Transcript Highlights:

• Innovation, the Department of Consumer Affairs, the Privacy Protection Agency, and the Fair Political Practices
• Innovation, the Department of Consumer Affairs, the Privacy Protection Agency, and the Fair Political Practices
• It's out of their scope of practice. They're not supposed to be doing it.
• They missed a section, but they were still able to practice.
• We want them to continue practice. We want them to fill in that education gap.

Summary: The subcommittee heard budget proposals for Exposition Park, the California Science Center, the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), the Debt Collection Licensing Act program, and the Board of Registered Nursing. For Exposition Park, the administration requested $96.5 million for utility replacement, site improvements, code compliance, accessibility, and safety upgrades, plus $1.698 million for operational sustainability funded from the park’s improvement fund. The LAO said the proposals had merit but noted the first item could be downscaled if needed because of the state’s budget condition. Members emphasized the park’s deferred maintenance, major upcoming events, and the need to protect a statewide asset; both Exposition Park items were held open. The Science Center requested funding to open and operate the new Air and Space Center, including staffing for the facility that will display the Space Shuttle Endeavour and expand exhibit space. The LAO supported the proposal but suggested the Legislature consider alternative funding sources such as admission fees, parking fees, or private funds. Members discussed the Science Center’s public-private funding model, the importance of keeping access affordable for disadvantaged communities, and the tradeoff between free admission and long-term operating support. The item was also held open. DFPI sought continuation of expenditure authority for the California Consumer Financial Protection Law, debt collection licensing, and broker-dealer/investment adviser workloads, and the LAO recommended limited-term funding with more cumulative reporting before permanent funding is considered. Members pressed the department on whether its workload and spending are tied to measurable outcomes rather than just activity counts, and DFPI cited complaint resolution, enforcement actions, and restitution recovered as examples of impact. The Debt Collection Licensing Act item drew similar LAO comments, but members raised stronger concerns about the financing model, the gap between projected and actual licensee counts, and whether spending levels are justified; that item was held open. The Board of Registered Nursing requested $1.4 million for eight special investigators to address rising complaints, and the board said most complaints are resolved through investigation, referral, probation, or rehabilitation rather than discipline. Members asked about complaint backlogs, viral and potentially automated complaints, bias in care, and the lack of broader inspection authority; the item was also held open.

Transcript Highlights:

• Moving next to public hearings, let us begin with House Bill 1295 dealing with instructional practices
• It's a simple, practical step that strengthens both voter participation and election security.
• And I actually had served on it specifically to help infuse those practices and strategies, like you
• As helping us understand best practice in keeping up with academic standards.
• Create a system that supports evidence-based practices, then we can implement them in more systematic

Summary: The committee first took up a motion from Ranking Member Root to promptly schedule public hearings on two citizens’ initiatives. Supporters argued the Constitution and public accountability required hearings so voters could hear pro and con arguments; opponents said the legislature was not obligated to act that way and the initiatives would still be heard at the ballot. On a voice vote, the motion failed. The committee then heard extensive testimony on House Bill 1295, which would require evidence-aligned, comprehensive literacy instruction for K-4 students, update teacher endorsement standards and preparation programs, and require literacy-related continuing education for some teachers. The bill also repeals several older literacy-related provisions. The sponsor and supporters said Washington’s reading results are too low and that structured literacy reflects the science of reading; districts such as Puyallup described strong gains after adopting evidence-aligned instruction. Opponents and alternative-program advocates argued the bill could narrow instructional approaches and exclude programs they say have worked well. PESB testified neutrally that much of the endorsement work is already underway but asked for clarification on recertification language. The hearing on HB 1295 was suspended and later resumed with additional pro testimony from students, parents, and literacy advocates. House Bill 2262 was then heard and completed. It would require high school civics instruction to include teaching students to produce a legible, repeatable official signature and explain how signatures are used in elections and ballot processes, while also requiring related outreach and reporting on signature mismatch ballot rejections. The sponsor and county auditor testimony emphasized that younger voters often have signatures that change over time and that better instruction could reduce ballot rejections; questions focused on whether the bill should account for printed signatures and diverse writing systems. The Secretary of State’s office and county auditors were reported as supportive, and the hearing closed after a large number of pro sign-ins. The committee also heard House Bill 2636, which would create a public education performance, operations, and funding review commission to evaluate whether education mandates and funding are effective, relevant, and adequately supported. Supporters said the bill would help identify unfunded mandates and reduce administrative burdens on districts; rural district testimony urged a narrower scope and earlier start date. Finally, House Bill 2007 was heard, proposing competency-based assessments as additional graduation pathway options in place of some existing course/exam requirements. Student testimony supported more flexible, equitable pathways, while the State Board of Education said it supports competency-based education but preferred to wait for its broader Future Ready graduation-requirements work and noted the bill would require additional rulemaking. The hearing on HB 2007 closed after testimony from students and a neutral statement from SBE.

Transcript Highlights:

• So one, I would love to collaborate with someone to find out whether it's engineers or policy holders
• one I would be beyond the scope of so one I would love<00:29:24.640><c> to</c><00:29:24.880><c> collaborate
• with someone to find love to collaborate with someone to find out<00:29:26.320><c> where</c><00:29:26.720
• time, there are times where we do need some evidentiary support that has evidence-based medical practices
• </c> it's evidentary based medical practices. it's evidentary based medical practices.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard three University of Hawaiʻi-related measures. HB 718 HD1 would appropriate funds for faculty and staff positions at the John A. Burns School of Medicine in cardiovascular, law, biology, tropical medicine, quantitative health/biostatistics, and environmental health and safety. Testimony was in support, including from university representatives and others who submitted written testimony. Members asked whether the positions were additional and how they would affect enrollment; the university said the hires would teach medical students and conduct biomedical research, helping increase the class size to about 77 and eventually 80, and noted a workforce paper requested by the committee would be provided soon. The committee then discussed SB 1170 HD1, which would grant resident tuition at any UH campus to certain graduates of Hawaiʻi high schools enrolling in undergraduate programs. UH supported the bill and said it had adjusted its testimony in response to prior committee concerns. Members focused on the proposed four-year window, asking why that timeframe was chosen and whether the change was needed at all. UH explained that four years would allow students who left the state to return and still complete an undergraduate degree or prepare for graduate school, and said the bill would help students who come back after one or two years but otherwise would have to wait a year to reestablish residency under current rules. UH also said it was discussing possible administrative rule changes as an alternative if the bill did not pass. Finally, the committee heard HB 1300 HD1, which would fund a University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center pilot study on cancer disparities among Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, and people living near landfills in Nanakuli, focusing on social determinants of health, lifestyle, environmental exposures, and resilience factors. Testimony from researchers and advocates strongly supported the measure, saying the study could help explain cancer disparities and support future research funding. Members questioned the cost, the reliance on future federal or foundation funding, and the practical outcome of the study. The Cancer Center said the pilot would cost about $500,000 per year for two years, with later funding sought from federal, nonprofit, or private sources; it said the study would produce longitudinal data that could help identify at-risk groups and provide evidence for policy decisions, though members expressed concern that the project needed a clearer end goal and stronger case for public investment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Visa is a private-sector leader in financial literacy and has developed the Practical Money Skills program
• a</c><00:41:17.800><c> the</c> literacy and has developed a the literacy and has developed a the Practical
• money skills program in Practical money skills program in conjunction<00:41:20.160><c> with</c><00:41
• </c><01:14:20.800><c> with</c><01:14:20.960><c> uh</c><01:14:21.320><c> on</c> opportunity to collaborate
• with uh on opportunity to collaborate with uh on the<01:14:21.600><c> grant</c><01:14:21.920><c> award

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 110, HD1, which would clarify local food purchase goals for the Department of Education. DOE said it supports the measure and will work toward the 30% local food mandate by 2030. The Department of Agriculture also supported the bill, and outside advocates from the Hawaii Public Health Institute and Hawaii Farm to School Network strongly backed it as consistent with prior farm-to-school laws and helpful for measuring progress toward the goal. The committee then took up House Bill 293, which would exempt certain DOE purchases of local edible produce and packaged food products from electronic procurement rules and allow written-quote purchasing thresholds, including a lower quote requirement for some rural schools. DOE, the Department of Agriculture, the State Procurement Office, and the Hawaii Farm Bureau all supported the measure, describing it as a tool to help the department test and add local products and meet the 30% goal. However, members pressed DOE on the bill’s purpose and mechanics, questioning why the department could not simply add products to vendor lists or use existing procurement flexibility. DOE explained it was trying to test new local products, including products not yet on the USDA-approved list, and said the bill would allow limited pilot purchases while it works through USDA approval and vendor-list updates. Members also raised concerns about whether the bill was being used to bypass procurement and whether small farmers or aggregators could realistically supply the needed volume. House Bill 1069, which would add two voting members representing DOE and the Board of Education to the School Facilities Authority, also drew support from DOE and the Board of Education. Supporters said the change would improve accountability, strategic input, and communication on school facilities matters. SFA testified that it has already increased coordination with DOE through regular meetings and that recent discussions have been more robust. Committee members questioned whether voting seats were necessary given that DOE and BOE could already attend meetings and receive updates, and they raised concerns about how a voting representative would report back and whether the measure would actually solve communication problems. No votes or final actions were taken on the measures during the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we've tried to do more than plug gaps, but we've tried to really collaborate, listen first, and
• And so we've tried to do more than plug gaps, but we've tried to really collaborate, listen first, and
• The collaboration went forward after some sort of initial challenge.
• The collaboration went forward after some sort of initial challenge.
• Chairman, I just want to acknowledge your department's steadfast collaboration and communication with

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Just for those of us who don't practice law? Have faced statutes, when do they apply?
• Just for those of us who don't practice law? They apply. Well, they apply.
• get some of the other folks we've got testifying to comment on this, but it's your belief as a practicing
• The practice of law is full of deadlines, and lawyers know they have to deal with those deadlines, and
• I can give you a practical example that applies from a very small matter that I just dealt with.

Committee: House Insurance

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So House Bill 817 represents a practical and thoughtful modernization of Idaho's tobacco retail statutes
• I think, you know, as was testified earlier, the practical thing is you just kind of work your way down
• It's just really a practical thing for us in terms of administration.
• There's also the fact on the ground that, just from a practical standpoint, when you start looking at
• that we are saying we believe it makes sense to have separated out because of all of these other practical

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Summary: The Senate State Affairs Committee began by introducing several RSs and then considered a series of gubernatorial reappointments, including Bud Tracy to the State Building Authority, Skip Smeiser to the Idaho Lottery Commission, Jerry Aldape to the Idaho Endowment Fund Investment Board, and Nikaela Black Abrams to the Idaho State Racing Commission. The committee voted to send the latter three appointments to the floor with recommendations for confirmation, while Bud Tracy’s appointment was held for a later vote. The committee also postponed consideration of one item to accommodate scheduling conflicts. The committee then heard and advanced several bills and resolutions. House Bill 795, a cleanup measure related to House Bill 710, was sent to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. Senate Bill 1398, which would move Idaho’s presidential primary to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May and align it with state primaries, drew support from the Secretary of State, the League of Women Voters, and committee members who emphasized voter access and turnout; it was sent to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. House Concurrent Resolution 32, affirming Idaho’s energy sovereignty and preference for reliable in-state generation and property-rights protections, also advanced on a due-pass motion. The committee next approved House Bill 893, a codifier/technical corrections bill, and House Bill 817, which updates tobacco retail laws to clarify and permit certain adult-only premium cigar retail and event activities while maintaining youth-access restrictions. Testimony on HB 817 came from a small business owner and a trade association representative, and members described it as a small-business measure. House Bill 872, which would eliminate the separate ballot page for constitutional amendments and initiatives to reduce printing costs and streamline ballots, was supported by the Secretary of State and county clerks but opposed by the League of Women Voters; it nevertheless received a due-pass recommendation. Finally, the committee advanced Senate Bill 1397, which would bring larger private wastewater corporations under Public Utilities Commission rate regulation, with supporters arguing it would protect customers from unregulated monopolies and improve oversight. House Bill 831, which would require school polling places to be closed to instructional use on election day to better balance voter access with student safety, also received a due-pass recommendation after testimony from the League of Women Voters, county clerks, and the Secretary of State. The meeting adjourned after all motions passed.

Transcript Highlights:

• So House Bill 817 represents a practical and thoughtful modernization of Idaho's tobacco retail statutes
• I think, you know, as was testified earlier, the practical thing is you just kind of work your way down
• It's just really a practical thing for us in terms of administration.
• for what they charge... ...for what they charge, the availability of service, or discriminatory practices
• There's also the fact on the ground that, just from a practical standpoint, when you start looking at

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We look at scope of practice for people. We look at pharmacy.
• We look at scope of practice for people. We look at pharmacy. We look at dental.
• By rule, by practice, [the LFC] cannot write an FIR on something that hasn't been adopted.
• By examining options to meet growing energy demand, identifying best practices from other states, and
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, collaborating, seawater contains

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 287, which would create a permanent Health and Human Services Committee. The sponsor argued the state spends about $14.4 billion annually on health and human services and needs a standing committee to better oversee programs such as Medicaid, SNAP, CYFD, hospitals, pharmacy benefit managers, and related issues. Members discussed staffing, start-up costs, and whether the committee would have subpoena power; staff said interim funding exists in the feed bill and additional funding would likely be needed later. The committee adopted an amendment striking the appropriation and changing the effective date, then voted due pass on the amended bill, with several members recorded in opposition. The committee then considered House Bill 371, as substituted, to create land grant and acequia infrastructure funds financed from remaining severance tax bond capacity. The sponsor and acequia/land grant advocates said the measure would provide a short-term funding source for infrastructure needs such as land acquisition, right-of-way access, ditch cleaning, and repairs, with distributions beginning only after the fund reaches a threshold and subject to limits through 2031. Members asked about bond capacity, the relationship to capital outlay, legislative approval of projects, and whether the bill would reduce reliance on repeated capital requests. The committee adopted the substitute and passed the bill, with one member in opposition. The committee also heard Senate Bill 143, which raises fee caps under the New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s inspection and grading programs, including egg grading, nursery stock, pesticide, feed, and related services. The department and industry supporters said the caps had been unchanged for decades and that the bill would help fund inspections and staffing without meaningfully affecting consumer prices. After questions about fee administration, consumer impact, and staffing levels, the committee voted do pass. Finally, the committee discussed House Bill 329, which would create an Energy Affordability and Grid Reliability Council attached to the Public Regulation Commission. The sponsor said the council would study affordability, reliability, grid modernization, and energy options, drawing on experts from state agencies and utilities. Members raised concerns about the bill’s vagueness, lack of term limits and detailed structure, possible duplication with existing agencies, missing representation for rural co-ops, tribes, and nuclear energy, and the funding source. The sponsor said the governor’s office had requested the bill and that funding would come from governor-controlled GROW money, but the committee ultimately rolled the bill for further work and did not adopt the amendment presented that day.

Transcript Highlights:

• It also creates consistent documentation and notification. practices which protect teachers and keep
• The harmful practice of restraining and segregating children is traumatic to students, families, and
• These practices, we do not believe, teach.
• Extreme disciplinary practices do not support this connection.
• How much collaboration, sir, was involved in preparing this bill?

Bills: SB106 , SB171 , SB179

Committee: House House Education

Keywords: graduate scholarship, higher education funding, New Mexico, appropriation, financial aid, education, documentary, historical figure, Padre Antonio Jose Martinez, Northern New Mexico State School, SB179, Senate Bill 179, UNM, University of New Mexico, medical Spanish, Spanish-language curriculum, health sciences, health professions education, language access, bilingual healthcare

Transcript Highlights:

• So that's a standard practice now. Okay. Without any type of agreement.
• currently the provision in law under the threat assessment section outlines, to the greatest extent practicable
• With state and federal best practice guidelines, which recommend a multidisciplinary threat assessment
• identification, understanding body language, which is something that I spent all 32 of my years practicing
• So it's really, you know, collaborating with each school district. Yeah. Okay. Thank you, Mr.

Committee: Senate Education K-16

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education K-16 met with a quorum and announced a full agenda, including combined public testimony for two bills related to student personal communication devices. The committee first took up Senate Bill 1262 by Senator Nichols, a school safety cleanup bill following House Bill 3. The bill would allow TEA to commission peace officers for school safety purposes, require annual renewal of good-cause exceptions to armed guard requirements, create a new report based on intruder detection audits and vulnerability assessments, and require behavioral threat assessment teams to include someone with specific knowledge of a special education student’s disability. Committee members asked about the difference between TCOLE licensing and TEA commissioning, the scope of the officers’ authority, and how the good-cause exception would work. The committee substitute was adopted, and public testimony included support from school safety and drone-response advocates, Disability Rights Texas in favor of the special education provisions, and a student witness raising concerns about the mental health impact of repeated lockdowns and the need for immediate, reliable school safety responses. The bill was left pending after testimony, then the committee briefly recessed and later reopened testimony to hear the student witness. The committee then laid out Senate Bill 2252 by Senator Creighton, a major early literacy and numeracy bill for kindergarten through third grade. Creighton said the bill builds on prior literacy efforts by funding teacher stipends for literacy and math academies, providing free and clearly administered screeners and assessments, expanding screening options, clarifying how results are used, supporting high-quality pre-K, and increasing the early education allotment. He emphasized low reading performance and the need for early intervention. Members discussed how the bill differs from earlier academy models and whether the assessments are diagnostic or high-stakes; Creighton and witnesses said the tools are intended to identify students needing support, not to serve as punitive testing. The committee adopted the substitute. Witnesses for SB 2252 largely supported the bill. A Uplift Education representative described strong gains from small-group literacy tutoring and said students receiving targeted support can make more than a year of growth in a year. An education specialist explained that the bill aligns general education screening with existing dyslexia and special education practices and helps districts identify students who need intervention before a disability evaluation is required. A Commit Partnership witness cited statewide reading data, the importance of high-quality pre-K, and the need for transparent, consistent progress monitoring and parent engagement. Members asked about the meaning of the growth data, how dyslexia screening works, and how the bill would help identify struggling students earlier. Before finishing all questions, the committee recessed subject to the call of the chair after the floor session.

Transcript Highlights:

• we're moving it from one-third to one-half, subsequently, we go and we remove the instructional practice
• we're moving it from one-third to one-half, subsequently, we go and we remove the instructional practice
• behind now moving it from one-third to one-half, and then we also eliminate the entire instructional practice
• putting maybe a time frame on this to where your new teachers still must fall under the instructional practice
• I want to thank Senator Burton and Senator Davis for your collaboration on this as well.

Committee: Senate Fiscal Policy

Summary: The Committee on Fiscal Policy considered several bills and reported all of them favorably. SB 70-24, on state planning and budgeting, was presented as a modernization of the long-range planning program to simplify reporting, remove outdated measures, and focus on key data points and outcomes; it passed without opposition. CS/SB 166, on administrative efficiency in public schools, made broad changes to school accountability and operations, including lowering the stakes of certain student assessments, giving districts more flexibility on evaluations, contracts, certification, calendars, facilities, and VPK oversight. Two amendments were adopted: one clarifying that Title I funds may be used for STEM services, and another refining how advanced degrees count on salary schedules. The bill passed favorably after testimony both supporting and opposing the changes, with supporters emphasizing flexibility and opponents raising concerns about teacher evaluation and instructional practice. CS/SB 164, on vessel accountability, was described as a measure to address derelict and at-risk vessels by improving owner identification, creating a free long-term anchoring permit program, increasing penalties, and authorizing grants for local governments in the FWC prevention program. It received support from marine industry groups and was reported favorably. CS/SB 472, on education and correctional facilities for licensed professions, would allow inmates to receive credit toward licensure for qualifying coursework; a strike-all amendment added coordination with DBPR and professional boards. The bill drew support from criminal justice, business, and policy groups and passed unanimously. The committee spent the most time on CS/SB 438, on food and hemp products. Senator Burton and co-sponsor Senator Davis argued the bill was needed to regulate intoxicating hemp products, restrict child-appealing packaging and signage, ban synthetic hemp products, cap THC content in edibles and beverages, and require hemp beverages to be sold through alcohol-style distribution channels. Supporters, including alcohol distributors and some public safety advocates, said the bill would improve testing, labeling, and consumer protection. Opponents, including hemp retailers, farmers, and libertarian advocates, argued it would harm small businesses, reduce consumer choice, and push sales to the black market. After extensive debate, the bill was reported favorably. At the end of the meeting, senators requested to be recorded as voting in the affirmative on tab five, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• a very vital function in those communities where they are still offered, but they're no longer a practical
• the notice requirement and provides alternatives for the storage facility owner while ensuring a practical
• thought for our customer, no additional fees would be charged to that customer, which is a current practice
• Which is practically 30 years ago. You can imagine how different things are now.
• We appreciate the committee's dedication to child safety and stand ready to collaborate on solutions

Bills: HB 186

Committee: House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development

Keywords: public funds, lobbying activities, political subdivisions, government expenditure, transparency, local government, political subdivision, county, city, municipality, special district, taxpayer-funded lobbying, lobbying restriction, registered lobbyist, government association, county association dues, Texas Legislature, injunctive relief, attorney's fees, Chapter 556

Transcript Highlights:

• newspapers still serve a very communities where they are still offered, but they're no longer a practical
• notice requirement and provides... alternatives for the storage facility owner while ensuring a practical
• Which is currently practiced in the rental car industry.
• No additional fees would be charged to that customer, which is a current practice that is in place today
• We appreciate the committee's dedication to child safety, and stand ready to collaborate on solutions

Bills: HB186 , HB517 , HB 1093 , HB 1268 , HB1395 , HB186

Committee: House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development

Keywords: social media, children, account verification, data privacy, parental control, property owners' association, residential watering restrictions, vegetation, fine limitations, drought, technology, innovation, economic development, grants, Texas Economic Development, business funding, HB 1395, private passenger vehicle rental, car rental, vehicle rental

Transcript Highlights:

• To communities where they could adopt zoning practices that have worked in other states for building
• Create a framework for what best practice land use and zoning is for the state, something that's currently
• adoption and our work in the Office of Housing to work with local governments to implement best practices
• We're not telling people what to do, but there will be a list of best practices.
• In collaboration with the Institute of American Indian Arts, which I also serve as an extension educator

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Moving next to public hearings, let us begin with House Bill 1295 dealing with instructional practices
• opportunities for competency-based assess, oh sorry, relates to using evidence-based instructional practices
• It's a simple, practical step that strengthens both voter participation and election security.
• Create a community of practice where instructional materials and resources can be shared.
• And I actually had served on it specifically to help infuse those practices and strategies, like you

Bills: HB1295 , HB2007 , HB2262 , HB2636

Committee: House Education

Keywords: reading instruction, structured literacy, early literacy, dyslexia, phonics, phonological awareness, language comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, oral language, orthographic knowledge, multi-tiered system of supports, MTSS, screening assessments, intervention, reading intervention, elementary education, kindergarten, first grade, second grade

Transcript Highlights:

• In addition, the bill provides that violating this requirement is an unfair practice in a real estate
• I practice medicine and public health in Olympia for 33 years.
• It's a tailored, practical solution. It doesn't require landlords to install anything.
• The consumer concerns about this marketing practice are extensive.
• National Fair Housing and how off-market practices can deepen segregation and inequality.

Bills: SB6091 , SB6096 , SB6153 , SB6200

Committee: Senate Housing

Keywords: SB 6091, Washington real estate, real estate broker, residential property, home listings, exclusive listing, limited marketing, open marketing, fair housing, brokerage law, consumer protection, housing access, MLS, seller disclosure, buyer representation, dual agency, designated broker, managing broker, short sale, real estate pamphlet

Transcript Highlights:

• My own small four-person practice is deeply embedded in the community.
• practice and most recently as the general counsel of Sutter Health.
• Maybe they're no longer practicing.
• Kamara Graham, and I am a practicing emergency physician.
• Kamara Graham, and I am a practicing emergency physician here in Sacramento.

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard a long series of health-related bills, with most measures focused on access to care, administrative simplification, and behavioral health. Early items included AB 583, allowing nurse practitioners to sign death certificates; AB 492, requiring DHCS to notify local governments when new alcohol or drug recovery facilities are licensed; and AB 280, which would tighten provider directory accuracy requirements, add enforcement benchmarks, and allow use of a centralized database. Testimony on AB 280 highlighted the harms of “ghost networks,” while insurers and some provider groups opposed the bill as written, arguing it placed too much responsibility on plans and did not fully address provider-side data problems. AB 280 passed on a roll call vote, and several other bills were placed on consent and approved. The committee also advanced AB 636, expanding Medi-Cal coverage for medically necessary diapers for children up to age 21 and lowering the age threshold for access; AB 1041, streamlining physician credentialing with a uniform form and 90-day review deadline; and AB 787, requiring health plans to help enrollees find in-network providers quickly when directories fail. Supporters of these bills emphasized family financial strain, delays in care, and the burden of administrative red tape, while opponents of AB 1041 and AB 280 raised concerns about provider participation, accuracy, and liability. All three measures were approved and sent to Appropriations. The committee then took up AB 4 and AB 29. AB 4 would allow income-eligible Californians to buy Covered California coverage regardless of immigration status, and AB 29 would authorize Medi-Cal reimbursement for community health workers and doulas conducting ACE screenings. Both bills drew strong support from immigrant-rights, health access, and community-based organizations, and both passed on roll call votes, with AB 4 receiving some no votes. The committee also approved AB 416, which would allow emergency physicians to place 5150 holds in certain circumstances; supporters said it would reduce delays and overcrowding in emergency departments, while Disability Rights California and others warned it could increase unnecessary involuntary hospitalization and transfers to locked facilities. Despite those concerns, the bill passed and was sent onward for further consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, in practice, treatment rarely begins immediately after release from custody.
• So I appreciate your collaboration there.
• It is imperative that the state is in best ...practices.
• DUI schools do not give rehab kind of education or practices.
• You said you're practicing with the LA District or what, the Public Defender's Office?

Committee: House Public Safety

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We also have made it a practice to uh look at any audits that come out of for other agencies within the
• We also have made it a practice to uh look at any audits that come out of for other agencies within the
• We also have made it a practice to uh look at any audits that come out of for other agencies within the
• We also have made it a practice to uh look at any audits that come out of for other agencies within the
• We also have made it a practice to uh look at any audits that come out of for other agencies within the

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all