Transcript Highlights:

• Agencies must develop procedures to verify the characterization of service and expected discharge date
• From a labor and economic development perspective, predictability in permitting matters.
• Ports around the state develop publicly owned infrastructure to foster private investment and grow good
• This year, WPPA convened a group of growers, shippers, maritime labor, and other businesses to develop
• This helps us to determine whether there's a backlog developing or whether we're staying on top of our

Summary: The Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections Committee met on January 16, 2026, and took executive action on four measures before moving to public hearings on two bills. The committee held Senate Bill 5842 for further discussion, then considered Senate Concurrent Resolution 8406, Senate Bill 5825, Senate Bill 5863, and Senate Bill 5840. SCR 8406 would reestablish the Joint Select Committee on Civic Health and was advanced unanimously to the Rules Committee. SB 5825, which authorizes the Washington State Leadership Board to solicit gifts, grants, and endowments, was amended with a technical change and then advanced. SB 5863, extending the moratorium on destruction of Lakeland Village records and addressing access to certain historical records, also advanced without opposition. SB 5840, which changes campaign finance expenditure reporting schedules, was amended to adjust the implementation date to January 1, 2028 and then advanced after the committee waived the amendment publishing rule due to the short session timeline. The committee then heard Senate Bill 5827, sponsored by Senator Gildon, which would allow veterans to use a pre-discharge certification to claim civil service preference before receiving a DD-214. Staff explained the bill and clarified that the underlying qualifying discharge categories would remain unchanged. Senator Gildon said the bill was prompted by a constituent who could not access preference points before leaving active duty, and the Veterans Legislative Coalition testified in strong support. The hearing record noted 40 people signed in in favor and two opposed. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 5968, sponsored by Senator Krishna Dawson, which would codify and expand the governor’s executive order on permitting and licensing timelines, require agencies to publish processing deadlines, phase in coverage of all credentials by 2030, and authorize fee refunds if deadlines are missed. The sponsor and staff said the bill is intended to improve predictability, accountability, and customer service, while agency flexibility would remain through OIRA. Support testimony came from the governor’s office, cosmetology, labor, construction trades, ports, business, and the Department of Health, all emphasizing delays’ impacts on jobs, projects, and access to care. The Department of Health reported substantial recent reductions in licensing times and said it lacked authority to issue refunds without the bill. The hearing closed with 26 people signed in, including supporters and opponents.

Transcript Highlights:

• If we don't burn biomass and utilize it, we can increase economic development, especially in rural California
• We support requiring CARB to develop methods to quantify life cycle emissions from biomass products,
• and the bill should add requirements for robust public participation and expert input in developing those
• It simply offers optional guidance for agencies developing grant opportunities...
• It simply offers optional guidance for agencies developing grant opportunities and seeks to support ESVM

Summary: The Assembly Natural Resources Committee met with some initial delay while waiting for quorum, then approved the consent calendar items SB 234, SB 484, and SB 839. The committee heard several bills focused on wildfire mitigation, biomass use, climate resilience, and geologic hazard mapping. Members and witnesses repeatedly emphasized the need to balance climate, air quality, public health, and land management goals, with testimony both supporting and opposing biomass-related proposals. SB 88 (Caballero) would direct state agencies to support beneficial uses of forest and agricultural biomass, including biochar and low-carbon energy. Supporters argued it would reduce open burning, improve air quality, and create rural economic opportunities; opponents, including environmental groups, argued woody biomass energy is costly, polluting, and harmful to forests and communities. The bill passed as amended to Appropriations. SB 653 (Cortese) defining environmentally sensitive vegetation management also passed, with supporters describing it as a voluntary framework to align wildfire fuel reduction with biodiversity and habitat restoration; no opposition was heard, and a member requested to be added as a coauthor. The committee also approved SCR 50 (Stern), which urges state climate agencies to define maladaptation and develop criteria for reviewing climate-related policies and investments, and SB 567 (Limón), a pilot program to study converting idle oil wells into gravity energy storage wells. SB 567 drew support from the sponsor and labor/local government witnesses, while the Water Replenishment District opposed unless amended, citing groundwater protection concerns in key basins and asking for additional safeguards. Finally, SB 831 (Limón) passed, clarifying the scope of geologic hazards to include conditions tied to climate change and natural disasters such as post-fire debris flows, subsidence, and coastal erosion. All measures were reported out of committee, with several absent-member votes later added to complete the roll.

Transcript Highlights:

• A developed shepherd and respected leader in the church, please join me in welcom Cardinal Bernardo.
• I look forward to the continued development of the Coastal Bend area to sustain its place as a beautiful
• Uh, and Rustin Stewart and also representing the Frisco Economic Development Corporation, Jason Ford
• Role in promoting professional development, fostering a positive environment, and upholding the highest
• The Texas Chronic Kidney Disease Task Force has developed a state plan to address chronic kidney disease

Transcript Highlights:

• A developed shepherd.
• I look forward to the continued development of the Coastal Bend area to sustain its place as a beautiful
• We have Frisco City Council members Laura Rummel and John Keating from the Frisco Economic Development
• ...in the creation of the Texas Chronic Kidney Disease Task Force, and since then the state has developed
• The Texas Chronic Kidney Disease Task Force has developed a state plan to address chronic kidney disease

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And they are fully developed. And they are both set to go live in the spring timeframe.
• So the development activities are still ongoing for those, but they'll be wrapping up in the summer.
• How closely have you been working with them in developing that methodology to develop that unique identifier
• We are in the development phase of several modules, and now the project shifts to our case management
• time frame is when we plan to wrap up all development activities.

Committee: Senate Children, Families, and Elder Affairs

Summary: The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs received a Department of Children and Families update from CIO Cole Sousa on three major technology modernization efforts: ACCESS, CWIS, and FASMS. For ACCESS, he described the six-year, $205 million project to replace the aging eligibility system used for SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid applications, noting completed releases such as the MyACCESS portal, document management, partner portal, workload management, and client registration modules. He said the system now supports mobile applications, multi-factor authentication, and bot detection, and that the next budget request is $36.625 million to continue moving workers off the mainframe, modernize notices, and complete more worker-portal functions. Members asked about performance data, interoperability with other systems, and the relationship to the FX project and APD; Sousa said API-based real-time exchanges are the goal and that current average case processing time is about 30 days, though he would provide a more exact figure later. The committee then heard about CWIS, a four-year, $75 million child welfare modernization project. Sousa said phase one is complete, including hotline intake, investigations, mandatory reporter, youth, parent, and mobile portals, along with mobile field tools, e-signatures, and customizable dashboards. Current work is focused on case management, assessment and safety planning, licensure, and placement modules, with collaboration from community-based care providers through advisory sessions. For the next fiscal year, DCF is requesting $28 million and expects to finish development by summer and launch in September, while continuing change management and training. Senators pressed on interoperability with ACCESS, FX, and FASMS, the use of a single unique identifier, and whether CBCs would be required to use the statewide system; Sousa said the department’s goal is one statewide system, with licensing costs absorbed by the state and no plan for dual systems after go-live. Finally, Sousa gave a brief update on FASMS, the financial and services accountability system used by managing entities. He said it remains in maintenance mode while DCF prioritizes ACCESS and CWIS, and that modernization of FASMS is still being planned with partner agencies. He estimated current maintenance costs at about $1.3 million and suggested a future modernization could cost roughly $5 million to $7 million, though no firm timeline has been set. The committee expressed support for using data and interoperable systems to improve decision-making, and the meeting adjourned without any votes or formal actions beyond adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><04:27:17.080><c> have</c> the future of what developers have the future of what developers have
• </c> paying for the projects to be developed paying for the projects to be developed and<04:29:42.119
• </c><04:32:37.399><c> to</c> it was rational for uh developers to it was rational for uh developers to
• </c><04:34:03.199><c> any</c> it's not an easy task to develop any it's not an easy task to develop any
• </c><04:40:29.400><c> a</c> need in New England to develop a need in New England to develop a resource

Committee: House Science, Technology and Energy

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to the Wednesday, February 25th meeting of the Technology, Economic Development, and Veterans
• Substitute Senate Bill 6289 creates a statewide economic development and competitive strategic plan.
• is my amendment, where we are requiring the Department of Commerce to update the state economic development
• This is a really important issue for our state, making sure that we have a well-developed strategic plan
• for economic development and competitiveness across our state.

Summary: The Technology, Economic Development, and Veterans Committee met for what was described as its last meeting of the session and took executive action on three bills. Members also noted plans for at least one interim meeting in Olympia, including a possible briefing from the Department of Commerce and a tour of the Emergency Management Center. The committee first considered Senate Bill 6046, which would allow the Civil Air Patrol to be dual-hatted to operate under either federal or state authority. Supporters said the bill would formalize an existing arrangement and give the Civil Air Patrol more flexibility for search and rescue and wildfire support. The bill passed out of committee with a do pass recommendation on a 10-0 vote, with 3 excused. Next, the committee approved Substitute Senate Bill 6149, which updates the definition of a rural county to a population threshold of 45,000 for purposes tied to grants, loans, and public facilities funding. Members said the change would preserve eligibility for counties that have lost rural designation and noted the broader issue of how rural areas are defined as populations grow. It also passed 10-0, with 3 excused. Finally, the committee took up Substitute Senate Bill 6289, creating a statewide economic development and competitiveness strategic plan. The committee adopted amendment Whale 402, changing the required update cycle for the plan from every two years to every five years, and then passed the bill as amended. Supporters said the plan would help guide statewide economic development and manufacturing efforts and that the longer update cycle was more fiscally prudent. The final vote was 10-0, with 3 excused, and the committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:41:53.160><c> the</c> larger private role in developing the larger private role in developing
• </c> ask right now Workforce Development ask right now Workforce Development outcomes<00:51:02.880><c
• </c><00:53:12.079><c> Council</c> Colorado Workforce Development Council Colorado Workforce Development
• We have the Department of Human Resources Development in opposition.
• </c><04:13:28.439><c> experience</c> have um Workforce Development experience have um Workforce Development

Committee: House Finance

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You can see the principles that we use to develop the budget here on this slide.
• You can see the principles that we use to develop the budget here on this slide.
• You can see the principles that we use to develop the budget here on this slide.
• You can see the principles that we use to develop the budget here on this slide.
• You can see the principles that we use to develop the budget here on this slide.

Committee: Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These projects have really been used to lower the cost of development for cities, developers, and businesses
• </c><01:17:49.760><c> public</c> uh the uh Business Development public uh the uh Business Development
• uh for cities the cost of development uh for cities for<01:18:51.760><c> developers</c><01:18:52.360
• <01:21:23.520><c> program</c> development program development program uh<01:21:25.760><c> so</c><01:21
• </c> from this uh the economic development from this uh the economic development and<01:25:37.440><c>

Committee: Senate Capital Investment

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Development Authority was a joint powers agreement formed by the state to develop commuter rail in
• The Development Authority was a joint powers agreement formed by the state to develop commuter rail in
• The Development Authority was a joint powers agreement formed by the state to develop commuter rail in
• The Northstar Corridor Development Authority was a joint powers agreement formed by the state to develop
• this plan in County began developing this plan in 1997<00:47:08.680><c> to</c><00:47:08.960><c> develop

Committee: House Transportation Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a large mixeduse development area.
• Uh and continue to grow and develop.
• So if if you could development, right?
• So, developer is funding the other 90%.
• </c> uh, it truly is a a um a development uh, it truly is a a um a development where<01:30:49.760><c>

Bills: HR1 , HF387

Committee: House Taxes

Keywords: January 6 insurrection, pardon, law enforcement, violent crimes, public safety, justice system, political accountability, Blaine, local sales tax, special tax, restaurant tax, lodging tax, admissions tax, amusement tax, hotel tax, redevelopment, capital improvements, municipal finance, bonding authority, tourism tax

Transcript Highlights:

• We develop the strategy.
• Next, we have the Department of Health offering comments. for developing and implementing the for developing
• </c> department suggests that the development department suggests that the development and<01:14:39.480
• We appreciate you hearing this bill. public school development so we public school development so we
• This is with regards to DHHL, their development, and the waiving of school impact fees.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Education heard several Department of Education-related bills and received extensive testimony on school meals and veteran diplomas. HB 628 would restore authority for the Department of Education to issue high school diplomas to veterans whose schooling was interrupted by World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War. The superintendent testified in support, explaining the authority had sunset in 2020 and describing the measure as a way to recognize veterans. No opposition or questions were raised, and the bill was left without further action in the excerpt. The committee also heard HB 1074 and HB 110, both supported by the Department of Education and the School Facilities Authority. HB 1074 was described as a cleanup measure to clarify land-related language and make the statute more consistent across state agencies and DOE. HB 110 concerned benchmarking and the farm-to-school/local food effort; DOE and several supporters, including county councils, the Hawaii Public Health Institute, the Hawaii Farm Bureau, and the Hawaii Farmers Union, said the bill would help align metrics and support the 30% local food goal by 2030. Members questioned DOE about progress, and DOE said it was working on menus, procurement, and coordination with distributors and farmers. A Farm to School representative said the current bottleneck was poor communication with farmers and the need to bring them into planning earlier; DOE said it was still figuring out the process and that island-based procurement and separate RFPs were being explored. HB 328, relating to school meals and local resource food and plant-based options, drew the most testimony. DOE testified with comments, and the Attorney General’s office suggested revisions to clarify that the bill would apply to both DOE and charter schools, to separate public and private funds if donations or grants are accepted, and to add standards if nonprofit or private entities receive public money. Supporters included HSTA, the Hawaii Public Health Institute/Farm to School Network, Climate Protection Hawaii, the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, and numerous individuals and organizations. Supporters emphasized healthier school meals, student-requested plant-based options, support for local farms, and the 30% by 2030 goal. Some testimony urged more local purchasing and raised concerns about decentralization, while DOE said it was considering island-based procurement and separate contracts to better support local producers. No votes were taken in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• owner or developer of the qualifying<00:37:22.880><c> property.
• When these facilities left the program or were sold, how was the land developed?
• </c> were sold, how was the land developed were sold, how was the land developed and<01:14:21.760><c>
• Properties that left the program most often sold for residential development.
• Open space residential development.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And then finally, I'll present on our workforce development proposal.
• And then ongoing support for existing development coming from BHSA, is that?
• ...support for existing development coming from BHSA—is that a revenue source that has been, is that
• the prior revenue source for the workforce development BHSA funding?
• We're developing scripts and FAQs to support member-facing services such as call centers.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health held a May Revision hearing covering several health-related budget proposals and broader concerns about the state’s budget structure. The Chair opened by praising some May Revision changes, such as added health IT funding, county administration support tied to Medi-Cal changes, a delay in Medi-Cal cuts for some lawfully present immigrants, and additional support for Covered California subsidies, while criticizing proposed increases in Medi-Cal premiums, changes to senior eligibility, the lack of a Medi-Cal dental solution, and other reductions affecting counties, mobile crisis units, workforce incentives, and physician shortages. The Legislative Analyst’s Office said the state’s budget condition remains weak despite progress on the structural deficit, and the Department of Finance said the May Revision uses a mix of reductions, reforms, revenue proposals, and fund shifts to cut out-year deficits. The committee first heard Department of State Hospitals proposals, including adjustments to county bed billing authority, contract exemption language for online clinical/pharmacy subscriptions, reversion of unspent funds, a revised Metro Central Utility Plant replacement project, electronic health record implementation, and workforce development funded partly through Behavioral Health Services Act resources. DSH also described savings and realignments in incompetent-to-stand-trial and conditional release programs, including extending the independent placement panel program and shifting funds to support additional bed capacity and a mental health rehab center. Members asked about the use of BHSA funds for workforce programs, and the department said the proposal would replace General Fund support with BHSA reimbursements. The Emergency Medical Services Authority proposed funding for statewide behavioral health crisis response guidance and for enterprise system development, and the Department of Managed Health Care proposed modernization of its complaint system and claims-settlement data system to improve oversight and comply with AB 3275. The largest discussion centered on the administration’s BHSA spending plan under Proposition 1, including state-directed prevention, workforce, and other uses, plus General Fund offsets for existing programs. The LAO questioned whether some proposed offsets fit Proposition 1’s non-supplant and eligible-use requirements, while the administration argued the uses were consistent with the measure and that the state-directed share can be adjusted annually. The Commission for Behavioral Health’s proposals drew the most public and member concern. The administration proposed cutting the commission’s Innovation Partnership Fund from $20 million to $10 million and reducing the Community Advocacy Program by $6.7 million, while redirecting BHSA dollars to other state purposes and direct services. Commissioners, advocates, and several members argued the cuts would weaken community voice, reduce support for underserved populations, and disrupt grants already in process; they also objected to using BHSA funds to backfill General Fund commitments. Public commenters, including youth, disability, behavioral health, LGBTQ, tribal, veteran, immigrant, and community-based organization representatives, overwhelmingly opposed the cuts and urged preservation of prevention, advocacy, mobile crisis, and innovation funding. No votes or final actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Lots of additional uses have occurred between housing developments, agriculture developments, industrial
• It is really focused on workforce development potential, which we know is a big issue.
• It is really focused on workforce development potential, which we know is a big issue.
• It is really focused on workforce development potential, which we know is a big issue.
• It is really focused on workforce development potential, which we know is a big issue.

Bills: SF0101

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: Second Amendment, firearm regulation, state legislation, public safety, civil penalties, 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We are delivering 400 homes in the two developments.
• And overall, the real developments.
• My name is Roz Peterson and I represent NAIOP, which is a commercial trade association for developers
• I am a self-employed local real estate developer, and I live in Minneapolis.
• </c> development. I'm here as an individual. development.

Committee: Senate Taxes

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They've hired their executive director and they're currently developing their rate forms and will be
• So HPIA developed two products.
• It's written in a programming language that barely anybody knows how to develop anymore.
• develop develop anymore<00:37:42.880><c> it's</c><00:37:43.079><c> old</c><00:37:43.480><c> and</c><
• It's a new, developing, emerging event.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• First, we have concerns about the process used to develop this bill.
• First, we have concerns about the process used to develop this bill.
• I started to develop neurological problems along with severe headaches.
• Unfortunately, ...and workable rules to enable investment development.
• These are not discretionary development projects.

Summary: The committee heard extensive testimony on AB 2218, which would declare state policy to recognize and address water-related inequities affecting California Native American tribes and require several state agencies to incorporate that policy into water-related decisions. The author and tribal witnesses said the bill would codify a seat at the table for tribes and build on existing consultation and equity commitments, while supporters from environmental and tribal organizations backed the measure. Opponents from municipal utilities, water agencies, cities, counties, agriculture, and business groups argued the bill was too vague, could create uncertainty for water supply and project approvals, and might invite litigation. The chair signaled support, and the author said the bill was intended as a consultation measure rather than one that would usurp agency authority. The committee then took up AB 1795, a wildfire smoke-damage bill that would establish statewide standards for inspecting, testing, and remediating smoke-damaged homes and create clearer insurance claim handling rules. The Department of Insurance supported the bill, saying it would bring consistency and accountability after major urban-interface fires, while wildfire survivors and advocates said current insurer practices leave families unable to safely return home. Insurance and local government groups opposed unless amended, warning about cost, implementation uncertainty, and the bill’s scope. Members discussed unresolved issues, including how the bill would interact with a separate wildfire health-and-safety bill, whether it would apply to existing policies, and how presumptions and testing standards should work. The committee voted AB 1795 out on a due pass as amended motion to Appropriations. AB 1642, another wildfire-related bill, was also heard and focused on setting science-based testing and clearance standards for homes, schools, and businesses after urban and wildland-urban interface fires. The author and a Caltech scientist described contamination from lead and other heavy metals in fire-affected homes and argued for a presumption that certain contaminants found after a fire came from the wildfire, to reduce costly disputes. Survivors and many advocacy groups supported the bill, while insurers and other industry groups opposed, saying the testing regime was too broad, the geographic scope was unclear, and the presumptions could function like strict liability and raise insurance costs. Senators pressed both sides on how AB 1642 would overlap with the CDI smoke-claims task force and with AB 1795, and the author said the two bills were intended to be complementary and would continue to be reconciled. The committee also briefly heard AB 1976, which would create a CEQA exemption for pedestrian malls and limit certain local procedural delays for pedestrian and traffic-calming projects. Supporters said it would make it easier to create safer, more walkable, and more livable streets, and there was no opposition testimony. The chair described it as a narrow CEQA exemption for active transportation-related projects and indicated support. The committee then moved on to AB 2026, a groundwater recharge permitting bill, with the author explaining that it would streamline permitting so more recharge projects can capture floodwater and store it for drought years; testimony on that bill began as the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're getting good collaboration with the folks that helped develop the original solutions.
• In our agency, we would likely be able to spend more of their time training, doing development, developing
• You don’t even need to have a developer to set up integrations anymore.”
• You don’t even need to have a developer to set up integrations anymore.
• And so if you're familiar with the software development...

Summary: The committee received several informational reports from NDIT and DPI. Justin Data reviewed the quarterly major IT project portfolio, noting the portfolio was slightly under budget and behind schedule overall, with three red schedule items: Bed Management System and Vital Records were essentially complete and being closed out, and the Roadway Capital Planning Project was delayed by vendor bug fixes after testing. He also summarized recent project startups and closeouts, including the Victim Notification System, Medicaid data exchange, Highway Patrol’s motor carrier permit system, and several completed HHS and RIMS projects. Members asked for follow-up on ADA compliance work, the public-facing RIO website, and the state’s mainframe retirement timeline, and staff agreed to provide updates later. Craig Falkley reported on coordination of services with political subdivisions and higher education, including StageNet, cybersecurity, radio/911 services, and PeopleSoft coordination. He also explained distributed ledger technology as a tool for transparency and fraud prevention, but said it is not widely used in state government and suggested the report be modernized to focus more broadly on emerging technologies such as AI and cybersecurity. The committee generally agreed that the topic should be updated. Chris Gurgan presented the mandatory cybersecurity incident reporting program created by HB 1314, explaining how agencies and political subdivisions report incidents through NDIT’s website or service desk. He said 77 incidents had been reported since 2021, 47 met the statutory definition, and most were phishing-related; most reported incidents were resolved, with one recent ransomware matter still open. He also reviewed notable incidents since the last report, including the PowerSchool compromise, a SimpleHelp intrusion at a school district, a court intrusion, a WSUS vulnerability, a business email compromise, and a recent ransomware incident involving a non-state critical infrastructure entity. Members asked about recovery of stolen funds, early warning signs, smishing, training, MFA, conditional access, and cybersecurity maturity assessments; Gurgan said the state uses MFA and conditional access, provides awareness training to state employees, and would return with more information on maturity assessments. Tony Ambrose then updated the committee on the K-12 student information system bridge project. He said district implementation of Infinite Campus had begun statewide, but the data migration vendor originally selected was terminated for poor performance and replaced by Aurora Educational Technology, which had experience with similar statewide migrations. He also said DPI is migrating special education data from Tynet into Infinite Campus, and that some SLDS-based tools such as e-transcripts and Choice Ready may not function exactly as they do now at July 1, requiring interim or alternative solutions. Members raised concerns about summer school disruptions, the timing of the cutover, and whether the new system would support existing reporting and transcript functions; DPI said it was working on identity, authentication, data-sharing agreements, and post-go-live integrations, and would continue to refine the plan beyond June 30.