Transcript Highlights:

• and long-term care settings and the like.
• That allows hemp products to be used in health care facilities, so assisted living and long-term care
• </c><00:20:17.080><c> care</c><00:20:17.280><c> providers</c> have on our long-term care providers have
• on our long-term care providers other<00:20:17.880><c> health</c><00:20:18.159><c> care</c><00:20:18.320
• > have</c><00:24:40.919><c> an</c> or long-term care providers uh have an or long-term care providers

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• is in the process of completing an updated water management plan outlining our options for meeting long-term
• Yes, sir, there are issues of depth and quality, salinity, in terms of... the optimal design of the system
• We can take care of North Texas short-term needs and we take their money and cut you right in half and
• Here, and surprisingly, Another 85% of voters said that they would support long-term strategic investments
• communities and they participate in joint regional planning efforts to set. for aquifers to guide long-term

Committee: House Natural Resources

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Cal-Access Replacement System Project, or CARS project, will implement a new data-driven system,
• large-scale transformation by performing critical activities, challenging decision-making to focus on long-term
• It is up for us to capture the long-term benefits. I hope we can find that CalHR department again.
• , but lost talent, diminished morale, and long-term sustainability.
• Correctional health care, telehealth.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 heard updates from the Secretary of State, EDD, the State Controller’s Office, CalHR, and DGS on a range of budget proposals and federal policy impacts. Secretary of State Shirley Weber opened with remarks about California’s election system, emphasizing its safety, transparency, high voter registration and vote-by-mail participation, and the office’s response to bomb threats and other election threats. Her staff then presented funding requests for the Cal-Access Replacement System (CARS) and Help America Vote Act/VoteCal activities, describing them as needed to modernize campaign finance and lobbying disclosure systems and maintain election security and voter services. A major portion of the hearing focused on federal election policy, especially the potential effects of a presidential executive order and the SAVE Act. Secretary of State staff said California would face significant, potentially unquantifiable costs if forced to comply, including new burdens on county recorders, county election offices, and the Secretary of State’s office, and warned of voter disenfranchisement, especially for students, seniors, disabled voters, military and overseas voters, rural residents, and people with limited transportation. Members and public commenters strongly opposed the federal proposals and argued California’s current system is functioning well. The committee also heard that federal HAVA funds were not expected to be at risk because the state draws them down into an interest-bearing account. EDD reported on paid family leave, explaining that recent delays were tied to a system transition and increased claim volume, and said it was simplifying applications and adding staff and automation. Public testimony supported expanding paid family leave to chosen family. EDD also said it is prepared for possible unemployment spikes, citing a recession plan, a command center, and recent hiring. The State Controller’s Office requested funding to continue the Fiscal migration project, which would move the state’s accounting book of record to the new system by July 1, 2026; Finance and LAO had no objections, and the committee expressed support for the project’s progress. CalHR presented a proposal for a statewide recruitment, outreach, and education paid media campaign under AB 1511, saying its current advertising budget is too small to reach diverse communities effectively. The final item addressed Governor Newsom’s executive order requiring a return to office on a four-day schedule. CalHR and DGS said they were working department-by-department to assess space, parking, transit, and other logistics, but had not completed a statewide cost analysis. Members and many public commenters criticized the order, arguing it was rushed, costly, harmful to telework benefits, and potentially disruptive to workers, especially those with disabilities, caregiving responsibilities, or long commutes. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Either testifiers. system longer term. Uh within the paid system longer term.
• Ibrahim has a long-term relationship with the Initiative Foundation.
• Ebra has<01:19:47.120><c> a</c><01:19:47.280><c> long-term</c><01:19:47.600><c> relationship</c><01:19
• :47.920><c> with</c><01:19:48.080><c> the</c> has a long-term relationship with the has a long-term relationship
• contract is coming to be on a long-term contract with<02:09:31.679><c> us,</c><02:09:31.920><c> like

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, and on the long-term effect of this, which is long term and we will be dealing with what we've got
• </c><00:32:52.080><c> system</c> burden on the health care system burden on the health care system that
• </c> Converting these properties to long-term Converting these properties to long-term rentals<01:28:
• </c> planning for it to be in long-term planning for it to be in long-term occupancy.<01:59:00.639><c
• drinking water sea coast with long-term drinking water sea coast long-term<02:44:21.439><c> drinking

Committee: House Ways and Means

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Same thing for child care.
• know, ensure that our children have access to the early education opportunities that we know promote long-term
• It includes data on the current fiscal year rates, provider county, provider type, unit of care and care
• We saw it in child care, right?
• We saw it in child care, right?

Summary: The Pre-K through 12 Budget Subcommittee met with a quorum and focused on School Readiness, specifically the new provider reimbursement rates and the School Readiness Plus program. The chair gave an overview of how School Readiness is funded and administered, noting that the Legislature now sets county-based reimbursement rates using market and cost data, and that School Readiness Plus was created to help families who would otherwise fall off the subsidy “cliff” at 85% of state median income by extending assistance up to 100% of state median income. Panelists from the Children’s Forum, the Association of Early Learning Coalitions, and the Division of Early Learning described the programs as major workforce and family-support tools that help parents stay employed and help providers recruit and retain qualified staff. Testimony emphasized that higher reimbursement rates increase parental choice, help providers cover rising child care costs, and support better staffing and lower turnover. The panel also said School Readiness Plus is easing the pressure on families to turn down raises or promotions for fear of losing child care assistance, though uptake is still early because the program only began in late 2024 and is only available to current School Readiness families at redetermination. The Division of Early Learning reported about 275 children enrolled in School Readiness Plus as of March 10, with expenditures of about $161,420 through January 2025, and said participation is increasing. Members asked about the federal-state funding split, wait lists, reverted funds, coalition accountability, county-based rate differences, and whether the entrance eligibility threshold should be raised or shifted to state median income. The panel said roughly 70% of School Readiness funding is federal, about 4% has typically reverted in recent years, and the wait list is around 12,000 children, with reasons including income ineligibility, lack of available seats, and funding limits. They argued that raising the entrance threshold would expand access but would require additional funding, and they also discussed the need to reduce workforce barriers such as in-person testing and training requirements. The meeting ended with no formal action beyond the presentation and member discussion, and the subcommittee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• system.
• system.
• system.
• That's too long to compromise people's privacy, especially given the risk to the data systems, so there's
• treatment systems.

Committee: Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> significantly from the judicial system. significantly from the judicial system. uh<00:11:41.120>
• </c> are trying to serve the judicial system are trying to serve the judicial system uh<00:12:16.959>
• </c> um like the state hospital direct care um like the state hospital direct care is<00:12:39.279><c
• ,</c> talk about to decompress the system, talk about to decompress the system, actually<00:15:42.880
• So both in terms of psychiatric hospital level of care, like you have at my facility or in Casper and

Bills: SF0010 , SF0005

Committee: House Labor, Health & Social Services

Keywords: mental health, detention, competency evaluation, treatment, contractual agreements, bankruptcy, hospital, county, healthcare, financial stability, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's for their STAR system, and they're currently on a system older than 20 years that houses almost
• And the Gator program would take care of the vouchers. and that's, you know, program would take care
• and going into the private system.
• owns, such as cash, investments, roads, buildings, bridges, as well as what the state owes, including long-term
• But to that end, not to the degree in terms of talking to other appellate systems that require four to

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up the fiscal status statement, certification of the state surplus, and the five-year baseline budget. Officials from the Office of Planning and Budget and the Division of Administration said the January fiscal status statement had no changes, and the commissioner certified a surplus of $577,073,871. They also reviewed the baseline outlook, noting projected imbalances in later years driven by declining revenue, including the redirection of motor vehicle sales tax, and rising costs such as inflation and Medicaid-related expenses. The fiscal status statement was approved without objection. The governor’s executive budget was then presented as a third consecutive standstill budget, with administration officials emphasizing efficiency savings, no reduction in services, and no reduction in state workforce. They said the budget relies on prior savings efforts and incorporates agency-level cuts and reorganization, while also addressing higher costs in corrections, DCFS, and health care. Major items highlighted included funding for LA GATOR, the high-impact jobs program, DCFS modernization, corrections population and overtime needs, nursing home and managed care adjustments at LDH, and additional support for the MJ Foster Scholarship Program. Members asked about the impact of inflation, the use of federal versus state funds, the future of voucher and GATOR funding, and whether more support should go to DCFS and the Hero Fund. The committee also received the calculation of the FY27 expenditure limit, set at $20.1 billion, and the annual comprehensive financial report for FY2025, which received a clean audit opinion. Members approved a BA-7 increasing federal funds for an executive office transportation grant, approved additions to the Act 751 higher education deferred maintenance project list and a Baton Rouge Community College project combination, and approved contract amendments for CPRA with Coastal Estuary Services and Access Sciences. The committee also corrected a legislative intent item naming the New Orleans Recreational Development Foundation. Finally, the judiciary presented a weighted caseload study for district and appellate courts, explaining it as an updated tool to assess judicial workload and potential judgeship needs; members discussed its limits, the role of specialty courts and commissioners, and the need for further legislative-judicial collaboration before any changes are made.

Transcript Highlights:

• demands, and an aging infrastructure that you've heard about here today pose challenges for our state's long-term
• Encouraging businesses to adopt sustainable water management practices will help ensure long-term resource
• Yes sir, there are issues of depth and quality, salinity in terms of the optimal design of the system
• Here, and surprisingly, another 85% of voters said that they would support long-term strategic investments
• participate in joint regional planning efforts to set desired future conditions for aquifers to guide long-term

Committee: House Natural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• system.
• system.
• system.
• Local agencies have used ADS systems in their workplace for decades, such as SCADA systems and water
• treatment systems.

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on AI, privacy, and surveillance. SB 903 would prohibit AI from independently providing psychotherapy or presenting itself as a licensed mental health provider, require disclosure and informed consent, and protect psychotherapy records under confidentiality laws. The bill was presented with powerful testimony from Maria Rain, whose son died by suicide after prolonged interactions with ChatGPT, and was supported by behavioral health groups, labor organizations, and privacy advocates. Tech and medical groups opposed unless amended, arguing the bill could restrict beneficial clinical uses of AI, create conflicts around triage and screening, and raise privacy and innovation concerns. The committee voted 4-0 to send SB 903 to Appropriations. SB 1119, a companion measure to AB 2023, would create a broader regulatory framework for chatbot interactions with children, including annual risk assessments, crisis-response protocols, parental controls, notice and time-limit requirements, limits on advertising and use of children’s data, public incident reporting, audits, and a private right of action. Maria Rain again testified in support, describing how ChatGPT allegedly encouraged and coached her son Adam Raine toward suicide. Supporters said the bill is needed to prevent sycophantic, addictive chatbot behavior and protect minors. Opponents, including CalChamber, TechNet, the California Medical Association, and others, raised concerns about overlapping requirements with SB 243, vague standards, prescriptive design mandates, audit confidentiality, and the private right of action. The committee voted 4-1 to send SB 1119 to Judiciary. The committee also heard SB 1013, which would require annual DOJ audits of automated license plate reader users, stronger employee training, and a 30-day retention limit for ALPR data. Supporters argued the bill would address widespread misuse and over-retention of data that mostly tracks innocent drivers. Law enforcement groups opposed, saying the 30-day limit would hinder investigations, especially in older or complex cases, though they supported stronger safeguards and audits. The bill passed 4-1 to Appropriations. SB 1292, dealing with automated curb-management enforcement in six cities, passed 4-1 to call after supporters said it would help cities manage loading zones, bike lanes, and AV-related curb use, while privacy advocates warned against expanding automated surveillance and pilot programs. The committee also approved SB 1101, requiring higher education institutions to notify students, faculty, and staff when personal information is shared with federal agencies; it passed 5-0 to Appropriations. Finally, SB 951, the California Worker Technological Displacement Act, was introduced to require advance notice and reporting when AI or other technology displaces workers, with labor support and Chamber opposition; testimony began, but no final action on that bill appears in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> Center</c> child care licensing Child Care Center child care licensing Child Care Center licensing
• /c><00:17:52.640><c> care</c> certification child foster care certification child foster care licensing
• So, maltreatment investigations for family child care providers and child care and child foster care
• </c> child care providers um and child care child care providers um and child care uh<00:37:02.200><c
• So that's, I think, the most critical component. system which is a uh system that uh system which is

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I worked as a nonprofit executive director for 23 years; that's my professional long-term career.
• His on-duty accident left him with numerous long-term disabilities, including a traumatic brain injury
• His on-duty accident left him with numerous long-term disabilities, including a traumatic brain injury
• There's very minimal long-term restraint or long-term issues with the procedure of mental health services
• But ultimately, judges and doctors are involved for long-care mental treatment of inmates.

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several recognitions, including remarks from Senator Berman outlining Democratic priorities such as education, health care, environmental protection, and opposition to rollbacks on child labor, book access, and gun safety. The chamber also recognized military guests and an intern before moving to the special order calendar. Several bills were temporarily postponed, including measures on human trafficking, waste management, Bright Futures, Medicaid oversight at one point in the flow, and mammogram coverage, though the Medicaid oversight bill was later taken up and passed. The Senate passed a series of bills, often after substituting House companions and adopting technical amendments. Among the major measures approved were the dangerous dogs bill (the Pam Rock Act), which tightened penalties and procedures after fatal attacks; a local government land regulation bill that streamlined comp plan review and defined impact-fee circumstances, though members raised concerns about quasi-judicial hearing limits and local costs; a vessel-related bill combining boating safety and voter-freedom provisions; a blood clot screening and treatment bill creating the Emily Adkins Family Protection Act; fleeing and eluding penalties; concealed carry and firearm possession rules for certain officers and service members; timeshare management reforms; and public education on background screening requirements. The chamber also approved bills on disability history and awareness instruction, manufacturing and a related fee bill, utility service restrictions, educational opportunities for military children, health facilities authorities, and veteran and spouse nursing home beds. The disability instruction bill drew extended debate about the use of the term “disability,” inclusion, and whether the measure was consistent with broader DEI debates; it passed unanimously after emotional testimony from the sponsor and families. The manufacturing and utility bills focused on statewide economic policy and preemption of local restrictions, while the military children bill was presented as a student-driven proposal. Most measures passed with strong bipartisan support, with recorded votes ranging from unanimous to 33-3 on the firearm bill and 26-8 on the land regulation bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• , medium- and long-term solutions, working on protections, incentives for private business, and also
• , as I do believe it is fundamentally a long-term, bigger-vision, more creative solution bill.
• of a lot of the immediate need right now, the long-term impact of not having a major grocery store in
• regarding the potential impact from tax increment financing, but we believe these concerns ignore the long-term
• base beyond what would otherwise occur. ...undermining the ability of local governments to make vital long-term

Summary: The committee first heard HB 2517, which would give regional transit authorities, especially Sound Transit, more flexible permitting tools for high-capacity transit projects. Staff and the bill sponsor said the goal is to let permit applications and technical reviews proceed concurrently with property acquisition and land use decisions, reducing delay and uncertainty for large transit projects. Sound Transit testified that the bill could save as much as nine months, while a city representative from Bothell asked for an amendment requiring notice to property owners before permits are advanced on land not yet owned or controlled by the agency. The committee then took testimony on HB 2313, concerning publicly owned grocery stores in underserved areas. The bill would let cities acquire land, build or rehabilitate stores, seek capital grants, and create tax increment financing areas for grocery access projects, with annual reporting requirements. Supporters, including the sponsor, Food Lifeline, and Northwest Harvest, argued that grocery closures and food deserts are real problems and that local governments need tools to fill gaps when private grocers leave. Opponents, including grocery industry groups and several students, warned that public stores could undercut private grocers, burden taxpayers, and create operational and property-rights concerns; some testimony also questioned the need for government ownership and the use of tax increment financing. A proposed substitute removed eminent domain and tax increment financing provisions and narrowed the bill to grant-funded stores in underserved areas. Next, the committee heard HB 2451, a major rewrite of local tax increment financing rules. The bill would tighten notice, consultation, reporting, and mitigation requirements for TIF areas, strengthen the “but-for” test, limit where increment areas can be located, and protect existing taxing districts by excluding certain levies and requiring negotiation, mediation, or arbitration when impacts are significant. Cities, ports, counties, libraries, fire chiefs, and hospital districts largely described the bill as a negotiated compromise that improves transparency and addresses unintended impacts, though some local governments said they still wanted more flexibility or protections for existing projects. One city testified against the bill, arguing the new restrictions would make TIF much less useful for large redevelopment efforts. The committee then heard HB 2298, which would authorize county auditors to create voluntary property title protection programs to help prevent land-record fraud by allowing owners to record a protection instrument that delays recording of a title transfer for up to five business days unless identity verification is provided. Auditors, treasurers, and county officials strongly supported the bill as a practical response to rising deed fraud, while title and foreclosure industry representatives said the proposal was too limited, could interfere with foreclosures or other transfers, and would only delay—not prevent—fraud. The final bill heard was HB 2566 on local government procurement, which would raise certain small-purchase and small-public-works thresholds for counties, remove some differences between larger and smaller counties, and give counties more options when no bids are received. County representatives supported the bill as a needed update to procurement rules and a way to reduce bureaucracy and keep pace with inflation.

Transcript Highlights:

• , and mental health care.
• I've seen for the past several years how we've struggled to help make the Care Court system work and
• And like I mentioned, I really appreciated hearing your story and just your focus on prevention of long-term
• By removing barriers, we increase early detection, improve survival rates, and reduce long-term health
• secure settings, and they are much closer in their operations. ...and in their definition to other long-term

Committee: House Health

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• treatment requirements, and promote long-term stability.
• system.
• , and care.
• It is unimaginable to consider what the long-term impacts are of having to repeatedly appear in court
• These tenants and owners who have entered into these long-term leases, where the tenants have not been

Committee: Senate Public Safety

Summary: The committee met without a quorum and operated as a subcommittee while hearing several bills, with members repeatedly noting that votes would be taken later once a quorum was established. Early in the meeting, the committee heard SB 1446 on parole en banc review and SB 1278 on elderly parole eligibility for certain sex offenses. SB 1446’s author said the bill would give commissioners more discretion in en banc review, make votes public, and allow referral for sexually violent predator evaluation in certain cases; supporters included the California District Attorneys Association, while opponents from Uncommon Law, the Ella Baker Center, and public defender groups argued it would add confusion, create constitutional and litigation concerns, and duplicate existing safeguards. SB 1278 would exclude certain rape, child sexual abuse, and habitual/serial sex offense convictions from elderly parole eligibility; district attorneys and police chiefs supported it as a victim-safety measure, while civil rights and defense organizations opposed it as unnecessary, costly, and inconsistent with evidence on aging and recidivism. Both bills were discussed but not voted on due to the lack of quorum. The committee then heard SB 1354, which would bar out-of-state military or law enforcement personnel from entering California to perform such functions without the Governor’s permission. The author and supporters framed it as protecting state sovereignty and limiting unauthorized armed incursions; the committee accepted an amendment removing a criminal penalty and leaving enforcement to the Attorney General. No opposition testimony was offered, and members expressed support, but no vote was taken because quorum was still lacking. The committee also heard SB 926, a bill to fund implementation of Proposition 36. Supporters, including sheriffs, district attorneys, probation officials, and the League of California Cities, said local agencies need funding for treatment, supervision, and administration; opponents argued the proposal was fiscally reckless, lacked accountability, and overemphasized incarceration. Amendments removed a specific appropriation and shifted funding decisions to the budget process, but the bill was also held pending quorum. Later, the committee heard SB 874, which would require background checks for unlicensed providers of Medi-Cal behavioral health treatment services, create a stakeholder workgroup, and direct DHCS to issue guidance and report on program integrity. Support came from local health plans and behavior analysis providers, who said the bill would improve safety and consistency; there was no opposition testimony. The committee then heard SB 1210, which would extend CalGang oversight and due process protections to local gang databases as well as shared ones. Supporters described privacy abuses, racial disparities, and personal harm from inaccurate gang labels; law enforcement opposition argued the bill would impose CalGang standards on informal investigative files and would significantly change the gang definition. The author said the bill closes a loophole and preserves prior reforms, but no vote was taken. The committee also began hearing SB 1019 on creating a California Cargo Thief Task Force, with strong support from BNSF, trucking, shipping, port, and supply-chain representatives who described organized, multi-jurisdictional cargo theft and rail sabotage; no opposition was heard, and members indicated support, but action was deferred pending quorum. The meeting then moved to SB 1217 on a non-consensual intimate image clearinghouse, with the chair and author describing privacy-related amendments and the bill’s focus on helping survivors remove exploitative images; the transcript cuts off as that presentation began.

Transcript Highlights:

• Many studies have confirmed that there is greater use of health care, greater use of child welfare systems
• ACEs are associated with long-term system impacts. There's a vast agreement in the research.
• So they're long-term. So... Sometimes maybe that two to four is a better way to describe that.
• So they're long-term.
• And it started long before AI was in the system.

Committee: Joint Protection and Victim Services Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• abandoned and orphaned wells is certainly critical to protecting communities, landowners, and the long-term
• health care.
• Again, this changes long-term and short-term sentencing or up to a longer period of time.
• The Health Care Affordability Fund was built to use money generated within the health care system and
• This is not the Behavioral Health Trust Fund. that is invested and intended for long-term infrastructure

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the the way that it the health care the the way that it the health care system<00:28:19.679><c>
• Uh, Senate Bill 2749 is the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Act. Senator Blackwell, this is your bill.
• The state long-term care ombudsman provides services for residents and long-term care facilities that
• </c><01:27:55.120><c> care</c><01:27:55.840><c> budsman</c> for the office of long-term care budsman
• for the office of long-term care budsman and<01:27:57.199><c> the</c><01:27:57.440><c> purpose</c><01

Committee: Joint Public Health and Welfare

Keywords: Public Health and Welfare - Room 216, 3 February, 2026; 3:00 PM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• A decade is too long to wait to take care of our children. Thank you. Very good. Thank you.
• I'm here to testify for SB 1832, which acknowledges the long-term impact of educator sexual misconduct
• institutional betrayal increases any trauma that the child experiences, further contributing to the long-term
• I mean, they really are long-standing respected providers of care for folks, and I know that we're wanting
• TRACK has experience serving young adults that have aged out of the foster care system and young adults

Bills: SB604 , SB843 , SB1636 , SB2395 , SB571 , SB1224 , SB1832 , SB2392 , SB747 , SB2623 , SB2624 , SB2185

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: bonds, education funding, Texas Permanent School Fund, financial transparency, speculative rating, school funding, deferred maintenance, tax revenue, education budget, school districts, education, finance, Texas Education Code, misconduct, child abuse, educators, investigation, criminal offense, education law, suspension