about prescription labeling, the prescription monitoring program, attorney discipline, custody and full faith and credit issues, and whether the bill’s enforcement language could create unintended limits or conflicts. The Attorney General’s office said it would provide follow-up written testimony on several technical questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• When a device that you have access to as a child with a screen gives you access to these companion chatbots
• that you have access to as a child with a screen gives you access to these companion chatbots and social
• travel hours to access this important resource.
• travel hours to access this important resource.
• have more access to what may be of interest to them.

Committee: Senate Education

Summary: The committee heard SB 1067, which would require annual math screening for kindergarten through second grade students beginning in 2028-29 to identify early numeracy difficulties and connect students to evidence-based supports. Senator Weber and supporters, including EdVoice, UC Davis researcher Charles Wilkes, and several education and community advocates, argued that California’s math performance is too low and that early screening would help close gaps before they widen. Opponents, including the California Mathematics Council, county superintendents, and the CTA, said the bill could narrow instruction, overemphasize deficit-based measures, and should instead be paired with stronger investments in teacher training and implementation of the California Mathematics Framework. Committee members generally expressed support for the bill’s goals while discussing how the screener would work and what kinds of follow-up supports would be needed. The committee also heard SB 1110 on child care subsidy administration, which would restructure funding for alternative payment programs and core contracts as the state moves to enrollment-based funding. Supporters said the bill would stabilize child care providers, improve payment timelines, and better reflect the administrative work of enrolling families and managing services; there was no opposition testimony. SB 1374, supported by the CSU and UC systems, would allow public higher education institutions to seek temporary restraining orders when credible threats are directed at a campus rather than a specific person. Supporters described recent campus threats that created safety concerns but did not fit current restraining-order law; there was no opposition. Senator Nilo presented SB 1321, which would direct the State Auditor to review remedial course use and student preparedness at selected UC and CSU campuses after a UC San Diego report showed a sharp decline in incoming students’ math readiness. Supporters argued the audit would help identify gaps in college readiness and the effects of K-12 changes, while some members raised concerns about bypassing the usual legislative audit process; the bill was held on call. The committee then took up SB 1086 on microschools, which would define microschools and direct model ordinances for local land-use regulation. Supporters said it would create a clearer path for small, individualized learning communities, but several members questioned whether the concept was sufficiently defined and whether the state had enough information to draft model ordinances; the bill was also placed on call after a quorum was established. Finally, SB 1181 was presented as a limited pilot program in Central Valley counties to connect schools with regional threat assessment centers when credible safety concerns arise. The author and supporters, including the mother of a student killed in a shooting and several students, said it would improve early intervention and communication; committee members raised privacy and federal-sharing concerns but indicated support, and the bill was moved forward on a vote once quorum was present.

Transcript Highlights:

• to</c> age limit to people who have access to age limit to people who have access to those<00:12:23.680
• facing right now, affordability, more houses, access to medical services, food, and the list goes on
• And there are processes to remove gun access when a service member shows signs of distress.
• access when a processes to remove gun access when a service<00:42:46.400><c> member</c><00:42:46.720>
• ><c> is</c> people's access to concealed weapons is people's access to concealed weapons is safe.<00:

Keywords: The live stream for the House Chambers was interrupted and this version was recovered from backups and should contain the complete Legislative Session. Convene 00:00:00 Senate Message 00:04:40 Calendar/2nd Readings 00:05:38 Orders of the Day 00:06:14 HB 312 00:06:42 Motions, Petitions, and Communications 01:11:07 Introduction of New Bills and Resolutions 01:13:24 Recess for ConC and Rules Meeting 01:14:30 ConC/Rules Report 01:19:42 Adjournment 01:21:18, 958, all

Summary: The House convened, received the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance, established a quorum with 89 members present, excused absent members, and suspended rules to allow co-sponsorships and vote modifications. The chamber approved the prior day’s journal and received notice that the Senate had passed SB 13, 22, 46, 51, and 90 and requested concurrence. On second reading, HB 134 (sexual assault nurse examiners), HB 168 with HCS 1 (voting under the influence), and HR 7 (recognizing guiding principles of elections in Kentucky) were reported. The House also recommitted HB 258 to the Transportation Committee and took up HB 312 for third reading and passage. HB 312, relating to concealed firearms and deadly weapons, drew the bulk of the debate. The sponsor argued the bill would allow law-abiding 18- to 20-year-olds to obtain a provisional concealed carry license, saying they are adults in other respects, the Second Amendment protects their right to bear arms, and Kentucky should align with other states. Supporters framed the measure as a constitutional rights issue and cited defensive gun use statistics, while one member argued the root problem is family upbringing rather than guns. Opponents said the bill would increase risks in schools and public spaces, pointed to concerns from school district police and SROs, and cited research linking younger age groups and loosened carry laws to higher firearm violence; they also argued the bill would make communities less safe and that no one’s rights would be taken away by voting no. The sponsor said no stakeholder had expressed opposition and clarified the bill would not change where firearms are permitted. The transcript provided does not include the final vote on HB 312.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:10:47.040><c> to</c> therapists who provide services to therapists who provide services to groups
• </c> don't have access to the same source don't have access to the same source data<00:23:50.159><c>
• </c><00:24:00.799><c> to</c> We don't have real-time access to We don't have real-time access to payment
• </c> government to provide those services. government to provide those services.
• But we don't have access to that.

Bills: HF3043 , HF2891

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Keywords: public safety, illegal remunerations, healthcare fraud, grants, criminal penalties, state law, grants management, state employees training, certification, monitoring grants, accountability, grant fraud, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of the most common services included outreach to people who repeatedly call 911 to connect them
• And is there a barrier that we need to be addressing? Or obviously the... service.
• Also, another thing about the audit that was found is communication and access to systems to understand
• Also, another thing about the audit that was found is communication and access to systems to understand
• Also, another thing about the audit that was found is communication and access to systems to understand

Committee: Joint JLARC I-900 Subcommittee for SAO Performance Audits

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee’s Initiative 900 subcommittee held a hybrid public hearing on two State Auditor performance audits. The first audit examined efforts to reduce non-emergency use of emergency systems through CARES programs. Auditors reported that Washington has 52 fire-agency-led CARES programs in 26 counties, but many communities without programs said they need one. Major barriers included unstable funding, difficulty hiring qualified staff, volunteer-based rural departments, and lack of statewide guidance. The audit also found that only about half of programs tracked both required performance measures, and it recommended that the legislature consider private insurance reimbursement options and convene a statewide work group to develop guidance, standards, and possible changes to the role of the Department of Health. Agency representatives and fire officials largely supported the findings and emphasized that short-term grants and one-year contracts make programs hard to sustain. Committee discussion focused heavily on financing, especially Medicaid reimbursement and accountable communities of health (ACHs). Auditors clarified that the 10% figure cited in the report referred to direct Medicaid reimbursement for treat-and-refer services, which some agencies do not pursue because the $115 rate is too low relative to the administrative effort. Several fire officials testified that their programs rely on grants and ACH support, but that funding is often year-to-year and uncertain. They also described the value of CARES programs in reducing emergency room use, jail detentions, and long ambulance wait times, while noting barriers to sharing patient records across systems. Members asked whether the new public safety sales tax authority could help, but fire district representatives said it is not a direct funding option for them. The second audit reviewed performance management in the Department of Commerce’s Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness. Auditors found that the division does not yet have a statewide economic development strategic plan and that performance management is inconsistent across its 16 programs. In a limited review, all six sampled programs had goals, but only half clearly identified performance measures and targets, and only three tracked outcomes and published results. The audit highlighted leading practices from other states, including strategic planning, regular progress reporting, aligning program goals with agency goals, and using performance-based contracts and grant monitoring. Recommendations urged Commerce to seek stakeholder input, assess internal and external conditions, set goals and measures, align programs with the strategy, and strengthen monitoring and evaluation. Commerce officials agreed with the audit and said the division is already working toward a strategic plan, with a new assistant director to be hired and a target of completing the work by mid-next year. Members pressed the department on how the plan would connect to workforce, higher education, housing, and other economic development systems, and asked Commerce to return to JLARC next year with progress updates. The meeting ended with instructions for submitting written public comments and notice of the next JLARC meeting schedule.