Transcript Highlights:

• Maybe there's an equipment malfunction, or maybe the equipment on board the ship doesn't actually line
• Finally, the vessel itself must be equipped to receive shore power.
• And for tanks, and for tanks, especially all of the births are already or close to being equipped for
• We now, at the State Patrol, have every trooper equipped with a body-worn camera.
• We'll be able to have these tools and search in a manner that is meaningful, and we can drill down and

Committee: Joint Joint Transportation Committee

Summary: The committee first heard a presentation from WSDOT on balancing uncertainty in capital program estimates and cash flow management. WSDOT explained the differences between design-bid-build and design-build delivery, its tiered risk-assessment process by project size, and how it uses base estimates, inflation, and risk modeling to set budgets. Staff said design-bid-build estimates are generally accurate within about 1% across the program, while design-build projects carry much wider uncertainty and are better communicated as ranges; they cited a P85 budget approach and noted that large, complex projects can be affected by market competition and long procurement timelines. Members asked about the Columbia River Bridge cost growth and about value engineering, and WSDOT said it uses value engineering but has limited scope to cut costs because of project requirements and policy mandates. Troy Swing also discussed cash flow, noting that a few large projects can significantly affect biennial funding needs, and said a risk pool would not reduce overall program risk but could help manage timing if paired with appropriation and cash-flow controls. The committee then received the final presentation in the WSDOT Project Delivery and Innovative Practices study from HKA Global. The consultant said WSDOT’s estimating practices are generally robust and recommended improving transparency by presenting budget authorizations as ranges or estimate classes, better tracking estimate growth over time, and adjusting advertisement timing to avoid competing lettings. The report also discussed surety bonding, suggesting the legislature consider restoring authority for reduced bonding on select large design-build projects or using phased bonding and alternative securities. On indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracting, the consultant said current job order contract rules are restrictive and recommended legislative changes to make such tools more usable, especially for smaller tasks and to help use unspent funds more flexibly. The committee also heard a follow-up presentation on transit-oriented development policy recommendations tied to HB 1491. The Urban Institute’s Yona Freemark said Washington has been a national leader on TOD but that housing construction, especially in the Puget Sound, has slowed sharply since 2022. He said rising construction costs, high financing costs, and local tax and rent conditions are making many TOD projects infeasible, and recommended that the state fill infrastructure funding gaps around stations, revisit MFTE affordability requirements, consider minimum rather than average density requirements near transit, and create a statewide system to track TOD outcomes such as affordability, gentrification, and transit access. Members questioned the study’s developer interviews, the role of rent control and crime, property tax assumptions, and parking needs; the presenter said the study included five private developers, that rent control was not part of the study scope, and that parking was included in the model assumptions. Finally, the committee began a presentation on regulating emissions from ocean-going vessels at berth. Staff and consultants described California-style at-berth rules, which require shore power or equivalent emissions controls so ships can shut off diesel auxiliary engines while docked. The study is examining vessel traffic, emissions reductions, implementation costs, labor and operational needs, and possible effects on port competitiveness and cargo diversion. No votes or formal actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Are we paying for people to get equipment, or how does that work? That, Mr.
• once they come in and they have a sign-up, then the customer, whoever was awarded that, gets the equipment
• Is the money going to go towards equipment? That type of thing. Maybe we can get together offline.
• The money will go for the equipment, but you're kind of on an island because you as That recipient area
• Sometimes there are marshy areas, sometimes there is rock, and it's really expensive to drill through

Committee: House A&B Finance Subcommittee

Transcript Highlights:

• They're drilling longer laterals and they're using more Fisher completion techniques so that they can
• We we're constantly working on on pipeline, integrity for maintenance and we've run equipment through
• They they're they're smart equipment.
• And that's our that our most popular manufacturer for the equipment that we provide.
• You have a customer who is paying us monthly to lease equipment to power their home if the lights go

Transcript Highlights:

• However, many ERs are ill-equipped to treat infants and children and are staffed with doctors and nurses
• including, at minimum, training on the use of pediatric instruments and clinical simulations and drills
• emergency departments, including, at minimum, availability and immediate access to pediatric-specific equipment
• Specific equipment and supplies, and adding pediatric components to the hospital's comprehensive emergency
• Costs and even her equipment.

Summary: The Health Care Facilities and Systems Subcommittee met with a quorum present and took up five bills. The first, CS/HB 1119 on pediatric readiness in hospital emergency departments, would require hospitals with ERs to adopt evidence-based pediatric care policies, train staff, designate a pediatric emergency care coordinator, complete the National Pediatric Readiness Assessment, and meet minimum equipment and planning standards. Members discussed transport to the closest appropriate facility and implementation concerns, but the bill passed 16-0. The committee then approved HB 677, which would add standard fertility preservation services to the state group insurance program for employees undergoing chemotherapy, and CSHB 497, which would authorize nonprofit agricultural organization medical benefit plans for Florida Farm Bureau members, aimed at improving affordable coverage for farmers and ranchers. HB 677 passed 16-0, and CSHB 497 passed 18-0 after questions about membership, regulation, disclosures, and how the plan would compare with ACA coverage. The subcommittee also approved PCS/HB 791 on surrendered newborn infants, allowing infant safety devices at hospitals, EMS stations, and fire stations as an alternative safe-haven option. Members discussed alarms, unmanned stations, and whether churches should be included; the bill passed 18-0. Finally, HB 1529 on home health aides for medically fragile children was amended and passed 18-0. The bill seeks a federal waiver so compensation for parents serving as home health aides does not count against Medicaid eligibility, and the amendments added reporting of adverse incidents, set work-hour limits, and protected certain other benefits. The chair closed by emphasizing the committee’s role in implementation oversight and fixing problems after enactment.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> our contract commodities and equipment. our contract commodities and equipment.
• </c> then again, commodities and equipment then again, commodities and equipment are<01:35:09.360><c>
• </c> personnel and equipment uh and upgrades. personnel and equipment uh and upgrades.
• Uh, we're asking for some new equipment.
• Uh some other things there, equipment.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• with low- and zero-emission equipment.
• equipment.
• with much food producers replace dirty production equipment with much better equipment more efficient
• But when you drill down further, it paints a more dire picture.
• But when you drill down further, it paints a more dire picture.

Summary: The subcommittee heard testimony on the governor’s proposed sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) tax credit, which would provide a $1 to $2 per gallon credit against the diesel excise tax for SAF sold for use in California from 2026 to 2036. The Department of Finance and CARB argued the credit would help decarbonize aviation, support refinery transitions, and keep fuel production and jobs in California. The Legislative Analyst’s Office recommended rejecting the proposal, saying it is a relatively expensive way to reduce greenhouse gases, could have uncertain or limited climate benefits, and would reduce diesel excise tax revenue that supports highways, local streets and roads, and other transportation programs. A major point of debate was whether the credit would simply shift limited feedstocks from renewable diesel to SAF rather than create new low-carbon fuel supply. Professor Aaron Smith and the LAO said that because feedstocks such as used cooking oil, tallow, and vegetable oils are limited and already used in other fuel markets, the policy could increase SAF at the expense of renewable diesel, with possible increases in fuel prices and little net emissions benefit. Administration and CARB staff disputed that outcome, saying additional waste-based feedstocks are available and that the policy would not meaningfully raise gasoline or diesel prices. Senators focused on feedstock availability, impacts on road funding, fairness to consumers, and whether the proposal was really aimed at preserving specific refineries such as Phillips 66. Public comment was sharply divided. Labor representatives, refinery workers, airlines, Boeing, airports, and some local residents supported the proposal, emphasizing jobs, refinery investment, and aviation’s need for a liquid-fuel decarbonization pathway. Environmental and transportation groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, World Resources Institute, Earthjustice, California Environmental Voters, counties, cities, and trucking and asphalt associations, opposed it, citing weak net climate benefits, possible fuel-price impacts, and losses to transportation funding. No vote was taken; the chair announced all items would be held open for a future hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Gloves, respirators, goggles, direct induction equipment, better cab filters.
• Seeman, if you could please, you know the drill.
• Seeman, if you could please, you know the drill.
• Seeman, if you could please, you know<01:32:12.720><c> the</c><01:32:12.800><c> drill.
• If you would please uh know the drill.

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

Transcript Highlights:

• We've been doing remediation; there's drilling.
• We've been doing remediation; there's drilling.
• We've been doing remediation; there's drilling.
• We've been doing remediation; there's drilling.
• We've been doing remediation; there's drilling.

Summary: The Department of Administrative Services presented an overview of its budget and operations, emphasizing that it is the lowest-spending agency in state government and that its general fund allocation has declined since 2019. Commissioner Arling House explained that DAS also handles back-office functions for several administratively attached boards, which has affected staffing and spending comparisons. He said the department’s current general fund spending is roughly split between retiree health and other operations, and that the presentation was based on adjusted authorized spending rather than the original budget figures. A major portion of the meeting focused on retiree health benefits and the long-term effort to control costs. Deputy Commissioner Cassie Keane described how the state moved from a projected deficit in retiree health to savings through a series of changes, including higher premium contributions, co-pay adjustments, and shifting Medicare retirees into Medicare Advantage arrangements to capture federal reimbursement. She said the state has about 12,500 retirees and spouses on the plan, with roughly 10,906 Medicare retirees and 1,580 non-Medicare retirees, and that the savings have depended heavily on federal funding and procurement decisions. She also noted that Medicare retirees pay Part B premiums and that the state has grandfathered older retirees from some premium contributions. Members asked about what the expenditures cover, why the state offers retiree health instead of simply giving retirees a payment to buy coverage themselves, and whether out-of-pocket costs changed under Medicare Advantage. Keane said the plan covers actual health claims or insurance premiums, that co-pays and maximum out-of-pocket limits remain in place, and that the state has no authority to change benefit details without legislative action. She explained that retiree health is a long-standing employee benefit that wraps around Medicare and is not collectively bargained in the usual sense, though its eligibility rules and cost-sharing have been tightened over time to better target the benefit to long-term state service. The discussion also covered vendor performance problems. Keane said Anthem recently won the contract back from Aetna, but its pharmacy subsidiary, Caroline, caused serious service disruptions. DAS responded by withholding payments, assessing more than $2 million in performance guarantees, and hiring a third-party auditor to review the pharmacy processes. The current contract runs through the end of calendar year 2026, and officials said they are watching federal Medicare Advantage reimbursement changes closely because future savings are uncertain.

Transcript Highlights:

• With state monies when it comes to equipping their workforce with the tools that they need to provide
• You know the drill. Good afternoon, Mr. Chair, members of the committee.
• Thank you. ...of state equipment that we normally do. So there's still the oversight.
• So the cost of vehicles and specialized equipment has increased tremendously. Okay, thank you.
• For that one-time purchase of that specialized equipment. That's okay. Thank you.

Committee: House Corrections and Public Institutions

Summary: The committee first met in executive session and adopted a House Committee substitute combining House Bills 2592, 2834, and 2787 into one measure. The combined substitute was then voted do pass by a unanimous roll call, recorded as 15 ayes and 0 noes after a brief correction to the tally. The committee then heard House Bill 1786, which would raise the Highway Patrol’s spending threshold for purchasing vehicles, watercraft, aircraft, and related specialized equipment without returning to the legislature from $100,000 to $500,000. The sponsor and Highway Patrol witnesses said the current cap is outdated because boats, armored vehicles, bomb trucks, and aircraft equipment now cost far more than $100,000, while members asked about inflation, the revolving fund, and whether a lower increase might be more appropriate. No opposition testimony was offered. Next, House Bill 2885 was heard. It would redirect the first $1 million in annual boat registration fee revenue away from general revenue and into the Missouri Water Patrol Division. The sponsor and Highway Patrol said registration revenue has declined while operating costs have risen, and the division needs the money to support enforcement, search and rescue, dive operations, and boating safety programs. Members asked how much revenue is collected and whether the change would affect other programs; testimony indicated the bill would mainly earmark existing revenue rather than increase overall department funding. The committee also heard House Bill 2694, which would exempt four fee-supported funds from the end-of-biennium sweep to general revenue: the Highway Patrol Academy Fund, the State Forensic Laboratory Account, the Boiler and Pressure Vessels Safety Fund, and the Elevator Safety Fund. The sponsor and Department of Public Safety witnesses said the sweeps make long-term planning difficult and can disrupt training, lab support, and safety inspection operations, though members raised concerns about excess balances, guardrails, and whether fee reductions should be considered if reserves grow too large. Finally, House Bill 1712 was heard; it would make intentionally failing to charge an electronic monitoring device a crime, closing a loophole in existing tampering law. The sponsor, a sheriff, and other witnesses said the bill addresses deliberate attempts to evade monitoring, while members discussed battery warnings, rural access to electricity, and the costs and benefits of pretrial release. No votes were taken on the later bills before the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• We currently have five rigs drilling. We had five rigs drilling last year.
• We currently have five rigs drilling. We had five rigs drilling last year.
• But this is a North Dakota total wells drilled over time by year, going back to 1978.
• These are all the wildcat wells that were drilled in this area.
• Being drilled today.

Committee: House Finance and Taxation

Summary: The Finance and Tax Committee met to consider Senate Bill 2397 and a proposed amendment creating a development incentive well program for North Dakota oil and gas production. Representative Dockter explained the amendment as a way to encourage exploratory and innovative drilling in light of the state’s financial outlook and the growing share of stripper wells. Department of Mineral Resources Director Nathan Anderson and DMR geologist Timothy Nashim presented background on the Bakken and Three Forks formations, with Nashim describing research showing that Middle Three Forks second-bench development can add reserves in some areas but not others, and that roughly 600 additional wells in the strongest area could yield about 250 million barrels of oil. Continental Resources representatives William Houser and John Argo supported the amendment. They said the bill would give a temporary oil extraction tax exemption for certified development incentive wells, limited to 36 months or 300,000 barrels, and would also update tax treatment for gas used in enhanced oil recovery and on-site electric generation. They argued the measure would encourage new technology and testing in existing spacing units, complementing House Bill 1483, which they said focused on geographic expansion into non-Bakken and non-Three Forks areas. Argo said Continental still invests heavily in North Dakota but is shifting rigs elsewhere because of economics, and he urged incentives to spur exploration and preserve the basin’s long-term future. North Dakota Petroleum Council executive director Ron Ness also supported the concept, calling it a targeted, low-risk way to encourage innovation and future barrels. Committee members asked about royalty treatment, the difference from House Bill 1483, pressure maintenance, and how the program would be administered. DMR said the amendment should clarify that the operator bears the burden of proving a well qualifies and that only one incentive well per stratigraphic interval should be certified. No vote was taken; the committee paused to work on revised language and indicated the bill would likely need further adjustment, possibly in conference committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• All kinds of equipment that I don't even know what it's called, strewn everywhere, and the lights are
• All right, you two know the drill. Four minutes whenever you're ready.
• Pressurized canisters can explode during collection, damaging equipment and endangering workers.
• And then, gentlemen, you know the drill.
• You know the drill. You have five minutes whenever you're ready.

Committee: House Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• to more clearly delineate between fire drills, lockdown drills, shelter-in-place drills, and active
• to more clearly delineate between fire drills, lockdown drills, shelter-in-place drills, and active
• to more clearly delineate between fire drills, lockdown drills, shelter-in-place drills, and active
• to more clearly delineate between fire drills, lockdown drills, shelter-in-place drills, and active
• specific incident types such as fire drills, lockdown drills, or active shooter drills.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know one of the pieces of equipment that is listed on here is like the... Mr. Chairman.
• I know one of the pieces of equipment that is listed on here is like we have two bomb trucks, right?
• You know the drill. Good afternoon, Mr. Chair, members of the committee.
• So the cost of vehicles and specialized equipment has increased tremendously. Okay, thank you.
• For that one-time purchase of that specialized equipment. That's okay. Thank you.

Committee: House Corrections and Public Institutions

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator, you well know the drill. Go ahead, state your name for the record and proceed.
• These proposed changes to Idaho Code 18-808 will equip prosecuting authorities with timely information
• Chairman, Senator Lent, the law says that all vehicles that they operate must be equipped with an ignition
• notified over to the prosecutor, could they find a friend's vehicle or another vehicle that isn't equipped

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Rules

Transcript Highlights:

• landfill, and the remaining area is for a little bit of a buffer zone as well as the storage of equipment
• landfill, and the remaining area is for a little bit of a buffer zone as well as the storage of equipment
• </c> zone as well as the storage of equipment zone as well as the storage of equipment uh<00:17:11.760
• Or is the other alternative to give up those wells and actually drill new wells someplace else beyond
• new wells someplace else beyond drill new wells someplace else beyond the<01:13:20.280><c> reach</c>

Summary: The informational briefing focused on the City and County of Honolulu’s effort to site a replacement landfill for Oahu before Waimanalo Gulch landfill closes in 2028. Department of Environmental Services officials outlined the solid waste system, including curbside collection, convenience centers, transfer stations, H-POWER, and the existing landfill, and explained that H-POWER reduces the volume of waste going to the landfill by about 90%. They reviewed the siting history, including the 2019 Land Use Commission deadline, the 2020 enactment of Act 73 with landfill setback and conservation-district restrictions, and the 2021-2022 landfill advisory committee that evaluated six sites but recommended none because they were within the Board of Water Supply’s no-pass zone. The city said it ultimately selected a site in central Oahu, on agricultural land near Wahiawa and the Dole Plantation, as the best legally permissible option and described it as requiring about 150 acres, with 90 acres for the landfill itself. City officials also described the proposed landfill design and safeguards, emphasizing a modern sanitary landfill with double liners, leachate collection, groundwater monitoring wells, and post-closure monitoring. They said the ash from H-POWER is dry and that leachate would be pumped to a wastewater treatment plant. They stated the site is away from residences and groundwater wells, accessible by highway, and can be permitted under state and federal rules, though they acknowledged that a full environmental review, public hearings, and multiple permits would still be required. When asked whether the new landfill could be operating before the 2028 closure date, the city said it did not yet know and that an extension of Waimanalo Gulch might be needed if the new site is not ready in time. The Board of Water Supply strongly opposed the city’s decision to site a landfill above Oahu’s freshwater resources. Its representative said the agency’s mission is to protect safe, dependable water for the future and that it had disapproved all six previously proposed sites because they were located over freshwater aquifers. In response to questions from legislators, the Board said it could not guarantee the liner system would remain impermeable forever and warned that leachate can contain hazardous chemicals, including so-called forever chemicals. The Board characterized the proposal as a long-term risk to the island’s drinking water supply and compared the decision to past infrastructure choices that later proved problematic. No votes or formal actions were taken during the briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm trying to drill down on what that is.
• I'm trying to drill down on what that is.
• Just wanted to remind the body that there is a ballot counting equipment demonstration going on in HHR
• So go see the equipment that is utilized in your counties that your name appears on a ballot.
• So go see the equipment that is utilized in your counties that your name appears on a ballot.

Transcript Highlights:

• The mission is accomplished through regular, multi-jurisdictional drills and exercises in partnership
• police department in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts where the entire department is trained and equipped
• with personal radiation... ...where the entire department is trained and equipped with personal radiation

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Service

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Service held a hearing on a wide range of credible service and retirement-related bills, with testimony largely focused on allowing public employees to buy back prior service time or receive more appropriate retirement classifications. Bills discussed included retirement buyback for Joint Base Cape Cod firefighters (H. 4317), clarification of call firefighter buyback rights (H. 2883/S. 1915), veterans’ buyback (H. 2957), a Bridgewater State University police death-benefit/heart-law issue (filed by Rep. Gallagher), unpaid parental leave buyback for municipal employees (H. 2946), school nurse creditable service (H. 2887/S. 1787), former private/parochial school teacher buyback (S. 1900/H. 2873), Massport police retirement classification (S. 1888), contract employee buyback (H. 2795), Retirement Plus late entry (H. 2792), CVTE/teacher-related buyback issues (H. 2762), Peace Corps/AmeriCorps creditable service (H. 2927), and institutional school teacher retirement fairness (H. 2757). Several speakers also referenced related bills for teachers and nurses that had been heard previously or were filed in parallel in the other branch. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support of the bills. Speakers argued that the measures would correct inequities, recognize prior public service, and help recruit and retain workers in hard-to-fill public jobs. Firefighters described the unique federal-to-state transition at Joint Base Cape Cod and said some members were left out of earlier buyback opportunities. Veterans, teachers, school nurses, correctional educators, and Massport police all described service requirements, administrative gaps, or outdated statutory language that they said unfairly limited retirement credit or placed them in the wrong retirement group. Several witnesses emphasized that the proposals were fiscally responsible because employees would pay the cost of the buybacks, and some noted that similar bills had been filed repeatedly in prior sessions. Committee members asked a few clarifying questions, mostly about why certain employees had been excluded under current law or how the retirement provisions would work. No opposition testimony was presented. The hearing concluded after all scheduled witnesses testified, with the chairs thanking participants for their service and the committee voting to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• up to 25% of the allocation for the improvement of instructional programs for school facility and equipment
• This would reduce the severance tax rate on newly drilled and completed oil and gas wells.
• may not be used on salary enhancements, but may be used on training, purchasing and maintaining equipment

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, we've drilled down into their finances and make sure. Oh, yes. Okay. Yes, we have. Thank you.
• Currently, OST has a loan from ADFA for some equipment we had to buy a few years ago.
• Currently, OST has a loan from ADFA for some equipment we had to buy a few years ago.

Committee: All ALC-PEER

Transcript Highlights:

• KNOW THEIR CHILD WAS GOING TO BE SAFE BUT REALLY THIS BRINGS TO MIND MAKING SURE WE HAVE THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT
• THIS IT DEMONSTRATES THE IMPORTANCE OF HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS CONDUCTING THESE DRILLS.
• JUST ONCE A YEAR EARLY SO THEY KNOW WHERE THE EQUIPMENT EVEN IS.