Transcript Highlights:

• We utilize telehealth for HIV, COVID, and sexually transmitted diseases and connecting people to services

Summary: The committee first recognized Mark Roper of the Economic Development Department for his long service and retirement, with members and the secretary praising his work on economic development across the state. Secretary Rob Black then presented EDD’s budget and special appropriation requests, describing strong recent job and income growth and outlining the department’s strategy around science and technology, site readiness, workforce development, foreign direct investment, and rural/community programs. He highlighted wins in advanced energy, quantum, space and defense, and biosciences, and asked for funding for quantum/DARPA matching funds, additional site readiness work, LIDA closing funds, JTIP training support, New Mexico Partnership, and healthy foods and other community programs. Members asked detailed questions about the quantum proposal, site readiness, the new mapping tool for industrial sites, workforce participation, trade missions, foreign investment, tariffs, water and produced water, tribal site evaluation, and public engagement on major projects. Black said the quantum request was intended to match federal dollars and build a workforce pipeline, that the site-readiness software would be a set enterprise license, and that the department was working with tribes and local partners on future site evaluations. He also said tariffs have created uncertainty but New Mexico’s infrastructure and foreign trade zones could help attract manufacturing, and he acknowledged concerns about transparency and community input while noting that some projects, such as Pacific Fusion, had gone through extensive public processes. The committee also discussed specific projects and funding balances, including Mantis Space’s move to Albuquerque, the status of Virgin Galactic’s spaceport lease, and the current LIDA fund balance and encumbrances. Black and Deputy Secretary Isaac Romero said the department was trying to use State Investment Council-backed venture funds to attract companies and that the new investments were already producing deals and jobs. Members generally supported the department’s direction but pressed for more targeted expertise, faster deployment, and stronger community involvement in future economic development decisions. Later, Secretary de Blassie of the Department of Health presented the department’s budget request and progress report. He said DOH had improved revenue cycle management, reduced old Medicaid-pending cases, increased census at facilities, improved budget and contract timeliness, and responded effectively to the measles outbreak. The department requested additional base funding for epidemiology and response, the DOH helpline, the Vital Records Virtual Vault, state labs, and the veterans home, along with special requests for respiratory vaccinations and marketing and lab equipment replacement. He also noted progress on MOUD and the medical psilocybin program, and said the department was not seeking to launch new programs given the limited time left in the administration.

Transcript Highlights:

• is able to learn in a safe and supportive learning environment, no matter their gender identity, sexual

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee held an informational hearing on AB 715, followed by discussion of SB 48. AB 715 was presented by Assembly Members Zbur and Addis as a response to rising anti-Semitism in California schools. They described incidents involving harassment, swastikas, biased classroom materials, and students feeling unsafe, and said the bill would create an Office of Civil Rights with coordinators to address anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination, provide prevention resources, and support school districts. Witnesses in support, including a rabbi and a student who described personal experiences with anti-Semitic harassment, urged immediate action to protect Jewish students. Opposition testimony came from the California Teachers Association, county superintendents, school board groups, labor organizations, civil liberties advocates, ethnic studies educators, and many community members. Their main concerns were that the bill was rushed, had not been fully vetted in the Assembly Education Committee, and could chill classroom speech or create constitutional problems, especially around language requiring instruction and materials to be “factually accurate” and not based on advocacy, bias, or partisanship. Several opponents argued that anti-Semitism should be addressed through education, training, and restorative practices rather than new statutory restrictions. Some witnesses also raised concerns about the bill’s impact on ethnic studies and free speech. Committee members then debated the bill’s process and substance at length. The authors said the bill had been narrowed through negotiations with education stakeholders and the Senate, that some disputed provisions would be revisited in cleanup language, and that the urgency of anti-Semitic incidents required action now. Several members expressed support for the bill’s goal but criticized the late release of the final language and the lack of consultation with the Assembly committee. Others emphasized the need to protect Jewish students immediately and argued the bill was a necessary response to a real crisis. The transcript does not show a final vote on AB 715 in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• While many women rightfully will scold men for purchasing another for sexual gratification, they find

Committee: House Health

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard several bills focused on health care access, staffing, and coverage. A major special order was SB 306 by Senator Becker, which would reduce prior authorization requirements for services and drugs that are routinely approved. Becker and supporters, including the California Medical Association, California Hospital Association, Health Access, Planned Parenthood, and others, argued prior authorization delays care, adds administrative burden, and can lead to serious patient harm. Opponents from health plans, insurers, the Chamber of Commerce, and physician groups raised concerns about preserving utilization management, the bill’s 90% approval threshold, drug coverage, and how “modifications” are counted. After late amendments and discussion with the Department of Managed Health Care, Local Health Plans of California withdrew opposition, while the bill remained opposed by some groups. Committee members discussed patient stories, cost concerns, and the bill’s amended structure, and the author asked for an aye vote. The committee also heard SB 35 by Senator Umberg, which would let cities and counties inspect unlicensed sober living homes if the Department of Health Care Services does not act on complaints within set timelines. Supporters, including the League of California Cities and several local governments, said the bill responds to inadequate state enforcement and growing problems with unlicensed facilities. One county behavioral health group opposed unless amended. Members largely supported the bill, citing community impacts and the need for stronger oversight. SB 62, also by Senator Becker, would codify California’s proposed essential health benefits update if approved federally, adding hearing aids, durable medical equipment, and infertility/IVF coverage. Health Access California and several advocacy groups supported the measure, while the California Family Council opposed. The committee then heard SB 596 by Senator Menjivar, which would tighten the definition and use of hospital on-call lists in the nurse staffing ratio enforcement process. Nurses and labor groups supported the bill as closing a loophole, while the California Hospital Association and other hospital groups opposed, arguing it would reduce staffing flexibility and increase costs. Finally, SB 40 by Senator Wiener would cap insulin copays at $35 per month and limit step therapy for insulin; it drew broad support from medical, patient, labor, and student witnesses, with no opposition testimony heard. The committee ended with discussion of SB 363, which would address health care coverage and independent medical reviews, but the transcript cuts off before that item was fully taken up.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that's why we're seeing minor-on-minor sexual molestation in these offices when children are in custody

Transcript Highlights:

• she received every single one of the vaccines on the CDC schedule, including HPV, a vaccine for sexually

Bills: HB163 , HB216 , HB721 , HB2035 , HB2038 , HB3057 , HB3153 , HB3233 , HB3595 , HB3801 , HB3812 , HB4076 , HB4129 , HB4377 , HB4535 , HB4666 , HB4730 , HB4743 , HB4903 , HB5149 , HB5155 , HB1534 , HB163 , HB216

Committee: Senate Health & Human Services

Summary: The committee met without a quorum at first, then established a quorum with five members present. Members heard and left pending several House bills, including HB 4743 on allowing hospitals to license mobile stroke units under a hospital license, HB 4129 on earlier DFPS enforcement tools for single-source continuum contractors in community-based foster care, HB 4903 creating a Quad Agency Child Care Initiative to coordinate child care regulations across state agencies, HB 3812 revising the gold card/prior authorization process for physicians, HB 4535 requiring written informed consent before COVID-19 vaccination and a standardized state information sheet, and HB 4666 reducing the frequency of some HHSC reports to the legislature. The chair also noted HB 35 would be voted on later after a subcommittee back was received, and that a large number of bills would be heard the next day. Most of the testimony focused on HB 4535 and HB 4730. On HB 4535, supporters argued the bill would strengthen informed consent for COVID vaccination by requiring written consent and clearer state-level information about risks, manufacturer liability protections, and adverse-event reporting; opponents, including a pediatrician and medical groups, said existing federal and state informed-consent materials already cover these topics and warned the bill could create duplicative paperwork and penalties. On HB 3812, the Texas Medical Association supported changes that would extend the gold-card evaluation period to one year, raise transparency, and make prior authorization exemptions easier to administer, while health plans said they were neutral and viewed the bill as a balance between reducing burden and preventing fraud or unsafe care. HB 4730 drew extensive testimony from adoption professionals, birth mothers, adoptive parents, and child welfare advocates. The bill would require DFPS to create a relinquishment form, train child-placing agency staff, and extend the minimum waiting period for voluntary relinquishment from 48 hours to seven days. Supporters of the current law argued the 48-hour period aligns with hospital discharge, allows informed decisions, and helps birth parents and adoptive families begin healing and bonding without pushing children into foster care or creating legal and Medicaid complications. The author said the bill would be revised and that the seven-day provision was a work in progress. No votes were taken on the bills during the meeting; each bill was left pending after public testimony closed.

Transcript Highlights:

• team, which, if you're not familiar, deals with select cases where there are child fatalities or sexual

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education

Summary: The committee held its first meeting of the session and received an overview of the Higher Education Appropriations budget from staff director Tim Elwell. He explained the committee’s broad jurisdiction over universities, state colleges, district workforce programs, vocational rehabilitation, blind services, student financial aid, private colleges, and the Board of Governors, and reviewed key budget concepts such as local funds, funds per FTE, performance funding, and the distinction between the total appropriation and the recurring base budget. He noted that higher education is funded largely through state and local sources, with substantial flexibility compared with other state budgets, and that the base budget is heavily weighted toward lump-sum allocations to the public systems. The committee then heard a presentation from the University of South Florida’s Florida Center for Cybersecurity (Cyber Florida), led by retired Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie and USF representative Mark Walsh. They described Cyber Florida as a statewide cybersecurity platform created by the Legislature in 2014 to support education, research, workforce development, public policy, and community engagement. McKenzie emphasized the growing cyber threat environment, Florida’s leadership role, and several funded initiatives, including K-12 outreach, workforce training, a cyber range for county governments, critical infrastructure assessments, grant development, and public conferences and outreach. Members asked about public cyber awareness, the lack of a national cyber defense strategy, school district participation in Cyber Launch, and which counties are most at risk; McKenzie said smaller counties with limited cybersecurity staffing are generally more vulnerable and offered to provide follow-up information. Finally, the committee heard from the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities at the University of Central Florida, led by Dr. Drew Andrews, along with program and parent representatives from participating institutions. Andrews explained the center’s role in coordinating Florida’s postsecondary comprehensive transition programs for students with intellectual disabilities, supporting program development, distributing grants and scholarships, and monitoring outcomes. He reported that the state now has 33 approved programs at 35 institutions, including universities, state colleges, and technical colleges, and that scholarship and grant funding has grown significantly. He said student retention is about 88 percent, many graduates are employed, and median hourly earnings have increased over time. A representative from Southeastern University described how the center’s support helped build and sustain SEU Link, including a new third-year employment-focused option for students.

Transcript Highlights:

• year 2026-27 to sustain these services and expand these services for Californians facing escalated, violent

Summary: The committee heard a lengthy budget hearing focused on child care, child welfare, and immigration-related services, with most of the discussion centered on child care funding, slot utilization, and rate reform. Department of Social Services officials said the Governor’s budget would provide $6.8 billion for child care programs in 2026-27, including $11.5 million in Prop. 64 funds for mini-grants to licensed facilities affected by 2025 disasters. They also described federal CCDF and Prop. 64 revenue reductions that would reduce general child care funding by about 4,176 slots, while emphasizing that the cuts should not affect currently enrolled children. The LAO supported aligning spending with lower revenues and asked for more detail on the disaster grant program. Members questioned why so many awarded slots remain uncontracted or unfilled, and DSS said delays are largely due to providers building new infrastructure, licensing, staffing, and enrollment work. One senator criticized the repeated explanation, argued unspent funds revert to the General Fund instead of being redirected to child care, and urged shifting more funding from contract slots to vouchers and increasing flexibility for infrastructure and expansion costs. DSS said it is exploring more flexibility, better readiness screening, and quicker redistribution of relinquished slots. The committee also discussed the Emergency Child Care Bridge program, with DSS saying it can redistribute funds among counties to avoid disenrolling children. A second panel addressed the state’s broader commitment to expand child care and move toward a single rate structure. DSS reported that since 2021-22 nearly 125,000 new slots have been awarded across CCTR, CAPP, CMAP, and the Emergency Child Care Bridge program, bringing monthly service levels to more than 366,700 children. The department and CDE described progress on rate reform, including completion of the alternative methodology and joint recommendations from the labor-management committee on a single-rate framework. County and provider testimony emphasized persistent unmet need, especially for infant and toddler care, and argued that current reimbursement disparities between CDSS-funded programs and state preschool create inequities and discourage expansion. Stanislaus County Office of Education said rate differences can materially affect local program revenue and staffing, while Parent Voices California described the child care system as difficult to navigate and inequitable, especially for Black families and survivors of domestic violence. The California Budget and Policy Center argued that only a small share of eligible children are served, that Universal TK has concentrated investment in school-based settings, and that providers are still paid far below the cost of care. Members pressed the administration for deadlines on automation and implementation of the single-rate structure, and DSS said some work can proceed before collective bargaining concludes, though policy decisions are still needed. The committee also reviewed several trailer bill proposals. For the COLA, DSS proposed applying the 2026-27 increase through cost-of-care-plus payments, but acknowledged it had inadvertently excluded CalWORKs Child Care and the Emergency Child Care Bridge from the initial calculation; the LAO recommended making the COLA increase uniform across child care and state preschool programs. On the alternative methodology survey, DSS proposed replacing the market rate survey with the federally approved alternative methodology and aligning the timing with the federal CCDF state plan cycle. On licensed family child care homes, DSS proposed limiting temporary absences to 20% of monthly care hours and allowing more flexibility for medical appointments, jury duty, training, and union activities. On excessive unexplained absences, DSS proposed a statutory definition to align state policy with federal rules allowing disenrollment after 30 days of unexplained absences. The committee also discussed a proposal to require contractors to collect family fees directly so the full voucher value reaches providers, with DSS saying it is working with Riverside County on implementation and CDE asking that the same policy apply to state preschool. Finally, the committee reviewed an Early Childhood Policy Council reappropriation and reporting proposal, with DSS explaining that prior funds were underused because participation costs are hard to estimate and that additional staffing and contractor support would be needed for the expanded annual report requirements.

Transcript Highlights:

• family will still receive a copy, but the language better reflects that we live in polarized and often violent

Committee: House State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Speaker, gentlelady, there is an assault with intent to commit a violent felony on a peace officer

Bills: HB111 , HB61 , HB43 , HB156 , HB70 , SB3 , HB103 , HB109 , HB128 , HB247 , HJM2 , HJM3 , HM7 , HM17 , HM4 , HM22 , HM23 , HM24 , HM26 , HM2 , HM16 , HM32 , HM11 , HM14 , HM21 , HM34 , HM50

Keywords: water law, state engineer, civil penalty, compliance order, water rights, overdiversion, illegal diversion, groundwater storage and recovery, well license, permit violation, water enforcement, New Mexico water code, irrigation district, conservancy district, water diversion, unauthorized water sales, measuring device, district court appeal, water resources, water compliance

Transcript Highlights:

• emphasize, and I'm sorry, Senator McEwen and Senator Hauschild, but I need you to know that clam predators

Committee: Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 81, Criminal Law, School Resource Officers, Prohibition on Sexual Activity with Students.
• Senate Bill 531, Criminal Procedure, Victims of Sexually Assaultive Behavior Request for Verbal Acknowledgement

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 134, an act relating to sexual assault nurse examiners.
• House Bill 134, an act relating to sexual assault nurse examiners.

Transcript Highlights:

• race, similar initiatives, including activities related to race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual
• Kimberly Crenshaw in 1989, is a framework for understanding how social identities—race, gender, class, sexuality

Transcript Highlights:

• What used to be reserved for sexual assault cases or homicide cases is now expanded to a number of cases
• And as soon as they moved to this town in northern Minnesota, he sexually assaulted her.

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• as measles, bacterial meningitis, norovirus, E. coli, rabies, Lyme disease, avian influenza, and sexually
• as measles, bacterial meningitis, norovirus, E. coli, rabies, Lyme disease, avian influenza, and sexually

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Committee: House Housing

Transcript Highlights:

• The other half are victims of violent crime as well, and we just urge the Legislature to make this allocation

Summary: The committee heard opening budget remarks from the Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst’s Office on the May Revision for Health and Human Services. Finance said the proposal significantly reduces projected out-year operating deficits through a mix of revenue increases and program cost reductions, while the LAO warned that even with booming revenues the state still faces a structural deficit and should prioritize reserves and avoid new ongoing commitments. The chair and members echoed concern about cuts to vulnerable populations, but also noted the need to maintain the overall level of budget solutions and add to reserves. The hearing then moved through a series of CalHHS and HCAI proposals, mostly held open after presentation. CalHHS requested additional legal support to respond to federal H.R. 1-related issues and a net-zero transfer of positions for a shared eligibility/data-sharing platform. Other items included ongoing funding for the 988 Behavioral Health Crisis Service Fund and a request for EMSA to fund maintenance of its enterprise data management system. HCAI presented proposals for hospital fair pricing implementation, the data exchange framework, the all-payer claims database, CalRx insulin development, the diaper access initiative, distressed hospital grants, opioid settlement fund reversion, and the Rural Health Transformation Program. Members questioned funding sources, special fund use, contracting exemptions, timelines, and whether some proposals should be more targeted or supported by alternative funding. A major discussion centered on HCAI’s diaper access initiative and the use of a Public Contract Code exemption to continue contracting for free diapers distributed through hospitals. The chair and some members criticized the optics of the selected vendor and questioned the lack of an income threshold, while HCAI said the program was designed to be universal and administratively simple, with future phase-two direct-to-consumer purchasing to be handled by a different vendor. Another extended exchange focused on distressed hospital funding, where HCAI said the May Revision would provide up to $50 million for hospitals at immediate risk of closure, but members argued the repeated annual need shows a structural problem and asked for broader reforms to hospital payment and care transitions. The final major topic was the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission’s budget. The Commission opposed the May Revision’s reduction of the Innovation Partnership Fund from $20 million to $10 million and a $6.7 million cut to community advocacy contracts, arguing both are core Proposition 1 tools for statewide innovation and community engagement. Finance responded that the proposal is within Proposition 1’s allowable maximums and that prior unspent appropriations could be redirected if the Legislature wanted to restore the full amount. No votes were taken; items were generally held open for later action.

Transcript Highlights:

• who were leaders of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party in the state who, I wouldn't say violently

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognized several introductions and memorials, including a resolution designating August 9, 2026, as Bob Graham Day and a moment of silence for firefighter Roger Timmy Miley. The chamber then moved through a long special-order calendar, with several bills substituted with House companions and adopted by voice vote or recorded vote. Early measures included a tax conformity bill tied to federal Internal Revenue Code changes, which passed 34-0, and a Medicaid/public assistance bill that drew extensive debate over work requirements, fraud reduction, behavioral health services, and SNAP/EBT reforms. Amendments offered by Senators Berman and Osgood to condition or soften the work and photo-ID provisions were rejected, and the underlying bill was placed on the third-reading calendar after lengthy questioning about implementation, exemptions, and eligibility effects. The Senate also passed bills on computer science education and AI instruction, a Parkinson’s disease registry public-records exemption and registry update, designation of the SS American Victory as Florida’s official state flagship, electronic payments for local governments, repeal of the legal-tender sunset for gold and silver, public-records protections for gold/silver custodians and stablecoin-related entities, a Florida stablecoin pilot program, and local government budget transparency/spending measures. Most of these measures were adopted after minor amendments or technical substitutions, with votes generally ranging from 31-3 to 34-0. The chamber also recognized the Florida Channel’s 30 years of legislative coverage. Later, the Senate approved a digital voyeurism bill expanding the reasonable-expectation-of-privacy definition to include private fenced yards, and an insurance customer representative licensing bill allowing high school students to complete insurance/personal finance coursework and later qualify for licensure. The final major item was a medical freedom bill that would expand parental vaccine information requirements, add a conscience-based exemption to immunization mandates, allow behind-the-counter ivermectin for adults, and repeal the sunset on the mRNA mandate prohibition; two amendments clarifying anti-kickback rules and requiring vaccine information to include risks, benefits, safety, and efficacy were adopted, while questions from Senators Smith and Massullo focused on public-health impacts and the content of the required materials. The transcript ends during discussion of that bill, with no final vote shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• who were leaders of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party in the state who, I wouldn't say violently

Transcript Highlights:

• who were leaders of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party in the state who, I wouldn't say violently