Transcript Highlights:

• The way the schedule was set up. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'll just go ahead and keep rolling. Mr.

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• the group home to provide such services, they would continue to be reimbursed through the Medicaid schedule

Committee: Senate Children, Families, and Elder Affairs

Summary: The committee met with a quorum present and took up several bills. SB 894, relating to faith-based content in batterers’ intervention programs, was explained as allowing certified programs to offer voluntary faith-based components alongside existing models. Members raised questions about how faith would be defined, whether participation would be optional, and how all faiths would be included. An amendment was adopted clarifying that faith-based activities may be offered but not required and removing language directing DCF to repeal a rule. After supportive testimony from faith-based advocates and some debate, the committee reported the bill favorably, with Senators Harrell and Garcia later recording affirmative votes. The committee then considered SB 1240 on substance abuse and mental health care, which would assign state oversight of the 988 Lifeline, remove the annual needs assessment barrier for medication-assisted treatment licensing, and require annual continuing education for forensic evaluators. An amendment with technical conforming changes and two substantive clarifications was adopted. Members expressed support for expanded access to behavioral health services, and the bill was reported favorably. Later, the chair presented SB 1736, which would allow direct support professionals and relatives to administer insulin in group home settings for individuals with developmental disabilities. After an amendment clarifying sliding scale insulin and related medication administration, the committee heard testimony from family advocates describing how the bill would prevent unnecessary institutionalization and reduce costs. The bill was reported favorably. The committee also passed SB 1286, which clarifies that allowing children to engage in unsupervised activities such as biking or playing outside does not by itself constitute neglect unless reckless or dangerous. After brief support testimony, that bill was also reported favorably, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Since utility case schedules are unpredictable and often across fiscal years, this budget Benjamin Barkley

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee met to review Article 8, regulatory agencies, and began Article 9, general provisions, before recessing for floor action. The committee first heard budget presentations from the Public Utility Commission (PUC) and the Office of Public Utility Counsel (OPUC). The PUC budget recommendation was about $5.07 billion in all funds, including an additional $5 billion for the Texas Energy Fund, plus funding for staffing and technology needs tied to contested cases, infrastructure resiliency, and outage mapping. PUC witnesses emphasized the agency’s growing workload, the need for more staff and modern systems, and oversight of the Texas Energy Fund. OPUC’s recommendation was about $6.9 million, with a reduction in authorized FTEs to better match actual staffing; the agency requested additional funding for salaries, expert witnesses, and budget flexibility, and members highlighted OPUC’s role representing residential and small commercial consumers in utility proceedings. The committee then heard from the Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC), whose recommendation was just over $11.2 million. BHEC’s main requests included funding to fill vacant positions, money for continuous National Practitioner Data Bank queries, and a proposed Texas-owned psychology licensing exam in response to concerns about changes to the national exam. Agency leaders also discussed a rider request that would shift responsibility for certain judgments or settlements to the comptroller. Members asked about prior complaint backlogs, and BHEC said those backlogs had been cleared. The Board of Chiropractic Examiners followed, with a recommendation of just under $2.4 million; the board sought support for staffing, training, broadband, and salary retention, and described its work regulating chiropractors and workers’ compensation-related doctors. The Board of Dental Examiners was the last agency heard before the committee recessed. Its recommendation was just under $10 million, and it requested a 10% salary increase for eligible staff, three additional licensing staff, one staff member to handle required background checks, an additional attorney, and an executive director salary adjustment. Dental board witnesses said licensure growth, increased complaints, and low salaries were straining licensing and enforcement operations, even though the agency reported strong performance and high case completion rates. The chair ended the hearing early because the Senate had to return to the floor, and the committee remained in recess.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so that is scheduled to be released in the summertime frame.

Committee: Senate Children, Families, and Elder Affairs

Summary: The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs received a Department of Children and Families update from CIO Cole Sousa on three major technology modernization efforts: ACCESS, CWIS, and FASMS. For ACCESS, he described the six-year, $205 million project to replace the aging eligibility system used for SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid applications, noting completed releases such as the MyACCESS portal, document management, partner portal, workload management, and client registration modules. He said the system now supports mobile applications, multi-factor authentication, and bot detection, and that the next budget request is $36.625 million to continue moving workers off the mainframe, modernize notices, and complete more worker-portal functions. Members asked about performance data, interoperability with other systems, and the relationship to the FX project and APD; Sousa said API-based real-time exchanges are the goal and that current average case processing time is about 30 days, though he would provide a more exact figure later. The committee then heard about CWIS, a four-year, $75 million child welfare modernization project. Sousa said phase one is complete, including hotline intake, investigations, mandatory reporter, youth, parent, and mobile portals, along with mobile field tools, e-signatures, and customizable dashboards. Current work is focused on case management, assessment and safety planning, licensure, and placement modules, with collaboration from community-based care providers through advisory sessions. For the next fiscal year, DCF is requesting $28 million and expects to finish development by summer and launch in September, while continuing change management and training. Senators pressed on interoperability with ACCESS, FX, and FASMS, the use of a single unique identifier, and whether CBCs would be required to use the statewide system; Sousa said the department’s goal is one statewide system, with licensing costs absorbed by the state and no plan for dual systems after go-live. Finally, Sousa gave a brief update on FASMS, the financial and services accountability system used by managing entities. He said it remains in maintenance mode while DCF prioritizes ACCESS and CWIS, and that modernization of FASMS is still being planned with partner agencies. He estimated current maintenance costs at about $1.3 million and suggested a future modernization could cost roughly $5 million to $7 million, though no firm timeline has been set. The committee expressed support for using data and interoperable systems to improve decision-making, and the meeting adjourned without any votes or formal actions beyond adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• A week before my daughter's first birthday, a clogged duct from breastfeeding led me to schedule an early
• Although that finding was benign, the mammogram... ...feeding led me to schedule an early mammogram.
• With me to provide supporting testimony is the vice president, who was scheduled to speak. ...the vice
• While Diana was meeting with us, a nurse from Graceful Care Hospice called and scheduled a visit to our

Committee: Senate Health

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, I put October 14th, 10:00 to 2:00 on my schedule. If all goes well, I plan to be there.
• Well, I put October 14th, 10:00 to 2:00 on my schedule. If all goes well, I plan to be there.
• Well, I put October 14th, 10:00 to 2:00 on my schedule. If all goes well, I plan to be there.
• Well, I put October 14th, 10:00 to 2:00 on my schedule. If all goes well, I plan to be there.

Summary: The meeting was a discussion of fatherhood and a possible response to Senator Robby Mills’ Resolution 112, which had proposed a task force on fatherhood initiatives. After approving the June meeting minutes and confirming a quorum, the committee heard a presentation from Mark Ludwig, executive director of the National Council for Equal Shared Parenting, who argued that fatherhood is often left out of public policy and that stronger father involvement is linked to better outcomes in crime, education, substance abuse, and family stability. He cited Kentucky’s 50/50 shared parenting law as a model and urged fatherhood classes, employment support, mentoring, co-parenting education, and partnerships with community organizations, schools, and social workers rather than relying solely on state spending. He also said fatherhood engagement could save the state money by reducing incarceration and related costs. Members then raised concerns that the presentation did not sufficiently address structural causes of fatherlessness, especially incarceration, racial disparities, gun violence, poverty, housing, transportation, and sentencing policy. Senator Berg and Representative Kulkarni emphasized that Black and brown families are disproportionately affected by incarceration and violence, and questioned whether fatherhood programs alone can solve the problem without broader reforms. Ludwig responded that some fathers are pushed out by the court system or lack legal resources, and said reintegration programs and legal, financial, and community supports are part of the solution, though he had focused mainly on the need for fatherhood programming in this presentation. No bill was voted on and no formal action was taken beyond approving the minutes. The discussion appeared to be an initial policy conversation to gather ideas and perspectives for possible future work on fatherhood-related initiatives.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's also in our requirements that we can do a penetration test on any of those systems as a scheduled
• systems.<00:54:43.240><c> Um</c><00:54:43.880><c> as</c><00:54:44.080><c> a</c><00:54:44.120><c> scheduled
• Um as a scheduled event, systems.
• Um as a scheduled event, obviously<00:54:45.520><c> you</c><00:54:45.600><c> don't</c><00:54:45.800><

Summary: The committee met on May 29 and approved the draft minutes. DHHS Commissioner Weaver then opened the department update by asking Medicaid Director Henry Litman to brief members on federal and state Medicaid changes, and later turned to DHHS Chief Operating Officer David Weathers for an update on data governance. Members also asked that acronyms be spelled out in future materials and requested a follow-up on the federal Medicaid rule once it is published. Litman reviewed several federal Medicaid provisions tied to HR 1/"OBBA" and related state implementation issues. He said the first major change would be restrictions on certain non-citizens’ Medicaid coverage, affecting about 400 people in New Hampshire, with notices likely 30 to 60 days before the effective date. He also discussed new work requirements/community engagement rules, saying New Hampshire is on track to implement them and will likely need a state plan amendment rather than an 1115 waiver. Other changes included shorter retroactive coverage periods, a new state option for certain community-based services with an estimated $740,000 in implementation support, a freeze and phased-down reduction in the Medicaid enhancement tax beginning in state fiscal year 2029, and limits on directed payments to hospitals after a grandfathering period. He also noted that Medicaid enrollment has fallen from pandemic-era levels, with about 167,000 people covered as of May 1, and that the department is working with CMS on child premiums and other cost-sharing changes approved in HB 2. Committee members asked how the department could plan for the 2029 changes given the number of elections before then, and Litman said federal rules may be adjusted over time as states and stakeholders raise concerns. He emphasized planning for the worst while hoping for the best, and said rural health care transformation funding would help the state prepare. In the second presentation, Weathers explained that data governance is now embedded in DHHS operations to control access, manage reporting, and respond to risk. He defined it as managing what data is collected, how it is used, who can access it, and what laws apply, and said DHHS has moved from governance as a committee to governance as an operational process. He described privacy impact assessments for new systems going into production, monthly privacy and security training, and ongoing review of access controls and data-sharing rules.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, and so, we're scheduling things that are still somewhat in process, but uh I choose to be optimistic
• Uh<01:16:41.640><c> and</c><01:16:41.920><c> so,</c><01:16:42.160><c> we're</c><01:16:42.400><c> scheduling
• </c><01:16:42.840><c> things</c><01:16:43.120><c> that</c> Uh and so, we're scheduling things that Uh
• and so, we're scheduling things that are<01:16:43.520><c> still</c><01:16:44.080><c> somewhat</c><01

Committee: House Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• I had a school group upstairs that was running a little behind schedule and I had to quick say hello
• c><01:15:58.840><c> behind</c> that was running a little behind that was running a little behind schedule
• schedule schedule and<01:16:00.600><c> I</c><01:16:00.680><c> had</c><01:16:00.960><c> to</c><01:16:

Committee: Senate Taxes

Transcript Highlights:

• I think it takes a really important topic around vesting schedules and uh and looking at emergency medical
• I think it takes a really important topic around vesting schedules and looking at emergency medical providers
• I think it takes a really important topic around vesting schedules and looking at emergency medical providers
• I think it takes a really important topic around vesting schedules and looking at emergency medical providers

Transcript Highlights:

• Department of Hospitals for sexually violent predator evaluation if they meet the criteria and are either scheduled
• When the board does grant parole, which it does in only 16 percent of scheduled elderly parole hearings
• with sex offender treatment when the board does grant parole which it does in only 16 percent of scheduled
• individuals in Cal Gang who had purge dates extending beyond the five-year limit, many of which were not scheduled

Committee: Senate Public Safety

Summary: The committee met without a quorum and operated as a subcommittee while hearing several bills on public safety, parole, criminal justice oversight, Proposition 36 implementation, behavioral health, gang database reform, cargo theft, and nonconsensual intimate images. The chair explained hearing procedures and noted that SB 906 was pulled from the agenda. Several measures were heard but not voted on because quorum was lacking. SB 1446, a committee bill, would expand discretion in en banc parole review, make en banc votes public record, and allow CDCR referrals for sexually violent predator evaluation of certain incarcerated people serving determinate or indeterminate terms. Support came from the California District Attorneys Association; opposition came from the Ella Baker Center, Uncommon Law, public defenders, and others who argued it would add confusion, litigation risk, and unnecessary duplication. The author said the bill was intended to clarify review standards and improve transparency. SB 1278 would exclude certain sex offenses and habitual/one-strike offenders from elderly parole eligibility. The San Diego District Attorney’s Office and California District Attorneys Association supported it, citing cases such as Gregory Vogelsang and David Funston; opponents from Uncommon Law, the Ella Baker Center, and others argued elderly parole is already highly restrictive, evidence-based, and cost-effective. Vice Chair Seyarto strongly supported SB 1278, emphasizing victim justice and public safety. SB 1354 would bar out-of-state military personnel not operating under Title 10 from entering California to perform military or law enforcement functions without the governor’s permission; a committee amendment removed a criminal penalty and left enforcement to the Attorney General. SB 926 would provide funding for Proposition 36 implementation, with committee amendments deleting a specific appropriation and shifting funding decisions to the budget process; supporters said counties need resources for treatment, probation, and administration, while opponents criticized the bill as fiscally reckless and duplicative. SB 874 would require background checks and clearer statewide standards for Medi-Cal behavioral health treatment services, especially ABA services for children; supporters said it would improve patient safety and program integrity. SB 1210 would extend CalGang-style oversight, notice, appeal, and DOJ regulation to all gang databases, not just shared ones; supporters described harms from inaccurate, unregulated local databases, while police chiefs opposed applying the CalGang framework to all local investigative files. The committee also heard SB 1019, which would create a DOJ cargo theft task force and add reporting requirements; supporters from BNSF, trucking, shipping, ports, and law enforcement said organized cargo theft is harming supply chains and worker safety, and no opposition was presented. Finally, SB 1217 would create a DOJ clearinghouse to help victims remove nonconsensual intimate images, including AI-generated deepfakes, from covered platforms; amendments narrowed the bill’s scope and clarified law enforcement’s role. The author and survivor witnesses described ongoing trauma from repeated reposting of exploitative images and argued the bill would provide a centralized removal process. The transcript ends during testimony on SB 1217, with no final votes taken on the measures heard.

Transcript Highlights:

• various kinds of entities and aren't necessarily going around checking them on any kind of routine schedule
• any kind going around checking them on any kind of<00:55:05.359><c> routine</c><00:55:06.000><c> schedule
• So,</c><00:55:06.800><c> I'm</c><00:55:07.040><c> I'm</c><00:55:07.599><c> looking</c> of routine schedule
• So, I'm I'm looking of routine schedule.

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• We were pacing ahead of schedule.
• All the high schools don't have the same schedule, start and end time.
• talked about trying to maybe squeeze one in an early morning or late afternoon because of time scheduling
• So there was enough freedom in her schedule because of summer school classes.

Committee: Joint Higher Education Institutions Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• In the event of a network failure, it may be necessary to reschedule the hearing or schedule a meeting
• reschedule the may be necessary to reschedule the hearing<00:31:54.040><c> or</c><00:31:54.240><c> schedule
• </c><00:31:54.640><c> a</c><00:31:54.680><c> meeting</c><00:31:55.000><c> for</c> hearing or schedule
• a meeting for hearing or schedule a meeting for decision-making.<00:31:56.040><c> In</c><00:31:56.160

Bills: HCR13 , HCR61 , HCR136 , HCR185 , HCR155 , HCR68 , HCR174 , HCR178 , HCR179 , HCR91 , HCR103 , HCR115 , HCR199 , HR15 , HR128 , HR175 , HR147 , HR62 , HR164 , HR168 , HR169 , HR83 , HR95 , HR107 , HR189

Committee: House Water & Land

Summary: The Committee on Water and Land met on March 31, 2026, and heard testimony on several resolutions. HCR 13/HR 50, which asks DLNR to work with DOE and the Public Charter School Commission on a student coral stewardship program, drew comments from DLNR, which said it stood on written testimony and had proposed amendments, and from supporters in the room. HCR 61, urging investment in reforestation policies, workforce, nursery capacity, and related support for public and private lands, received strong support from DLNR and multiple testifiers, including members of a reforestation policy hui, a resident, and others who emphasized watershed protection, flood and fire resilience, and the need to upgrade nursery infrastructure and staffing. Committee members asked questions about nursery modernization, staffing, island-specific needs, and whether reforestation could reduce wildfire impacts; the DLNR witness said all islands need investment, with especially large opportunities on Hawaiʻi Island, and that healthier forests improve resilience though they cannot eliminate climate-related risks. The committee then heard HCR 136/HR 128 on wildland-urban interface safety standards for Maui plantation towns, but no one testified. It also heard HCR 185/HR 175, which urges denial of permits for ICE detention-related warehouses; Chris Coffey of Immua Alliance testified in support, saying migrant survivors of exploitation are harmed when ICE detains people and that Hawaii would not be the first place to take such action, citing examples from other states and cities. In questioning, members explored whether a local facility would keep people closer to families and services or instead increase local detention; Coffey said detention generally cuts off access to services and can intensify fear, and that a local facility could incentivize more detention and make survivors less likely to come forward. Finally, the committee heard HCR 155/HR 147 supporting the Hawaii Water Safety Coalition’s Hawaii Water Safety Act. Testifiers included Allison Shapera, who described the statewide water safety plan, Hawaii’s high drowning rate, the economic and human costs of drownings, and her personal loss of her daughter in a preventable drowning; Kirsten Hermstead and Kalani Vierra of the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association said the plan’s recommendations need legislative recognition to help with implementation and grant funding; and Jessamine Town Horner testified by Zoom as a co-founder and bereaved family advocate. The transcript provided does not show any votes or final committee actions on the measures discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• institute, NIDA, which in July announced that they're recommending that seven hydroxy be put in Schedule
• hydroxy</c><00:00:39.960><c> be</c><00:00:40.120><c> put</c><00:00:40.320><c> in</c><00:00:40.440><c> schedule
• </c><00:00:40.960><c> one</c><00:00:41.120><c> of</c> seven hydroxy be put in schedule one of seven hydroxy
• be put in schedule one of the<00:00:41.440><c> controlled</c><00:00:41.960><c> substances</c><00:00:

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• 2023, Judge Tastroo granted us a preliminary injunction preventing the law from taking effect as scheduled
• preventing the law from taking<00:21:25.120><c> effect</c><00:21:25.440><c> as</c><00:21:25.600><c> scheduled
• </c><00:21:26.000><c> on</c><00:21:26.240><c> January</c> taking effect as scheduled on January taking
• effect as scheduled on January 1st,<00:21:26.960><c> 2024.

Transcript Highlights:

• We would hope that an employer would report to us that somebody had been scheduled for an interview and
• 00:57:34.000><c> been</c> report to us that somebody had been report to us that somebody had been scheduled
• 34.640><c> an</c><00:57:34.880><c> interview</c><00:57:35.119><c> and</c><00:57:35.440><c> didn't</c> scheduled
• for an interview and didn't scheduled for an interview and didn't show<00:57:35.839><c> up.

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:

• of these leaders who remain at home caring for children, helping with homework, and maintaining schedules
• helping with homework, and for children, helping with homework, and maintaining<00:01:13.680><c> schedules
• They</c><00:01:14.880><c> too</c><00:01:15.119><c> are</c><00:01:15.360><c> part</c> maintaining schedules
• They too are part maintaining schedules.

Transcript Highlights:

• we have here is, if we've implemented several changes to PIP, we've put it on a workers' comp fee schedule
• um we've put it on a workers<01:59:58.239><c> comp</c><01:59:58.560><c> fee</c><01:59:58.880><c> schedule
• </c><01:59:59.440><c> We</c><01:59:59.760><c> require</c> workers comp fee schedule.
• We require workers comp fee schedule.

Summary: The House convened with an invocation and pledge, established a quorum, approved the prior journal, and received committee reports on several bills. Reported measures included House Bills 1 and 2 from Appropriations and Revenue, along with bills on animal control officers, emergency services revenue, postsecondary education, proactive postsecondary admission, vehicle lights, motor vehicle operation, motor vehicle dealers, and machine gun conversion devices. The chamber also took up Senate Bills 52 and 124 for concurrence, and House Bill 1 was moved from rules to the orders of the day for immediate action. The House then considered House Bill 568, which would regulate public adjusters by prohibiting new licenses, allowing renewals for current licensees, imposing conflict-of-interest and contract requirements, capping fees at 5%, and barring adjusters from negotiating claims. Supporters described it as a consumer-protection measure responding to complaints and investigations, especially after recent storm-related exploitation. The bill passed overwhelmingly, 95-1. The House next debated House Bill 1, which would opt Kentucky into the federal education freedom tax credit program and authorize the Secretary of State to administer the state’s participation without using state general funds. Supporters argued it would bring federal scholarship dollars into Kentucky for K-12 students, including public school students, and could generate significant private donations for scholarship-granting organizations. Opponents raised concerns about shifting resources away from public education, the speed of the process, and a proposed waiver of Eleventh Amendment immunity. A motion to table the bill failed by a wide margin, and members continued debating the bill and its implications for public schools and state sovereignty.

Transcript Highlights:

• we have here is, if we've implemented several changes to PIP, we've put it on a workers' comp fee schedule
• um we've put it on a workers<01:57:00.480><c> comp</c><01:57:00.719><c> fee</c><01:57:01.040><c> schedule
• </c><01:57:01.679><c> We</c><01:57:01.920><c> require</c> workers comp fee schedule.
• We require workers comp fee schedule.

Summary: The House convened with a quorum, approved the journal, excused absent members, and suspended rules to allow co-sponsorship and vote modifications. The Senate reported passage of Senate Bills 52 and 124, and several House committees reported favorable action on bills including HB 1, HB 2, HB 94, HB 246, HB 282, HB 299, HB 307, HB 519, HB 613, and HB 648. Most of those measures were ordered to first reading and placed on the calendar; HB 1 and HB 307 were sent to the Rules Committee after having had two previous readings. The House then recessed briefly before returning to the orders of the day. The chamber took up HB 568, relating to public adjusters. The sponsor explained that the bill would prohibit new public adjuster licenses, allow current licensees to renew, impose conflict-of-interest and contract requirements, set a 5% fee cap, and bar public adjusters from negotiating claims, citing consumer protection concerns and legal opinions about the practice of law. After debate and a brief explanation of vote from a member citing local storm-related abuses, the House voted on roll call and passed HB 568 with one nay vote. The House then considered HB 1, which would opt Kentucky into the federal education freedom tax credit program. Supporters said it would allow private donations to scholarship-granting organizations to benefit Kentucky students without using state general funds, and argued it could help public, private, and homeschool families with education-related expenses. Opponents criticized the speed of the process, warned it could open the door to vouchers and charters, and argued it would mainly benefit wealthier donors while public schools remain underfunded. Members also questioned the bill’s waiver of 11th Amendment immunity and received explanations that the waiver was limited to federal-court jurisdiction over the federal program and would not create individual liability for state actors. A motion to table the bill failed with 19 votes in favor, and debate continued.