Transcript Highlights:

• give more input, and see where we land between now and next session.
• And it does eight things, and I'll try and be brief as I explain what this piece of legislation does.
• People may use this, and yes, it is addictive. But remember, there's no medical intervention here.
• People may use this, and yes, it is addictive. But remember, there's no medical intervention here.
• And House Revenue and Taxation stands adjourned.

Committee: House Revenue and Taxation

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• got calls from authors not coming early and members, and so you're going to see people come in and out
• Coming early and members, and so you're going to see people come in and out, and so we decided that in
• And so how do we prevent that from happening, right, to say, okay, if it comes back to us so that we
• Definitely urgency in food programs and making sure that everyone is fed.
• for chemical interventions, and support integrated pest management that growers use every day.

Committee: Senate Governmental Organization

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• got calls from authors not coming early and members, and so you're going to see people come in and out
• So we decided... ...coming early and members, and so you're going to see people come in and out.
• And so how do we prevent that from happening, right, to say, okay, if it comes back to us so that we
• There is urgency in food programs and making sure that everyone is fed.
• for chemical interventions, and support integrated pest management that growers use every day.

Committee: Senate Governmental Organization

Summary: The Senate Government Organization Committee met without a quorum at first, then later established one and took up a series of bills, many focused on regulatory oversight, state symbols, food insecurity, immigration enforcement, and ethnic media funding. SB 885 by Senator Strickland proposed requiring legislative approval for major regulations with an estimated economic impact over $50 million; supporters argued it would restore accountability and help address affordability, while labor and environmental opponents warned it would delay important health and safety rules. After discussion of committee amendments and concerns about timing, the bill was moved out on a due-pass motion, with the roll held open for absent members. The committee also heard SB 986, a similar regulatory oversight bill by Senator Saryato, which accepted committee amendments and advanced after supporters emphasized separation of powers and opponents raised delay concerns. SB 1025 by Senator Hurtado created an Office of Food Security and Affordability to coordinate food programs across departments; members generally supported the goal but urged stronger reporting and oversight guardrails, and the bill was moved forward with the roll held open. The committee then heard several symbolic designation bills. SB 1214 by Senator Ochoa Bogh would designate the Western monarch as California’s state butterfly; supporters highlighted the species’ ecological importance and conservation value, and the bill advanced as amended. SB 1178 by Senator Reyes would designate the California yellow jacket as the state wasp; testimony emphasized its role in pest control and agriculture, and it also moved forward as amended. SB 1286 by Senator Richardson would designate the California sea lion as the official state pinniped; the author and Marine Mammal Care Center described sea lions as a conservation success story and a sentinel species, and the bill passed out of committee as amended. The committee also considered SB 1171 by Senator Caballero, which would make private entities that contract with ICE ineligible for state-funded loans or grants. Supporters framed it as a response to harmful ICE enforcement practices, while opponents warned it could sweep in providers of essential services such as food, medical care, and legal research for detainees and could invite retaliation against California funding. The bill was approved on a 7-3 vote, with the roll held open. Finally, SB 1358 by Senator Rubio, the Ethnic and Community Media Equity Act, would create a database and contracting framework to direct more state advertising and outreach funds to ethnic and community media; supporters said it would improve reach, trust, and effectiveness in underserved communities, and the bill advanced on a strong vote with the roll held open. The committee also took up the consent calendar after quorum was established, and several items were held open for absent members.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are issues and other topics and other categories and committees that are there, and they simmer
• And then after that, we'll have a question and answer and discussion.
• And then after that, we'll have a question and answer and discussion.
• And I credit the college system, ASU and down, for answering the call to try to set up programs for them
• , that impacts you financially, and that's been going on for a few years with no intervention by any

Committee: House Artificial Intelligence & Innovation

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• exist in available treatment and outreach programs and services.
• Kimmel shared a number of materials about this, that low-barrier care and mobile intervention programs
• exist in available treatment and outreach programs and services.
• Kimmel shared a number of materials about this, that low-barrier care and mobile intervention programs
• care providers and harm reduction programs should encourage and set follow-up wound care, and should

Summary: The Special Commission on xylazine convened a public meeting to review and discuss the first draft of its final report, approve prior minutes, and gather feedback for revisions. The commission first approved the December 11 minutes by roll call vote, then reviewed the report structure, which will include a commission overview, working group findings and recommendations, and appendices with public meeting materials and public resources. Staff explained the report’s framing of xylazine as both a licensed veterinary drug and an illicit drug supply contaminant, and members discussed the distinction between legal animal use and illicit importation/adulteration, with several commissioners emphasizing that people who use drugs do not intentionally seek xylazine. The commission then walked through draft findings and recommendations for best practices in oversight and enforcement, outreach and treatment, and education and training. Members discussed whether xylazine should be further scheduled or instead addressed through other public health and enforcement measures, with the draft leaning toward maintaining the current Schedule 6 status while strengthening public health responses, surveillance, drug checking, and targeted enforcement against illicit production and distribution. Commissioners also proposed stronger coordination among public safety, law enforcement, and public health, including real-time alerts, centralized data sharing, and possibly a DPH task force on emerging drug supply threats. The outreach and treatment section focused on existing harm reduction, wound care, naloxone, and mobile/low-threshold services, while noting gaps such as lack of an FDA-approved human reversal agent, geographic access barriers, insurance issues, and limited provider familiarity. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on education and training for first responders, clinicians, non-clinicians, and people who use drugs and their families. Commissioners supported tailored, stigma-free materials that cover xylazine basics, signs and symptoms, wound care, withdrawal, harm reduction, and when to seek medical care, with repeated emphasis on including firefighters, EMS, law enforcement, and other first responders in definitions and training. Members also stressed the need for consistent, centralized, and up-to-date public health data, better communication of emerging contaminants beyond xylazine, and practical guidance to prevent people with xylazine-related wounds from being turned away from care or recovery settings. The meeting ended with agreement to incorporate the feedback into a revised draft to be circulated by March 2, with another meeting scheduled for March 9 and a backup meeting later in March if needed; the commission then adjourned by unanimous motion.

Transcript Highlights:

• In these meetings, we spoke about the importance of early detection and proper screenings.
• and completely preventable deaths for thousands of children.
• Capitol Hill in the early 2000s and joined my office during his first term.
• I don't think it should have included some of the grant programs and the, uh, price program, the community
• Let's eliminate programs plagued by fraud and reform to eliminate fraud.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the next attack, no matter the weapon, no matter the method, through targeted intervention, early warning
• the next attack, no matter the weapon, no matter the method, through targeted intervention, early warning
• the next attack, no matter the weapon, no matter the method, through targeted intervention, early warning
• The question before you is whether House File 3402 and House File 3433 will prevent the next attack or
• And court time and time and time again.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I have other fairs that call me and ask me how we did it, and I give full credit to the CERT program
• So, Senate File 2574 is an effort to prevent fraud in state programs.
• So, Senate File 2574 is an effort to prevent fraud in state programs.
• Um, and so we was a federal program.
• And then we allocate money as we have available and perceive the needs of any individual service or program

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Second is what we do in the early grades in the early years to build a strong foundation of reading and
• The rest of that is, uh, given to school systems via the Foundation School program, uh, and via, uh,
• Fe ISD and $4 million for preschool age, uh, children food security grant program.
• And you wanted, uh, a robust music program and you wanted counseling services and, um, you know, library
• Uh, under, uh, you know, regardless, under an ESA, uh, program, and I think, um, to, to go back to our

Committee: House Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• And does the department believe that And does the department believe that the program can function with
• Handicapped Persons Program, GHPP, and Every Woman Counts.
• for the GHPP program and both growth in cost and higher cost per member, and then growth in the CCS
• changes and cost pressure to indigent care programs.
• It's very early in this first-year program.

Summary: The subcommittee heard an overview of the Department of Health Care Services’ proposed budget, including a $229.1 billion total-funds budget and projected Medi-Cal enrollment decline as redeterminations continue. Members focused heavily on the fiscal and programmatic effects of prior budget solutions and federal changes, especially the elimination of General Fund-supported Prop. 56 dental supplemental payments beginning July 1, 2026, the hospice utilization-management change, and the impact of reduced caseloads alongside rising health care costs. DHCS said it is still completing required access and rate-reduction analyses for the dental cuts and has been engaging stakeholders, but could not yet quantify the real-world effect on utilization or provider participation. The committee also reviewed the November 2025 Medi-Cal local assistance estimate, which shows higher General Fund spending despite lower enrollment, driven by managed care rate growth, Medicare cost growth, state-only claiming, and federal policy changes. The hearing then turned to provider taxes and federal H.R. 1 constraints, with extensive discussion of the MCO tax, the hospital quality assurance fee, and other health care-related taxes. DHCS explained that H.R. 1 phases down allowable tax levels and tightens “generally redistributive” rules, making the current MCO tax structure and the proposed higher hospital fee levels difficult or impossible to renew as originally designed. Staff and the LAO described the tradeoff between preserving Medi-Cal funding and avoiding higher costs on private providers and consumers. Members asked about options for preserving revenue, including possible amendments to Prop. 35 or returning to voters, and were told the department is still evaluating approaches while federal guidance remains in flux. The committee also reviewed hospital payment increases already implemented through state-directed payments, with DHCS noting that H.R. 1 will force those payments down to Medicare levels over time. Several budget change proposals were discussed and left open, including requests tied to the managed care final rule, managed care operations, hospital value strategy, long-term care payment transparency, and interoperability requirements. The committee also heard about a one-year trailer bill extension for skilled nursing facility financing, including continuation of the SNF workforce standards program, the SNF quality assurance fee, and annual rate growth, while the department develops a longer-term financing redesign for 2027-28. Members expressed skepticism about repeated rate reform efforts and questioned whether a one-year extension of the eliminated workforce quality incentive program should be restored during the transition. Finally, Covered California presented its budget and enrollment update, reporting that the expiration of the federal enhanced premium tax credit is expected to reduce affordability significantly, with average premiums roughly doubling for many enrollees and as many as 400,000 Californians potentially losing marketplace coverage over time. The exchange said California’s $190 million subsidy program is helping lower-income enrollees, but not enough to offset the federal loss, and it is also implementing a new gender-affirming care benefit and awaiting federal action on benchmark plan changes.

Transcript Highlights:

• of it, they can then go back and establish the best practices to prevent this from happening again in
• And I am a mixed daughter and a lesbian, and I support HB 2157, as this bill could affect both me and
• ... ...and so many other layers, but preventing them from happening through the technology to begin with
• Those losses are devastating, and we share the goal of preventing harm, especially for young people.
• Children in crisis need access to evidence-based behavioral health interventions, and requiring that

Summary: The committee held public hearings on three AI-related bills. HB 1170 would require large generative AI providers to offer provenance detection tools and include latent and manifest disclosures in AI-generated or altered content; supporters said it is needed to combat deepfakes and disinformation, while opponents raised First Amendment, technical feasibility, and compliance concerns, and the Attorney General’s Office said the bill needs clearer provider definitions and enforcement language. HB 2157 would regulate high-risk AI systems used in consequential decisions such as employment, housing, health care, and parole by requiring risk management, impact assessments, disclosures, and a private right of action; the sponsor said it is needed to address algorithmic discrimination and consumer protection, while industry and civil liberties groups warned it is overbroad, burdensome, and constitutionally problematic, and the AG’s Office supported the concept but asked for changes to enforcement and the right-to-cure provisions. HB 2225 would regulate AI companion chatbots by requiring disclosures, limits on manipulative engagement, and safeguards for minors and self-harm; the sponsor, governor’s office, AG’s Office, researchers, and several families testified in support, citing harms to youth and real-world suicides, while industry groups supported narrower protections but objected to the private right of action and scope. No votes were taken during the hearings.

Transcript Highlights:

• But they are also the basis of the state grant program and the North Star Promise program.
• spending and put it into the state grant program.
• And then that leads me to Early Care and Learning.
• Fund the programs and the needs of the state of Minnesota.
• government aid and county program aid.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we run a dispute resolution program.
• Resolution program, and many consumers get their money back that way.
• To that end, the AGO and the Secretary of State launched programs called Assured Giving and Assured Impact
• We offer these programs free of charge and anywhere in the state.
• , and lighter-touch interventions, sometimes we have no options but to sue.

Committee: House Consumer Protection & Business

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We strive to create societal conditions that promote health, advance justice, and prevent physical and
• Residents deserve stability, and recovery is fragile in its early stages.
• You're in a home with 10, 12, 14, 15 folks, and they're all working a recovery program, and you have
• That would be group homes and day programs. All DMH funded, operated, and licensed spaces.
• That would be group homes and day programs that would cover rights abuses and all of those.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on a broad set of mental health, substance use, recovery, and patients’ rights bills. Early testimony focused on H. 2227, which would replace stigmatizing substance use terminology in the General Laws, and H. 3950, which would support parents in recovery involved with DCF by requiring more individualized recovery plans, clearer benchmarks for parenting time, access to recovery coaches or counselors, family counseling after sustained recovery, and staff training on addiction and lived experience. Speakers described the bills as ways to reduce stigma, increase accountability, and improve reunification outcomes for families. A major portion of the hearing centered on S. 1386, which would transfer Bridgewater State Hospital from the Department of Correction to the Department of Mental Health. Advocates, family members, and disability groups testified that Bridgewater functions like a prison rather than a hospital, with excessive restraint, seclusion, involuntary medication, poor conditions, and racial disparities, and argued DMH should oversee a treatment setting. One DMH occupational therapist and MNA member opposed the transfer, saying the real issue is mixing forensic and continuing-care patients and that DMH should instead create designated forensic units under bills H. 228/S. 1408. Committee members asked about Bridgewater’s population, the history of DOC control, capacity, staffing, and how a transfer might be implemented. The committee also heard testimony on modernizing the six fundamental rights for psychiatric inpatients, including expanding communication options, clarifying visitation and advocacy definitions, and improving access to gender-appropriate and culturally relevant items. Another bill, H. 2216, would require stronger oversight before antipsychotic medication is prescribed in nursing homes, prompted by concerns about inappropriate use. Finally, testimony supported H. 2240 and H. 2239 on sober homes, with supporters saying discharge and relocation policies are needed when a resident returns to active use or becomes unsafe, while preserving the recovery environment and resident rights. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:33:39.080><c> borrow</c><00:33:39.440><c> and</c> program um to come in and borrow and program
• a</c><01:14:40.120><c> program</c> region and and really build a program region and and really build
• </c><01:20:09.000><c> is</c> program and this Pathways program is program and this Pathways program is
• </c><01:21:57.880><c> family</c> buyer program for myself and my family buyer program for myself and
• </c><01:31:43.280><c> and</c> right you get through the program and right you get through the program

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• experts about the fiscal and programmatic impacts of H.R. 1 on Medi-Cal and CalFresh programs.
• and programmatic impacts of H.R. 1 on Medi-Cal and CalFresh programs.
• And the last thing I'll add is that SNAP is not a permanent program. It's a cyclical program.
• Similarly, CalFresh is the state's largest and most effective anti-poverty program, preventing hunger
• programs to stay home and stay healthy.

Committee: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review

Summary: The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee held an oversight hearing on the impacts of H.R. 1 on California’s safety net, focusing on Medi-Cal and CalFresh. The chair and vice chair framed the discussion around major federal changes to work requirements, eligibility redeterminations, immigrant eligibility, and financing rules, while noting the state’s own structural budget deficit and the need for a second hearing later in March on county and safety-net impacts. The first panel included the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the Department of Finance, the UC Berkeley Labor Center, and the Food Research and Action Center. LAO and Finance described H.R. 1 as driving major enrollment losses and cost shifts. LAO estimated that Medi-Cal work requirements and six-month redeterminations could affect 3.5 million people, with 1 to 2 million potentially disenrolled, while CalFresh changes could subject more than 800,000 people to work requirements and cause over 600,000 to lose food assistance. They also highlighted new ineligibility for certain non-citizens, reduced federal matching for emergency Medi-Cal services, tighter provider tax rules, and higher state and county administrative costs for CalFresh. Finance said the governor’s budget reflects about $1.4 billion in new General Fund costs in 2026-27 and a $2.4 billion reduction in federal funds, with larger out-year impacts and up to 2 million Medi-Cal disenrollments by 2029-30. The UC Berkeley Labor Center projected up to 3 million Californians could lose full-scope Medi-Cal by 2028 when H.R. 1 is combined with state budget changes, though it said the state could limit losses by choosing not to apply some new requirements to state-funded populations and by keeping some immigrants in full-scope state-funded coverage. The Food Research and Action Center argued that CalFresh cuts and time limits would increase hunger, homelessness risk, and health costs, while also hurting local economies and increasing administrative burden. Committee members from both parties questioned the fiscal sustainability of Medi-Cal growth, the 11% CalFresh error rate and possible $2 billion penalty, county indigent care costs, and the effect of work requirements; several Democratic members argued the federal changes and state cuts would disproportionately harm low-income Californians, immigrants, and communities of color, while Republican members emphasized program growth, work incentives, and the need for budget restraint. No votes were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, last year, in early spring, we convened a task force on civic learning and engagement, and there
• </c><00:30:43.760><c> and</c><00:30:44.080><c> disaster</c> illness prevention and disaster illness prevention
• ><00:55:01.599><c> Bayata</c> Testimony and support from Bayata, Hawaii Early Intervention Coordinating
• Examining the cost and feasibility, um, we can, by doing this, proactively prevent harm and ensure schools
• c> harm</c><00:59:26.960><c> and</c> this we can proactively prevent harm and this we can proactively

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The joint committees on Education and Higher Education first heard HCR 75 and HR 67, which ask the Department of Education and the University of Hawaiʻi to assess criteria for building an educational pipeline and curriculum for advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity. The Department of Education said it would stand on its written testimony, and UH supported the measure, noting existing community college and four-year programs related to the topic. Members asked how DOE promotes cybersecurity opportunities and whether it provides funding; DOE said schools usually connect with partners and its office works with them, but it does not have separate funding for such efforts. UH also explained that some advanced manufacturing concepts may overlap with 3D printing, material sciences, and entrepreneurship, and described P20 as a forum for aligning K-12 and higher education pathways. The committees then recessed the joint hearing and moved to the Education Committee agenda. The committee next heard HCR 46 and HR 39, which would make DOE recreational facilities available to the public during non-peak hours and non-school days. DOE said it already uses facilities agreements with insurance, liability waivers, indemnification, and certificates of insurance to protect schools. The Attorney General opposed the resolutions, warning that unrestricted public use without safeguards could create substantial liability and cost risks for the state. The measure’s introducer said the goal was to help underserved communities that lack access to public recreation spaces, and DOE said it would be open to joint-use arrangements with larger organizations but remained concerned about vandalism and liability. The committee also heard HCR 86 and HR 80 on creating an Aloha Civics working group, with DOE offering comments and Common Cause Hawaiʻi strongly supporting the idea. DOE described a civic learning and engagement task force that met with stakeholders, including UH and the PACE Commission, and produced recommendations such as building partnership inventories, integrating civic learning across grade levels, and aligning the work with DOE’s HA framework and learner outcomes. Common Cause said civic education can be implemented effectively and affordably, citing existing school projects such as ranked-choice voting and classroom constitutions. Later, the committee took up HCR 87 and HR 81, urging an annual Climate Week in public schools. DOE again stood on written comments, while the Climate Change and Health Working Group, Climate Future Forum, a student from Kaimuki High School, and other supporters argued that a dedicated week would ensure consistent climate education, build resilience, and connect climate issues to health, food security, and disaster preparedness. Supporters said existing climate-related opportunities are uneven across schools and that a formal Climate Week would create a more equitable approach. The committee then heard HCR 95 and HR 91 on informing students about changes to gun safety and storage laws; DOE asked for clarification on the measure’s intended outcome, and one individual testified in support. Finally, the committee heard HCR 104 and HR 100 on strengthening farm-to-school initiatives. DOE said it is already working to improve menus, emphasize local products, and meet with distributors to increase local procurement, while the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience offered food science, nutrition, and extension support. Climate Future Forum, the Hawaii Youth Food Council, and other supporters said farm-to-school efforts are important for student health, local farmers, and food sovereignty, noting that local food procurement in schools remains far below the state’s 30% by 2030 goal. DOE explained it is trying to provide distributors and farmers with more predictable demand and is meeting with distributors to set up next year’s supply chain.

Transcript Highlights:

• hostbound play, house based placements, law enforcement interventions, rates of student and staff injuries
• home hostbound play, house based placements, law enforcement interventions, rates of student and staff
• interventions, rates of student<00:27:34.159><c> and</c><00:27:34.400><c> staff</c><00:27:34.640><c>
• Aaron and I and Nicole and Kate, and we had such good conversations, and Kate was so kind to send an
• /c> Aaron and I and Nicole and Kate and we Aaron and I and Nicole and Kate and we had<00:36:22.560><c

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Simply increasing the number of programs and requirements will not resolve this issue and may lead to
• We started our first program in 2003 with one cohort of 18 students in the Spanish program and today
• Excuse me, and it's hard not to talk about the regional occupation programs and the Attempts that are
• Program and from my understanding it has failed.
• transparency and whether the program is working or not.

Committee: House Education

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Handicapped Persons Program, GHPP, and Every Woman Counts.
• for the GHPP program and both growth in cost and higher cost per member, and then growth in the CCS
• changes and cost pressure to indigent care programs.
• It's very early in this first-year program.
• And we appreciate the continued commitment to this program.

Keywords: 987, senate, all