Transcript Highlights:

• Thanks for coming to visit with us. Let's go online to Dr. Raul Garcia. Dr.
• Senate Bill 5905 exempts port employees from the Public Employees' Retirement System if they're covered
• The first is for Port District employees who are covered by a federal railroad retirement plan, and the
• second specifies that, pursuant to current law, Port District employees who are covered by a Taft-Hartley
• Senate Bill 5905, concerning membership in the Public Employees' Retirement System for port workers.

Bills: SB6194, SB5963, SB5909, SB5826, SB5988, SB5872, SB5879, SB5834, SB5835, SB5905, SB5832, SB6177, SB5970, SB5994, SB6047, SB5647

Keywords: SB 6194, Washington Medicaid, medical assistance, fee-for-service, managed care, rural hospital, Indian reservation, tribal hospital, federally recognized Indian reservation, Indian Health, hospital reimbursement, Medicaid payments, inpatient services, outpatient services, psychiatric unit, health care access, rural health, tribal health, safety-net hospital, RCW 74.09

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee held public hearings on several bills before moving into executive session. Substitute Senate Bill 6037 would change how city-created fire protection districts affect city property tax levies, replacing the current dollar-for-dollar reduction in a city’s actual levy with a reduction in the city’s statutory maximum rate; testimony was largely supportive from the Association of Washington Cities, fire officials, and the City of Everett, while the Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts opposed it over prorationing concerns. Senate Bill 6194 would extend cost-based Medicaid reimbursement to a rural hospital on a federally recognized Indian reservation, specifically Toppenish Hospital; hospital and community representatives supported the bill as a health equity measure, citing financial losses and service cuts, while no opposition was heard. Senate Bill 5963 would automatically make Passport to Careers students income-eligible for the Washington College Grant and route Passport funds into the state financial aid account; student advocates supported it as a way to improve access for former foster and homeless youth. Senate Bill 5909 would require public baccalaureate institutions to review and report low-enrollment undergraduate programs and consider discontinuing programs with fewer than 10 graduates on average over five years; Eastern Washington University supported the bill as accountability and efficiency reform, while faculty and student representatives from other universities opposed it as unnecessary, costly, and potentially politicized. Senate Bill 5826 would require public college student health centers to provide access to medication abortion or referrals and related web information; testimony was sharply divided between supporters framing it as essential student health access and opponents raising moral, safety, and budget objections. In executive session, the committee received staff briefings on a number of bills and then took action on most of them. It advanced Senate Bills 5872, 5879, 5834 (with a substitute amendment adopted), 5835, 5905 (with a substitute adopted), 5832, 6177, 5496, 5970, 5994, 6047 (with a Trudeau amendment adopted and rolled into a substitute), and 5647 (with a substitute adopted) to the Rules Committee with due pass recommendations, generally subject to signatures. The committee also heard briefings on other measures, including fee authority for opioid treatment accreditation, pension trust fund expense authority, LEAP website changes, restrictions on single-family home ownership by certain entities, a permanent senior center property tax exemption, timber tax distribution changes, capital project administration guidelines, and a real estate excise tax exemption for affordable housing. The meeting ended after caucus and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• worried about whether a small brewery like mine can uphold safety or quality, I invite them to come visit
• outdated post-prohibition era laws, not one of our local restaurants is able to serve an actual local New Port
• We're visited by a quarter million people every year. It's a beautiful, beautiful beer palace.
• purchase, using a small business loan, an 1,800-square-foot gas station in the downtown heart of New Port

Summary: The State Administration Budget Subcommittee met with a quorum and took up one bill, House Bill 499, which would allow malt beverage manufacturers producing less than 31,000 gallons annually to sell and deliver directly to vendors. The sponsor and several craft brewery owners and industry advocates testified in support, arguing the measure would help small breweries reach local restaurants, improve quality control, create jobs, and serve as a bridge into the three-tier system for businesses too small to attract distributors. Opponents, including the Florida Beer Wholesalers Association, argued the bill would undermine the three-tier system, weaken accountability and tax collection, and create risks for consumer protection and market fairness. During debate, several members said they supported the bill as a small-business measure while noting they remained protective of the three-tier system. Some members raised concerns about tax tracking and long-term distributor contracts, but others said the bill appeared limited enough to preserve the existing system while giving small breweries a chance to grow. The committee then voted on the bill and it passed, with one recorded no vote. After the bill vote, the subcommittee revisited prior questions about Department of Lottery Secretary Davis’s travel reimbursements. Members reviewed updated documents showing more than $50,000 in travel reimbursements from January 2021 through November 2024, including about $27,840 tied to Orlando destinations, and expressed concern that some reimbursements may have covered commuting between Tallahassee and Orlando. The chair said the information would be sent to Secretary Davis for an explanation, and the meeting adjourned after no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2022, the Bloomington City Council and the Port Authority approved an amended spending plan for tax
• ,</c><00:14:12.399><c> and</c> council, Bloomington Port Authority, and council, Bloomington Port Authority
• I'm here with Holly Mesa, our port authority administrator for the city of Bloomington.
• </c> including, um, the Bloomington Port including, um, the Bloomington Port Authority<00:18:59.360><
• and the port authority is is I and the port authority is is I understand<00:20:26.400><c> that</c><00

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• she was referred for genetic testing for genetics for metabolic bone disease at her first pediatric visit
• Regardless of all that, after an ER visit because she was concerned about her child, this young mom was
• Visitation is limited and once that wheel gets spinning, once a bureaucracy gets moving, it's very, very
• exploit built-in system access that could disrupt essential operations, including power plants and port
• globally integrated supply chains, from network-controlled electrical substations to cloud-connected port

Transcript Highlights:

• So what you don't have is a single container coming in at a port. We don't test at the ports.
• Here, it goes back offshore and they try to bring in another port.
• And then by having better certification at the port of embarkation, try to keep this from ever leaving
• the port in whatever country it's in, because they have to...
• And we did visit with the district, and the discussion was, do we hold a new election?

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes and welcomed a new member, then took up a series of agriculture-related bills, many focused on Louisiana seafood and producer protections. HB 121 by Rep. Domain would let the Department of Agriculture and Forestry seize and destroy adulterated imported seafood after a stop order, rather than relying on another agency to do it; the commissioner said the bill would improve enforcement without adding major cost, and it was reported favorably. HB 725, also by Rep. Domain, was amended to require retailers to keep invoices for imported seafood for six months so inspectors can verify country of origin and labeling; the committee adopted the technical amendment and reported the bill favorably. HB 367, dealing with Structural Pest Control Commission hearing notices, was described as a technical change to align notice procedures with the Administrative Procedure Act and was also reported favorably. HB 505, on certification cards for commercial applicators, pesticide salespersons, and agricultural consultants, was amended to keep unexpended pesticide fund money in the fund and streamline renewal timing; it too passed favorably. The committee then considered several measures aimed at protecting farmers from market losses. HB 344 by Rep. Coates raised the Grain and Cotton Indemnity Fund thresholds for suspending and restarting assessments, with the commissioner explaining that recent bankruptcies and broker failures had shown the need for a larger reserve; the bill was reported favorably. HB 370, a follow-up measure on the same fund, increased the assessment rate on agricultural commodities so the fund could grow faster, and it also passed without objection. HB 847, on Soil and Water Conservation Commission district supervisor elections, was amended to require certified nominating petitions, shift election administration to the Secretary of State, and remove outdated statewide election language; supporters said the change would modernize a system that had become costly and unwieldy, and the bill was reported favorably. HB 370 and HB 847 drew discussion about ballot access, election administration, and the nonpartisan nature of soil and water districts. The meeting also included a lengthy agriculture update from Commissioner Strain and a presentation from LSU Ag Center Dean Matt Lee. Strain discussed seafood imports, labeling enforcement, shrimp industry promotion, feral swine damage, fertilizer and diesel cost pressures, pesticide disposal, and export markets for rice and timber, emphasizing that Louisiana agriculture depends on testing, marketing, and international trade. Lee reported that LSU Ag Center research is ranked among the nation’s top agricultural programs, with major work in sugarcane variety development, and said the center’s research generates substantial economic returns for Louisiana producers. Several industry representatives, including Louisiana Farm Bureau and LSU Ag Center staff, spoke in support of the bills and the state’s agricultural programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our ports, our trade relationships, our innovation economy.
• And I have a brother-in-law who works down in the ports in Long Beach.
• I don't think there's anything wrong, particularly Visit California, which you know is part of GoBiz,
• So we will do everything, working through Visit California and other avenues, to make sure people understand
• Are they coming in from the ports? Where are your customers or your end users located?

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The chaos in Port-au-Prince is creating regional instability.
• ,</c> heavily armed attacks on ports, heavily armed attacks on ports, highways,<04:44:38.240><c> critical
• I visited with small that we enacted.
• </c><08:04:17.120><c> again</c> and and I look forward to visiting again and and I look forward to visiting
• I recently had the chance to visit with Dan McGee. This is Dan right here.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have seen an increase in visitation, that 2.7% percent increase in spending.
• So whenever we do our surveys to get visitation We ask people why they are here.
• We will, you know, we will visit and we will talk about the programs.
• Trade ports, we haven't started deploying those funds yet.
• You said you visited over 15 schools to promote financial fitness.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I expect that they will be visiting your office on those issues and many election and criminal justice
• Thank you so much for coming in and visiting us at your State Capitol.
• Thank you so much for coming in and visiting us at your State Capitol.
• Senate Bill 1745 makes improvements and updates to the Cedar Port Navigation and Improvement District
• SB 1746 clarifies existing Texas law to support our ports and navigation districts. I move passage.

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, offered an invocation, led the pledges, and approved a series of routine motions, including excusing absent members and granting permission for several committees to meet while the House was in session. Members also adopted several memorial and recognition resolutions, including H.R. 1023 honoring Christian Beerbill, H.R. 1033 recognizing International Bereaved Mother’s Day, and H.R. 877 recognizing Urban League Advocates Day. The House also recommitted SB 17 and HB 4211 to committee and postponed SCR 27 and HB 2145 for later consideration. The chamber then took up a long third-reading calendar of bills covering a wide range of topics, including Sunset review measures, health care workforce and pricing, child custody and family law, Medicaid, rural ambulance grants, energy reporting, public information requests, trail development, virtual meeting disruptions, occupational licensing, protective orders, county leave pools, animal cruelty, infrastructure, and higher education. Most bills were explained briefly by their authors and passed with broad support, though several drew notable opposition, including HB 5265, HB 2402, HB 3000, HB 3237, HB 3326, HB 1056, HB 281, HB 3308, HB 1043, HB 1234, HB 1193, HB 294, HB 809, HB 334, HB 2037, HB 285, HB 1353, HB 3960, HB 4044, HB 4264, HB 2807, HB 3349, HB 4406, HB 1593, HB 1899, HB 1201, and others. Several bills prompted extended debate or amendments. HB 3237, extending public energy-use reporting for state and higher-education buildings, passed after questions about its public-sector-only scope and energy savings. HB 3326, addressing public service loan forgiveness credit for adjunct professors, initially failed on a 69-70 vote but later passed after verification and machine corrections. HB 3211, concerning optometrists in managed care plans, adopted a Buckley amendment before passing. HB 2213 on Texas Windstorm Insurance Association board composition adopted a Metcalf amendment requiring certain board members to be Texas residents. HB 412, dealing with harmful materials and sexual performance of a child, generated extensive questioning about its scope, existing legal standards, and effects on educators and medical professionals; the excerpt ends during that debate.

Transcript Highlights:

• the back of the chamber where my youngest daughter and my newest granddaughter are making her first visit
• Domestic and international travelers spent an estimated $19 billion while visiting Louisiana in 2025,
• House Bill 776 by Representative Boriak is an act to amend Title 34 relative to the port construction
• House Bill 776 revises the Louisiana Port Construction Development Priority Program.
• House Bill 776 revises the Louisiana Port Construction Development Priority Program by expanding eligible

Keywords: 974, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, thanks for coming to visit us. I was sold on this a while back when I heard about it.
• My name is Cassie Losey for the record, and I'm here on behalf of the Port of Benton and the Director
• It's a $1.5 billion facility planned on the Port of Benton property, and we're really proud of that.
• So, on behalf of the Port of Benton, we appreciate your time, and we urge you to support this bill.
• The reality is, thanks to Justin, I had an opportunity to visit a number of shellfish farms this summer

Bills: SB5816, SB5971

Keywords: juice grapes, agriculture, commerce, state regulation, market access, green fertilizer, low-carbon, sustainability, incentive program, 904, all

Summary: The committee heard public testimony on Senate Bill 5816, which would add juice grapes to Washington’s Agricultural Marketing and Fair Practices Act so grape producers could form an accredited association to negotiate with processors. Staff explained the bill’s negotiation timelines and a modest fiscal note. Senator Torres said the measure was intended to help juice grape growers obtain fairer prices, and the sole testifier, a third-generation grower, described large price gaps between Washington and New York, limited buyer options, and little ability to negotiate before harvest. The public hearing closed with 47 people signed in pro and one con. The committee then heard Senate Bill 5971, which would create a green fertilizer incentive program for low-carbon nitrogen fertilizer production and use in Washington. Staff described the bill’s 80 percent emissions-reduction standard, rulemaking timeline, and fiscal note. Senator Benke and supporters from the Tri-Cities, Atlas Agro, NRDC, labor, ports, and agricultural groups argued the program could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, stabilize fertilizer supply and prices, support jobs, and help Washington compete for federal clean hydrogen tax credits. WSDA said the bill was implementable with consultation and that the Climate Commitment Act could be a funding source, while noting rulemaking costs. Testimony also included support from the League of Women Voters, the Washington State Potato Commission, and a potato farmer. The public hearing closed with 202 pro, 737 con, and one other comment. The work session focused on commercial shellfish fee increases adopted by the Department of Health. The department explained that fees had not been raised for many years, that general fund support had declined, and that the new structure is intended to move toward full cost recovery in phases, with the first year set at 50 percent of the increase and further rulemaking underway to examine impacts on small businesses. Shellfish growers and industry representatives strongly opposed the increases, saying the fee calculations were confusing, the increases were extreme for small farms and processors, and the department had not fully implemented recommendations from the Green Economics report, including possible efficiencies and shifting biotoxin testing costs to the state. Several testified that the new fees could force closures, consolidation, or reduced operations. Committee members questioned the size of the increases, the fee methodology, and whether the legislature had contributed to the problem by relying on general fund backfill in prior years.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Port said.
• The last vote we will hear is that of Senator Port, and then we will vote. Senator Port.
• ><c> Port.
• Senator Port. Thank you, Mr. vote. Senator Port. Thank you, Mr.
• </c> co-author, Senator Port. Thank you, Mr. co-author, Senator Port. Thank you, Mr.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• local port in Brazoria County.
• We need access to the ports once again. We need storage solutions.
• We need access to the ports once again.
• So, you need port access— good port access.
• port access.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• a disease that has been around for over 100 years came into Florida, probably through the southern port
• contracts with with that tax outlined the requirements of what they had to do in terms of the number site visits
• number ports, the number of different meetings, interviews on site visits.
• So I encourage you to come visit, but any any questions. Senator Boyd, you're recognized.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh started with a clinic visit, week.
• At no point during all of clinic visits.
• Uh visit to urgent care would have been.
• </c><04:31:08.479><c> And</c><04:31:08.720><c> Senator</c><04:31:09.040><c> Port</c> Senator Port votes
• And Senator Port Senator Port votes I. And Senator Port votes<04:31:09.680><c> I.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• unwavering to ensure California remains a safe place to live, work, and travel for those who are visiting
• I'm talking about ports, logistics, agriculture, manufacturing, interstate commerce.
• Obviously, California has the largest ports in North America, with the Port of L.A. and Long Beach just
• customers bring their ambassador drivers, which are some of their most experienced drivers, to come visit
• We can also talk about heavy-duty vehicles that are in ports, drainage, mining, you know, those things

Summary: The Assembly Transportation Committee heard an informational hearing on California’s newly finalized autonomous vehicle regulations, with DMV and CHP officials describing the updated framework and committee members pressing them on safety, enforcement, and first-responder impacts. DMV said the rules, effective April 28, 2026, expand reporting, create a phased permitting system from testing to deployment, add requirements for safety cases, remote operations, and first-responder coordination, and open a path for heavy-duty AV testing and deployment while still prohibiting oversized loads and hazardous materials. CHP said it worked with DMV on enforcement tools, first-responder interaction plans, and training local agencies on the new notice of noncompliance process. Members asked about crash data, immobilizations, freeway and construction-zone safety, weigh-station enforcement, and whether foreign licenses can qualify for remote assistants or drivers; DMV and CHP said the rules are intended to keep AVs accountable and that heavy-duty AVs will be held to the same roadway standards as human-driven commercial vehicles. A second panel focused on data collection and enforcement. Consumer attorneys argued the prior rules were too limited because DMV stopped collecting meaningful data once AVs moved from testing to deployment, making it difficult for the public and litigants to understand incidents; they supported the new regulations but urged that the collected information be made public. The industry association said California now has the nation’s most robust AV oversight, with monthly or quarterly reporting of collisions, system failures, immobilizations, harsh braking, vehicle miles traveled, and notices of noncompliance, plus broad DMV authority to restrict or suspend operations. In response to questions, the industry said it generally supports the new framework, believes the regulations are clear, and does not favor full federal preemption of state AV rules, though it wants federal standards for design, construction, and performance. A third panel addressed first-responder interaction and remote operations. The San Francisco Fire Department described repeated AV interference with emergency scenes and said AVs have generated hundreds of “sleeper calls,” where passengers fall asleep and trigger 911 responses; the department said these incidents consume significant staff time and it wants better protocols to reduce unnecessary dispatches. Waymo said it has trained thousands of public-safety personnel, maintains a 24/7 emergency line, uses geofencing/avoid-the-area messages, and can allow first responders to manually override or move vehicles when needed. Committee members asked about sleeper-call prevention, remote assistant licensing and drug testing, communication redundancies during outages, and how manual overrides work for vehicles without traditional controls; Waymo said it is collaborating with responders and that its vehicles are designed to reach a safe stop if connectivity is lost. The final panel began with testimony on heavy-duty autonomous vehicles. A transportation researcher said freight is essential to California’s economy and that heavy-duty AVs pose distinct safety risks because of their weight, stopping distance, and the potentially severe consequences of crashes or immobilizations on highways. He said the new regulations are important because they create a regulated pathway for heavy-duty AV deployment, require a safety case, set mileage thresholds, and add reporting categories that can serve as leading safety indicators. The hearing was still in progress when the transcript ended, with additional testimony expected from labor and industry witnesses on heavy-duty AV deployment.

Transcript Highlights:

• “I believe Port of South Louisiana is the only other one.
• “So there are only two, you and the Port of South Louisiana?
• So if this were to pass, then both you and the Port of South Louisiana would get the supplemental pay
• “And the Port of South Louisiana would get the supplemental pay.
• it already, because the Constitution currently says, and for fire protection officers employed by a port

Bills: HR3, HR80, HB4, HB172, HB189, HB623, HB944, HB1185, HB1199, HB1222, SB105, SB125, SB461

Keywords: housing assistance, state-owned property, cost-burdened, state employees, affordable housing, fiscal audit, higher education, public funds, underrepresented minorities, Board of Regents, Louisiana legislation, constitutional convention, Louisiana constitution, electoral process, government structure, delegate elections, airport authority, fire protection, supplemental pay, public safety

Transcript Highlights:

• are now DEED-operated programs they're under the Jobs Committee's jurisdiction, even though Senator Port
• are now DEED-operated programs they're under the Jobs Committee's jurisdiction, even though Senator Port
• Senator Port, I think, was the lead author, if I remember right, so I'm a little fuzzy on the details
• I think was the the lead um Senator Port I think was the the lead author<00:08:44.720><c> if</c><00:
• Senator Mohamed has visited Lake County with me and seen my region.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, it is now my pleasure to introduce the officials here from the great port of Long Beach, from
• The Port of Long Beach, thank you for the work that you do for the city of Long Beach and for the entire
• As a fellow Diversity Caucus, one of the LGBT Caucus's core initiatives is to have been visiting rural
• During our several visits to tribal nations, we've been fortunate to hear directly from tribal council
• If you are visiting my district, please stop by.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Leadership Southwest is a cooperative effort from Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncan Inland Port Chambers of
• I know you We'll be making visits as well as having speakers come before you.
• I am pleased to welcome the AME Church members visiting Austin today.
• Thank you for visiting your Texas State Capitol today. And with that, I will move adoption.
• Association who are visiting their Texas capital and advocating for the greater Houston community.

Keywords: 1184, house, all