Transcript Highlights:

• Speaker, and again, everybody in the body, please pay attention here. Mr.
• Speaker, and again, everybody in the body, please pay attention here.
• local election authorities, on our local motor vehicle offices, on Missourians who now have to maybe pay
• I can afford to pay for a passport.” “...for a passport, to pay for a birth certificate.
• to pass by ordinance an option to pay a part of their real and personal property taxes on an annual,

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and approval of the prior day’s journal by a 117-1 vote. Members then spent a long portion of the morning introducing guests and visiting groups, including schoolchildren, university visitors, county officials, business and civic groups, fraternity and sorority members, and legislative conference participants. The Speaker also signed several measures already passed, including Senate Substitute for HB 2061, HB 2641, Senate Substitute for HB 2423, and HB 2934. The main floor debate centered on HCR 48, which urges Congress to pass the federal SAVE Act requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. Supporters argued it would protect election integrity and prevent non-citizen voting, while opponents said it would create burdensome, potentially disenfranchising requirements, amount to a poll tax, and interfere with state election administration. After extended debate and a successful previous-question motion, HCR 48 was third read and passed 92-43. The House then took up HCR 23, a federalism resolution reaffirming that states should control election administration; it passed unanimously, 137-0. The House also perfected and printed two bills. HB 2855, dealing with workers’ compensation funding increments for the workers’ compensation and second injury funds, was amended to allow finer 0.1% adjustments instead of 0.5% increments and then perfected. HB 1906, a simple county-government bill allowing township counties to offer annual, semiannual, or quarterly payment options for real and personal property taxes, also advanced without opposition. The chamber then moved to announcements and recessed until 2 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that missing pay, we know, is rent, it's groceries, it's childcare, it's gas, it's the things that
• want to make sure that workers on public works projects no longer have to continue waiting for the pay
• We know that doing business with the state is a premium, and we pay well, and we want contractors who
• have pre-apprenticeship programs that we've established that the state does not subsidize, that we pay
• During those three years, the pay rate reporting errors and consequences for their errors compounded,

Summary: The committee heard and advanced several labor, workforce, and public works bills. SB 1166 would place AC Transit employees under PERB jurisdiction for unfair labor practice disputes; supporters said it would reduce costly court litigation and align AC Transit with other transit agencies, while AC Transit was neutral. The bill passed 4-1 to Judiciary. SB 1054 would add wage-data elements to state reporting systems to improve Medi-Cal/Calfresh verification and workforce-program accountability; supporters emphasized reducing administrative burdens and improving data for education and training outcomes. It passed 4-0 to Appropriations. SB 1149 would expand bereavement leave to cover a “designated person” and align it with other California family-leave laws; supporters cited chosen-family and LGBTQ+ concerns, and the bill passed 5-0 to Appropriations. The committee also considered SB 909, which would raise and index public works contractor registration fees and prevailing-wage penalties and direct more penalty revenue to enforcement. Supporters argued stronger penalties and funding are needed to deter wage theft and backlogs, while contractor groups warned of higher costs, uncertainty, and no fix to staffing delays; it passed 4-1 to Judiciary. SB 1132 would require a standardized know-your-rights curriculum in the workforce development system, with supporters saying workers need labor and immigration rights information at job-entry points; it passed 4-1 to Appropriations. SB 1241 would strengthen enforcement of skilled-and-trained workforce requirements on public works projects by defining substantial compliance plans and limiting repeated noncompliance; labor supporters said it closes loopholes, while contractor groups argued the market lacks enough workers and the bill is too rigid. It passed 4-1 to Appropriations. The committee later took up SB 1038, which would require CalPERS to notify unions when employer audits are initiated so they can help members respond to potential pension or pay corrections. Supporters said members need representation when audit findings can create repayment obligations, and there was no opposition. The bill passed 4-0 to Appropriations. After a brief recess, the committee returned and formally closed the roll on SB 1038, then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we are so excited that the pay plan is working in Conway.
• We are paying five to ten times more than what we should be.
• This will be paying to configure the system to meet our specific needs.
• As you know, we recently implemented the pay plan, which raised the rates.
• What we’re trying to do now is have performance-based pay.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And when we move to a base of paying by attendance, it makes it extremely hard on the small business
• We offer services regardless of patients' ability to pay for that care.
• So, as a consequence, we have minimal pay raise and zero retention.
• So, consequence, we have minimum pay raise, zero retention.
• Starting with some background, state law requires employers to pay laborers, workers, and mechanics on

Summary: The House Appropriations Committee held a public hearing on a series of bills, beginning with House Bill 2689 on Working Connections Child Care. Staff explained that the proposed substitute would keep eligibility at 60% of state median income, eliminate scheduled expansions to 75% and 85%, reduce future subsidy rates from the 85th to the 75th percentile of market, end enhanced regional rates, and change reimbursement rules from prospective enrollment-based payments back to attendance-based payments with a reduced monthly payment after 11 absent days. Child care advocates thanked the committee for removing the proposed cap on the program but opposed the cuts to provider rates and eligibility expansions, warning of harm to families and providers. The committee then heard Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5124 on Medicaid network adequacy for post-acute care, with staff noting administrative costs and indeterminate fiscal effects; hospitals supported the bill as a way to reduce discharge delays and reliance on single-case agreements. Senate Bill 5832, which would raise the new motor vehicle arbitration fee from $3 to $6 to support the Lemon Law arbitration program, drew support from the Attorney General’s Office and auto dealers, who said the fee had not been updated since 1995 and the program was underfunded. The committee also heard Substitute Senate Bill 5862, providing a one-time 3% COLA for certain PERS 1 and TRS 1 retirees, with retirees testifying in favor and local government representatives warning about added employer costs. The committee next heard Senate Bill 5922, allowing school districts to transfer money from the Transportation Vehicle Fund to other funds if they reduce their fleet and receive OSPI approval; staff said the bill would mainly add administrative work for OSPI, and no one testified. Substitute Senate Bill 5923 would allow a hospital on an island in Skagit County to qualify as a critical access hospital if federally certified; Island Health testified that the designation would help sustain rural services, and a committee member asked about bed count and Medicaid/charity-care pressures. Senate Bill 5944 would require language access providers to bargain over compensation for missed or canceled appointments and clarify that statutes prevail over conflicting contract terms; WFSE supported the bill, saying it would equalize bargaining rights across agencies. Substitute Senate Bill 5972 would extend interest arbitration rights to correctional employees in city and county jails regardless of population size; labor supported the bill as a retention tool, while cities and counties opposed it, arguing it would raise costs and should include ability-to-pay protections. The committee also heard Senate Bill 5988, authorizing the Department of Health to continue accrediting opioid treatment programs and charge accreditation fees, which DOH said was needed to avoid winding down the program. Later, the committee heard Senate Bill 6151, which would move Ecology fee revenues for landfill methane emissions and laboratory accreditation into dedicated accounts; Ecology supported the bill as improving transparency and reinvesting fees into the programs, and staff said the lab fee shift would be offset by a related budget action. Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6194 would pay a rural hospital on a federally recognized Indian reservation, specifically Astria Toppenish, at 150% of the Medicaid fee-for-service rate beginning in 2027; hospital leaders and community members testified that the hospital serves a high-Medicaid, rural, and tribal population and faces persistent losses. Finally, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6302 would direct L&I to investigate possible misclassification of independent contractors on public works projects involving multiple workers doing the same finishing work; labor and business representatives both described it as a negotiated compromise to address underground economy abuses. The committee took no final votes during the hearing and ended by reiterating amendment deadlines for bills scheduled for executive session.

Transcript Highlights:

• navigate the future of this program so you can see when it was established in 2008 how we started to pay
• most pleased with Utah right now, but there is a station on the Utah side of Bear Lake that we help pay
• So they're not indicative of anything you should pay attention to.
• Where we can, we will partner with them, and we actually pay for the cost of the trooper to be at the
• with the request in the governor's recommendation, it is very likely that there would be a bill to pay

Summary: The committee first received an Idaho State Department of Agriculture update on quagga mussels, with Director Chanel T. Wall reviewing the history of Idaho’s response, the spread and ecological damage caused by mussels in the Great Lakes, and the state’s legislative and operational efforts since the species was first detected west of the 100th meridian in 2007. She described the 2024 and 2025 Mid-Snake treatment efforts using chelated copper, noting a more than 50% reduction in the impacted footprint in 2025 compared with 2024, while emphasizing that the goal remains eradication. Members asked about the treatment method, the difficulty of keeping copper in the deep-pool water column, fish mortality, the reproductive capacity of mussels, and whether other states are using Idaho’s approach; Wall said Idaho’s work is being watched closely, but few states have shown the political will to attempt similar eradication efforts. No votes were taken during this presentation. The committee then heard a budget overview for natural resources from Legislative Services budget analyst Janet Jessup. She summarized the agencies under the natural resources budget area, explained JFAC’s recent actions on a 3% rescission, an additional 1% rescission, and a 5% ongoing base reduction for fiscal year 2027, and noted that many agency enhancements remain pending. She highlighted that DEQ’s requested enhancements are tied to dedicated and federal funds, Fish and Game’s budget is entirely dedicated/federal, Lands has a fire suppression deficiency fund that can be drawn into the negative and later repaid by the legislature, and Water Resources has a recurring transfer request. Members asked about the fire deficiency fund’s limits and how it is funded, and Jessup explained that it is typically preloaded by legislative appropriation. Finally, Keith Bybee of Legislative Services gave a broader general fund and revenue outlook. He said the legislature’s adopted revenue forecast is higher than the governor’s, but the budget remains tight because of lower-than-expected cash balances and the effect of policy changes and rescissions. He noted that the current-year ending balance is small relative to the size of the budget, while the projected fiscal year 2027 ending balance improves under the legislature’s forecast. Committee members discussed uncertainty around future fire suppression costs, Medicaid, corrections, and school enrollment, and the meeting concluded with no further action beyond the informational presentations and prior JFAC budget decisions.

Transcript Highlights:

• is there's a very good reason the Idaho Transportation Department partners with law enforcement to pay
• Just kind of like I started out with, the Idaho Transportation Department actually pays us overtime to
• far as addressing the citations, it is my understanding that it used to be that if somebody didn't pay
• far as addressing the citations, it is my understanding that it used to be that if somebody didn't pay
• I don't know, because I don't... ...not paying enough attention.

Summary: The House Judiciary Rules Committee approved the minutes from February 9, 2026, and announced that Friday would be the last day for new RS hearings before they must go to another committee. The committee first moved House Bill 522 back to the second reading calendar, then later reconsidered that action and sent HB 522 to general orders. It also introduced RS 33227C1, a revised proposal to clarify Idaho’s child custody interference laws, including affirmative defenses, law enforcement guidance, and a graduated penalty structure, with a small wording change from “all” to “any” on page two. RS 33258 was also introduced to add electronic storage detection dogs to the list of protected police-type animals under Idaho law.

Transcript Highlights:

• This provision says speak up and you might pay.
• And I think we all would agree, you know, 97% of science agrees with whoever's paying for it.
• America is paying attention to this. You have the home. How world is up in arms over this.
• You have the entire outdoor industry across the nation is paying attention to this issue.
• I would love to be up here in my pajamas hanging out, not paying attention.

Transcript Highlights:

• So it's always going to be something we're going to have to pay attention to.
• Paying, you know, their rent, paying bills, you know, how do I grow? I'll give you a quick story.
• They're now paying 6%. So there are great programs that the state runs.
• I hope she doesn't have an auto pay out there somewhere.
• I hope she doesn't have an auto pay out there somewhere.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Growth, and Household Impact held an informational hearing focused on the California Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network and its role in helping small businesses access capital, recover from disasters, and scale innovative companies. Chair Salas and Vice Chair Castillo opened by emphasizing the importance of small businesses to California’s economy and noting recent passage of AB 685, described as a small business resiliency and innovation measure. Witnesses from multiple SBDC regions and business owners testified about the network’s statewide reach, confidentiality, multilingual advising, and partnerships with universities and state agencies. Panelists described SBDC’s work in three main areas: disaster recovery, startup and innovation support, and capital access. Testimony highlighted SBDC assistance after major disasters such as the Camp Fire, Dixie Fire, San Diego floods, and the Los Angeles fires, including help with insurance claims, grant applications, debt restructuring, and reopening businesses. Business owners from Altadena and Sacramento shared personal stories of how SBDC guidance, grants, and connections helped restore operations, preserve jobs, and navigate crises. Another panel focused on technology startups and the “valley of death,” explaining how SBDC helps founders with customer discovery, grant strategy, intellectual property, and financing; examples included a mobility-tech company and a biodegradable plastics startup that secured major grants, investment, and jobs with SBDC support. A third panel focused on access to capital, with SBDC staff explaining lending options, state loan programs, and finance centers that package loans and match businesses with lenders. They said many small businesses need less than $100,000 and often turn to high-cost alternatives without guidance; SBDC helps them refinance and secure better terms. A beverage company founder described using SBDC to move from a failed public affairs firm to launching a tequila brand, raising capital, and building distribution. Members asked about barriers facing immigrant-owned businesses, disaster aid gaps, and regulatory burdens; SBDC representatives said their services are confidential, available to eligible businesses regardless of immigration status, and designed to connect clients to whatever public or private resources exist. No formal vote was taken at the hearing, and the meeting ended after public comment with the chair urging continued funding for SBDC and related small business support programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that's the price we pay just for showing up for work. But it's not the whole story.
• Let me know if you think that's a groovy idea to help pay for your roads.
• And yet we're paying the same amount for a gas tax, with a lot of people that have far more efficient
• They don't pay a nickel for driving on the state roadways other than their license plates, so they're
• But people have jobs, they buy things, they pay income tax, they pay sales tax.

Bills: SB1063, SB1118, SB1153, SB1154, SB1209, SCM1001

Keywords: appropriation, transportation, safety improvements, Route 70, infrastructure, housing, zoning, middle housing, urban development, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, historic preservation, Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park, special license plate, special plate, license plate, vanity plate

Transcript Highlights:

• This type of exploration, each K-1w2 school district is going to pay in, I believe, $10,000.
• So, competitive pay for the people that were turning out or of the workforce.
• They're both getting the full allotment from the state for their K-12, and then we are paying on top
• We are paying twice to educate the same student.
• So, we are paying 1.5 or two times for those students. Is that correct?

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If SNAP benefits fall, that impacts the ability for local retailers to pay people to work there.
• staff, pay rent, and do all those types of things.
• Contractors hiring a subcontractor pay a tax, the subcontractor pays a tax, and then the final consumer
• pays a tax.
• Consultants, tradespeople, and health care professionals all pay that G E R T.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We didn't pay all their salary, but it paid some.
• For the local hospital, that means they don't have to pay traveling nurses' salaries now.
• You've had to reduce the pay for several employees.
• So, you know, having the funding to be able to afford to pay nursing faculty is huge.
• Okay, and what is the pay for the certificate?

Transcript Highlights:

• But it also gets a significant amount of, I don't know what's called, paying, but contribution from the
• But it also gets a significant amount of, I don't know what's called, paying, but contribution from the
• What is the incentive for utilities to find a more sustainable way for paying for these disasters if
• What is the incentive for utilities to find a more sustainable way for paying for these disasters if
• But then once they are fully spoken for, then it essentially makes the fund no longer solvent to pay

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy convened with a quorum and first heard SB 254, a major utility affordability and wildfire package authored by Senator Becker and coauthored by Assemblymember Petrie-Norris. The bill was described as combining wildfire mitigation reforms, $6 billion in securitized financing for future fire-mitigation capital spending, a public ownership/transmission financing program, tighter scrutiny of utility profits, clean energy permitting streamlining, stronger customer connection timelines, and a successor wildfire fund/continuation account to replace the current fund. Supporters, including the Governor’s office, TURN, labor, clean energy groups, utilities, and public advocates, said the measure would lower bills, stabilize utilities, protect fire victims, and reduce wildfire-related bankruptcy risk. Opponents and some local government groups raised concerns about affordability impacts, the volumetric wildfire fee, strict liability, and provisions they said could affect local control. After discussion, the committee approved SB 254 on a 16-0 vote and sent it to the floor. The committee then held an informational hearing on AB 825, which would enable California to participate in a West-wide electricity market. The authors said the proposal could save ratepayers up to $1 billion annually, improve reliability by allowing California to draw on a larger regional supply, reduce curtailment of renewable power, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Support came from environmental organizations, labor, utilities, community choice aggregators, large energy users, and the Public Advocates Office, all emphasizing cost savings, reliability, and cleaner energy integration. TURN opposed the measure, warning that last-minute amendments removed safeguards against subsidizing out-of-state fossil generation and could expose California ratepayers to unwanted costs. Members questioned governance, exit rights, CPUC oversight, and local control, and the authors responded that the bill includes multiple safeguards, legislative reporting, the ability to exit without penalty, and continued local consultation. No vote was taken because the hearing was informational only.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, there are quite a lot of letters, so it's an assignment for us all to pay attention to them
• We're not paying for—mostly, we're not paying for health care service; we're paying for insurance products
• And we like to shift who pays. We like to envision that, you know, it's all gonna be free.
• Those are things that we need to look at and make sure that we're paying attention to.
• You asked the question, who pays?

Bills: HF2435

Keywords: healthcare, dementia services, public health funding, opioid prevention, women's health, community health boards, mental health

Transcript Highlights:

• Child support formula that only looked at the income of the person who is to pay support.
• I don't know anybody that got a pay increase of 14% based on cost of living, so those orders get out
• of whack and they're no longer right-sized, which makes them harder to pay.
• I currently pay, what, $435 a week for my lovely daughter Sybil to go to daycare.
• my monthly bill for child care, it is more than I would like to pay.

Bills: HF2436, HF470, HF2643, HF2456, HF102, HF1367

Keywords: child welfare, economic assistance, child care, grant program, video security cameras, early education, scholarships, funding, children, families, Minnesota education, child care licensing, family child care, child care center, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, correction order, conditional license, fix-it ticket, documented technical assistance, license suspension

Transcript Highlights:

• Holmes, but that's a small price to pay for 34 years of freedom. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
• from being wrongfully convicted and being sentenced to prison to Hector, Chair Hooper, small price to pay
• They don't pay their rental fee. And then the owner of the storage facility has to deal with it.
• How do we pay for that participant on a public school football team, for example? You recognize.
• Those students that come over to the public school will have to pay that same fee that everybody else

Summary: The Judiciary Committee considered a long agenda of claims bills, housing and business measures, and court-administration legislation. It reported favorably several claims bills, including SB 20 for J.N., a minor, SB 14 for the estate of Pennial Janvier, SB 10 for Sidney Holmes, SB 8 for Marcus Button, SB 22 for Eric and Jennifer Miles, and SB 26 for Kristen and Leah McIntosh. Members also approved SB 520 on curators of estates, SB 386 on self-storage lien-sale notices, SB 362 on reusable tenant screening reports, SB 316 creating series LLCs in Florida, and SB 1650 and SB 1652 on vexatious litigants and related public-records issues. SB 248, expanding eligibility for private school and homeschool students to participate in FHSAA sports at public schools, also passed after amendment. Most of the claims bills were described as settled cases with amounts above sovereign-immunity limits, and several senators spoke in support of compensating victims of catastrophic injury or wrongful conviction. SB 10 drew comments about the 34 years Sidney Holmes spent incarcerated after a wrongful conviction, and SB 8 prompted discussion about the long delay in resolving Marcus Button’s injuries from a 2006 school-bus crash. SB 26 was presented as an uncontested claim arising from a DACS employee’s fatal crash that severely injured two teenage girls, and the committee adopted an amendment placing funds for the minor claimant into trust. The policy bills drew more substantive debate. SB 386 would let self-storage operators use websites instead of newspaper ads for lien-sale notices, with newspaper representatives opposing the change and storage-industry witnesses supporting modernization and lower costs. SB 362 would let renters reuse tenant screening reports for 30 days, with the sponsor saying it would reduce repeated application fees. SB 316 would authorize series LLCs while adding record-keeping protections, and SB 1650/1652 would broaden Florida’s vexatious-litigant rules and create a public-records exemption for certain stricken filings. SB 248 passed over concerns from private-school and public-education witnesses about instructional time, funding, and fairness in athletic participation. All measures were reported favorably, with recorded votes ranging from 7-2 on SB 248 to unanimous or near-unanimous support on the other bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• /c><00:05:29.759><c> be</c> these other groups are going to be these other groups are going to be paying
• the statutory contribution but paying the statutory contribution but there's<00:05:32.520><c> also</
• He said they can earn up to a maximum of 75% of the pay they had.
• She said the other piece of it that she hopes they can address is teacher pay, because their starting
• because we are address is teacher pay because we are our<00:15:43.360><c> starting</c><00:15:43.759>

Keywords: Consideration of HB 73 02:23 Consideration of HB 441 07:24 Consideration of HB 462 18:44, 958, all

Summary: The House State Government Committee met with a quorum and considered three bills. House Bill 73, as amended by committee substitute, added We Lead CS to the list of agencies participating in the Teachers’ Retirement System administrative provisions. The sponsor explained the bill corrects an oversight involving a computer science education service provider established in 2022. A question about fiscal impact was answered with no expected fiscal note or actuarial impact. The committee adopted the substitute and passed HB 73 19-0 with favorable expression. House Bill 441 addressed teacher shortages by expanding the number of retired teachers and critical-shortage-area teachers school districts may hire. The sponsor said districts could hire retired teachers up to 10% of staff and critical shortage area teachers up to 10%, replacing lower current limits and a temporary COVID-era provision that had expired. Members asked about work limits, salary rules, and how often shortage areas are identified; the sponsor said retired teachers remain subject to existing earnings limits, critical shortage teachers are paid at least a rank-two, 10-year salary, and shortage areas are identified annually by the Commissioner of Education. Supportive comments noted the bill was a stopgap and that long-term solutions should include recruitment, retention, and pay. The committee passed HB 441 19-0 with favorable expression. House Bill 462 would allow county clerks to correct marriage applications or licenses by affidavit, without requiring a lawsuit in circuit court, when there are obvious errors or omissions. The Kenton County clerk and another clerk testified that the change would help people who need corrected records for Social Security, Real ID, inheritance, and other legal purposes, while still preserving data needed by Vital Statistics. Members described the bill as a practical efficiency measure. The committee passed HB 462 19-0 with favorable expression, and the meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• But that never pay out the money.
• </c><01:02:34.200><c> period</c><01:02:34.880><c> pay</c> And after new customer pay period pay And after
• new customer pay period pay period<01:02:35.440><c> is</c><01:02:35.560><c> there,</c><01:02:35.800>
• </c> paying attention? paying attention?
• </c> receive and pay assessments. receive and pay assessments.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It might look like a business that's illegally trying to avoid paying workers' compensation insurance
• It might look like a business that's illegally trying to avoid paying workers' compensation insurance
• But that's a part-time ancillary duty, and we pay that out of general fund when we're doing that.
• </c> uh amounts they're having to uh to pay uh amounts they're having to uh to pay for<01:30:51.280><
• more, but consumers are paying more for everything.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> HHRF's financial claim paying ability. HHRF's financial claim paying ability.
• So, for example, if an association was paying $300,000 pre-COVID and now they're paying $3 million because
• So, for example, if an association was paying $300,000 pre-COVID and now they're paying $3 million because
• But is this a loan that we're giving you that you have to pay interest as well, or are you not paying
• So that last have to pay for HPIA.

Keywords: 912, senate, all