Transcript Highlights:

• Even among those enrolled, only 42% of adults in the Medicaid expansion population are earning income
• And are you counting, is that up to 400% of poverty? Yes, okay, thank you.
• I just want to clarify, is child care a Subsidy counted against personal income tax?
• But we also have to redetermine Medicaid twice as often for all of the adult population.
• Chair, Representative Lujan, it does not count either way. All that counts is the overpayment.

Transcript Highlights:

• And the populations are much smaller.
• that counties over 70,000 in population that counties over 70,000 in population have<00:58:31.119
• are willing to house certain populations are willing to house certain populations in<01:58:12.960
• So, say mean is just the unit count.
• <03:08:10.479> of bill to counties with populations of bill to counties with populations of

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For those in the room, there is a clock on the screen that will count down your time. ...minutes for
• For those in the room, there is a clock on the screen that will count down your time, and I will also
• in foster care... ...with disabilities are overrepresented both in the population in foster care, but
• This includes reporting on practices that contribute to overrepresentation of minority populations in
• Identifying case counts and root causes of our most challenging placement metrics, including barriers

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities heard testimony on a wide range of bills affecting foster youth, child welfare oversight, homelessness services, juvenile justice, social work licensure, and human services workforce supports. Committee co-chairs Senator Robyn Kennedy and Representative Jay Livingstone opened the hybrid hearing by outlining testimony procedures and accessibility measures. Several members and legislators participated throughout the day, and many witnesses were invited to submit additional written testimony after speaking. A major portion of the hearing focused on House 227/Senate 105, which would protect federal benefits owed to children in foster care. Supporters, including advocates from Hopewell, the Disability Law Center, CPCS, the Children’s Law Center, More Than Words, Friends of Children, and youth witness Onyx Rosario, said DCF had already ended the practice of taking most Social Security and SSI benefits and now conserves them in accounts for youth, but argued the policy should be codified to prevent future reversals. Witnesses described how conserved benefits help with basic needs, housing, education, transportation, and transition to adulthood, and several noted the bill also adds financial literacy and transparency requirements. Senator Joan Comerford and others said the change would protect vulnerable youth, especially children of color, LGBTQ youth, and youth with disabilities. The committee also heard testimony on House 225, which would expand the grandparents-raising-grandchildren commission by adding appointments and helping with quorum and representation. The committee also took testimony on Senate 136, which would improve emergency housing assistance for families experiencing homelessness by easing documentation requirements, allowing use of existing state data to verify eligibility, requiring notice before benefit reductions, and creating an ombudsperson. Senator Adam Gomez and other supporters said the bill would reduce barriers for families in crisis. On House 262/Senate 148, an omnibus child welfare bill, witnesses supported provisions on data reporting, education coordination, and Office of the Child Advocate reforms, while CPCS raised concerns about expanded access to sensitive records and the OCA’s role in certain proceedings. The Office of the Child Advocate supported codifying current practices and also backed child fatality review changes in House 234/Senate 133. The committee additionally heard support for Senate 108, which would require attorneys and audio/video recording during juvenile custodial interrogations, and for House 247/Senate 116, which would update the Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board to add supported lived-experience seats. Finally, the committee heard competing testimony on Senate 135, a bill to ensure parity in social work licensure. SEIU Local 509 and supporters argued the current exam requirement disproportionately harms Black, Latino, multilingual, and multicultural applicants and worsens workforce shortages, while the Association of Social Work Boards opposed the bill, saying the exam is a necessary public-protection measure and that removing it would conflict with interstate compact efforts. The hearing also included testimony in support of a loan repayment program for human service workers, with providers and workers describing low wages, high student debt, and the need to retain staff in essential services. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the hearing itself.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am one of many consumers who are counting on your support. Thank you. Hello, good afternoon.
• These populations often face more barriers in health care access and worse clinical outcomes compared
• to limited-English-proficient populations.
• As you know, California has one of the most linguistically diverse populations in the country.
• Recently, federal legislation has targeted the status of nonprofits serving vulnerable populations.

Summary: The committee heard a series of child care, social services, immigrant support, disability services, and language access bills, with many measures drawing strong support and no opposition. Early in the hearing, AB 450 proposed a Department of Aging task force to study and recommend policies for undocumented adults age 55 and older; AB 593 would let CDSS identify data-sharing opportunities to improve CalFresh administration and participation; and AB 904 would clarify child care subsidy eligibility so families do not lose care during pregnancy leave, family leave, caregiving, or job search periods. All three were presented as ways to reduce barriers and improve access to essential services, and AB 904 was moved out on a 1-0 call after support testimony from child care advocates and a member of the public. AB 617, which would expand and standardize respite care access for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by requiring licensing and registry participation, drew both support and significant opposition from respite providers and disability service organizations concerned about added regulation, cost, and possible delays; the author said she would continue working with opponents, and the bill was moved out on a 2-0 call. The committee also heard AB 1220, which would require regional centers to document denials, notices of action, and appeals in individual program plans and include that data in annual reports to improve transparency and equity in developmental services. The bill drew extensive public support from parents, advocates, and disability organizations, with no opposition, and passed 5-0. AB 752 would make child care centers by right in certain residential zones when co-located with multifamily housing or institutional uses, and supporters argued it would reduce zoning barriers and help expand child care capacity; it also passed 5-0. AB 1242 would create a CalHHS language access director, require human review of machine translation, and improve language coverage determinations for state and local agencies; supporters emphasized health equity and the need for better access for limited-English communities, and the bill was moved out on a 4-0 call. Later, AB 548 would continue and expand the Asylee and Vulnerable Non-Citizen Program, which provides case management and integration services for asylees and certain visa holders; supporters said the program had been effective but had run out of funding, and the bill passed 4-0. AB 495, the Family Preparedness Plan Act, would strengthen family safety planning for immigrant families, standardize acceptance of caregiver authorization affidavits, and create a joint guardianship process for temporary separations; testimony focused on fear of family separation and the need for clear school and medical procedures, and the bill passed 4-0. AB 1357 would exclude guaranteed income payments from being counted as income for state public assistance eligibility, with supporters arguing it would prevent recipients from falling off the “benefits cliff”; it passed 4-1. Finally, AB 1201, the Reunity Act, was introduced to require individualized court assessments before denying reunification services to parents with certain violent felony convictions after a five-year period, with the author and a witness describing the bill as a trauma-informed approach to family reunification.

Transcript Highlights:

• We went through with a population paper.
• You can see by 2032 a total bed count based on the average daily population peaking in classification
• <00:40:58.320> forecast, population forecast, population forecast, what<00:41:00.680> were<
• <00:42:27.640> size<00:42:28.640> would larger population size would larger population
• So, when we look at the bed count, well.

Bills: SR185, HB2452, HB2329, HB2272, HB2273, HB2335, HB1656, HB2207, HB2289, HB1854, HB2581, HB20, HB2296, HB1707, HB2297, HB1890, HB2241, HB2474, HB1688, HB2546, HB1574, HB1546, HB2218, HB1163, HB1514, HB1749, HB2385, HB1576, HB1974, HB2022, HB1973, HB2005, HB1894, HB1515, HB1718, HB1591, HB2475, HB1721, HB1864, HB1946, HB1920

Keywords: Department of Education, capital improvement program, performance audit, infrastructure, transparency, state bonds, general obligation bonds, GO bonds, bond authorization, state debt limit, constitutional debt limit, Article VII Section 13, Hawaii bonds, state borrowing, public finance, capital improvement projects, supplemental appropriations, judiciary appropriations, refunding bonds, reimbursable bonds

Transcript Highlights:

• community in the field that would count community in the field that would count as<01:03:46.799>
• Minnesota's prison population remains stable and manageable despite the recent population shifts and
• Minnesota's prison population remains Minnesota's prison population remains stable<01:21:58.000> and
• The needed to support that population.
• Unlike some other healthc population.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Morelia is the capital and the most populous city of the Mexican state of Michoacán, which is the home
• to only count the withdrawals from the fund, which is what this ballot measure would do.
• And only some point-in-time counts have gone down.
• Black Californians represent approximately 26% of the state's total unhoused population.
• And we also know that they have about 36% of California's homeownership population.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• population, specifically our unhoused population.
• Every minute counts.
• Their population is what it is, and often it's sicker, and they have a declining population.
• But if the population is going down, If the population is going down, is it just because people are moving
• Frontier really refers to population density.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So because surpluses and reserves are counted as spending under the state appropriations limit, this
• These rules are, I should say, also the enacted level is adjusted for inflation and population, such
• And three, it clarifies that deposits into the Budget Stabilization Account do not count towards the
• California has grown in our priorities of do not count towards the GAN limit.
• towards that limit would have been very helpful in putting... ...the deposit and not having it count

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Accountability and Oversight held a hearing on proposals to reform California’s Budget Stabilization Account, or rainy day fund, ahead of the May Revision. Members and witnesses reviewed how Proposition 2 (2014) changed reserve rules, including mandatory deposits, a 10% cap on the fund, and limits tied to the Governor’s declaration of a budget emergency. LAO staff explained that California’s revenues are highly volatile, that current reserve rules are complicated by interactions with Proposition 98 and the Gann limit, and that under current law reserves would cover only about one-third of funding shortfalls in a benchmark scenario over 50 years. The LAO presented its report recommending a larger reserve target, including raising the cap to 50% by 2055 and pairing that with either broader, more flexible deposit rules or a simpler approach that deposits all excess capital gains. The Department of Finance described the Governor’s proposal to raise the cap from 10% to 20% and exempt BSA deposits from the state appropriations limit, while Assembly Member Valencia presented ACA 1, which would make similar changes and was described as an evolving proposal. Testimony generally supported saving more during boom years, but differed on how much to hardwire into the Constitution versus leave flexible, and on whether to broaden the deposit formulas beyond capital gains. Public witnesses and committee members raised additional issues, including whether reserve reforms should also address debt repayment, the treatment of unemployment insurance fund debt, and whether the Gann limit should be adjusted to better allow reserve growth. Supporters argued that stronger reserves would protect Californians from cuts during downturns and help the state weather volatility and federal funding threats. Some advocates warned that reforms should not come at the expense of current public needs, while taxpayer representatives cautioned against turning the BSA into a pass-through account that weakens constitutional spending limits. The hearing ended without a vote, with the committee chair noting the complexity of the issue and adjourning after public comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I like to say, don't count down the days, make every day count, right?
• Of the four funds, there are three created to address the needs of specific student populations.
• Of the four funds, there are three created to address the needs of specific student populations.
• PD having the largest population of students.
• However, pursuant to Act 905 of the regulations, the regularization, population increases or they'll

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I guess some of what we can't count on, Chairman Buckley, is we can't count on or control or have
• That is about 16.6% of the overall student population.
• So it's population dependent.
• So I think it's dependent on population.
• And so we know that the growth of our student population, So we know that the growth of our student population

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , you want to know all kinds population, you want to know all kinds of<00:16:57.920> stuff.
• <00:17:31.240> reports, have the daily passenger count reports, have the daily passenger count
• that puts out the de facto population for the state."
• So, when he first asked to count, we had 400-something reports annually. And he's like, "So."
• airlines report their passenger counts airlines report their passenger counts flight<00:24:36.840

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But it is so critical that we're supporting the student population, and I think this bill is a really
• Yet they are not counted in the same way as English learners or low-income students, so they Amen. ..
• Yet they are not counted in the same way as English learners or low-income students, so they miss out
• is homeless and is also a foster student would be counted once and not multiple times.”
• And on aggregate, our unduplicated count is around 96, 97%.

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee heard AB 84, a charter school accountability measure focused on non-classroom-based charter schools and fraud prevention. The author and supporters said the bill was intended to respond to the A3 charter fraud case and related scandals by strengthening audits, transparency, authorizer oversight, and funding determination rules, while ensuring public education dollars are used for public education. Supporters included FCMAT, CSEA, CTA, and CSBA, who argued the bill would improve oversight and protect taxpayers. Opponents, including the California Charter Schools Association, Green Dot, many charter parents, educators, and charter operators, said the bill was too broad, would impose major new costs and bureaucracy on all charter schools, and could reduce options for families, especially those using flexible, homeschool, or special-needs charter programs. After extensive testimony and committee discussion, the bill passed on a 5-1 vote and was sent to Appropriations, with the item left open for additional votes. The committee then approved a consent calendar of 11 education bills, including AB 542, AB 563, AB 731, AB 753, AB 784, AB 964, AB 988, AB 1034, AB 1233, AB 1255, and AB 1381, all moving to Appropriations. The consent calendar passed unanimously. Later, the committee heard AB 1454, a literacy and reading instruction bill authored by Assembly Members Rubio and Revis. The bill would require the state to create professional development resources for evidence-based literacy instruction, update English language arts and English language development instructional materials, and revise administrator preparation standards to include literacy training. The authors and a broad coalition of supporters, including CTA, EdVoice, Families in Schools, Decoding Dyslexia, school administrators, and parent advocates, described the measure as a compromise aimed at improving reading outcomes and addressing California’s literacy crisis. There was no opposition testimony at the hearing, and members voiced strong support for the bill and its collaborative approach.

Transcript Highlights:

• Even counts.
• They may be counted, or they will be counted, before the polls will be closed?
• Ballots may be counted up to the 15th day prior to Election Day.
• First, Section 12, which refers to mail ballot counting by the counting board and states, quote, the
• count?

Bills: AB534, AB562, AB595, AB597, AB600, SB74, SB226, SB422, SB488

Keywords: election reform, voter accessibility, conditional ballots, voter registration, mechanical voting systems, election audits, voter access grants, provisional ballot, voting technology, AB562, Nevada, Secretary of State, elections, elections management system, HAVA, Help America Vote Act, automatic voter registration, AVR, election technology, state appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• As Charlie mentioned, we do have 96 buildings, and that depends how you count them.
• We count our vacant buildings in that count.
• This one is for population and public health modernization.
• Tar South is in our original count. We just aren't utilizing them right now.
• When that unit opens up, we will add those to our count, but it won't increase our actual 225 count.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Adults come to the school that transfer in who are not counted in graduation rate, or if you transfer
• out and get your degree somewhere else, you're not counted.
• And they are not counted in graduation rate.
• And they are not counted in graduation rate. I don't know how else I can emphasize it.
• And they are not counted in graduation rate. I don't know how else I can emphasize it.

Summary: The Higher Education Budget Subcommittee heard and advanced House Bill 1145, which clarifies that public charter schools may participate in the CAP Grant Fund. The bill’s amendment expanded a separate “money-back guarantee” concept for state colleges, requiring participating institutions to offer six eligible programs and refund tuition if graduates do not find qualifying employment within six months under standardized job-search requirements. Members asked about refund rates, student notification, fiscal impact, and whether the proposal accounted for disability or out-of-state job searches. Public testimony on the amendment and bill was in support from Nathan Hoffman of the Foundation for Florida’s Future, and the committee adopted the amendment and reported the bill favorably as a committee substitute by a 16-1 vote, with Representative Aristide voting no over the charter school issue. The committee then received presentations on the William L. Boyd IV Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) Grant and the private nonprofit college sector. Department of Education staff explained that EASE, created in 1979, provides tuition assistance to eligible full-time undergraduates at participating private institutions, with a 2024-25 maximum award of $3,500 and an additional EASE Plus incentive of up to $850 for students in high-demand fields. The department reviewed the program’s funding history, disbursement process, and accountability metrics, including access, affordability, graduation, retention, and postgraduate employment/continuing education. Members asked about award proration, eligibility for other aid, religious-program restrictions, and why some institutions had low or unavailable graduation-rate data. ICUF President Robert Boyd argued that EASE is a strong return on investment and described ICUF institutions as not-for-profit, four-year schools serving many Pell-eligible, adult, military, and minority students. He said the sector produces a significant share of Florida’s bachelor’s, graduate, nursing, and education degrees, and highlighted ICUF’s dashboard with additional transparency metrics, program earnings data, and net price calculators. Boyd and members discussed graduation and completion rates, NCLEX passage rates, affordability, institutional flexibility, and whether schools with lower graduation rates should be compared differently because of their student populations. The presentations ended with no further business, and the meeting adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are not able to count on any amount of rural aid when we create our budget.
• We are not able to count on any amount of rural aid when we create our budget.
• The BR Regional School District is home to over 5,600 students and counting.
• Our population densities are 12 and 46 people per square mile, compared to 13,000 in Boston.
• The population of Warwick is 780 people.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused primarily on H. 517/S. 314, a bill to provide a sustainable future for rural schools, and H. 697, a bill to require full funding of regional school transportation. Witnesses from rural districts, school committees, superintendents, students, and local officials described chronic underfunding, declining enrollment, high fixed costs, special education and transportation burdens, and the loss of programs, staff, and extracurriculars. Several speakers argued that rural aid should be funded at $60 million annually and made non-discretionary, while others emphasized that transportation reimbursement for regional districts has repeatedly fallen short of the state’s promise and is driving budget crises and overrides. A number of students testified in support of rural aid, describing cuts to classes, counselors, and activities, and the impact on their schools and communities. Committee members also discussed whether transportation policy should be revisited to address underlying cost drivers, including bus bidding practices and whether regional districts should have more flexibility in transportation requirements. The committee also heard H. 515, concerning Hancock Elementary School and a school choice-related exemption from a state requirement that has created a large financial burden for the district. Hancock’s superintendent and Rep. John Barrett explained that a decades-old regulation, recently enforced by DESE, would require Hancock to pay tuition for choice-in students through high school graduation even though the district only serves pre-K through grade 6 and sends its own students elsewhere for middle and high school. They said the rule creates a significant per-student shortfall and has forced Hancock to opt out of school choice. Committee members asked for clarification about how the arrangement works and how the costs fall on Hancock. Additional testimony supported related transportation bills for non-regional districts, especially Plymouth/Carver and North Middlesex, describing high and rising bus costs, special education and McKinney-Vento transportation expenses, and the strain on local budgets. Speakers repeatedly said that state reimbursement has not matched actual costs and that communities are being forced to choose between transportation and classroom services. No votes or final actions were taken in the hearing; the committee simply received testimony and closed the hearing on the bills discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, over the last decade, Texas has seen significant population growth.
• Additionally, the population change data must be based on the most recent census.
• Yeah, the bill is set up where they show a population change. ...population change data must be based
• We actually, at the state level, have to count dollars.
• We have to make sure that we count every single penny.

Bills: SB1798, SB1835, SB1319, SB2942, SB2928, SB784, SB1049

Keywords: higher education, tuition rates, financial support, immigration status, Texas law, SB 1835, resident tuition, nonresident students, scholarship students, public higher education, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Education Code Section 54.213, tuition waiver, in-state tuition, out-of-state students, higher education finance, enrollment cap, capacity limit, workforce development area, nonimmigrant visa

Transcript Highlights:

• every voter who casts a ballot validly is verified to have voted one time and that their vote is counted
• Counting just one ballot for that voter.
• We just want to ensure that there's enough time for that to happen so that everyone's vote gets counted
• Just as, just to count from, to start counting from.
• Swift County, like many other rural counties, has been losing population for many decades, and the population

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> IS IT MAINLY TRANSPORTATION OR OPERATIONAL SUCH AS OVERSIGHT COUNTING CATTLE? IS IT BROKEN UP?
• FURNITURE, CHAIRS, A VARIETY OF OTHER THINGS THE AGENCY MAY NEED TO COUNT ON THEIR INVENTORY SO IT IS
• THAT THERE WERE THINGS IN THERE LIKE THE JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION COMMISSION THAT THE AUDITOR GENERAL COUNTED
• AND POPULATE IT WITH THE ACTUAL AMOUNT OF THE VEHICLE AND THE ACTUAL MILEAGE. ALL OF IT.
• WHAT DO YOU NEED DONE SO YOU CAN MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE GETTING ACCURATE COUNTS FROM OTHER STATE AGENCIES