Transcript Highlights:

• That fear causes students to hold back, and when students stop telling the truth, the system loses the
• We don't design these systems. We don't choose these vendors. We don't control the security.
• Digital experience platform includes WOTEC's online systems, applications, or websites through which
• This is, I think, where we're going to be going with a lot of informational systems. Who knows?
• system should be specific enough to leave no room for unintended consequences.

Summary: The committee began by waiving the five-day notice rule for Senate Bills 631 and 5046. It then held public hearings on several measures. Senate Bill 6215 would require the state auditor to compile an inventory of audited state programs and an annual statewide high-risk list focused on fraud prevention; the sponsor said it would improve transparency, while the State Auditor’s office raised concerns about cost, scope, record retention limits, and the bill’s timeline. Senate Bill 6160 would eliminate or modify dozens of agency reporting requirements across state government; OFM and the sponsor described it as a government-efficiency measure, while some senators noted they wanted to preserve certain reports. Senate Bill 6313 would create a Capitol Centennial Stewardship Account to support repairs, remodeling, interpretive facilities, and public engagement at the Capitol ahead of its 100th anniversary in 2028. Senate Bill 6049 would exempt certain employee engagement survey responses and Healthy Youth Survey records from public disclosure; OFM, students, and other supporters argued the bill would protect privacy and encourage honest participation, while the record showed substantial opposition sign-ins. Senate Bill 6164 would exempt information submitted to Washington Technology Solutions for digital experience platform services from disclosure; WOTEC and some media representatives supported it as a narrow privacy measure, while one coalition opposed it as overly broad. Senate Bill 5046 would designate November 22 as Kimchi Day, which the sponsor framed as a cultural recognition bill, with little opposition noted in testimony. In executive session, the committee considered Senate Bills 6035, 5853, and 5888. It adopted a proposed substitute for SB 6035, which concerns an electronic ballot portal and tribal voting access, and sent it to Rules. It also adopted a proposed substitute for SB 5853, which shifts administration of a statewide emergency notification system for elected officials from the Secretary of State to the Military Department, and sent it to Ways and Means. Finally, it passed SB 5888, which removes Senate confirmation for members of the Washington State Women’s Commission, and sent it to Rules. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our legal systems are completely incompatible.
• States run, as we saw with the last bill, the educational systems and have a particular role.
• These systems are always short on funding.
• This bill modifies a system that no longer makes sense.
• Many states have eliminated this sticker and revised the verification system.

Transcript Highlights:

• That civilian systems aren't being addressed by the National Guard without the explicit consent of those
• And what he meant was, you create a system and you think it's completely invulnerable, but it's not,
• Or there's a law enforcement agency whose system shut down, and they need to get back... ...functioning
• Or there's a law enforcement agency whose system shut down, and they need to get back online.
• But I think it's very important that we do have some systems in place to recognize our service members

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, I think I'm going to build on that, and my question also was, so using existing systems that are
• already in place, but the issue is around the medically, the meal itself as opposed to creating a system
• or is this also not only the ability to have medically appropriate meals, but also creating a new system
• DHS and our JR system doesn't do that.
• Through the pandemic, we learned just how important it is to keep food systems close to home.

Summary: The Senate Human Services Committee met on the first day of the 2026 session and heard a briefing and public testimony on Senate Bill 5966 concerning medically tailored meals. Committee staff explained that the bill would define medically tailored meals and set statewide standards for meals provided through state programs, emphasizing medical guidance, dietary and cultural accommodations, and prioritizing Washington-based nonprofit providers when possible. Senator T’wina Nobles, the sponsor, said the bill is intended to create a clear baseline for quality and accountability without expanding benefits or creating a new program, but rather to streamline and standardize existing efforts. Testifiers in support described existing medically tailored meal and food box programs already operating in Washington. Representatives from Meals on Wheels, Chicken Soup Brigade, Cascadia Produce, Emergency Food Network, and Meals on Wheels Spokane said these programs improve health outcomes for people with chronic conditions, support recovery, and help keep people stable in their communities. They also emphasized that local providers, volunteers, farmers, and food businesses benefit when state dollars stay in Washington. Several members asked whether the bill would create a new system; supporters said it would instead coordinate and standardize current waiver-based and contract-based services. Questions also touched on funding sources, delivery costs, and the role of Medicaid and other programs. The committee temporarily set aside the bill to hear from newly appointed DSHS Secretary Angela Ramirez, who outlined the department’s reorganization into new administrations and said the goal is to reduce silos, improve customer experience, and make services easier to navigate. She also briefed members on federal HR1-related changes affecting SNAP and Medicaid, including work requirements, immigrant eligibility changes, and tribal consultation, and said DSHS is developing a verification hub to reduce administrative burden. Members raised concerns about implementation, data collection, and how to avoid benefit loss due to paperwork issues. After the secretary’s presentation, the committee resumed testimony on SB 5966 and then adjourned without taking a vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill provides that an artificial intelligence system not service the sole basis for determining whether
• in mind, differing system.
• And one of our concerns is simply that we feel that systems and not be made in statute.
• It's been a very poor stored value system like this would make gold and silver possible to be.
• Also the requirement in HB 399, regarding using the banking system or state chartered banks.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This injected another 150 million dollars into the child welfare system really to help right size.
• >> We have some of the information and our in our history in our case management system as well as >>
• We just had 2 major hurricanes hit the state of Florida and it disrupts the entire system.
• I feel with the foster care system and kids for about 30 years and a lot of this reimbursements and a
• So many of these children in the foster care system are very ill.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:15:27.920><c> but</c> time not only for the court system but time not only for the court system
• </c> efforts and building out Data Systems efforts and building out Data Systems within<01:37:56.440>
• And then we have debt—the community college system.
• </c><04:11:40.640><c> and</c> publicized within the school system and publicized within the school system
• </c><04:33:21.439><c> does</c> Bill yes the the retirement system does Bill yes the the retirement system

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard from the Personnel Appeals Board, which explained that it became an independent state agency after Senate Bill 487 and was presenting its first standalone operating budget. The board described its quasi-judicial role in hearing appeals from classified state employees over disciplinary actions such as warnings, suspensions, and terminations, and said it handles about 25 to 35 cases a year, with some cases lasting longer because of their complexity. Members also outlined the need for a chair and vice chair who are attorneys, the board’s current staffing and space needs, and its plan to move away from reliance on Administrative Services for office support and website functions. The board requested about $353,500 for fiscal year 2026, including startup costs, routine operating expenses, and two new part-time positions: a program director and a paralegal. Members said the budget reflects the new independent status, includes funding for only four board members rather than the authorized five, and is designed to avoid full-time staffing costs and benefits. Legislators asked about the cost per case, the board’s relationship to DAS, whether appeals must go through the board before court, and how often cases are appealed further. The board said appeals must first go through it, that court appeals are infrequent but have increased recently, and that the board’s process is intended to resolve disputes more quickly and less expensively than court litigation. Committee members also asked about the board’s caseload, outcomes, and staffing. The board said that in the prior year there were 22 cases, with four decisions overturned in favor of employees, nine dismissals, and nine settlements, and that many disputes are resolved before reaching the board through a multi-step internal process. A member noted the governor and council had recently approved a new board member and were expected to approve a fifth soon. The discussion ended with questions about the board’s website and records access, which members said would need to be moved from Administrative Services as part of the agency’s transition. The committee then moved to the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities. The executive director explained that the council is 100 percent federally funded under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act and develops a five-year plan to address the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She said the council works with state agencies and advocacy organizations on quality-of-life issues, accessibility, voter rights training, and plain-language or easy-to-read materials, and that 60 percent of its membership must be individuals with disabilities or family members/guardians. She also described the council’s funding structure, including reimbursement to the state for operating costs, and noted that it currently has three full-time and three part-time positions, with no new positions requested but one full-time position being eliminated and replaced after a pandemic-era staffing change did not work out as planned.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:19:17.440><c> in</c> University of Hawaii system in University of Hawaii system in opposition
• But we do also support the expansion of the partial public financing system and view these systems as
• 48.400><c> system</c><00:58:48.640><c> over</c><00:58:48.839><c> the</c> current campaign Finance system
• and view these public financing system and view these systems<00:58:55.680><c> as</c><00:58:55.839><
• we're in this system right in this<01:43:55.800><c> middle</c><01:43:56.199><c> system</c><01:43:56.560

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs held its first hearing of the 33rd Legislature and heard several measures, beginning with HB 131, which would allow agencies to disclose government records to researchers for certain purposes and direct the Office of Information Practices to adopt uniform rules. OIP supported the bill, saying it would help researchers access government records, while DLNR questioned whether the bill was necessary, raised concerns about costs and exemptions, and suggested a definition change regarding media. The Public First Law Center and other supporters said the bill would not remove existing exemptions or create new disclosure requirements, but would simply authorize rulemaking to create a clearer process for research access. Common Cause Hawaiʻi raised concern about including news media in the measure. The chair emphasized that the rulemaking process would allow agencies and the public to work through details, and the committee moved on without a recorded vote in the transcript. The committee then heard HB 411, which would create uniform administrative penalty procedures under the state ethics code and lobbyist law, and HB 412, which would expand lobbying definitions to cover certain communications with high-level executive officials about procurement and make some contracts voidable if awarded through unethical lobbying. The Ethics Commission supported HB 411 as an efficiency measure that would streamline the charge process without changing substantive rights, while HB 412 was described as a narrow transparency measure modeled on other states. The State Procurement Office warned that voiding contracts could cause delays, warranty issues, third-party complications, and higher reprocurement costs. The Ethics Commission responded that any contract revocation would be at the Attorney General’s discretion and likely reserved for egregious cases, and that the threat of voiding a contract would help deter noncompliance. The committee also heard HB 413, which clarifies that lobbyist campaign contribution prohibitions apply during periods when both houses of the Legislature are in session; the Ethics Commission and Campaign Spending Commission both supported the bill and the Ethics Commission requested amendments to clarify jurisdiction between state and county lobbyist enforcement. Finally, the committee took up HB 149, which would require domestic and foreign corporations to report independent expenditures and political contributions to shareholders. The only testimony noted in the transcript was written comments from Matson, which said the requirement would be expensive and cumbersome and that the information is already publicly available through existing campaign finance reporting websites. No votes or final committee actions on the bills were recorded in the provided transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• So building more cost-effective system.
• </c> efficient transit system. efficient transit system.
• </c> the second piece is the transit system the second piece is the transit system investment<00:46:19.720
• </c> This is the general transit systems This is the general transit systems operations<01:24:47.000>
• So, look for airport system.

Bills: HF3373, HF4449, HF3486, HF4180, HF4227, HF2505

Keywords: transportation, interchange, funding, bonds, St. Paul Park, transit, Metropolitan Council, Twin Cities, metro area, high-frequency transit, bus rapid transit, busway, guideway, transportation policy plan, transit performance measures, regional transit benchmarks, transit-oriented development, TOD, zoning, land use

Transcript Highlights:

• You mentioned upgrading your system. Who owns that system?
• HPIA owns the system, okay.
• </c><01:52:41.639><c> is</c><01:52:41.719><c> it</c> system uh who owns that system is it system uh who
• the system that you're hpia that owns the system that you're upgrading<01:52:44.280><c> so</c><01:52
• and then Marsh is using that system and then Marsh is using that system<01:53:01.560><c> to</c><01:53

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> hopefully within a multi-tiered systems hopefully within a multi-tiered systems of<00:20:37.559>
• </c><00:26:43.960><c> of</c> the Minnesota multi-tiered systems of the Minnesota multi-tiered systems
• The REACT training has also had an impact on systems already in place in our district.
• </c><01:19:59.679><c> and</c><01:19:59.840><c> so</c> improving that system and so improving that system
• Statewide literacy support system.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> longitudinal educational data system longitudinal educational data system sleds<00:16:21.160><c>
• </c><00:17:53.679><c> which</c> our longitudinal data system which our longitudinal data system which
• </c> robust work happening within the systems robust work happening within the systems and<01:23:59.560
• is a these Data Systems are and this is a these Data Systems are represent<01:31:11.719><c> some</c>
• </c> interact with our postsecondary systems interact with our postsecondary systems in<01:31:34.360>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:41:27.599><c> from</c> view our local health care system from view our local health care system
• </c> placed on our local health care system. placed on our local health care system.
• And then beginning in systems.
• So the system that's being possible.
• Um, the Veterans Administration has a system called DEER. That system has been broken.

Bills: SF0122, SJ0006, SF0121, SF0106

Keywords: medical necessity, insurance, healthcare policy, independent review, claim processing, shared parenting, family law, joint custody, child well-being, parental rights, pharmacy, collaborative care, healthcare, prescriptions, patient safety, Wyoming Pharmacy Act, welfare, Medicaid, employment, eligibility verification

Transcript Highlights:

• So these irrigation systems are in existence for the most part, not always. Okay, understood.
• So these irrigation systems are in existence for the most part, not always. Okay, understood.
• So these irrigation systems are in existence for the most part, not always. Okay, understood.
• So these irrigation systems are in existence for the most part, not always. Okay, understood.
• So these irrigation systems are in existence for the most part, not always. Okay, understood.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several agriculture, water, invasive species, and land-use bills. HB 299 and HB 1220, both relating to invasive species, drew broad support from the Hawaii Invasive Species Council, DLNR, the Department of Agriculture, C-GAPS, Sierra Club, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Hawaii Farmers Union, and others. Testifiers said HISC funding fills gaps between agency mandates, supports research and technology, and helps respond to both terrestrial and marine invasive threats. On HB 1220, C-GAPS described a marine anemone infestation in Kāneʻohe linked to aquarium release and said control and restoration would be difficult without the bill’s funding. A committee member asked for tracking information on the species, and the Division of Aquatic Resources said it maintains monitoring data and annual reports. No opposition was noted on either measure. HB 506, relating to conservation enforcement, also received support from DLNR and Malama Pu‘u Ma. Committee discussion focused on the bill’s scope and how the funding would be used. Members asked about a prior boat purchase mentioned in opposition testimony and about whether mainland vendors were being used; the department said it did not buy that boat and that procurement follows the normal state process, with total bid price including delivery, taxes, and other fees. The department explained that the bill’s funding is primarily for marine enforcement work in nearshore fisheries, including herbivore protection around O‘ahu. HB 915, relating to water use, had mixed testimony. DLNR supported alternative water sources and amendments to the water code, while the Department of Agriculture opposed the bill as drafted, saying its irrigation program is designed for non-potable agricultural use and is not structured for residential or mixed-use development. The Department of Health said it needed more information on its reuse guidelines and noted concern about removing the recycled water manager requirement, which it said helps ensure safe operation and maintenance of reuse systems. Members questioned the bill’s preemption language and whether county or state rules would be displaced, and Agriculture suggested county water agencies might be better suited for some of the proposed uses. HB 502, concerning land use, drew support from the Attorney General’s office, the Land Use Commission, Hawaii Realtors, Hawaii Farm Bureau, and Hawaii Farmers Union, with the Department of Agriculture standing on its written testimony. The Attorney General warned that allowing important agricultural lands to be redistricted through a declaratory ruling process could conflict with the state constitution and recommended excluding IAL from the bill. The Land Use Commission said it has an inventory of IAL lands and did not believe the bill would affect them, and it agreed to the suggested protection. Supporters said the bill could help move lands with limited agricultural value into the rural district, reduce pressure on productive farmland, and better align land use with actual farming potential. HB 929, relating to the agricultural land conveyance tax, received comments from the Department of Taxation and opposition from Hawaii Farm Bureau and Hawaii Realtors; Farm Bureau said it supports preserving agricultural land but was concerned about unintended consequences and questioned whether speculative flipping of ag land is a current problem.

Transcript Highlights:

• For decades, our health system... ...our health care system has been structured around treating illness
• to use those systems to then go and purchase healthy food.
• This system was set in place to help provide surety for providers.
• From GLP-1 prescriptions, which ultimately hit their system.
• And it happens in the Medicaid system, too.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• in that entire 112-acre system, is going to be required to hook up to the district system that we feel
• </c><00:53:59.880><c> that</c> owner of of that District system that owner of of that District system
• </c><00:54:45.880><c> and</c> the operations of of this system and the operations of of this system and
• system system that<00:54:58.640><c> we</c><00:54:58.799><c> feel</c><00:54:59.520><c> is</c><00:54:59.680
• But we do not, in fact, participate in operating these systems.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have a very diverse rural routing system within our county.
• We have a very diverse rural routing system within our county.
• system, to provide additional testimony.
• So the transit system is really important for our regional economy.
• And again, the highest ridership of our trolley system, which is our light rail system, runs and begins

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I want to be very clear: they are operating within the current system as the system was designed.
• But as you heard them say, it was a system designed 100 years ago.
• They are operating within the current system as the system was designed.
• , making our system even stronger.
• This is a failure of the system.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And the sheriffs do not support ICE picking up detainees in the court system.
• system goes to the FBI, so we all know that ICE has access to that information.
• They also reveal a major gap: Massachusetts has no central reporting system.
• Public systems work best when communities trust them.
• We have also heard from educators about the impact on classrooms and entire school systems.

Summary: The hearing covered several public safety bills and related testimony. On S. 2681, “Colby’s Law,” which would establish safety standards for BMX/motocross tracks, the committee heard emotional testimony from the family of a teen killed at a track and from advocates who said minimum standards are needed for barriers, medical staff, emergency planning, insurance, and oversight. A track owner and rider also testified that safety is important but argued the bill was incomplete and should better distinguish between BMX and motocross and include more specific equipment and weather-related rules. On S. 2680, a bill to expand emergency planning around aging nuclear plants and high-level nuclear waste sites, supporters from Cape Cod, medical groups, and anti-nuclear organizations urged a 50-mile emergency planning radius and stronger state preparedness, citing risks from long-term waste storage and inadequate federal oversight. The committee also heard testimony on a Barnstable home rule petition to allow certain emergency response vehicles to use red lights, with the town supporting the change to improve response times on the water. A substantial portion of the hearing focused on H. 5158, the Protect Act, which would limit state and local cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement. County sheriffs testified about how ICE notifications and detainers work in practice, distinguishing between criminal warrants and civil immigration requests to notify, and describing their discretion when people are released on bail or at the end of a sentence. Sheriffs said they generally notify ICE when requested, especially in cases involving serious charges, but emphasized the need to balance public safety, victim notification, and due process. Committee members pressed them on the impact of ICE pickups at courthouses and jails, and several lawmakers and witnesses argued that pretrial detainees taken by ICE can disrupt prosecutions and deny victims their day in court. Supporters of the Protect Act included labor, education, health care, and immigrant advocacy groups. They said immigrants and mixed-status families are living in fear of routine interactions with police, schools, courts, and hospitals, and urged the committee to ban 287(g) agreements, prohibit law enforcement from asking about immigration status or providing operational assistance to ICE, and add stronger protections for sensitive locations such as schools and health care facilities. Medical witnesses described patients and families avoiding care because of ICE presence, and educators said students are missing school out of fear. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing; the committee heard testimony and indicated it would continue receiving written testimony before taking action later.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill stops individuals from gaming the system.
• And the federal government system reflects that reality.
• For some reason, the state system does not reflect that reality.
• Teachers in our school system are mandatory reporters.
• Sometimes the system loses sight of that child entirely. Mr.

Keywords: 994, senate, all

Summary: The Senate considered and passed a series of House bills on third reading, with several title amendments and a few effective-date motions adopted. Early in the session, members passed HB 4452 removing acreage limits on land owned by church or religious trustees, HB 4577 creating reciprocal driver’s license recognition agreements with Ireland and Japan, HB 4588 authorizing West Virginia participation in a federal tax credit scholarship program, and HB 4592 requiring higher education institutions to create coordinated campus safety maps. HB 4602 was amended to align with a prior Senate child welfare pilot program, and members discussed its projected cost and implementation timeline before passing it. HB 4603 created a pre-adjudicatory alternative disposition process in abuse and neglect cases, and HB 4606 narrowed bail rules by requiring consideration of residency and community ties while prohibiting personal recognizance bonds for violent felony offenses after an adopted amendment. The Senate also passed HB 4710 changing the party-registration deadline for candidates from 60 to 180 days before an election, with debate over its impact on independents, and made it effective January 1, 2027. HB 4712, known as Bailey’s Law, increased penalties for DUI causing death and related conduct, with emotional testimony from members about the victim and similar tragedies. HB 4765 established a pay raise for teachers, school personnel, and state police and added a market-pay enhancement system based on county cost-of-living differences; an amendment to the amendment capped county differentials and guaranteed at least a 1% increase in every county. HB 4865 created an optional program for high school and homeschool students to serve as election official trainees, and HB 4869 established narrow guaranteed-issue rights for Medicare supplement policies. Later bills included HB 4995, which strengthened video/audio recording rules in special education classrooms and was passed, then reconsidered and passed again; HB 4996 creating a new crime for making threats of violence against schools or children; HB 5048 guaranteeing virtual instruction for foster children in temporary placement; HB 5065 adding recordkeeping and geolocation requirements for hotel marketplace facilitators to ensure proper hotel tax remittance; and HB 5074 reallocating medical cannabis fund revenues to child protection, homeless services, research, law enforcement, and other purposes. The Senate also passed HB 5101, the Joanna Phillips Domestic Violence Prevention Act, which increased penalties for domestic violence offenses and adjusted bail provisions, after amending it to conform with the earlier bail bill. Additional measures passed included HB 5166 requiring notice before political committees are fined for filing violations and allowing limited extensions, HB 5168 directing $12 million in lottery funds to EMS first responders and county EMS support, HB 5182 authorizing certain state treasurer security personnel to carry concealed firearms, HB 5212 streamlining higher-education financial aid rules, HB 5214 allowing court-ordered drug testing of parents before reunification in abuse and neglect cases, HB 5353 regulating virtual currency kiosks with licensing, disclosures, and transaction limits, and HB 5366 exempting J-LAP records from FOIA to protect confidentiality for lawyers and judges seeking assistance. Most bills passed with strong bipartisan support, though HB 5074 and HB 5353 drew some dissenting votes.