Transcript Highlights:

• [applause] I get to practice this week. Thank you for understanding. 34, Somaya Barksdale.
• [applause] I<00:13:25.440><c> get</c><00:13:25.600><c> to</c><00:13:25.760><c> practice</c><00:13:26.240
• </c> I get to practice this week. I get to practice this week.
• Education artificial intelligence guidelines, professional development collaborative.

Keywords: Senate streaming session for Monday, February 9, 2026, 960, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• any ordinance, resolution, policy, regulation, or decree that implements any anti-discrimination practice
• So if this is a situation where the resolution... ...practice, et cetera.
• The bill argues for uniformity, but in practice it strips local communities of the tools they use to
• This bill does not fix city budgets, property tax pain points, or help with interagency collaboration
• still promulgate and implement anti-discrimination policies for their own hiring and employment practices

Committee: House Local Government

Summary: The committee met to hear House Bill 557, which would preempt local governments from adopting or enforcing anti-discrimination ordinances that go beyond state law. The sponsor, Rep. Bruce Skaug, and supporters argued the bill would create statewide uniformity, reduce burdens on businesses, and protect religious liberty and conscience rights. Testifying in support were representatives from Alliance Defending Freedom and Idaho Family Policy Center, a former Hitching Post owner, Sandpoint’s mayor, and several private citizens who said local ordinances had created legal risk, especially in housing, employment, and public accommodations. They emphasized concerns about compelled participation in same-sex weddings, gender identity policies, and the cost and uncertainty of local enforcement. Opponents, including the Association of Idaho Cities, officials from Victor, Boise, and Moscow, Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, clergy, and other residents, said the bill would strip local control and weaken protections for LGBTQ people. They argued that city ordinances fill gaps in state law, improve safety and trust, and help with housing and employment discrimination. Boise and other city representatives said their ordinances were adopted in response to constituent concerns and had not produced the harms claimed by supporters; Boise also said it had no complaints from businesses alleging coercion under its ordinance. Several opponents said the bill would make communities less welcoming and could harm economic development. Committee members questioned witnesses about uniformity, local authority, housing protections, and whether similar laws exist in other states. Supporters cited state preemption examples and said other states have enacted similar laws; opponents cited constitutional concerns and the Romer v. Evans case. No final vote or action on HB 557 was taken in the portion of the meeting provided, and the chair continued taking testimony from both sides.

Transcript Highlights:

• any ordinance, resolution, policy, regulation, or decree that implements any anti-discrimination practice
• any ordinance, resolution, policy, regulation, or decree that implements any anti-discrimination practice
• The bill argues for uniformity, but in practice it strips local communities of the tools they use to
• This bill does not fix city budgets, property tax pain points, or help with interagency collaboration
• still promulgate and implement anti-discrimination policies for their own hiring and employment practices

Committee: House Local Government

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the special counsel for criminal practice and policy with the King County Department of Public Defense
• Again, there are just some of the practical effects that I think my members can totally support the premise
• Some of the practical effects that I think my members can totally support the premise behind it.
• Love the idea, but I think in practice, as we read through it, we have concerns. I apologize.
• We encourage mindful collaboration with sex workers to understand how decriminalization would give us

Summary: The House Community Safety Committee held public hearings on several bills. House Bill 2209 would add 12- or 24-month sentencing enhancements for theft-related offenses when the value of stolen, possessed, or trafficked property exceeds $20,000 or $50,000, respectively. Rep. Mari Leavitt said the bill targets organized retail theft and related violence, emphasizing business losses, worker safety, and links to broader criminal activity. Supporters included prosecutors, retailers, law enforcement, and city officials who described organized retail crime as coordinated, underreported, and harmful to employees and communities. Opponents argued theft trends are declining, existing penalties are sufficient, and sentencing enhancements would worsen incarceration and racial disparities. The hearing on HB 2209 was left open for additional testimony. House Bill 2403 would revise penalties for failure to register as a sex offender or kidnapping offender, including lowering the seriousness level for second and subsequent offenses from level 2 to level 1 in the proposed substitute. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive or neutral. Proponents from the Sex Offender Policy Board, sentencing commission, public defenders, prosecutors, and sheriffs’ representatives said the bill reflects long-negotiated recommendations, better matches the offense’s administrative nature, and may improve compliance by pairing shorter prison terms with community custody and supervision. The committee then closed the public hearing on HB 2403. House Bill 1591, in a proposed substitute, would create a sentencing alternative, resentencing option, and conviction-vacation process for defendants who are verified survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking, where abuse was the primary and proximate cause of the offense. Supporters, including survivor advocates, prosecutors involved in diversion programs, and researchers, said many incarcerated women are survivors and current law often fails to account for coercion and trauma. Some witnesses urged broader eligibility and less reliance on formal documentation. Prosecutors and sheriffs’ representatives expressed concerns about discretion, potential public-safety impacts, and whether existing sentencing factors already address these cases. The committee also heard extensive testimony on House Bill 2526, which would rename patronizing a prostitute as commercial sexual exploitation, expand the offense to include providing anything of value, elevate it from a misdemeanor to a Class C felony, and increase associated fees. Supporters framed it as a response to trafficking, exploitation, and violence against women and children, while opponents—many of them sex workers or survivors—argued it would criminalize consensual adult sex work, push the industry further underground, and reduce safety and income for vulnerable people.

Transcript Highlights:

• He is a urologist who has practiced in Arizona since 2005, including private practice in Flagstaff, where
• We collaborate with nine mayors and city councils.
• have the executive director of the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, where I got to practice
• have the executive director of the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, where I got to practice

Summary: The House convened for opening-day proceedings with prayers in English and Spanish, the Pledge of Allegiance, and musical performances, then recorded attendance and welcomed the Doctor of the Day, Dr. Jason Jameson. The Speaker introduced numerous guests and dignitaries, including statewide officials, university presidents, former lawmakers, and family members, and delivered remarks about Arizona’s history, the importance of civility, and the role of state government in protecting residents from federal overreach. Coaches Kenny Dillingham and Tommy Lloyd also addressed the chamber, speaking about leadership, talent development, and the ways sports can unite and inspire Arizona communities. The House then took up organizational business. Members adopted proposed changes to Rule 9 and then adopted the amended rules for the 57th Legislature, Second Regular Session. The chamber also agreed to read bills by number and short title only, declared an emergency for that purpose, and announced the creation of two new standing committees: Artificial Intelligence and Innovation, chaired by Representative Justin Wilmeth, and Rural Economic Development, chaired by Representative Teresa Martinez. A House Organizational Committee was appointed to notify the Senate that the House was organized and ready for business and to inform the Governor that the Legislature was ready to receive her message. The remainder of the session was largely devoted to points of personal privilege, with members introducing family, constituents, local officials, educators, veterans, business leaders, and advocacy groups. Several members highlighted issues they intend to work on this session, including affordability, water security, deed fraud, education, health care, rural development, and veterans’ issues. The House later recessed to accommodate the joint organizational proceedings with the Senate.

Transcript Highlights:

• It costs us more to hold them if we're not collaborating with the feds.
• The other thing that I think—and I'll stop after this—because we have solutions in policy and practices
• So we're making that same value choice in a policy practice of universal free child care.
• And AMVA is not just sort of for sharing ideas and best practices, but there are also several technical
• The 13-year-old system we have is kind of beyond help, and it doesn't have any of the best practices

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We also have some modernization practices that deal with using electronic signature and transfer of documents
• We also have some modernization practices that deal with using electronic signature and transfer of documents
• It is also the largest owner of physicians' practices and owns one of the big three pharmaceutical benefit
• It is also the largest owner of physicians' practices and owns one of the big three pharmaceutical benefit
• It's hardworking, collaborative, and focused on getting details right.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• On top of that, too, I am full-time practicing as an attorney here.
• On top of that, too, I am full-time practicing as an attorney here in the First Circuit, which spans
• And one of the best decisions ever made was to come here to practice law.
• King and Spalding law firm, where I lead our global private equity and mergers and acquisitions practice
• with Jacksonville's other local universities, such as UNF and JU, to ensure that there's a great collaboration

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Higher Education heard and approved two bills before moving into confirmation hearings for several university and college board nominees. CS/SB 1458 on apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships was presented as a measure to improve consistency and transparency in local education agency partnerships, cap LEA administrative funding at 10% when applicable, and require public meetings and work papers for workforce funding model decisions. Support was noted from Associated Builders and Contractors, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Foundations for Florida Futures, and Independent Electrical Contractors. The bill passed unanimously and was reported favorably. The committee then considered CS/CS/SB 1726 on higher education governance and presidential searches after adopting a delete-all amendment and a late-filed amendment defining the final group of presidential applicants as no fewer than three. The amended bill added provisions on trustee citizenship and residency/alumni eligibility, interim president succession planning, longer presidential contract renewals, limits on candidate polling by universities, syllabus posting, textbook/open-access material lists, and other governance and academic policy changes. Senators raised concerns about the minimum-three finalist requirement, interim president selection, trustee eligibility, and polling restrictions, while supporters said the bill would depoliticize leadership selection and improve transparency. The bill was reported favorably after the amendments were adopted. The committee then heard confirmation testimony from multiple appointees and reappointees, including nominees for FAMU, UNF, Pensacola State College, UWF, and UF. Most nominees emphasized ties to their institutions, student success, workforce development, military connections, and institutional growth. Several UWF nominees were questioned extensively about their votes for former chair Scott Yenner and his controversial comments about women and other groups; some said they were unaware of those remarks at the time of the vote and would not have supported him with that knowledge. Public testimony on UWF expressed concern about the nominees’ lack of higher education experience, their ties to the region, and the impact of Yenner’s views. The committee later voted to recommend a block of non-UWF nominees favorably, and it agreed to vote on the UWF nominees individually, with some remaining nominees deferred to a later hearing due to time.

Transcript Highlights:

• , are the reductions in irrigation demand projections over time due to improved water management practices
• voluntary conservation delivery system which assists with actual implementation. ...of best management practices
• Practices, all in coordination with the appropriate Soil and Water Conservation District.
• Research to the State Board for producers as incentives to implement climate-smart conservation practices
• We appreciate your collaboration on this.

Committee: Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• executive has $10 million to the Department of Agriculture to fund adoption of technologies and practices
• rates, and my medical malpractice insurance is a quarter of what it is here, where are you going to practice
• You're going to practice in Texas. But there's all kinds. I mean, like I said, I.
• Through the Governmental Accountability Office, and I have my director here, collaborated with LFC staff
• I had a practice in law in the morning, and for whatever reason, these liabilities are going to continue

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• direct the Board of Regents, Louisiana Works, and Louisiana Economic Development to study, in collaboration
• The North Shore Focus is a collaborative effort representing the I-12 Corridor and some of the fastest-growing
• The North Shore is a collaborative effort representing the I-12 Corridor and some of the fastest-growing
• The North Shore Focus is a collaborative effort representing I-12 Corridor and some of the fastest growing
• parishes in our state. collaborative efforts representing I-12 corridor and some of the fastest growing

Summary: The House convened with a quorum present and opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. Members then used personal privilege remarks to honor a number of individuals and groups, including a moment of silence for Representative Wright’s uncle, Korean War veteran Melvin Truche, and a tribute to former Speaker Joe R. Sauter through House Resolution 4. Speakers described Sauter as a humble, faith-centered public servant and asked for a moment of silence and applause in his memory. The chamber also recognized the Louisiana Federal Directors Association, celebrated Representative Bagley’s mother’s 96th birthday, and welcomed Miss Natchitoches City of Lights and the North Shore Focus group. The House received Senate messages on SCR 4, SCR 7, and SCR 8, which would commemorate St. Patrick’s Day and designate Capitol recognition days for the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival and the Meat and Oyster Festival; all were laid over. The House also received and laid over several new measures, including resolutions on the death of Reverend Dr. William J. Shaw, voter identification and election integrity, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Day, a study of the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, and support for eliminating the U.S. Department of Education. A new House bill was introduced to create the Regency Park Townhomes Crime Prevention Security District, and another to appropriate funds for consent judgments. Several resolutions were adopted without objection, including House Resolution 10 designating Funeral Director’s Day, House Resolution 11 commending the crew of Eve on its 40th anniversary, House Resolution 12 recognizing Nurse Practitioner Day, House Resolution 13 on Dorothy Prevost, and House Concurrent Resolution 13 commending Crime Stoppers of Greater New Orleans. Committee reports were also received on a number of bills, including transportation and civil law measures, many involving highway and bridge designations such as memorial highways for Speaker Joe Sauter, Eugene Washington, Trevor Avenue, and others. The House also noted upcoming committee meetings, an open interim emergency board ballot deadline, and adjourned without objection until Monday at 3:00 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm very collaborative, as you heard me say. My door is open.
• <00:04:01.560><c> very</c> ability to work together I'm very ability to work together I'm very collaborative
• :02.799><c> heard</c><00:04:03.439><c> me</c><00:04:03.680><c> say</c><00:04:04.000><c> my</c> collaborative
• as you heard me say my collaborative as you heard me say my door<00:04:04.400><c> is</c><00:04:04.640
• There is a lot of work to be done in a collaborative effort. Yeah.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• with hundreds of local service providers, administrators, ...interviews and collaborations with hundreds
• In 2023, in collaboration with Dr.
• So this has all really lent to just a super collaborative approach in Fresno, which is necessary with
• So what, in particular, HAP has allowed us to do, and really what we have planned collaboratively with
• As the state, as the funder, with the requirements for us to work collaboratively.

Summary: The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee 4 met to hear an oversight discussion focused on homelessness, including the state of homelessness in California, state data systems, and the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HAP) program. In opening remarks, the chair emphasized accountability and the need to focus on families and people at the bottom rung, while the vice chair argued that homelessness and affordability problems stem from policy choices and the state should give counties more flexibility rather than top-down mandates. The committee also announced that the one scheduled vote would be postponed and public comment would be taken later. Dr. Ryan Finnegan of UC Berkeley’s Turner Center presented recent homelessness data, saying California’s homelessness remains high at about 187,000 people in the 2024 point-in-time count, with most still unsheltered, though the unsheltered share has declined somewhat. He explained differences between point-in-time counts and the state’s Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS), noted progress in shelter, permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, and interim housing capacity, and highlighted declines in youth and veteran homelessness. He also described persistent racial disparities, the large number of chronically homeless people, and risks from federal changes and possible reductions to programs such as Emergency Housing Vouchers and Continuum of Care funding. Members questioned the causes of recent trends, the role of Housing First, Proposition 47, Martin v. Boise, and how funding streams such as HAP and CalAIM are layered together. The California Interagency Council on Homelessness then outlined its data systems and AB 799 implementation. Staff explained that HDIS aggregates HMIS data from all 44 continuums of care and is used to measure outcomes, disparities, and program effectiveness statewide. They said HAP 4 was cost-effective under the State Auditor’s methodology, and that new AB 799 dashboards will provide more public-facing fiscal and outcome reporting by June 2027. Members asked whether the system can better distinguish which interventions work, how self-sufficiency will be measured, how fraud is detected, and whether the council can meet the auditor’s concerns on time. Cal ICH said it has met prior statutory deadlines, that program outcome data already exist, and that fiscal reporting will be built through a web-based tool and aligned with existing departmental reporting systems.

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 1581 addresses this in a thoughtful and practical way.
• I'm just curious as to what that's going to look like in the practical part of it.
• Last year alone, we had 15 practices that were either canceled or postponed.
• Last year alone, we had 15 practices that were either canceled or postponed.
• Last year alone, we had 15 practices that were either canceled or postponed.

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c> modernizes our health care practices, modernizes our health care practices, and<02:06:29.040><c
• </c><02:16:23.280><c> and</c> they said that's current practice and they said that's current practice
• :34.880><c> we've</c> that the practice of medicine and we've that the practice of medicine and we've
• </c><02:45:11.200><c> that</c> advanced practice registered nurses that advanced practice registered
• </c> So it will enforce some collaboration So it will enforce some collaboration around<03:50:52.080>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee discussed House Bill 185, which would amend RSA 3109 to add timelines for OPLC’s complaint review and investigation process. Members reviewed the existing five-year limitation period for misconduct complaints and noted that the bill would add a 30-day deadline for the office to make a recommendation to the board and a 90-day deadline to complete investigations. Some members raised concerns that the new deadlines could conflict with the existing statute of limitations, create pressure to dismiss cases too quickly, and potentially undermine the separation between OPLC’s investigative role and the boards’ adjudicatory role established by House Bill 655. Nicholas Fry, OPLC general counsel, testified that the agency’s fiscal note originally assumed it would need roughly double its staff to meet the proposed deadlines, though a later amendment reduced that estimate somewhat. He said OPLC would still need additional personnel, including investigatory paralegals and a physician investigator for the Board of Medicine, to meet the timeframes. He also explained OPLC’s current complaint and hearing procedures, including new consumer-friendly correspondence, website guidance, and efforts by the enforcement division to improve transparency and communication with complainants and licensees. Bob Quinn of the New Hampshire Association of Realtors testified in support of the bill’s basic goal of speeding up intake and investigation, saying the 30-day intake/review period was reasonable and that the bill would not change OPLC’s role in that first step. He argued, however, that the investigation step is where delays occur, especially for lower-priority complaints, and that some cases have remained unresolved for years. Committee members also questioned how the added staffing costs would be paid, with discussion of whether they would come from license fees or the general fund. No vote or final action was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• The number one ask from these companies is having a way to collaborate, having a way to run into each
• That collaboration, that collision that Nora speaks of, is very, very important.
• I like "Founder Density," "Collision," "Collaboration." Those are place-based theses.
• What the process—the collaborative I was working with—was to identify.
• So, this is a very collaborative process.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think there's also a practical side to the Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
• I think there's also a practical side to this.
• I am the director of the services practice area at the National Health Law Program.
• I am the director of the services practice area at the National Health Law Program.
• closely with our disability practice area, which handles our work around mental health services.

Committee: Joint Tribal and State Relations Committee

Summary: The meeting focused on Turtle Mountain’s public health and behavioral health priorities, especially access to rural health transformation funding and a long-running data use agreement with the state. Tribal public health leaders described how, during COVID, a temporary data-sharing arrangement allowed them to do their own contact tracing and case management, and they argued that a similar agreement is now needed to respond more quickly to very high syphilis rates and other infectious disease concerns. Committee members generally expressed support and said they would follow up with state officials, while tribal representatives emphasized that they already have the staff and infrastructure to use timely data effectively. A major portion of the meeting was devoted to the Turtle Mountain Recovery Center and the broader issue of the IMD exclusion and residential treatment capacity. Tribal leaders described the center’s opening, its five levels of care, its 16-bed limit, and its efforts to become financially sustainable through billing, grants, and partnerships. They shared success stories and argued for an IMD waiver or similar flexibility so the center could expand to 32 beds and better meet local need. Committee members discussed the policy barriers to expanding residential treatment, including federal approval timelines, state funding choices, and the need to preserve a continuum of care that includes outpatient and community-based services. The committee then heard a detailed presentation from Hector Hernandez-Dogato of the National Health Law Program on the history and mechanics of the IMD exclusion and Section 1115 waivers. He explained that the exclusion limits Medicaid payment for services in facilities with more than 16 beds, but noted existing exceptions and alternatives such as state plan options, managed care arrangements, telehealth, and community-based services. He also reviewed mixed results from states that have used IMD waivers, warning that they do not automatically improve overdose deaths, emergency room use, or access to community care, and may risk reinforcing institutionalization if not paired with strong upstream services. The committee discussed a draft bill to appropriate $49,000 and one FTE for HHS to pursue an IMD waiver, with members suggesting the bill may need to explicitly include serious mental illness as well as substance use disorder and asking for department input at a future meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we're trying to be able to use best practices, industry standards that are going to be able to
• Now that, we believe, is an industry best practice.
• Now that, we believe, is an industry best practice.
• So we're talking about sort of an upper, very upper theoretical limit here for something that in practice
• Vue Nguyen with the California Healthy Nelson Collaborative and Orange County Asian Pacific Islander

Committee: House Judiciary

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We had an opportunity to do some practicing for next week.
• We'll go ahead and adjourn then and we'll stick around here and do some practice.
• to do some practicing for uh next<00:40:43.040><c> week.
• </c> watching us play uh uh practice games? watching us play uh uh practice games?
• </c> here and do some practice. here and do some practice.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• expensive for school districts to provide the services, whether it's in district or through a collaborative
• So I want to thank a number of folks who have collaborated on redrafting this amendment.
• And so I appreciate the collaboration, the bipartisan support.
• many people who are working on this: the Metro Mayors Community Safety Initiative Coalition, in collaboration
• on important initiatives that you know, To collaborate on important initiatives that you know and I

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate took up a long series of FY26 budget amendments during debate on the Ways and Means budget bill. Early on, an amendment on debt service and the Debt Affordability Committee was rejected. A major education amendment offered by Senator Lewis and supported by Senator Comerford was then adopted; it directs DESE to begin a public process, with $200,000 in funding, to review and recommend updates to the Chapter 70 municipal contribution formula and related school funding structures as the Student Opportunity Act nears full implementation. Senators argued that school districts across the Commonwealth are under severe fiscal strain, citing rising special education, transportation, health insurance, and Proposition 2 1/2 pressures, and that the current formulas are increasingly out of alignment with local needs. The chamber also considered and voted on many other amendments, with several adopted and several rejected. Adopted amendments included measures on public payroll transparency, regional EMS, a small business group purchasing cooperative pilot, simplifying Medicaid eligibility determinations, and early education background checks. Rejected amendments included proposals on first-time homebuyer savings accounts, population change studies, competitiveness studies, emergency contract reform, natural gas cost containment, a $200 per pupil aid increase, regional school reimbursement increases, a Foundation Budget Review Commission-related study, special education service studies, welfare benefit audits, short-term capital gains, and an MBTA sustainability plan. Senator Durant also spoke in support of Amendment 766, which would create a crumbling concrete assistance fund for homeowners affected by pyrrhotite, with tax-exempt aid, federal funding applications, audits, and a stakeholder working group. Near the end of debate, Senator D. DiDomenico praised the Shannon Grant program for gang violence prevention, and the Senate adopted a final corrective amendment containing technical fixes and local earmarks. The bill was then ordered to a third reading and, after a roll call on engrossment, passed to be engrossed by a vote of 38-2. The Senate also approved a motion to adjourn to the following Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. and recessed in memory of Yaron Lashinsky, Sarah Lynn Milgram, and Leslie A. Feeney.