Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair and members, Mike Monaghan, on behalf of the State Building and Construction Trades Council
• The tunnel approval process is currently with the State Water Board and the Delta Stewardship Council
• 280 state parks.
• State Beach and Pismo State Beach.
• does state that section—just want to make sure I'm coding the right section here.

Committees: House Water, Parks and Wildlife , House Water, Parks, and Wildlife

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That is our great state of California.
• If you could just state your name and what you do.
• It is in the education code that the CIF is to comply with both state and federal law.
• I represent families across the state of California.
• Melissa Beatty-Smooth, the coach at San Jose State.

Committee: House Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• in the state of Virginia.
• We've got a lot of data from other states.
• Currently, work on community and home hardening is guided through a long array of state codes, regulations
• This is about the insurance crisis this state is facing.
• We have communicated with three of the major carriers in the state, State Farm, Travelers, and AAA, who

Summary: The committee heard several insurance-related bills. SB 371 by Senator Cabaldon would lower uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage requirements for rideshare companies from the current $1 million level to $100,000 per person and $300,000 per incident, with added transparency and data-reporting provisions. Uber, Lyft, and several business groups supported the bill as a way to reduce fares and improve affordability, while consumer attorneys, labor groups, and others opposed it as a major cut in protection for injured passengers and drivers. Committee members raised concerns about whether savings would actually reach riders and drivers, but the bill was approved on a do-pass vote to the next committee, with one member not voting. SB 487 by Senator Grayson would change how settlement or judgment proceeds are distributed when peace officers or firefighters are injured by a third party, ensuring they receive at least two-thirds of the at-fault party’s liability insurance limits in certain cases. Supporters, including public safety unions and an injured deputy sheriff, said current law can leave injured first responders with little or no recovery after employer reimbursement, while opponents representing cities, counties, and public agencies argued the bill would reduce recovery of taxpayer-funded workers’ compensation costs and lacked sufficient data. The committee members who spoke largely supported the bill, and it passed on a do-pass vote to Appropriations, with one member not voting. SB 616 by Senator Rubio would create an independent community hardening commission within the Department of Insurance to develop statewide wildfire mitigation recommendations and a post-catastrophe reporting process. The Department of Insurance, local governments, consumer groups, and fire-related organizations supported the measure as a way to improve wildfire resilience and insurance availability, while water agencies opposed provisions touching water infrastructure and warned of litigation and ratepayer impacts. The bill advanced on a do-pass vote to Appropriations, with some members not voting and one member voting no. The committee also heard SB 547 by Senator Perez, coauthored by Senator Rubio, which would extend wildfire-related insurance cancellation/nonrenewal moratoriums to commercial properties; insurers removed their opposition after amendments, and the bill passed to Appropriations on a do-pass vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you could just state your name and what you do. Sure.
• It came out of the state of Kentucky, and it was a federal district court case that stated that Title
• It is in the Education Code that the CIF is to comply with both state and federal law.
• It's happening across the state, the nation, and the world.
• I'm Mike Murray with American Council.

Summary: The committee met on April 1, 2025, first adopting its rules and then taking up AB 89, a bill to require CIF to align girls’ high school sports with federal policy and restrict participation to biological females. The author and supporters argued the bill was needed to protect fairness, safety, privacy, and competitive opportunities for girls, citing individual student-athlete stories and examples of transgender participation. Opponents, including parents, athletes, advocates, and technical witnesses, argued the bill would stigmatize transgender youth, invite invasive scrutiny and harassment, and solve a problem they said was extremely rare or unsupported by data. After lengthy public testimony and debate, the committee rejected AB 89 on a 2-7 vote and sent it to the Committee on Education as a failed motion. The committee then heard AB 844, a related measure framed by the author as restoring competitive integrity, protecting student privacy, and bringing California into compliance with Title IX and federal directives. Supporters, including Matt Walsh and a student athlete who said she lost a varsity spot to a transgender student, argued that sex-based sports rules are necessary because biological males retain athletic advantages and that California risks federal funding if it does not change course. Opponents, including educators, parents, LGBTQ advocates, and trans youth, said the bill would increase bullying, harassment, and exclusion, and that existing policies have worked without evidence of harm from transgender athletes. Public comment was again heavily divided, with many speakers on both sides. The transcript ends during public testimony on AB 844, before any final committee vote or action is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• , you've been to one state.
• What I'd always like to do is just look at the comparison of our state with other states.
• as the state.
• state to think about collective efforts in workforce development across the state.
• Our state balked. Our state balked.

Committee: Joint Agriculture and Water Management Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And in 2014 state across the 49 states.
• The states Association of State CIOS.
• </c> our state. our state.
• Our state data exchange required the creation of a CIO council with partner agencies.
• Our state data exchange required the creation of a CIO council with partner agencies.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 216, 24 February, 2026; 1:30 PM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• As you know, NCSL, the National Council of State Legislatures, is a nonpartisan resource that we have
• , outlining concerns with state-by-state AI regulation.
• In the summer of 2024, the state launched our data strategy and the data governance council because data
• Did they build it to code? Now you're starting to get into the guts of the security controls.
• So is this implying that North Dakota, or any state on this chart for that matter, doesn't build any

Committee: Joint Artificial Intelligence and Data Center Committee

Summary: The committee held its first meeting on artificial intelligence and data centers, establishing its purpose as a study and policy-development body rather than one aimed at producing many bills. Majority Leader Hogue urged members to move quickly, focus on federal and other states’ AI laws, consider possible federal preemption, child protections, and the siting and economic impacts of data centers. Committee leadership echoed that the goal is practical, balanced governance that protects North Dakota while allowing innovation to continue. Legislative Council staff provided a background memo and NCSL presented a detailed overview of AI concepts and the current state legislative landscape. The presentations distinguished narrow AI, generative AI, agentic AI, and theoretical AGI/ASI, and summarized major state policy themes: comprehensive AI laws in states such as Utah, Colorado, Texas, California, and Illinois; targeted laws on deepfakes, chatbots, health, education, notifications, and digital likeness; and growing use of appropriations and agency inventories. Members asked about Colorado’s repeal and reenactment, Texas’s sandbox and training provisions, oversight structures, and whether AI regulation is bipartisan; presenters said most issues cut across party lines, with broad agreement on child safety and deepfakes but more division on broader regulatory approaches. The federal update focused on executive orders, preemption, and congressional activity. NCSL described a White House framework favoring a single federal standard, a DOJ litigation task force, Commerce Department review of state laws, and possible funding conditions tied to state AI policy, though no formal state-law challenge had yet occurred. The presentation also covered a recent executive order creating a voluntary federal vetting process for advanced frontier models after safety concerns, and congressional proposals including a failed 10-year state moratorium, Senator Blackburn’s child-safety bills, the Kids Online Safety Act, a House-passed children’s digital safety package, a Senate data center moratorium proposal, and a House ratepayer/data-center bill. The committee took no formal action beyond receiving testimony and asking questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> at the city council and the Hawaii state at the city council and the Hawaii state capital<01:16:
• > health</c><01:21:56.440><c> um</c> System state Council on mental health um System state Council on
• state Council on mental support from the state Council on mental health<01:24:51.560><c> is</c><01:24
• Also, testimony and support from the State Council on Mental Health.
• </c><01:46:43.920><c> that's</c> state Council on Mental Health that's state Council on Mental Health

Committee: House Finance

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We know that it's a huge issue in this state.
• And it helps our state as a whole.
• So those buildings are not funded or operated by the state, and the court is a separate branch of government
• But I think the legislative intent of a public building—public buildings are public for that reason—and
• It's not any state general funds. It's within their own fund and not requesting any state dollars.

Bills: HR2 , HR37 , HR61 , HCR11 , HCR64 , HB89 , HB183 , HB341 , HB371 , HB451 , HB480 , HB520 , HB541 , HB579 , HB597 , HB816 , HB1004 , HB1064 , HB1165 , SB44

Committee: House Judiciary

Keywords: transparency, accountability, Justice Department, FBI, Jeffrey Epstein, victim protection, investigation, public trust, HR37, House Resolution 37, Honduras veterans, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, military medal, veteran recognition, Congress memorialization, U.S. veterans, foreign deployment, 1981 to 1992, military service awards, combat support

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and first took up House Bill 1165, which was converted into a substitute bill to reorganize the Avoyelles Parish court system by creating two city courts, one for Marksville and one for Bunkie, and expanding their jurisdiction parishwide, including small claims and certain misdemeanor, civil, and juvenile matters. The sponsor and supporting judges said the change would better use existing courts and improve access to justice, while the district attorney opposed it, arguing it would not help the criminal docket, could create staffing and constitutional issues, and needed more study. After questions about voting districts, appellate procedure, and minority vote dilution, the committee adopted the substitute and reported the bill favorably. The committee then heard House Bill 1064 creating a domestic violence intervention court pilot program in the 19th Judicial District, with testimony from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and the YWCA describing a specialty court model focused on accountability, victim services, and wraparound support. The bill was reported favorably. House Bill 341, clarifying law enforcement officer rights during administrative investigations, was amended to specify administrative matters and reported with amendments. House Concurrent Resolution 64, as amended, expanded a study of behavioral health courts to include additional parishes and a later reporting deadline, and was reported favorably. House Bill 579, the sexual assault survivor bill of rights, was amended to strengthen notice, confidentiality, and funding provisions and then reported favorably. Later, House Bill 1004, which would have raised the jurisdictional threshold for justice of the peace courts from $5,000 to $7,500, drew significant opposition from city court judges who warned of unintended consequences, including different evidentiary standards, possible attorney-representation issues for entities, and added burdens on district courts. Supporters framed it as an inflation adjustment and access-to-justice measure, but after debate the committee voted 5-11 to defer the bill. House Bill 183, limiting courthouse cell phone bans in fee-payment areas, was amended and then failed on a 7-7 tie with the chair voting no. The committee also reported favorably House Bill 451 on ATC hearing notices, House Bill 541 on micro distillers via substitute, Senate Bill 44 on tactical medical professionals’ firearms, House Resolution 37 honoring veterans who served in Honduras, and House Bill 89 requiring a district attorney office to pay certain retirees’ health premiums from its own funds. Several other bills were voluntarily deferred, and the meeting ended with a motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• in the United States.
• As the state sexual assault coalition, we certify 20 rape crisis programs throughout the state of Florida
• Those are not our buildings.
• So those are their buildings.
• Amendment number one, bar code 237943.

Transcript Highlights:

• This reduction is a natural response to that state-funded workload coming to a close and our state-funded
• So all of our state grants to date have been one-time funding.
• It also helped to build budget resiliency.
• As we at CWOP build more cases and build more evidence, we'd be able to move cases to the state that
• are going to need to be staffed, as well as build private cases that'll be able to build the PAGA fund

Summary: The subcommittee heard a series of budget and trailer bill presentations focused on labor and public employment programs. The first item covered EDD Next modernization, where EDD described progress on customer service improvements, fraud prevention, language access, and the Integrated Claims Management System. The LAO urged stronger legislative oversight as the project enters its most difficult phase, and members questioned the revised schedule, total cost, change orders, stress testing, SB 1090 implementation, and how race and ethnicity data will be protected. EDD said the overall project cost remains about $1.2 billion, that the work is being phased with disability insurance and paid family leave first, and that fraud has been greatly reduced since pandemic-era programs ended. Members also asked for follow-up information on SB 590 outreach and equity impacts. The committee then reviewed the California Workforce Development Board’s request to reduce staffing as one-time grant workloads wind down, along with trailer bill language to streamline reporting requirements. The board and Department of Finance said the staffing reductions reflect the end of surge funding and that the proposal would consolidate roughly 10 to 12 reports into one annual report, with additional reporting only if new funds are appropriated for certain programs. Senator Durazo questioned the policy direction of reducing workforce staffing, while the administration said the positions were tied to temporary grant programs and that current staffing is sufficient for ongoing duties. Members also asked about the board’s role in AI-related workforce planning and the rationale for using state funds for the High Road Construction Careers Program. A major portion of the hearing focused on the Subsequent Injury Benefits Trust Fund reforms and related staffing request at DIR. The administration and LAO described rapid growth in applications, backlog, and liabilities, saying the program’s eligibility has expanded beyond its original intent and that liabilities could reach about $30 billion by 2030 without reform. The trailer bill would tighten eligibility, apply the changes to open cases, and use the QME process and contemporaneous evidence to document preexisting disabilities. Members raised concerns about fairness to pending claimants, evaluator capacity, and the relationship to other SIBTF legislation, while the LAO said the proposal largely aligns with its prior recommendations. DIR also presented a request to eliminate vacant positions under a statewide vacancy sweep, which drew criticism from members who argued the cuts could weaken enforcement and backlog reduction efforts; the committee asked DIR to return with more detail on impacts and on its use of temporary-help authority. The final items addressed a request for additional Cal/OSHA investigative staff and a trailer bill to make permanent the revised Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board petition timeline. DIR said the BOI staffing would help investigate fatalities and serious injuries more quickly, while members emphasized the importance of family contact and timely investigations. For the WCAB item, the chair explained that the 2024 change to Labor Code section 5909, which starts the 60-day decision clock when a case is transmitted rather than when a petition is filed, has reduced pending cases and should be made permanent; the remaining backlog was reported at 460 cases, down from 637 before the change.

Transcript Highlights:

• staff feel very strongly about this bar authority... ...item six, where the State Investment Council
• Again, the State Investment Council is asking for next year's authority this year.
• Let's go back because the State Investment Council is asking for another BAR, right, for management fees
• Line 7, the State Investment Council requested to add cybersecurity within this appropriation.
• This is basically allowing them to start pulling money from their other state funds to start building

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• old buildings.
• Council requirement that the building be designed to the program within ESPC.
• It seems for a little bit, there's been some narrative going out that the council will support the build
• To build up, you know, the points that they've made, I think that we as a council want to be consistent
• And we're here as a district asking for permission from the council to build what's been designed, and

Committee: House Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task Force

Transcript Highlights:

• Most states, the majority of states, had definitions, either stated or unstated, that marriage was a
• And as it relates to the state, Life.
• and then another state, who were having to file their federal taxes and then their state taxes separate
• I want this state to have options.
• State Board of Land Commissioners, 1999.

Committee: House State Affairs

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from February 17 and 18 and agreed to hold RS 33446 at the sponsor’s request. It then reconsidered RS 33144, a memorial urging the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit Obergefell v. Hodges. The sponsor argued the issue belongs to the states under federalism and cited Idaho’s constitutional definition of marriage and traditional moral and religious views. Members questioned the need for the memorial given Idaho’s existing constitutional amendment and whether updated public-opinion data should be provided. The committee adopted a substitute amendment removing language referring to the “Anglo-American legal tradition,” and the revised RS 33144 was introduced; the chair later noted noes on the motion for the record. The committee next introduced RS 33-421, a large-load utility bill aimed at codifying rules for new high-demand customers, such as data centers, so growth pays for growth and existing ratepayers are protected from infrastructure costs. The sponsor said the bill would help prevent rate increases and stranded assets, and members asked about impacts on nuclear development, treatment of existing large-load customers, and whether utilities had been consulted. The motion to introduce RS 33-421 passed. The main item of the meeting was H.J.R. 10, a proposed constitutional amendment concerning Idaho endowment lands. The sponsor said the amendment would prioritize revenue-generating uses, preserve traditional uses like timber, mining, and grazing, and protect public access without making the public a beneficiary. Supporters, including recreation and outfitter representatives, said it would provide stability and better recognize recreation and other uses. Opponents from logging, mining, ranching, and the Idaho Department of Lands warned it could create legal ambiguity, invite litigation, conflict with the Admissions Act and fiduciary duties, and shift management away from the current trust framework. After extensive testimony and debate, a motion to hold H.J.R. 10 in committee failed 6-8, and the motion to send it to the floor with a due pass recommendation then failed on a 7-7 tie, so no action was taken to advance the resolution.

Transcript Highlights:

• Most states, the majority of states, had definitions, either stated or unstated, that marriage was a
• and then another state, and they were having to file their federal taxes and then their state taxes
• Welcome to House State Affairs.
• I want this state to have options.
• State and federal law are at play.

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And as chair of the California Arts Council, I also want to speak on behalf of my fellow council members
• And as chair of the California Arts Council, I also want to speak on behalf of my fellow council members
• and creative workers in the state.
• This plan outlines a path forward, including Goal 6, to build state capacity and infrastructure to implement
• Rubio, Dominique Johnson, Executive Director of the Stanislaus Arts Council, one of the state-local partners

Committee: Senate Joint Committee on the Arts

Summary: The Joint Committee on the Arts held an informational hearing on California’s first sector-specific creative economy strategic plan, developed under AB 127 by the California Arts Council with an interagency work group and outside research support. Committee members and panelists described the plan’s purpose as strengthening the state’s creative workforce, stabilizing creative businesses, expanding equity and access, and building infrastructure for long-term implementation. The opening presentation highlighted major forces shaping the sector over the next decade, including AI, climate disruption, affordability, access to capital, and social cohesion, and outlined six action areas: workforce preparation, business growth, cultural tourism and identity, cross-sector incentives, ROI/data tracking, and state capacity-building. Testimony from the California Department of Education and the Workforce Development Board focused on existing workforce pipelines, including updated arts/entertainment/design CTE standards, the Entertainment Equity Alliance, apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship pathways, and High Road Training Partnership investments. Speakers said these efforts are producing strong placement outcomes, including paid on-the-job training, union placements, and support for workers facing barriers, while also emphasizing the need for entrepreneurship training and wraparound supports. Committee discussion also centered on a major unresolved issue: how to define and measure the creative economy consistently across agencies, since current labor data often misses gig, contract, nonprofit, and business activity. A second panel of practitioners and advocates described local examples of the plan in action. The Handy Foundation, Arts for LA’s Creative Jobs Collective, the Arts Council of San Bernardino County, and the California Arts Council chair all argued that artists and creative workers should be treated as essential contributors to education, community health, local economies, and resilience, not as peripheral workers. They urged stronger school partnerships, more arts access, and better recognition of creative careers. Members also discussed AI’s impact on creative work, with panelists saying it should be treated as a tool that requires guardrails, training, and union and educator involvement rather than as a replacement for human creativity. No formal votes were taken; the hearing was informational, and members expressed support for continued implementation, better data systems, and additional funding in future budget and policy actions.

Transcript Highlights:

• This builds on the efforts undertaken pursuant to Idaho Code cleanup last year in House Bill 14.
• builds.
• My name is Gil Arrucette, and I'm a representative with the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters
• IRS code.
• code and really lines up... ...of independent contractor that we already have in state code and really

Committee: House Business

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Financial benefit and receive money from the state of California.
• This is about aligning our tax code with our values.
• California Council for Affordable Housing, and Justine Marcus, state and local policy director for Enterprise
• Look, I remember the debate on sanctuary state, which was SB 54.
• This bill does not ask the state to build a new economic cluster from scratch.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation heard several bills, most of them referred to the suspense file because of their fiscal impact. AB 2465 and AB 1675 would deny state grants, loans, tax credits, or other benefits to companies doing business with ICE or related immigration-enforcement agencies; both drew strong support from immigrant-rights, labor, and community groups, and opposition from CalChamber and industry groups that argued the bills were overly broad and could affect unrelated federal contracts. AB 1633 would impose a 50% gross receipts tax on for-profit private immigration detention facilities, with supporters saying it would hold companies accountable for dangerous conditions and opponents warning it was punitive and could disrupt detention operations. The committee also heard AB 2089, which would streamline the welfare property tax exemption process for affordable housing, and AB 2250, a cleanup bill to clarify hemp enforcement laws; both were supported by affected industry and advocacy groups, while county assessors and tax collectors opposed AB 2089 unless amended over workload and implementation concerns. AB 2172, which would allow counties to use a single-member assessment appeals commissioner for complex property tax appeals, was the only bill taken up for a vote during the meeting. Supporters, including Los Angeles County Assessor Jeffrey Prang, said the change would reduce a large backlog and speed resolution of appeals; the committee adopted amendments and passed the bill 4-0 to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations. The committee also heard AB 2319, creating a proposed post-production tax credit to keep film and television post-production work in California, with support from labor and industry representatives who said jobs and spending were leaving the state; the author said the bill still needed work on labor standards and the annual credit cap. Finally, AB 2403 was presented to create a commercial production tax credit to keep commercial shoots in California. The author and supporters said commercial production has declined sharply in the state and that other states are winning work through targeted incentives, while labor-backed witnesses argued the bill would protect middle-class jobs and local spending. The transcript ends during the presentation of AB 2403, before any vote or final action on that measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• Came from some out of state.
• Came from some out of state.
• Came from some out of state. Um, paper. Came from some out of state.
• </c> &gt;&gt; To build and do what they need. &gt;&gt; To build and do what they need.
• </c> agreements in the state. agreements in the state.

Bills: HB42 , SB246 , SB38 , SB194 , SB183 , SB253 , SB160

Committee: Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development

Keywords: unclaimed vehicles, towing, Department of Revenue, notification requirements, abandoned vehicles, real estate, residential property, single-family home, homeowner protection, property solicitation, unsolicited offer, wholesaling, real estate wholesaling, assignment contract, equitable interest, investment property, house flipping, predatory real estate practices, title cloud, deceptive trade practices

Transcript Highlights:

• I tracking issues about building codes.
• council that develops the state's building codes.
• </c><01:04:54.400><c> council</c> the uh um the construction code council the uh um the construction
• </c><01:05:17.680><c> codes</c><01:05:18.319><c> uh,</c> know, some improved building codes uh, know,
• So most insurance companies carry code upgrade coverage, meaning if the building code today requires

Keywords: 1183, house