Transcript Highlights:

• We are not a state agency or state employees.
• We are not a state agency or state employees.
• It would direct state agencies to identify and submit to the governor and Executive Council a list of
• to identify and submit to the agencies to identify and submit to the governor<00:21:27.840><c> and</
• </c><00:27:47.320><c> will</c> conquering this housing challenge will conquering this housing challenge

Committee: Senate Commerce

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So at this point, I think we have an agency resource witness.
• It's not an agency stamp of approval; it is rather a direct assessment.
• The past five years have been extremely challenging for Texas agriculture.
• Hines filed suit challenging the requirement that the initial visit be in person.
• Are challenging to diagnose and treat without a physical exam and diagnostic testing.

Bills: HB 43 , HB 3364 , HB 3469 , HB 3479 , HB 43 , HB 3364 , HB 3469 , HB 3479

Committee: House Agriculture & Livestock

Keywords: agriculture, finance, young farmers, financial assistance, pest control, veterinarian, veterinary medicine, veterinary telemedicine, telehealth, telemedicine, veterinarian-client-patient relationship, VCPR, animal health, livestock, pets, remote care, electronic means, telephone consultation, controlled substances, prescription drugs

Summary: The second bill, House Bill 3469, was introduced to address pest control regulations concerning nuisance birds. Representative Campos explained how the bill proposes non-lethal methods to deter these birds, such as the use of laser lights and sounds, which avoids conflict with both state and federal regulations. The committee heard impassioned testimonies from members of the public who shared firsthand experiences regarding the adverse effects of these birds on property and public health. The meeting concluded with both bills being left pending, reflecting a desire for further deliberation among the committee members.

Transcript Highlights:

• As a state agency at the U.S.
• So, and pretty much these smaller agencies are working this.
• Agency, it's on line 66. Is that what you're referring to?
• It says any state, county, or municipal agencies that...
• Gesus agency. They already report to...

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:35:39.200><c> uh</c><00:35:39.680><c> agency</c><00:35:40.079><c> Finance</c> back to our agency
• uh agency Finance back to our agency uh agency Finance team<00:35:40.640><c> and</c><00:35:40.800><c
• challenge on the special education front challenge on the special education front to<01:17:01.760><c>
• </c><01:19:32.440><c> program</c> multi-disciplinary inter agency program multi-disciplinary inter agency
• </c> startup process can be very challenging startup process can be very challenging because<01:46:16.719

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Since its inception, Hope Florida has been embedded with 11 core state agencies and served nearly 5,000
• But just one question relative to our existing agency operations.
• Do you know what the impact will be on other agencies who are already sort of struggling right now?
• Do you know what the impact will be on other agencies who are already sort of struggling right now?
• With overload, will this have an impact on those agencies and their workload? You're recognized.

Summary: The Human Services Subcommittee met with a full agenda and reported all measures favorably. The committee first heard HB 1327, which would codify the Hope Florida program in state law, and HB 1329, the related public-records exemption for Hope Florida participants; both bills drew questions about oversight, duplication of services, staffing, and data privacy, and both passed 17-0 after an amendment to HB 1329. The committee then approved HB 391, allowing certified batterers intervention programs to include optional faith-based content while remaining grounded in required therapeutic models; an amendment clarified that participation in faith-based components must be strictly voluntary. Supporters argued the bill restores choice and access, while opponents raised concerns about church-state separation and uneven availability of secular alternatives; the bill passed 17-0. Members also advanced HB 1065, creating an Alzheimer’s disease awareness initiative through the Department of Elder Affairs, with broad support from members who shared personal experiences and emphasized early detection and public education. HB 1163, dealing with recovery residences, passed 12-5 after debate over local zoning authority, home rule, and whether the bill would help or hinder placement of level four recovery homes near urban cores. Several members said they supported recovery housing in principle but wanted more clarity on task force findings and local impacts before fully backing the measure. The committee next approved HB 969, which shifts evaluation of school district mental health assistance programs to OPAGA and requires reports on outcomes and effectiveness; members stressed the need to know whether substantial mental health funding is improving student outcomes. HB 1191, which decriminalizes allowing children to travel to school, play outdoors, or stay home for reasonable periods and codifies current DCF policy, passed 16-0 with support framed around parental rights and child development. Finally, HB 1207, the Tristan Murphy Act, passed 15-0 and would expand mental health diversion and treatment options, including training for first responders, a forensic hospital diversion pilot, a behavioral health data repository, and additional evaluation requirements before inmate work assignments. The meeting adjourned after all agenda bills were reported favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> which I believe is the advising agency which I believe is the advising agency uh<00:33:07.679><c
• </c><00:33:10.240><c> and</c> uh at PRA is the advising agency and uh at PRA is the advising agency and
• </c> alleviate these challenges. alleviate these challenges.
• </c> I look at the uh the the the challenges I look at the uh the the the challenges that<01:29:37.040
• 29:40.000><c> education</c> challenges for our special education challenges for our special education

Committee: House Education Funding

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> items regarding the two other agencies items regarding the two other agencies in<00:19:38.559><c
• folks. say um we're going to tell our agencies say um we're going to tell our agencies tell<00:36:58.480
• </c> agency uh initiative. Excuse me, Mr. agency uh initiative. Excuse me, Mr.
• It has been a very challenging target for this committee.
• It has been a very challenging target for this committee.

Bills: HF2446 , HF2563 , HF2444

Committee: House Ways and Means

Keywords: agriculture finance, broadband development, Department of Agriculture, Board of Animal Health, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Office of Broadband Development, food safety, food handler license, cottage food, home processed food, livestock dealer, meat packing company, milk marketer, milk marketing license, grain buyer, grain storage, beginning farmer, emerging farmer, farm down payment assistance, livestock investment grant

Transcript Highlights:

• I think what DEQ is trying to do here is just trying to be a better customer service agency.
• I think what DEQ is trying to do here is just trying to be a better customer service agency.
• This is actually a—I think it's an agency request. I'll know it's a constituent request. Follow up.
• And I think the permit question, that's actually not on here, but I'm happy to help you with that agency
• Just in the inflationary environment that we're in, knowing the challenges of what this is going to cost

Bills: SB1246 , SB1510 , SB1979 , SB1929 , SB1930 , SB1976

Committee: Senate Energy

Keywords: environmental permitting, Oklahoma, Department of Environmental Quality, public participation, regulatory framework, administered applications, energy, wind energy, financial assurance, property restoration, environmental regulation, mining, blasting, residential protection, buffer zone, Department of Mines, public utilities, electric transmission lines, landowner rights, payment regulations

Summary: The committee heard several energy, mining, and environmental bills. Senate Bill 1246, a DEQ request bill, was described as a permitting reform measure intended to reduce delays, increase transparency, and improve public notice; members discussed newspaper publication and digital alerts, and the bill passed 11-0. Senate Bill 1929 proposed a new framework for transmission lines that would compensate landowners with recurring payments for lines crossing their property; members raised concerns about eminent domain, ratepayer impacts, existing easements, and whether payments would transfer with land sales, but the bill passed 6-5 after the author said it was an idea to start a broader conversation. Senate Bill 1510 addressed bonding requirements and reclamation standards, with the author saying the goal was to make bonds meaningful and ensure funds are available for cleanup if operators fail to reclaim sites. Members discussed bond levels, acceptable financial instruments, and the need to balance industry viability with land restoration; the bill passed 11-0. Senate Bill 1979, the Mining and Blasting Residential Protection Act, would create an 800-foot buffer around residences and sensitive facilities near mining and blasting operations and require notifications/signage; the author said it was a constituent-driven good-neighbor bill, but members worried it could affect existing mines, raise costs, and potentially be read to restrict current operations. After title was struck, the bill failed 2-8. The committee also passed Senate Bill 1930, which creates a framework for compensating surface owners when iodine is recovered from produced water for commercial use, and Senate Bill 1976, which phases in surety requirements for small oil and gas producers to soften the impact of prior regulatory changes. Both bills passed unanimously or near-unanimously after brief discussion about balancing regulation with economic impacts. The meeting ended with adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, there are a lot of laws that are kind of old, and agencies get restructured.
• They're kind of vestigial components in one chapter, another chapter that agencies are not able to follow
• The mission of our food co-op is to challenge the traditional food system by building a community- and
• And it's challenging to open any business, never mind a worker-owned business.
• So the Opportunity to Own bill would address both of those challenges and make it possible to preserve

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies held its first public hearing of the session, chaired by Rep. Carole Fiola with Sen. Barry Finegold. After housekeeping on livestreaming, virtual testimony, and written testimony deadlines, the committee heard testimony on several bills, with the main focus on S. 303/H. 503/S. 305 and H. 491, all related to worker ownership and business succession. Testimony generally supported expanding employee ownership, right of first refusal for workers, and incentives for owners to sell to employee groups. Speakers from worker co-ops, technical assistance organizations, lenders, and business owners said these measures could preserve local businesses, protect jobs, build worker wealth, and help communities retain valued services and storefronts. On S. 303, Vincent Lawrence Dixon described a proposal to create tools such as a special community trustee, right of first refusal, and community institution landmarks to help communities preserve important local properties and uses when owners cease operations. On H. 491 and the employee-ownership bills, witnesses including Matthew Page Lieberman, Caleb from Circus Cooperative Cafe, Sarah Acefa of Dorchester Food Co-op, Halsey Platt, Kevin O'Brien, John Abrams, Virginia Berman, Stacey Cordero, Adrian Roman, Alex Popali, Adam Trott, and Ethan Tupelo emphasized that worker-owned businesses can be more resilient, support democratic participation, and help with business transitions as owners retire or close. Committee members asked questions about the tax incentive threshold, the timing and mechanics of the right of first refusal, and whether the bills would affect sale prices or business succession. Rep. Kristen Kassner also testified on H. 490, which would create a special commission to inventory the Commonwealth’s built environment, infrastructure, permitting, and land-use barriers to help Massachusetts adapt vacant or underused spaces for the next economy. She said the commission would help identify opportunities for housing, climate and energy tech, advanced manufacturing, and other uses, and members discussed commission composition and data sources. At the end of the hearing, the chair read a series of additional bills into the record, noted an upcoming Economic Development Expo, and the committee adjourned after a motion and second.

Transcript Highlights:

• regular appear-and-report requirement before the Legislature, unlike other major energy and regulatory agencies
• This approach aligns the CEC with existing practices already in place for agencies such as CPUC, the
• The state's 25 community choice aggregators are nonprofit local government agencies that procure energy
• But the question is: is the CEC not already coordinating, communicating with other boards and agencies
• For geography and economics make telecommunications service a challenge to provide.

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications

Summary: The committee heard several energy, telecommunications, and regulatory bills. SB 929 by Senator Jones would require the California Energy Commission chair to appear annually and report to the Legislature on the commission’s activities, plans, and outreach; it was presented as a low-cost oversight measure and drew no opposition. SB 1138 by Senator Padilla would let load-serving entities trade hourly resource adequacy obligations under the CPUC’s slice-of-day framework to reduce overprocurement and lower ratepayer costs; supporters said it could save tens of millions of dollars, while questions focused on reliability and whether savings would reach customers. SB 913 by Senator Becker would create a clearer pathway for customer-sited distributed energy resources, such as home batteries and smart thermostats, to participate in resource adequacy markets; supporters said it would unlock existing clean capacity and reduce costs, and members asked about reliability, opt-in participation, and compensation for homeowners. The committee also heard SB 1197 by Senator Niello, which would move California to permanent standard time if federal law allows, with testimony from a sleep medicine physician supporting the health and safety benefits of ending the time switch and opposition from golf industry representatives who urged a broader analysis of economic, recreational, and public safety impacts. Members debated whether the 2018 voter approval required another vote and whether Congress would need to act. SB 1265 by Senator Richardson would codify and expand the Go Green financing program by creating a new fund and allowing broader partnerships beyond current IOU service areas; supporters said it would expand access to clean energy financing statewide. SB 1337 by Senator Richardson would create a working group to coordinate fuel transition policy and refinery-related issues following SB 237, with supporters emphasizing the need for better interagency coordination and some members asking how it would avoid duplicative work. The committee also considered SB 1191 by Senator Ochoa Bogh, which would extend the California High-Cost Fund A and B programs for rural telephone service through 2033; supporters said the surcharge-funded program is essential for affordable service and emergency connectivity in remote areas. After discussion, the committee adopted amendments where offered and voted all of the bills out of committee, generally on unanimous or near-unanimous votes, with SB 1265 receiving one no vote. Several bills were held on call briefly and then later passed when the committee reconvened, and the hearing adjourned after all listed measures were reported out.

Transcript Highlights:

• regular appear-and-report requirement before the Legislature, unlike other major energy and regulatory agencies
• This approach aligns the CEC with existing practices already in place for agencies such as CPUC, the
• The state's 25 community choice aggregators are nonprofit local government agencies that procure energy
• But the question is, is the CEC not already coordinating, communicating with other boards and agencies
• For geography and economics make telecommunications service a challenge to provide.

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Executive branch agencies can only adopt...
• Executive branch agencies can only adopt rules to kind of flesh out the statutes if you let us.
• You have given the agency the authority to make administrative rules.
• Maintaining the cemetery is challenging, especially for perpetual care cemeteries that do not receive
• And so it becomes a challenge. And I don't want to, it says minimum.

Bills: HB1162

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Keywords: Lake Agassiz, water authority, board of directors, state highways, water management, 908, all

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 1162, which would add the West Fargo mayor as a voting member of the Lake Agassiz Water Authority board. The sponsor and Fargo’s mayor argued West Fargo has grown into a major regional water stakeholder and should have a formal vote, while members questioned the board structure and why the change was not framed more specifically. The bill was supported in testimony, closed without opposition, and received a 6-0 do pass recommendation. The committee then took up House Bill 1259 on annual legislative sessions and session structure. Members adopted an amendment that left the structure and logistics of sessions to legislative management rather than prescribing details in statute, after discussion about flexibility, committee workload, annual versus biennial sessions, and concerns about preserving debate and committee process. The amended bill received a 4-2 do pass recommendation, with some members voting no because they preferred a different committee recommendation or had concerns about the broader change. House Bill 1254, which would allow any North Dakota resident to obtain a State Library card, drew supportive testimony from the bill sponsor and State Library staff. They said the change would align law with current practice and expand access to books, e-materials, and other resources statewide, including for military families and out-of-state state employees. The committee closed the hearing and approved the bill 6-0. The committee also considered House Bill 1469, which narrows financial disclosure requirements so only business or trust interests directly related to the office sought or held must be disclosed. After brief discussion that the change would reduce unnecessary disclosure burdens, the committee adopted the amendment and then gave the bill a 6-0 do pass recommendation. House Bill 1368, dealing with administrative rules and the standard for challenging them, was opposed by committee counsel as too broad and legally problematic; the committee rejected it on a 4-2 do not pass vote. Finally, House Bill 1219, which would reduce the required perpetual care fund set-aside for certain cemeteries from 20% to 10%, received supportive testimony from the sponsor, cemetery representatives, and local users, but also concern about long-term fund health. The committee ultimately recommended do pass on a 5-1 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill provides temporary flexibility to navigate these challenges.
• </c><00:45:31.440><c> leas</c> provide local education agencies leas provide local education agencies
• </c> population we're facing a few challenges population we're facing a few challenges in<00:47:16.040
• </c><00:48:26.960><c> as</c> and so we're facing some challenges as and so we're facing some challenges
• </c> have expressed today and the challenge have expressed today and the challenge in<00:54:09.319><c

Bills: HF957 , HF877

Committee: House Education Finance

Keywords: education, mandate relief, school funding, local control, state laws, fund transfers, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And it's very challenging when our children are dying from drugs that are coming across the border and
• And it's very challenging when our children are dying from drugs that are coming across the border and
• Justice is essential, but the path to achieving it has many challenges.
• Justice is essential, but the path to achieving it has many challenges.
• But both girls began life overcoming preventable challenges.

Committee: House House Judiciary Committee of Reference

Summary: The Judiciary Committee heard and advanced several bills focused on criminal justice, public safety, firearms, immigration-related enforcement, and victims’ rights. SB 1170 would enhance sentencing for selling dangerous or narcotic drugs to a minor when the drug sale contributed to the minor’s death; supporters, including grieving parents, argued it would hold dealers accountable, while opponents warned it would remove judicial discretion and increase prison terms for people with addiction. The committee also approved SB 1012, which narrows a restaurant-related concealed-carry restriction for properly permitted handgun holders in certain Series 12 restaurants; supporters framed it as a limited correction, while beverage industry representatives said it overrides property rights and creates confusion. SB 1511, requiring proof of lawful status for drivers using non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses and allowing citations and possible impoundment, also received a do-pass recommendation after emotional testimony about trucking-related fatalities. The committee then took up a strike-everything amendment to SB 1100 creating an Arizona registration and disclosure system for lobbying on behalf of foreign adversary principals, with the Department of Homeland Security supporting the measure and civil rights advocates objecting that it could stigmatize people based on origin rather than conduct. SB 1004, dealing with GPS monitoring for homeless registered sex offenders, was amended to remove DPS as the monitoring agency and passed despite concerns about overcriminalization and loss of judicial discretion. SB 1213, which would bar probation for people unlawfully present in the U.S. and require ICE notification, passed over objections that it conflicts with existing probation statutes and raises constitutional concerns. SB 1402, requiring probationers on electronic monitoring to pay the fee, also passed, with opponents arguing courts already have discretion and should consider ability to pay. The committee next approved SB 1709, which mandates re-arrest, probation revocation, and consecutive prison terms for adults on probation for dangerous crimes against children who commit new offenses or violate probation; supporters said it was needed to protect children, while opponents said it strips judges of discretion and can punish technical violations too harshly. SB 1413, removing a $100,000 cap on restitution for serious injury or death caused by moving violations, passed after the county attorney’s office said the cap had already been found unconstitutional. SB 1416, updating missing-child notification procedures and requiring faster photo and media dissemination, passed unanimously after testimony from missing-child advocates. Finally, SB 1725, creating a civil and petty-offense remedy for excessive marijuana smoke or odor drifting onto neighboring property, passed after debate over private-property rights, medical marijuana protections, local control, and possible conflict with the Voter Protection Act; the committee also heard SB 1723, a domestic-violence-related bill expanding protective-order, bail, and parenting-time considerations, but the transcript cuts off before action on that measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• He now represents those with learning disabilities and mental health challenges.
• And his message is to never give up as life's challenges push the boundaries for learning.
• He now represents those with learning disabilities and mental health challenges.
• And his message is to never give up as life's challenges push the boundaries for learning.
• Speaker, gentlelady, so in some districts we have outside agencies that are basically contracted with

Bills: HB111 , HB103 , HB60 , HB108 , HB120 , HB145 , HB154 , HB164 , HB291 , HJR6 , HR1 , HJM2 , HJM3 , HJM1 , HM7 , HM17 , HM4 , HM22 , HM23 , HM24 , HM26 , HM2 , HM16 , HM32 , HM13 , HM47 , HM11 , HM14 , HM21 , HM34 , HM50 , HB38 , HB47 , HB63 , HB64 , HB127 , HB165 , HB184 , HB200 , HM20 , HM51

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:

• Small agencies will struggle to comply.
• We are grappling nationwide with challenges around data access by federal agencies.
• Nationwide, we are grappling with challenges around data access by federal agencies to a variety of sources
• This bill simply requires federal, state agencies, and universities not to share data with federal agencies
• or the state agency doesn't have to treat it as a human being.

Summary: The committee began as a subcommittee due to the lack of a quorum and heard several privacy- and technology-related measures. The first item was H.R. 117, a resolution urging Congress to reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The author and supporters argued the law is outdated and shields platforms from accountability for harms such as harassment, exploitation, scams, and other online abuse. Witnesses, including a survivor parent and a gender justice advocate, described harms to children, women, and LGBTQ people and urged a two-year sunset to force federal reform. Some members supported the resolution as a call for federal action, while one member said he could not support it because the resolution was too general and lacked specificity about the reforms being sought. No vote was taken because the committee lacked a quorum. The committee then heard SB 898, which would require manufacturers of connected consumer products to disclose how long they will support the software and to notify consumers when products approach end of life. The author said consumers deserve transparency about security updates and continued functionality, and supporters from Consumer Reports and PIRG emphasized cybersecurity risks, consumer confusion, and electronic waste from unsupported devices. Opponents, including business and industry groups, raised concerns about enforcement through the unfair competition law, notice burdens, labeling issues, and compliance challenges, especially for products with long support windows or third-party dependencies. One member expressed support, noting the cybersecurity risks of end-of-life devices, but again no vote was taken because there was no quorum. The committee also heard SB 435, which would narrow the CCPA definition of publicly available information to limit how businesses classify data as public. The author and supporters said the bill would close a loophole that allows data brokers and others to monetize personal information without meaningful consent and could help prevent surveillance and misuse of data, including by government agencies. Opponents argued the bill would upset the balance between privacy and the free flow of information, create compliance uncertainty, and retroactively reclassify information that businesses reasonably believed was public. Some members said they supported the goal of stronger privacy protections, while others said the bill was too broad. The committee again could not vote due to the lack of a quorum. Later, the committee heard SB 923, which would expand Californians’ right to delete personal information to cover data obtained from third parties and require online businesses to offer a web form or similar method for deletion requests. Supporters, including the California Privacy Protection Agency and consumer advocates, said the bill would make deletion rights meaningful and better address data broker practices. Opponents sought an opt-out-of-processing alternative and raised operational and legal concerns, but supporters said deletion is not the same as retention or processing limits. Members largely spoke in favor of the bill’s privacy goals, but no action was taken. The committee also heard SB 947, the “No Robo Bosses Act,” which would require human review for certain automated employment decisions and limit predictive analysis in workplace discipline and termination. Labor groups supported the bill as a safeguard against biased or erroneous AI-driven decisions, while business, public employer, and local government groups opposed it as overbroad and burdensome. Members voiced support for human oversight in employment decisions, but the item was not voted on because the committee still lacked a quorum. Finally, the committee began hearing SB 1114, the SOGI Data Privacy Act, which would restrict disclosure of sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex data to federal agencies absent a court order or legal requirement; the author and witness framed it as a response to federal efforts to obtain sensitive LGBTQ-related data.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:02:06.560><c> that</c> any of the other federal agencies that any of the other federal agencies
• </c> authority on the special fund agencies. authority on the special fund agencies.
• But this agency went through some turnover last year and started looking at an overview of their agency
• A couple more state agencies have spot units there. >> Most of their tenants there are state agencies
• </c> that run the special fund agency. that run the special fund agency.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 409, 28 January, 2026; 1:30 P.M., 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So the upon the agency to expedite that.
• </c><00:46:23.440><c> that</c> necessarily one of the agencies that necessarily one of the agencies that
• We're a very small agency.
• </c><01:26:05.760><c> that</c> professionals at state agencies that professionals at state agencies that
• This intermittent financial challenges.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a slower speaker, and, you know, sometimes speaking a little bit I have slurred and a little challenging
• </c> challenges for us. challenges for us.
• Today, the challenge is industries.
• And some of the challenges, I think you heard Mr.
• Mekel talk about some of the challenges with the permitting. Did you say that?

Committee: Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That's the International Energy Agency.
• EPA and other agencies, And for decades, CARB and the local air districts and U.S.
• I think we're dealing, this entire topic, with very, very hard problems and challenges.
• This is a real complex part of the challenge. Appreciate Ms. Lehane being here, Mr.
• Bornstein said about funding the staff, funding the agencies so they can do this work, right?

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy held a hearing on the impact of the Iran conflict and global oil supply disruption on California fuel markets. Committee members and administration witnesses from the California Energy Commission and the Division of Petroleum Market Oversight described California’s heavy reliance on imported crude and refined products, the state’s shrinking refining base, current inventory levels, and how global supply tightness is affecting gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel prices. CEC officials said near-term supply looked adequate for roughly the next six weeks, but warned that continued disruption would likely raise prices further and increase competition for imports. DPMO said the conflict is a real supply shock, but also emphasized a separate, longstanding problem of unusually high California retail gasoline prices, especially among major branded stations. Witnesses and members debated the causes of high prices and the state’s longer-term fuel strategy. Professor Severin Borenstein argued that much of the price gap beyond taxes and environmental costs comes from a “mystery gasoline surcharge” downstream of refineries, while also noting that California’s shrinking number of refineries creates market-power and supply-resilience concerns. Western States Petroleum Association CEO Jody Mueller argued that state policies have weakened California’s refining system and made it more vulnerable to global shocks, urging the state to protect remaining refining capacity and improve infrastructure for imports. United Steelworkers Local 675 Vice President Norman Rogers stressed the need for safe, reliable refinery operations and adequate staffing. Several members pressed witnesses on whether California should rely more on imports, how to manage inventories and port/storage capacity, and whether the state needs clearer authority and better data collection to coordinate fuel policy. Discussion also covered branded versus unbranded gasoline pricing, the role of California fuel specifications, and whether a floating gas tax or other policy tools could buffer consumers from global price spikes. No formal votes or committee actions were taken during the hearing.