Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Amy Skate, committee staff. You have before you a proposed substitute House Bill 2306.
• I want to recognize the work of all the staff who did this.
• The facilities operating budget for additional maintenance staff and facilities improvements.
• I'm committee staff.
• So you almost stumped the staff coordinator. Okay. Let's go to, I think, Representative...

Bills: HB2306, HB2711

Keywords: transportation budget, capital budget, operating budget, appropriations, Washington State Department of Transportation, WSDOT, Washington State Patrol, Department of Licensing, ferry funding, state ferries, highway maintenance, road preservation, bridge replacement, tolling, express toll lanes, traffic safety, speed cameras, ignition interlock, transit grants, public transit

Transcript Highlights:

• And before you walked out, I want to thank the chair and the staff of this committee for working with
• But they are required in every case to have that staff.
• , NOLA Eric, the staff behind us, and for all of their support.
• And so I want to say thank you to our staff, Josh, into the staff Here for all that you guys have done
• We couldn't do that without the truly amazing healthcare staff that we have.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have training and staff development.
• We have training and staff development.
• We moved them down to the medium, along with the staff.
• </c> we should have four professional staff we should have four professional staff we're<00:23:31.679
• </c> people um people in custody and staff people um people in custody and staff and<02:07:54.320><c>

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> That daycare member that daycare staff That daycare member that daycare staff member<00:02:00.760
• </c><00:03:39.400><c> member</c> Those aren't questions any staff member Those aren't questions any staff
• Some will say this bill burdens child care staff. Our staff want this bill.
• </c> care staff. Our staff want this bill. care staff. Our staff want this bill.
• </c> families, and staff. families, and staff.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So all of our staff and faculty serve as that mentor, and 70% of our staff and faculty are Native, which
• So all of our staff and faculty serve as that mentor, and 70% of our staff and faculty are Native, which
• </c><00:39:54.040><c> for</c><00:39:54.680><c> um</c><00:39:54.800><c> CDA</c> staff our Head Start staff
• for um CDA staff our Head Start staff for um CDA certificates<00:39:56.240><c> uh</c><00:39:56.319><
• Also, we had an increase in student and staff well-being, and so we really encourage a lot of our staff

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And finally, ...information for board members and staff.
• And, two, we are a staff of five.
• I have done several trainings myself for our schools, for our staff.
• on employment of teachers and staff over the summer.
• I’m very proud of the work my staff does. Do we know we can get better?

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so, yeah, ...we are going to need more staff.
• one staff in each.
• Then a floor for the Legislative Council staff.
• But naturally, that is all of our staff traveling, their travel expenses, and then also all of our staff
• They would say yes, their staff are trained for that.

Summary: The committee began with roll call, introductions of a new fiscal analyst and a new member, and approval of the March 19 minutes. The first major presentation was from the Office of Management and Budget on the state’s general fund and special fund status through May. OMB reported general fund revenues were running below the legislative forecast by about $76 million, driven largely by weaker individual income tax and sales tax collections, though the projected ending balance remained positive and above the budgeted level. The budget stabilization fund was above its cap and would transfer excess earnings to the general fund, and the legacy fund balance continued to grow. Members also asked about federal funding uncertainty and mineral leasing revenue variability. The committee then reviewed compliance reports and trust fund analyses, followed by discussion of a bill draft for the fixed-route city transportation network study. The draft would create a $15 million general fund grant program with a formula-based distribution to eligible fixed-route transit cities, intended to support operating and capital needs and help match federal transit funds. Transit officials from Minot and Fargo testified in support, explaining local fare and match structures and the difficulty of replacing aging buses and securing federal matching dollars. Several members questioned whether the program should be limited to the current four cities or broadened to future eligible urban areas, and whether local funding sources should be explored further. The committee did not finalize the bill draft at that point and planned to continue discussion at a later meeting. The committee also approved a bill draft repealing obsolete language related to approval of a bi-state authority with South Dakota, after staff explained that no agreements had ever been implemented and the provision appeared outdated. A roll call vote was taken and the motion carried. Later, the Department of Commerce and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site presented updates on uncrewed aircraft systems initiatives, including the Vantis radar data enclave, the drone replacement program, and efforts to build a revenue model for Vantis. Test site officials said FAA approval had been secured for the radar data program, replacement of noncompliant drones was underway, and future revenue could come from state and external users once pricing and intellectual property arrangements are finalized. Members asked about Chinese-made drones, supply chain issues, automation, and how the system would manage beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation then presented on the design of a new minimum-security prison and a reentry housing study. Officials said the proposed facility would relocate the minimum-security prison to the penitentiary campus, reduce costs from an earlier estimate, and provide more beds and programming space, with construction potentially beginning in 2027 and opening around 2031. They also described staffing needs, the planned move of women to the New England facility, and possible expansion of men’s housing there. The parole and probation chief described a reentry housing task force studying housing needs for people leaving incarceration, with a goal of developing data-driven recommendations for subsidies and support services; a representative from Protection and Advocacy closed by expressing general support for fixed-route and paratransit funding.

Transcript Highlights:

• Council staff too.
• Are there any questions for staff?
• I'm staff to the committee.
• Brandon Popovac, staff.
• Are there any questions for staff? Are there any questions for staff?

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met for work sessions, public hearings, and executive action. In the work session, WSDOT briefed the committee on the U.S. 12 corridor near Walla Walla and the North Spokane Corridor. Brian White said U.S. 12 is an eight-phase project with seven phases complete, and phase eight would finish the corridor, improve freight mobility and safety, and include a jurisdictional transfer of the old highway back to Walla Walla County. He said the project remains short of full funding, including a gap between the $350 million corridor cost and the $110 million federal Rural Surface Transportation grant, but WSDOT hopes to build smaller independent-utility pieces and begin construction in summer 2027. Charlene K. then reported that the North Spokane Corridor is seven of eight highway miles open, with major remaining work on the I-90 connection and related interchanges, bridges, and trail segments. She described the project as on track for design completion in 2027 and construction completion around 2030, while noting risks tied to federal approval, tight construction space, labor and contractor availability, utilities, and community impacts. The committee also heard from Karen Messmer of the Cooper Jones Active Transportation Safety Council, who summarized the council’s 2025 report and 2026 priorities. She emphasized that pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities remain unacceptably high and urged a safe-system approach focused on safer speeds, roads, road users, vehicles, land use, and post-crash care. She highlighted recommendations including safety-based performance measures, better speed management, more local safety planning support, improved driver education, attention to micromobility and large vehicles, and faster toxicology and crash-data processing. In public hearings, the committee heard Senate Bill 6131, which would expand the Washington Traffic Safety Commission’s fatal crash review authority, designate it as a public health authority for limited access to health information, and create a confidential fatality review committee. The sponsor and Traffic Safety Commission said the bill would help identify common contributing factors in all fatal crashes while protecting confidential information; a media representative testified that the bill preserves public access to records already open and supports the goal of improving safety. The committee also heard Senate Bill 6155, which would extend disability parking placard renewal from every five years to every 20 years and remove the need for a health care practitioner’s signature at renewal; supporters said this would reduce burdens on permanently disabled people, while opponents warned it could increase fraud and misuse of placards. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 6238, which would raise the minimum tug escort horsepower for oil tankers in restricted waters to 3,000 horsepower or 5% of tanker deadweight, whichever is greater; the sponsor and Board of Pilotage said the change would align statute with current practice and newly adopted rules. Testimony was mixed, and the hearing closed with two people signed in pro and two con. In executive session, the committee advanced several bills. It passed Senate Bill 5746 on EV charging infrastructure property crime, Senate Bill 5824 on fifth wheel travel trailer length, Senate Bill 6110 on e-bikes and e-motos, Senate Bill 5839 on county ferry district passenger-only service, and Senate Bill 6148 on regional transit authority bond terms, all with due pass recommendations to the Rules Committee. An amendment to SB 6110 adding several state agency leaders to the e-moto work group was rejected. The committee adjourned after signing committee reports.

Transcript Highlights:

• Any questions for staff?
• Any questions for staff on this amendment?
• Any questions for staff on that amendment?
• , and also state or local clerk staff. ...or court staff, and also state or local clerk staff.
• Any other questions for staff? Okay.

Summary: The Law and Justice Committee heard multiple Senate bills and took executive action on several of them. Bills discussed included SB 5837 on guardianship and conservatorship, SB 6011, SB 6009 on consent language in proceedings, SB 5868, SB 5974 on sheriffs and related law enforcement volunteers, SB 5720 on consumer debt default judgments, SB 5833 on leaving engines running to protect pets, SB 5936 on human trafficking remedies, SB 5993 on medical debt interest, SB 6070 on missing persons alerts and investigative tools, and SB 6002 on driver privacy and ALPR data. Staff summarized proposed substitutes and amendments for each, with members raising concerns about scope, constitutionality, consumer protections, law enforcement authority, privacy, and debt collection practices. Several amendments were adopted, withdrawn, or rejected during the discussion. In executive session, the committee adopted proposed substitutes or amendments for SB 5837, SB 6009, SB 5974, SB 5720, SB 5833, SB 5936, SB 5993, SB 6070, and SB 6002. SB 6011 also received a due pass recommendation. SB 5974, after debate over sheriff certification and recall provisions, was advanced to Ways and Means. SB 5993, dealing with medical debt interest, drew multiple proposed amendments that were withdrawn, and the committee ultimately advanced the bill with the substitute. SB 6002 on ALPR privacy was advanced after discussion of retention periods, ownership of data, and evidentiary use. The committee then held a public hearing on SB 6086, which would strengthen security protections for judicial officers and court personnel by expanding who may request removal of personal information, broadening Address Confidentiality Program eligibility, and allowing AOC security consultants to conduct threat assessments. Proponents, including judges, clerks, and court officials, described rising threats and the need for stronger protections; county officials and prosecutors raised implementation, constitutional, and records-management concerns. The committee also heard Senate Joint Memorial 8014, requesting a U.S.-led investigation into the killing of Washingtonian Aishanur Esgi Yegi. The memorial drew extensive testimony from family members, advocates, academics, and community groups in support, while a few opponents argued the memorial was factually incomplete or politically selective. No final action was taken on SB 6086 or SJM 8014 during the hearing, and the committee closed after noting very large numbers of signed-in supporters and opponents for the memorial.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Peter Claude Felter, staff of the committee.
• Sorry, staff, for the change-up.
• For the record, Megan Mulva Hill, staff to the committee.
• Sorry, staff, for the change-up.
• Staff to the committee, Peter Claudevulture.

Bills: HB2229, HB2274, HB2294, HB1269, HB1078

Keywords: professional engineers, registration act, licensing, engineering practice, state regulations, email regulation, commercial communications, consumer protection, data privacy, electronic mail, consumer access, real property, food security, medicine access, restriction, pawnbroker, fees, interest rates, financial regulation, pet insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• Staff closed the vote. Declare the vote: p re s ent ative.
• Seeing no debate, staff, please open the queue for a vote.
• Seeing no debate, staff, please open the vote. This is.
• Seeing no debate, staff, please open the vote.
• Staff, please open the cue for the vote.

Bills: SB1824, SB1813, SB1326, SB1277, SB1937, SB1217, SB1826, SB1641

Keywords: corporation, corporate governance, business entities, Oklahoma General Corporation Act, limited liability company, LLC, shareholder rights, beneficial owner, controlling shareholder, control group, interested director, fiduciary duty, books and records inspection, corporate records, ratification, defective corporate acts, putative stock, stock issuance, treasury shares, rights and options

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to thank all of you and your staff for the time and effort you took to prepare for this hearing
• I called staff and I said, 'Who's in charge of this?' And they gave me your cell phone number.
• We've doubled our inspection staff, allowing our successful move from what was a biennial inspection
• I have to check with our staff on that. The audits that we have done are not public audits.
• I have to check with our staff on that.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Rules convened with quorum and first approved several governor’s appointments not required to appear, including Deborah Garns, Davis Rabbit, Cindy Silva, Vincent Wells, and Lee Herrick as California Poet Laureate, all by 5-0 votes. The committee also approved reference of bills to committees and floor acknowledgments, each by unanimous 5-0 votes. The committee then heard testimony on the appointment of Trista Gonzalez as Director of the Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Gonzalez described her 33-year career in tax administration, emphasized taxpayer service, efficient collection, and support for small businesses, and answered questions about lithium extraction tax registration, online sales tax enforcement under Wayfair and AB 147, and CDTFA’s work with illicit cigarette, tobacco, and cannabis activity. Members praised her responsiveness to legislators and constituents, and public commenters from Ryan LLC and the California Society of Enrolled Agents supported her confirmation. The committee voted 5-0 to send her nomination to the full Senate. The committee also heard from Aaron McGuire, executive director of the Board of State and Community Corrections, on his confirmation. He discussed the board’s expanded responsibilities, including annual detention facility inspections, grant administration, and the new in-custody death review division. Members questioned him about grant oversight, audits, implementation of SB 519, access to local agency records, standards for detention facilities, and conditions in Los Angeles County juvenile facilities. McGuire said the board is using inspections, technical assistance, and public reporting to improve compliance and transparency, and that additional trailer bill language clarified access to records. Public support came from nonprofit reentry providers and Giffords. The committee approved his nomination 5-0, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• We also have a staff up in Coeur d'Alene and others across the West, indicated in the brown letters.
• We gave out a couple opportunities for all staff, both within IDWR and the Soil and Water Conservation
• We did hear at one point from Soil and Water Conservation Commission staff that they maybe missed the
• So with this merger, it takes that younger staff within the Soil and Water Conservation Commission and
• Again, I think there's an ingrained relationship between Soil and Water Conservation Commission staff

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So if you are interested in us doing a deep dive on any topic, please reach out to me or my staff, and
• A 13-year-old who became upset and threatened staff, the staff was not fully trained, restrained the
• We found that licensing staff are rarely on site and rely heavily on the facilities' documentation to
• As a result, there was no formal mechanism to place staff on a child protection central registry.
• This means that staff may be eligible to work for another facility.

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 639 from Senator Ben Taves, which would modernize Idaho’s licensed midwifery laws by replacing a fixed statutory medication list with a board-defined formulary and protocol for maternal and neonatal care. Supporters, including licensed midwives Charity Catlin and Valerie Hall, said the bill would reduce unnecessary hospital transfers, especially for stable postpartum hemorrhage cases and other rural maternity situations, while lowering costs and preserving recovery and bonding. Senator Taves said he worked with the Idaho Midwifery Council and that the bill aligns Idaho with neighboring states. The committee voted to send HB 639 to the Senate floor with a due pass recommendation. The committee then received a presentation from the Office of Performance Evaluations on state oversight of children’s residential care. OPE reported concerns about limited licensing authority, unclear children’s rights information, lack of required reporting on restraint and seclusion, weak enforcement, and inconsistent monitoring practices. The report also found that foster youth placements in residential care had increased, including out-of-state placements, and that the state lacked a clear way to track whether children were in the most appropriate setting. OPE recommended more unannounced surveys, standardized contract monitoring, better communication across divisions, and clearer abuse-investigation procedures. Department of Health and Welfare officials responded that they had already reduced congregate care use, created a Continuity Care Bureau, and implemented or were implementing several recommendations. They said licensing had adopted priority response timelines similar to child protection cases and was working on resident-rights improvements, but acknowledged a remaining gap in placing substantiated perpetrators on a registry and said legislative action would be needed. The committee discussed the need for stronger oversight for both foster and privately placed children, and the chair announced the committee would meet again the next day for a Medicaid and managed care presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• So if you are interested in us doing a deep dive on any topic, please reach out to me or my staff, and
• Study requesters were alarmed by accounts of harm to children, improperly trained staff, and a seeming
• A 13-year-old who became upset and threatened staff, the staff was not fully trained, restrained the
• We found that licensing staff are rarely on site and rely heavily on the facilities' documentation to
• This means that staff may be eligible to work for another facility.

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There are so many more that provide structure to this institution and hold us all together, our staff
• and human us all together, our staff and human resources,<00:08:01.160><c> supply,</c><00:08:01.920>
• </c><00:08:48.320><c> who</c><00:08:48.440><c> put</c><00:08:48.640><c> in</c> and our front desk staff
• who put in and our front desk staff who put in countless<00:08:49.160><c> hours</c><00:08:49.480><c>
• </c> Members, please join us in thanking our front desk staff and all our staff who serve this institution

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Any questions for staff? Seeing none, Mr. Vice Chair, let's move my amendment. Mr.
• Two, how many staff are trained in CPR, first aid, and the use of an AED?
• So I've got staff. Do we know how much is it? Not fine. Can you give us a chance here?
• I think the staff...
• Thank you, staff. Mr.

Summary: The House Appropriations Committee met on March 18 and considered two Senate bills. SB 1131 would require school districts and charter schools to report their AED inventory, CPR/AED training levels, and cardiac emergency response plans to ADE, which would compile the data; it also provides funding for AED purchases and maintenance. The committee adopted an amendment shifting the appropriation from the general fund to the industry-recognized certification and licensure reimbursement fund. The American Heart Association testified in support, emphasizing the need for better school cardiac preparedness. Several members raised concerns about using that fund because it supports student certification and licensure exams, but staff said the fund had an estimated $2 million balance and continued annual deposits. The bill was returned with a due pass recommendation by a 15-1 vote, with two members voting present. The committee then heard SB 1249, which would establish a dementia services program and require DHS to develop and maintain an Alzheimer’s disease state plan with stakeholder input. The bill appropriates $600,000 from the Health Services Lottery Moneys Fund. The Arizona government relations director for the Alzheimer’s Association testified in strong support, describing prior state planning efforts and current work on caregiver support, training, data collection, and grant applications, and noting that prior funding is expiring. Members asked whether the bill was meant to fund implementation or simply the plan, and the sponsor indicated it is written as a one-year appropriation but could be adjusted. Some members supported the policy but objected to taking money from a fund that supports maternal and child health programs such as Health Start and WIC, while others supported the measure and urged a sustainable funding source. The committee approved SB 1249 with a due pass recommendation by a 9-3 vote, with several members voting present.

Transcript Highlights:

• Seeing none, staff please declare the vote.
• Seeing none, staff, please open the queue for a vote.
• Seeing none, staff, please open the queue for a vote.
• Seeing none, staff, please open the queue for a vote.
• Seeing none, staff, please open the queue for a vote.

Bills: HB4423, HB3342, HB3645, HB3647, HB3887, HB4430, HB4431, HB2964, HB3834

Keywords: Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Medicaid, immigration verification, healthcare access, federal reporting, health care providers, auditing, patient rights, claims, protection from fraud, audit process, error correction, hospice care, physician determination, healthcare standards, symptom management, health information exchange, all-payer claims database, health care transparency, health care costs

Summary: The committee first announced several bills would be laid over because sponsors were absent, then took up House Bill 4423, which would require Medicaid applicants to be legal U.S. citizens. After adopting a PCS, members asked whether Medicaid already had citizenship limits, and the bill passed 4-1. House Bill 3342 followed, revising the Health Care Authority audit process; the sponsor said it was based on an Arkansas model, had no fiscal impact, and was intended to be fairer after prior problems. It passed 5-0. House Bill 3645, allowing physicians or other independent doctors to authorize hospice referral when a patient lacks next of kin or is not coherent, also passed 5-0. House Bill 3647, creating an all-payer claims database through the state HIE for greater transparency in medical costs, passed 5-0 after a question about which entities would be included or excluded. House Bill 3887, which removes the requirement for a physician referral every 30 days for continued physical therapy, drew the most discussion. The sponsor said therapists would refer patients back to a physician if treatment was not helping or was outside their scope, while a member raised concerns about delayed diagnosis and suggested adding a timeline; the sponsor said he would be open to further discussion. The bill passed 4-1. House Bill 4430 extended tort claims protection to certain state-employed providers who work for entities such as FQHCs, and House Bill 4431 did the same for nurse practitioners working for state agencies; both passed 5-0. Later, House Bill 2964 changed medical-record copying language from “shall be charged” to “may be charged,” giving facilities discretion on whether to charge patients for copies of their records; it passed 5-0. Finally, House Bill 3834 was heard for research funding on ibogaine therapy for PTSD and related conditions among veterans, firefighters, and police officers. The sponsor said the goal was to allow Oklahoma research, not to remove the substance from controlled status, and a witness described the treatment as a monitored oral session used in Mexico and supported by some studies. The bill passed 5-0, and the chair adjourned the meeting, noting the laid-over bills would likely be heard the following week.

Transcript Highlights:

• Staff from the State Auditor's Office will give a presentation of their recent performance audit.
• These numbers include only those insurance claims DCS staff happen to learn about through other means
• When the state's child support insurance intercept match law was enacted, DCS staff wanted to inform
• These numbers include only those insurance claims DCS staff happen to learn about through other means
• When the state's child support insurance intercept match law was enacted, DCS staff wanted to inform

Summary: At the June 4, 2025 JLARC I-900 Subcommittee hearing, the State Auditor’s Office presented a performance audit on Washington’s child support insurance intercept law. The audit reviewed the mandatory reporting system for insurance claims tied to past-due child support, noting that collections increased after the law took effect in 2022, but that some eligible claims still are not being reported. Auditors said DCS learns about roughly 1 in 10 claims through other channels, and that insurers may miss reporting because they are unaware of the law, make administrative errors, or misunderstand the $500 threshold and timing requirements. The audit recommended that the Office of the Insurance Commissioner help educate insurers by adding information to its website and sharing insurer contact contacts with DCS, and also recommended that the Legislature amend the law to create monitoring and enforcement authority. The auditor said neither DCS nor OIC currently has authority to monitor compliance or take action against noncompliant insurers, though other states use insurance regulators or market conduct exams for this purpose. Committee members asked about possible coordinated enforcement between DSHS and OIC, which the auditor said was beyond the scope of the audit but could be considered by the Legislature. An OIC representative said the commissioner is willing to help educate insurers, post information on the OIC website, and share contact information with DSHS, and that the agency is open to further discussion. No public testimony was offered, and no votes or formal committee actions were taken at the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• WE LOOKED THROUGH THE HR FILES AND WE INTERVIEWED THE STAFF.
• WILL YOU PLEASE INTRODUCE YOUR STAFF MAKE ANY OPENING REMARKS YOU MAY HAVE? GOOD AFTERNOON.
• I WANT TO INTRODUCE THE STAFF I HAVE WITH ME HERE TODAY.
• YOU DID TALK ABOUT THAT YOU HAVE A STAFF THAT HAS BEEN WITH YOU THREE MONTHS TO THREE YEARS.
• STAFF SHOULD DELIVER A COPY. THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. >> Sen.

Keywords: 999, senate, all