Transcript Highlights:

• I know you brought up a really good point that I do have listed, and it is the rural health transformation
• My question, well, first of all, I think there's some great opportunity with rural health transformation
• dollars because the technology pillar has yet to open.
• dollars because the technology pillar has yet to open.
• One after that is bringing high-quality care closer to home, and the last one is connecting technology

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you today for the opportunity to speak about the transformative role of higher education in the
• This is how we move from short-term interventions to long-term transformation.
• This is how we move from short-term interventions to long-term transformation.
• This is how we move from short-term interventions to long-term transformation.
• We have the technology to do it. We need the goodwill to do it.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business held its final hearing of the session on H. 5187 and S. 3022, the Enough Act, with Chair Andy Vargas and Senator Adam Gomez opening by thanking committee members and stakeholders for their work during the session. The bills were described as a grant-based, place-based anti-poverty initiative intended to support cradle-to-career services by funding local nonprofits, schools, community organizations, and backbone entities that can coordinate housing, education, health, workforce, and family supports in high-poverty neighborhoods. Testimony was overwhelmingly in support of the bills. Speakers including Strategies for Children, Chelsea Public Schools, Bunker Hill Community College, Senator Sal DiDomenico, Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian, Rep. Antonio Cabral, the Harlem Children’s Zone’s Kwame Owusu Kesse and Jeffrey Canada, former Education Secretary Paul Reville, AFT Massachusetts, United Way, the Boston Foundation, Give Black Alliance, Eastern Bank Foundation, and others argued that poverty is a systems issue that schools alone cannot solve. They emphasized the need for local control, community voice, coordinated services, and long-term public-private investment, often citing examples from Chelsea, New Bedford, Springfield, Lowell, Boston, and other communities, as well as the Harlem Children’s Zone and Maryland’s similar model. Committee members asked several questions about how the bill would function in practice, including what organizations would do on day one, how it would interact with existing efforts like community schools, McKinney-Vento, and the Student Opportunity Act, and how it would be sustained over time. Witnesses said the act would help create or strengthen backbone organizations, reduce duplication, align existing resources, and leverage philanthropy and future revenue sources for long-term sustainability. No vote was taken during the hearing, but multiple speakers urged the committee to report the bill favorably and quickly.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you today for the opportunity to speak about the transformative role of higher education in the
• This is how we move from short-term interventions to long-term transformation.
• It's still too early to tell the complete results, but those communities are being transformed because
• We have the technology to do it. We need the goodwill to do it.
• We specialize in transforming the resources and relationships in schools and communities into engines

Bills: S3022, H5187

Keywords: ENOUGH Act, ENOUGH fund, anti-poverty, poverty reduction, community development, place-based grants, distressed neighborhoods, economic mobility, housing and livable communities, community schools, cradle-to-career, child poverty, intergenerational poverty, social services, workforce development, education equity, public health, behavioral health, mental health, affordable housing

Transcript Highlights:

• like carbon capture, utilization, and storage, and hydrogen fuel cell technologies.
• or circuit breaker, or as easy as implementing some grid-enhancing technologies.
• About transmissions—sorry, transformers, circuit breakers, etc.
• And also, with evolving technology, there was also a big learning curve about how the technology works
• There was also a big learning curve about how the technology works.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy held an oversight hearing on accelerating clean energy development and helping projects capture expiring federal tax credits. The chair framed the hearing around federal actions under HR 1, which sharply shortens the timeline for wind and solar projects to qualify for tax credits, and Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-3325, which directs state agencies to speed siting, permitting, and construction. Sarah Fitzsimmons of the Independent Energy Producers Association explained the federal deadlines, the shift from the 5% safe-harbor test to a physical-work test, and the main bottlenecks California projects face, especially interconnection delays, environmental review, and limited transparency around self-build options for network upgrades. Panelists from the Union of Concerned Scientists, Southern California Edison, and EDF Power Solutions largely agreed that transmission constraints, permitting, and queue management remain the biggest barriers. UCS emphasized long-standing transmission delays, the need for more accountability and standardized reporting, and the importance of keeping reforms focused on the projects most likely to reach completion. SCE said it has increased interconnection throughput through process changes, digital tools, and coordination with regulators, while noting that developers and utilities must work closely together on project-specific issues. EDF described how overlapping permitting, interconnection, and procurement timelines create risk, and argued that clearer policies on self-builds, equipment standards, and affected-system studies could help reduce delays. State agency representatives from the CPUC, CAISO, and Go-Biz reported strong recent clean energy progress, including record levels of new capacity and battery storage coming online, and described ongoing efforts such as the Integrated Resource Planning process, General Order 131-E updates, the Transmission Project Review Process, the Transmission Development Forum, and the TED Task Force. They said these efforts are helping identify delays, improve transparency, and coordinate solutions, including possible self-build arrangements and local permitting reforms. Committee members pressed the agencies on who is ultimately in charge of the effort, whether the state has quantified the ratepayer impact of losing federal tax credits, and whether the 90-day report required by the executive order is complete; the agencies said the report is still in development. Public commenters echoed the need to move beyond monitoring toward stronger prioritization and accountability to meet the 2029 and 2030 project deadlines.

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of these pieces, such as circuit breakers or transformers, are specific to particular utilities,
• like carbon capture, utilization, and storage, and hydrogen fuel cell technologies.
• or circuit breaker, or as easy as implementing some grid-enhancing technologies.
• And also with evolving technology, there was also a big learning curve about how the technology works
• There was also a big learning curve about how the technology works.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Information Technology Budget and Policy Subcommittee will now come to order.
• technologies.
• And this represents a great opportunity to move these technology assets to the cloud.
• In total, we have 3,300 technology assets.
• And I want to know that we're keeping up with current state technology and moving forward.

Summary: The subcommittee first heard a panel on state cloud modernization efforts after canceling an LBR on the Department of Corrections’ OBIS project because the presentation materials were not submitted on time. Florida Digital Service, the Northwest Regional Data Center, and several agencies described how the state is assessing and migrating applications to cloud environments under the cloud-first policy. Northwest explained its 2023 cloud readiness assessment of 890 applications from 24 agencies, the criteria used to rate readiness and risk, and its recommendation to tackle lower-risk applications first. Agency updates covered the Department of Corrections’ modernization of 98 legacy applications tied to OBIS and cloud-native infrastructure, the Department of Elder Affairs’ Microsoft Power Platform modernization, the Department of Health’s health management and child protection systems, and FDOT’s large cloud program for transportation systems. Members repeatedly asked about costs, data ownership, disaster recovery, single sign-on, security tools, and whether cloud migration actually saves money; presenters generally said the focus is more on modernization, resilience, and efficiency than immediate savings, and that cost analyses are often application-specific rather than enterprise-wide. The discussion also covered governance and architecture questions. Florida Digital Service said agencies remain responsible for their own databases and cloud tenants, while FLDS provides advice and an enterprise architecture framework; it does not have statutory oversight over most projects, except for OBIS project oversight due to its size. Northwest said it is acting as a cloud broker for some agencies and is consolidating Azure and AWS payer tenants to seek better pricing, but agencies still make system-by-system decisions based on business needs, risk, latency, and total cost of ownership. Members raised concerns about fragmented data structures, the lack of a complete statewide application inventory, and the need for better interoperability and enterprise standards. Several agencies said disaster recovery is built into their cloud plans, and FDOT and Corrections described ongoing efforts to keep systems current through core platforms, training, and ongoing support. In the second half of the meeting, the Department of State presented two new technology requests. Secretary Byrd described the SunBiz corporate registry system as a 34-year-old platform supporting more than 3.5 million business entities and generating over $575 million in annual general revenue. He said the department had already virtualized the legacy hardware after earlier modernization efforts failed and is now seeking $800,000 recurring for password protection and $5 million nonrecurring to continue procurement for a replacement system. The department also presented the Florida Voter Registration System modernization request, noting that the current system is outdated and requires manual workarounds for some statutory changes. The department requested $2.4948 million nonrecurring and $44,000 recurring to procure a modernized FVRS solution, and staff said the feasibility study recommended a hybrid approach. Members asked about the study’s findings and about creating a database for voter eligibility information for returning citizens; the department said that would require data sharing with all 67 clerks of court and other entities such as DOC.

Transcript Highlights:

• My life today demonstrates the transformative power of the state.
• My life today demonstrates the transformative power of the tuition waiver.
• And so you transformed your life through higher education.
• So he's transformed his life.
• So he's transformed his life. And he's talked to.

Bills: HB4, HB20

Keywords: district composition, congressional election, Texas, legislature, voting districts, fraudulent solicitation, disaster relief, nonprofit organizations, criminal penalties, consumer protection, fraud prevention, charitable donations

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education K-16 heard a series of higher education and K-12 bills, initially without a quorum and with several measures left pending subject to the call of the chair. Early bills included HB 1868, which would direct a study on lowering the dual-credit funding threshold for public junior colleges from 15 to 9 semester credit hours; HB 2598, which would replace statutory references to “licensed specialist in school psychology” with “school psychologist”; HB 3629, which would bar registered sex offenders from serving on independent school district boards of trustees; and HB 4361, which would require the Higher Education Coordinating Board to adopt rules for timely emergency notifications at public institutions of higher education. Each received brief sponsor explanations, no opposition testimony, and was left pending. The committee also heard HB 4848, requiring public higher education systems to ensure at least one institution offers affordable competency-based bachelor’s degree programs in high-demand fields, and HB 1211, which would remove the age 25 deadline for former foster youth to use public college tuition waivers. HB 1211 drew extensive supportive testimony from Texas CASA, a former foster youth who benefited from the waiver, and a current student headed to medical school, all arguing the change would better match the realities faced by youth aging out of care. Members discussed the bill’s fiscal uncertainty and the argument that the waiver is an investment in workforce participation; the bill was left pending. Later, the committee heard HB 20, creating an Applied Sciences Pathway Program to let high school students earn certificates in targeted industries such as welding, plumbing, electrical work, manufacturing, and oil and gas while in school. Industry and workforce groups strongly supported the bill as a way to address labor shortages, while Texas 2036 raised concerns about allowing applied versions of core academic courses to substitute for traditional instruction. HB 4687, which would extend governmental immunity protections to certain campus/district charter schools and adult charter high schools, also received support from a charter-school attorney who said it would align statutes with existing case law and not expand charter rights. HB 4236, as substituted, would create a study group to examine the property value study’s effect on school finance and alternative valuation methods; it was adopted as a committee substitute and left pending. The committee also heard HB 824 on civics instruction in high school government courses and HB 2243, which would create a commission on teacher job satisfaction and retention; the latter prompted debate over removing “ethnic diversity” language from the commission’s makeup. After adopting the substitute for HB 2243 by roll call, the committee recessed subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• Continually transforming means the Army is more adaptable, flexible, and lethal.
• These pillars are warfighting, ready combat formations, continuous transformation, and strengthening
• With Congressional support, we will keep the Army on a sustainable strategic path as we transform for
• I don't think we're satisfied that we need to continue to transform to prepare for that even more.
• So when our chief says, hey, transformation and contact or continuous transformation, that's what we're

Keywords: NDAA, military recruitment, personnel readiness, testimony, military leaders

Summary: The committee meeting focused on pressing issues related to the U.S. military's recruitment and personnel strategies, especially in light of the upcoming NDAA for fiscal year 2026. Chairperson expressed appreciation for the service of witnesses including senior military leaders from different branches, emphasizing the importance of personnel as the backbone of national defense. Discussions revealed concerns regarding the recent lowering of recruitment standards across military branches, which could potentially affect the quality of service members and long-term military readiness. Witnesses were asked to address the implications of these changes on military health and efficiency.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:18:55.760><c> for</c> an update on the transformation for an update on the transformation for
• So why are we transforming? People are at the center of our why for transformation.
• </c><01:20:47.760><c> advisor</c> to the governor's technology advisor to the governor's technology advisor
• </c><01:24:55.239><c> approach</c> the service dely transformation approach the service dely transformation
• We don't have a technological problem, right, or technology problem.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the purpose of driverless technology. the purpose of driverless technology.
• Automated vehicles will transform transportation.
• Automated vehicles will transform transportation.
• Bringing this technology and innovation to Minnesotans.
• And so the technology travel and rides. And so the technology is<00:18:09.280><c> here.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: House Republicans held a Transportation Committee press event to promote several bills they said would make driving cheaper and transportation more innovative. The main measures discussed were House File 3526, which would reduce vehicle tab fees; House File 3513, which would legalize automated driverless vehicles with regulatory guardrails; and a bill to consolidate metro-area bus operations and reduce administrative overhead and subsidies. They also said other transportation-related bills, including a school bus stop-arm clarification and a distracted-driving bill, were scheduled for the House floor on Monday. Representative Patti Anderson argued that Minnesota vehicle registration fees have become unaffordable, citing examples of high costs for newer and older vehicles, and said the state should roll fees back to pre-2023/2024 levels. On automated vehicles, Republicans said the bill had been revised after concerns from committee members, MnDOT, and stakeholders, adding a weight limit to avoid autonomous trucking, accessibility provisions for wheelchair users, a U.S.-based support person requirement, a labor/economic/congestion study, and tighter permitting. They said the bill should advance to the next committee and rejected delaying implementation for further study. On transit, Republicans said the metro has too many separate bus systems and that consolidation would save taxpayer money by cutting redundant service and administrative costs. They cited high per-ride subsidies and claimed combined reserve funds and reduced waste could save tens of millions of dollars. In questions, they defended using general-fund dollars for transportation, said the system benefits all residents, and argued that autonomous vehicles and related industries would create new opportunities even if some driving jobs are displaced. No formal votes were taken in the press event, though the speakers said they expected committee action on the automated-vehicle bill and that other bills would move to the floor or other committees.

Transcript Highlights:

• You're going to see a transformation.
• And transformation and post-secondary education will be happening.
• The Army is euphemistically calling it transformation.
• The modernization program is a large-scale, multi-biennium information technology and business transformation
• The modernization program is a large-scale multi-bony information technology and business transformation

Keywords: 907, all

Summary: The Emergency Board met on June 17, 2026, and approved a series of subcommittee recommendations, mostly on consent, related to federal grant applications, agency funding adjustments, and position authority. Early actions included approval of four federal grant applications from natural resources agencies, three public safety grant applications, a one-time increase for Judicial Department court security, retroactive approval for an AmeriCorps volunteer-generation grant, and a $7.5 million allocation to Southern Oregon University from a special appropriation for short-term financial stability. Members supporting the SOU item emphasized the university’s structural deficits, declining enrollment, and the need for a long-term higher education plan; several members voted no or raised concerns about sustainability, but the motion passed. The board also approved a federal apprenticeship expansion grant for the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, a school nutrition equipment grant for the Department of Education, and an Oregon Health Authority request tied to Medicaid community engagement requirements under H.R. 1. Public safety items included funding for Oregon Military Department readiness facilities, a report on the stalled juvenile justice information system modernization project with a follow-up viability report due in 2026, and a statewide evacuation planning tool for emergency management. The evacuation tool drew strong support as a wildfire preparedness measure, with members noting it could significantly reduce alert times and save lives. A major point of debate was the Department of Justice request to add 16 permanent positions and increase other funds limitation for antitrust enforcement. Supporters argued the federal government has pulled back and Oregon needs capacity to pursue active cases and protect consumers; opponents objected to the process, the size of the expansion, and the incentive structure tied to settlements and awards. Despite those concerns, the motion passed. The board also approved Water Resources Department requests for the Water Well Abandonment, Repair and Replacement program, an assistant water master position in Washington County, and federal funding for Lower Umatilla Basin groundwater data collection. The water master item prompted questions about county cost shifts, but staff said the position would remain externally funded and would not be filled without those resources.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:45:30.480><c> comes</c><00:45:30.720><c> out,</c> Um the plus is new technology comes out, Um
• the plus is new technology comes out, hopefully<00:45:31.120><c> that</c><00:45:31.280><c> provides<
• technology allows us to move in that<01:00:16.520><c> direction</c><01:00:17.080><c> with</c><01:00:
• All your input and support. transformational for the town and and it transformational for the town and
• The transformers need to be upgraded.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Committee on Government Operations held an informational briefing with the State Procurement Office on its small business procurement program. SPO staff described the program’s purpose as expanding access to state contracting for small businesses, including veteran-, Native Hawaiian-, and women-owned firms, and said they are seeking to make the current five-year initiative permanent before it ends in June 2027. They reported outreach efforts, a new website and newsletter, statewide surveys, draft administrative rules, and a 38% increase in small business registrations in the HANS database. They also explained that the program is intended to support outreach, education, certification, compliance, and a statewide database to connect agencies with qualified small businesses. Committee members focused heavily on whether the program is producing measurable contract awards, not just registrations. The chair and senators questioned the definition of “small business,” noting that SPO currently relies on SBA standards in HANS and is considering a Hawaii-specific definition based on employees, revenue, and Hawaii residency. Members raised concerns that the data showed only a small number of registered businesses receiving awards and that the database does not yet track awards well enough to evaluate performance. SPO responded that the database has had funding gaps, that the position was only filled in February 2025, and that the agency is still building the system and rules needed to track outcomes accurately. A major theme was how to make the program more effective for very small or “micro” businesses and how to reduce the complexity of state procurement. Members discussed the difference between set-asides and bid preferences, with SPO explaining that set-asides are generally tied to RFPs and preferences to IFBs. The committee suggested that future rules should make participation easier, provide more training and hand-holding, and possibly create pathways for micro businesses or groups of small businesses to bid together. No votes or formal actions were taken; the briefing ended with the committee asking SPO to provide more performance data and clearer information on outreach results and database contents.

Transcript Highlights:

• I consider that they are one of my relatives in that room, and that truly transformed the type of care
• I consider that they are one of my relatives in that room, and that truly transformed the type of care
• change I urge you to transformative change I urge you to prioritize<00:16:03.399><c> this</c><00:16:
• </c><00:36:09.599><c> commercialization</c> fourth is technology commercialization fourth is technology
• Startup called CoreBiome in 2017 developed some of those seminal technologies.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And we're... ...transform the lives of people, their families, and communities.
• Yeah, you know, it's not too often you see a new technology in health care come along.
• Yeah, you know, it's not too often you see a new technology in health care come along.
• I move that the amendment of the Science and Technology Committee be adopted.
• The Science and Technology Committee will be meeting in 10 minutes. Thank you. Chairman, Mr.

Summary: The House convened, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, welcomed Judges Day guests and other visitors, and read a proclamation recognizing March 2026 as Social Work Month. Members also made brief introductions of guests and the doctor of the day, Dr. Philip Williams. The chamber then moved through a long Committee of the Whole agenda, taking up numerous bills with committee and floor amendments, most of them receiving do-pass or due-pass recommendations after brief explanations and some debate. Notable discussion included HB 2444, where several members raised concerns about pharmacist-led care, patient safety, and rural health impacts, while the sponsor argued it would expand affordable access to care; HB 2726, which drew comments about a new sleep apnea device and whether it was a vendor-driven proposal; HB 2991, a bipartisan effort to address social media harms to children; and HB 4070, a bill framed as a “corporate death penalty” approach to combat sex trafficking. Other measures addressed kinship placement in child welfare, midwifery oversight, vulnerable adult protections, tuition waivers for children of disabled veterans, license plate omnibus language, and county and education-related issues. After the Committee of the Whole reported, the House adopted the report and assigned measures for engrossing. The chamber then proceeded to third reading votes on several bills. HB 2123, dealing with financial institutions and gold/silver legal tender, failed on a 24-28 vote after an excusal request was granted to one member with a financial conflict. HB 2270, concerning county authority and sheriff’s posse dissolution procedures, passed 50-3. HB 2324, creating a state fire marshal-related provision, passed 53-0, as did HB 2404 on mental health services. HB 2495 on sentencing failed 26-27. HB 2557 on patient records passed 37-16, HB 2574 on traffic violation appeals passed 52-0, HB 2594 on domestic relations and address confidentiality passed 44-9, HB 2611 on child welfare passed 51-0, HB 2681 on the county employee merit system passed 53-0, and HB 2697 also passed 51-0. The session continued into additional votes beyond the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we're Transform the lives of people, their families, and communities.
• Yeah, you know, it's not too often you see a new technology in health care come along.
• Yeah, you know, it's not too often you see a new technology in health care come along.
• I move that the amendment of the Science and Technology Committee be adopted.
• The Science and Technology Committee will be meeting in 10 minutes. Thank you, Chairman. Mr.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , staff, presenters, and all who are watching live from TVW to the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology
• So we're aligning this emerging technology legislation with other states so that we Washingtonians aren't
• Currently, electric utilities covered by the Clean Energy Transformation Act receive no-cost allowances
• Currently, artificial intelligence is transforming the economy, and I want Washington to lead that transformation
• The city continues to explore carbon capture technologies and advance a statewide rural development by

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 2515, which addresses emerging large energy use facilities, especially data centers. Staff explained that the bill requires utilities to adopt tariffs or policies for data centers, adds reporting and sustainability requirements, sets renewable energy targets, and creates a sales tax exemption for certain eligible data center equipment in eastern Washington. The House sponsor said the bill is intended to protect ratepayers, grid reliability, water resources, and Washington’s climate goals as data center growth accelerates. Tribal representatives and several environmental and labor witnesses urged restoring provisions removed from the House version, especially authority to curtail data center load during energy emergencies and to refuse service if reliability or affordability would be harmed; they also asked for stronger water reporting and protections for salmon. Utility, business, and data center industry witnesses supported the bill’s general framework but raised concerns about implementation, costs, and some of the added requirements, while some opposed the tax exemption and the loss of earlier protections. No final action on 2515 was taken during the hearing portion shown. The committee then heard and acted on several bills in executive session. It passed Substitute House Bill 1302, which allows municipal utilities to waive connection charges for industrial symbiosis projects. It also passed House Bill 2338 on community-scaled weatherization projects after rejecting an amendment, and House Bill 2367 on eliminating preferential treatment for a coal-fired plant after rejecting an amendment. Substitute House Bill 2496 on tribal consultation by the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council was amended and then passed, while amendments to change public meeting and tribal summary provisions were rejected. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2225 on AI companion chatbots, House Bill 2426 on PCHB efficiency and appeals, House Bill 2606 on the Office of Privacy and Data Protection, Engrossed House Bill 2575 on reducing reporting obligations, and Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 2215 on Climate Commitment Act compliance for fuels were also advanced, with some amendments adopted and others rejected. The committee then reopened public hearing on House Bill 2416, which would treat a Spokane waste-to-energy facility differently under the Climate Commitment Act by allocating no-cost allowances in the second compliance period and requiring a decarbonization and waste-reduction plan. Spokane city officials, labor, environmental groups, and Ecology generally supported the bill as a balanced approach that protects ratepayers while allowing the facility to decarbonize, though Avista raised a concern about language implying a utility compliance obligation. After that, the committee resumed testimony on House Bill 1170, which requires large AI providers to offer provenance tools and disclosures for AI-generated or altered images, video, and audio. Supporters said the bill would help workers and consumers identify synthetic media and prevent impersonation and misinformation, while industry and civil liberties witnesses argued the bill is technically difficult, uses new definitions, and may be unworkable or premature compared with California’s evolving approach.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're at a time of significant transformation. ...and production techniques for film, television, and
• that are part of the emerging transformation of production techniques.
• Sensing and capture technology, motion capture technology, for example.
• to the transformation of media and entertainment production. ...but also across other industries.
• That's transformative.

Bills: HB4568, HB5458, HB4543, HB2703, HB3728, HCR113, HCR126

Keywords: film industry, incentives, grants, Texas, moving image, economic development, production companies, content standards, HB 5458, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, TPWD, chronic wasting disease, CWD, cervids, deer, elk, moose, wildlife management, game animals, disease management

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:07:30.640><c> again,</c> 5-year transformation, um which again, 5-year transformation, um which
• </c><00:16:02.520><c> is</c> philosophies for engaging technology is philosophies for engaging technology
• Like this consumer facing technology.
• to technology innovation, regards to technology innovation, uh<00:39:25.600><c> will</c><00:39:25.720
• and patient-interfacing technology.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and economic feasibility, the best available technology... ...technological and economic feasibility
• We have real-world best available technology limitations that we're facing.
• So all they have to do is transform the other 20% that’s not renewable into renewables.
• And that technology exists today to increase that. Thank you. Thanks for seeing.
• We know many of these technologies are commercially available.

Summary: The Environment and Energy Committee heard testimony on House Bill 2537, which would change how energy-intensive, trade-exposed facilities (EITEs) are treated under the Climate Commitment Act. Committee staff and the bill sponsor explained that the measure would require Ecology to update its post-2034 report to include proposed allowance-reduction methods, leakage-risk adjustments, and consignment recommendations, and would add new reporting and decarbonization-planning requirements for EITEs to continue receiving no-cost allowances. The committee also briefly took up House Bill 2245, a separate Clean Energy Transformation Act bill, and later voted the proposed substitute out of committee on an 11-8 vote with 2 excused, after debate over exemptions for certain utilities and market customers. Supporters of HB 2537, including The Nature Conservancy, NRDC, Washington Conservation Action, Climate Solutions, Clean and Prosperous Washington, Ecology, and some utility representatives, said the bill would provide needed clarity, better data, and a path for long-term industrial decarbonization while helping prevent emissions leakage. They argued that EITEs receive substantial public value through free allowances and should be required to document emissions sources, energy needs, and feasible reduction pathways so the state can design a post-2035 policy consistent with climate goals. Ecology said it generally supports the bill, though it recommended streamlining duplicative reporting and noted the work would require significant agency resources not included in the governor’s budget. Opponents, including the Association of Washington Business, the Northwest Pulp and Paper Association, the Association of Western Pulp and Paperworkers, WISPA, the Alliance of Western Energy Consumers, Food Northwest, Simplot, Kaiser Aluminum, and Newcor Steel, warned that the bill could increase compliance burdens, expose sensitive business information, and worsen leakage risks by making Washington less competitive. They said many facilities have already made major investments and face high capital costs, limited clean electricity supply, permitting delays, and technologies that are not yet commercially viable at scale. Several speakers pointed to recent plant closures and job losses in pulp and paper, food processing, and metals as evidence that leakage is already occurring, and urged the committee to preserve flexibility, protect confidentiality, and consider targeted funding or other incentives rather than new mandates alone.

Transcript Highlights:

• But we have made investments in technology and process that are still underway, and they haven't fully
• and process that are still technology and process that are still underway<00:23:37.280><c> and</c><00
• Whitman, I'm not real familiar with the parameters around the rural health transformation fund.
• </c><00:30:42.880><c> um</c><00:30:43.360><c> would</c><00:30:43.600><c> that</c> trans transformation
• fund. um would that trans transformation fund. um would that be<00:30:44.240><c> potentially</c><00:

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Committee to Study Long-Term Managed Care approved the prior meeting minutes as amended after correcting the first paragraph. The chair then outlined the committee’s plan to produce a preliminary report by October 1, with additional meetings to follow, since some questions remain about the federal One Big Beautiful Bill (OB3) and its effects on Medicaid financing and managed care. The main discussion focused on New Hampshire nursing home funding and how ProShare and MQUIP work. Members reviewed Medicaid rates, supplemental payments, intergovernmental transfers, and the role of federal matching funds. The chair and Mr. Litman concluded that OB3’s phase-down of payments above the Medicare rate likely would not directly eliminate ProShare or MQUIP in New Hampshire, but uncertainty remains about intergovernmental transfers and about how these payments would function if the state moved nursing facilities into managed care. Mr. Litman said managed care would likely require waivers for supplemental payments, and Texas was cited as an example of a state operating under such waivers. The committee also discussed dual eligibles, DNIP, PACE, and the possibility of carving out HCBS from nursing facility services. DHS said its managed care contract would allow the state to use MCOs for DNIP, with the goal of better coordination between Medicaid and Medicare, while PACE would likely require more study and might be more feasible in populated counties. Members also reviewed OB3’s new presumptive eligibility provisions and a state waiver request modeled on Washington’s approach, plus a separate grant for transitioning people from facilities back to the community. The rural health transformation fund was discussed as a possible source for workforce, telehealth, mobile integrated health, and other support investments, but not for direct construction or major building renovation. County representatives emphasized that any county role in PACE or DNIP would require significant vetting, infrastructure, capital investment, and a realistic timeline. The meeting ended with the chair saying the draft report would outline issues and possible alternatives, but not recommendations yet, and the committee adjourned without taking further action.