Transcript Highlights:

• about the applicability, like if it turns into conservation, if there's fallowing, if there's an easement

Committee: House House Agriculture, Acequias And Water Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• Those include innovating contract agreements, easements, transferring insurance, addressing indemnification

Transcript Highlights:

• We wrote this bill to end the perpetual punishment of individuals that the bill calls transformational
• The perpetual punishment of individuals that the bill calls transformational youth, or TYs.
• It simply perpetuates trauma, stigma, substance use or overdose deaths.
• It simply perpetuates trauma, stigma, and cycles of incarceration.
• I picture being technically free, but perpetually fearful.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on the Judiciary

Summary: The Joint Committee on the Judiciary held a lengthy hearing on several juvenile justice and parole-related bills, with much of the testimony focused on H. 2051/S. 1087 to end lifetime parole for juveniles and emerging adults, and H. 1923 to raise the age of juvenile court jurisdiction to include 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds. Chairs Brandy Fluker-Reid and Lydia Edwards opened the hearing by noting the large number of bills and witnesses, the need to keep testimony moving, and special procedures for incarcerated witnesses and sensitive testimony. They also acknowledged the historic nature of the hearing being chaired by two Black women attorneys. No votes were taken during the hearing itself. Many incarcerated speakers and advocates supported ending lifetime parole, arguing that young people can change, that lifetime supervision creates constant fear of technical violations, and that it undermines rehabilitation, family stability, employment, and reintegration. Several testified about their own trauma, youth, and growth in prison programs, while others emphasized the costs of decades of supervision and the racial disparities in the system. Support also came from elected officials, UTEC, the Transformational Prison Project, United Way, CPCS’s Youth Advocacy Division, the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, and others, who said juvenile systems are better suited to developmentally appropriate treatment and that the bills would improve public safety and reduce recidivism. There was also opposition, including testimony from family members of a murder victim who argued that lifetime parole should remain for serious violent crimes and that some offenders are not sufficiently rehabilitated. One virtual witness described a family tragedy involving the kidnapping and murder of her infant nephew and warned that ending lifetime parole could remove needed long-term supervision for dangerous offenders. In addition to the juvenile justice bills, the committee heard testimony on H. 1867, a bill related to continuing care for severe mental illness, and H. 2063, which would increase penalties for assaults on correction officers and other prison staff; the correction officers’ union supported H. 2063 and related safety bills. The hearing continued with many more witnesses and bill topics, but no final committee action was announced in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Geis: I think most people can gauge when something is perpetually disruptive or perpetually interfering
• I think most people can gauge when something is perpetually disruptive or perpetually interfering versus

Committee: Senate Labor

Summary: The Senate Committee on Labor met with a quorum, adopted the June 4 minutes, and then took up Senate Bill 948, the Workplace Employees Boundaries Act (WEB Act), after adopting an S-1 substitute by a 4-1 vote. Senator Geis presented the bill as a Michigan “right to disconnect” measure that would generally bar employers from requiring employees to access or respond to work communications outside usual work hours, allow employees to set availability hours, prohibit retaliation, direct LEO to write rules, and provide complaint and enforcement procedures with exceptions for emergencies and existing collective bargaining agreements. In questioning, Senator Albert raised concerns about how the bill would apply in small businesses and practical situations like staffing calls, school notifications, and emergency-like circumstances; Geis said the bill was meant to protect non-work time while preserving emergency carve-outs and informational messages. NFIB’s Amanda Fisher opposed the bill, arguing it was too broad, difficult to define across industries and schedules, potentially duplicative of existing wage-and-hour law, and likely to create confusion and reduce flexibility, especially for small employers. The committee then shifted to testimony on health care workforce and labor disputes. Nurses from Teamsters Local 332 described a 291-day strike at Henry Ford/Genesis over safe staffing, return-to-work terms, and alleged union-busting, saying the hospital’s staffing levels and use of replacement workers threatened patient safety and could displace experienced specialty nurses. Michigan Nurses Association president Aaron McCormick and Marquette RN union president Christina Hanson said Michigan’s problem is not a shortage of licensed nurses but of nurses willing to stay in overworked, hostile workplaces; they cited retaliation, slow grievance/arbitration processes, hospital consolidation, rural OB closures, and unsafe staffing ratios as drivers of burnout and departures. They urged stronger protections and faster dispute resolution, especially given the limited effectiveness of the NLRB and delays in labor processes. Additional testimony came from UAW Local 4911’s Kim Wheeler, who said UMH Sparrow was outsourcing two low-paid support groups—patient transport/housekeeping and food and nutrition—despite their importance to hospital operations and despite a recently ratified contract, and asked for transparency and limits on corporate outsourcing. Don Hill of SEIU Health Care Michigan described chronic understaffing in nursing homes, mandatory overtime, burnout, retaliation fears, and the need for enforceable patient-to-staff ratios and stronger wage support; he also noted that home care workers are negotiating first contracts after restored bargaining rights. The committee took no vote on SB 948 beyond adopting the substitute, heard extensive testimony, and adjourned without further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• , but for ongoing maintenance and future work, and as mentioned in the analysis, effectively in perpetuity
• , but for ongoing maintenance and future work, and as mentioned in the analysis, effectively in perpetuity
• , but for ongoing maintenance and future work, and as mentioned in the analysis, effectively in perpetuity
• , but for ongoing maintenance and future work, and as mentioned in the analysis, effectively in perpetuity

Committee: Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement

Transcript Highlights:

• birds, and fish, are the property of the state of Idaho and they will be preserved, protected, perpetuated
• year into the Forest Legacy Program, which pays for the development rights, but also it guarantees perpetual
• public access. pays for the development rights, but also it guarantees perpetual public access.
• of land of public access by providing 2.5 pays for the development rights, but also it guarantees perpetual

Committee: House Resources and Conservation

Transcript Highlights:

• need to assist students and their families, but then also not keep information over a period of perpetuity
• need to assist students and their families, but then also not keep information over a period of perpetuity
• then that information is no longer relevant and doesn't need to be kept by the institutions in perpetuity
• I'm sorry, as a registrar, we live in perpetual fear that that record could be lost.

Summary: The Postsecondary Education & Workforce Committee held a work session on higher education funding and then public hearings on House Bill 2148 and House Bill 2132. In the work session, OPR staff Kate Henry reviewed enrollment trends, tuition policy, financial aid programs, and funding sources for Washington’s public colleges and universities. Members asked about FTE versus headcount, tuition growth, the Washington College Grant, College Bound, and the Workforce Education Investment Account. Henry explained how state appropriations, tuition, and financial aid interact, and noted that higher education makes up a significant share of the state budget. No votes were taken during the work session. House Bill 2148 would create a “pay-it-forward” graduate student aid program administered by the Student Achievement Council, allowing students to receive tuition support and later make income-based contributions for up to 15 years to fund future students. Sponsor Rep. Reid said the bill is intended to offset the loss of federal graduate loan options and support workforce needs in fields like nursing, teaching, and research. Committee questions focused on repayment terms, possible caps, interest, and program capitalization. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive, with students and advocates arguing the bill would expand access to graduate education and avoid predatory private debt. House Bill 2132 would limit disclosure and retention of personally identifying and financial information from WASFA applications, generally requiring the Student Achievement Council and institutions to stop retaining that information after one year following the award year unless needed for an audit or appeal. Rep. Leavitt said the bill is meant to reduce unnecessary long-term retention of sensitive student data and improve privacy and security. Supporters, including student leaders and immigrant-advocacy groups, said the bill would protect vulnerable students and increase trust in the aid process. Some members raised concerns about whether shorter retention could affect future record needs, including immigration-related documentation, but the sponsor said students can keep their own records and that the bill preserves audit authority. The hearing ended without a vote, and the chair noted an upcoming busy schedule and cutoff deadlines.

Transcript Highlights:

• of you are very fiscally conservative, so I... implore you not to waste $8.7 million annually in perpetuity
• Yeah, the chips, yeah, I think it is a bigger upfront cost, but less in perpetuity perhaps.

Bills: SB596 , SB961 , SB1398 , SB1183 , SB1952

Committee: House Human Services

Keywords: DFPS, Department of Family and Protective Services, child protective services, foster care, child welfare, Family Code, conservatorship, managing conservator, parental child safety placement, authorization agreement, temporary authorization order, child abuse, child neglect, placement reporting, court-ordered removal, investigation, family preservation, transparency, public reporting, data reporting

Transcript Highlights:

• And we're asking Central Purchasing to post in perpetuity post-assessment of contracts.
• And we're asking Central Purchasing to post, in perpetuity, post-assessment of contracts.
• A lot of the problem, I think, we would be able to take care of strictly with documentation in perpetuity

Bills: HB1739 , HB1784 , HB1889 , HB2116 , HB2206 , HB3625 , HB2939 , HB3028 , HB3265 , HB3313 , HB3413 , HB3414 , HB3415 , HB3416 , HB3417 , HB3418 , HB3420 , HB3588 , HB3748 , HB3721 , HB3852 , HB4132 , HB4263 , HB4303 , HB4311 , HB4428 , HB4429 , HB4434

Committee: House Government Oversight

Summary: The committee opened with prayer, laid over House Bill 1784 as dead, and then heard a long series of measures, many related to pensions, retirement systems, elections, and state procurement/reporting. Early bills included HB 3588 on debtor-creditor law updates, HB 3748 on county partnerships with four-year institutions, HB 4303 extending the municipal ordinance publication deadline from 15 to 30 days, HB 4311 increasing the treasurer’s share of the unclaimed property administration fee from 4% to 6%, and HB 3028 allowing CareerTech to charge processing fees. All of these advanced on due pass votes, with some opposition on HB 3588, HB 4311, and HB 3028. A major block of the meeting focused on retirement and pension policy. The committee advanced HB 4428 and HB 4429 on proxy advisor transparency and fiduciary voting standards for retirement systems, with the author arguing they would improve transparency and keep pension decisions focused on financial returns rather than ESG/DEI considerations. Other pension-related bills that passed included HB 4132 creating a cybersecurity safe harbor for local governments, HB 1889 fixing a COLA gap for certain retired police officers and firefighters, HB 3265 defining “mental health specialist” for disability applications, HB 1739 reinstating a half-pay provision in the state law enforcement retirement system, HB 3313 changing the Retirement Freedom Act by raising contribution and match rates and eliminating vesting, HB 2116 expanding eligibility for State Fire Marshal officers, HB 2206 allowing newly hired school resource officers to join OLEERS, HB 3625 expanding school district investment options, and HB 3721 creating a survivor-benefit election for children of certain public safety officers. Most of these passed with little or no debate, though HB 1739 drew questions about actuarial “safe harbor” language and pension funding. The latter part of the meeting centered on a package of government contracting and transparency bills from Representative Strom. HB 3413, HB 3414, HB 3415, HB 3416, HB 3417, HB 3418, and HB 3420 would require more detailed reporting of contracts, subcontractors, consulting services, and post-contract assessments; create public posting and reporting requirements through OMES and Central Purchasing; revise bidding rules for state, county, and municipal entities; require vendor ownership disclosures; allow live-streamed bid openings; and add misdemeanor penalties for violations of Central Purchasing rules. Strom said the package was intended to improve accountability, documentation, and protection of taxpayer dollars. The committee also passed HB 3852 clarifying poll worker list requirements for county election boards, HB 4434 requiring gubernatorial notice when out of state, and HB 2939 removing fax-machine references from statute. Most measures were adopted with policy recommendations and passed on strong votes, and the meeting ended with Chairman West thanking members for their work and adjourned the committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so then you have these students that are perpetual, I'll say, students that continue to get the financial
• And so then you have these students that are perpetual, I'll say, students that continue to get the financial
• that's when a lot of this stuff, like they fall in their perfect target range for those ideas to perpetuate

Summary: The task force met to review the prior minutes, hear introductions from members and stakeholders, and receive an update on the HCR 86 study on African American suicide in Louisiana. Dr. Williams summarized survey findings from 94 university respondents and said the work focused on college students as a key risk group, with financial stress and other early triggers identified. He said universities had resisted participation because of stigma and concerns about enrollment and reputation, and he recommended stronger statewide reporting requirements, better data collection, and more targeted prevention efforts. Members discussed possible policy responses, including mandatory suicide prevention training, gatekeeper training for faculty and staff, student awareness materials, and adding 988 information to student IDs and campus outreach. Dr. Thomas described existing LDH efforts, including 988 partnerships, a university toolkit, and training through the Louisiana Center for Prevention Resources. Senator Boudreaux and others said the issue should be addressed through legislation rather than voluntary action alone, while Dr. McKee noted that occupational licensing rules and statutes could support required training and reporting. The task force agreed to revise the report language to say reporting would be confidential unless otherwise required by law, and to circulate additional state examples and recommendations before February 1 for use as a legislative template. Members also asked that the Office of Public Health be included in discussions about a centralized suicide data hub, since it already tracks real-time suicide data. The chair thanked the participants, said the final recommendations would guide possible legislation, and adjourned the meeting without setting another date unless further action is needed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, this bill relates to the confidentiality and disclosure of certain financial information of perpetual
• care and perpetual care trust funds.
• Generally, it would resolve ambiguity for the department by mirroring the confidentiality provision of perpetual

Bills: HB431 , HB1522 , HB1922 , HB2467 , HB2468 , HB3228 , HB3229 , HB3306 , HB3803 , HB3804 , HB3805 , HB3806 , HB4219 , HB4238 , HB4344 , HB4386 , HB4739

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Summary: The committee first took up pending business and favorably reported several House bills without opposition, including HB 11, HB 132, HB 1041, HB 1606, HB 2286, and HB 5061. Each was moved out of committee with a recommendation that it do pass and be printed, and several were also recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. The committee then heard HB 3306, which would extend existing construction-contract indemnity exceptions to electric infrastructure construction, maintenance, and vegetation management work for electric utilities and transmission and distribution utilities. The sponsor said the bill would reduce litigation and insurance costs for ratepayers, while construction industry witnesses argued it would shift liability onto subcontractors and create broad-form indemnity in a way Texas law has generally prohibited since 2011. HB 3306 was left pending. The committee also heard HB 4739, a Comptroller-requested cleanup bill to repeal an outdated Finance Code provision requiring remittance of a portion of certain delinquency charges to the state, and HB 3803, HB 3804, and HB 3806, all Department of Banking-requested cleanup bills dealing with confidentiality and supervision rules for perpetual care funds, state banks, and trust companies. Those bills were briefly explained and left pending without testimony. HB 4219, aimed at improving Public Information Act compliance by requiring timely notice when records do not exist or are being withheld, allowing complaints to the Attorney General, and imposing training and fee consequences for noncompliance, drew support from a journalist and a policy analyst and was also left pending. The committee then heard HB 4238 on coerced debt and identity theft. The sponsor explained that the committee substitute narrows the bill to court-ordered findings of identity theft/coerced debt, gives collectors seven business days to stop collection activity, and removes a section to avoid litigation over court orders. A law professor and a family violence advocate testified in strong support, describing coerced debt as a barrier for domestic violence and elder abuse survivors trying to rebuild credit and access housing, jobs, and utilities. The bill was left pending. HB 1522, which would require local governments to post meeting notices three business days in advance and make budget materials more accessible online and in physical form, also drew support, though a school business officials representative raised concerns about the timing language, proposed-budget wording, and taxpayer impact statements for school districts; the bill was left pending after discussion. Later, the committee heard additional pending bills, including a PUC background-check bill that would expand the commission’s authority to check current employees and contractors and obtain FBI criminal history information, HB 3805 updating money services business regulation, HB 431 extending HOA solar-panel protections to solar tiles, and HB 3228 and HB 3229 on wind and solar recycling financial assurance and recycler solvency. HB 3228 received support from a Sierra Club witness who said recycling and disposal plans are needed for end-of-life renewable energy equipment, and HB 3229 was described as requiring recyclers to show financial resources at 125 percent through a letter of credit or bond. These bills were heard and left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• exemption for federal wildlife refuges, state ecological areas, other protected lands, conservation easements
• , lands that are in natural community Other protected lands, conservation easements, lands that are in
• I think it might depend on what easements exist, what agreements the power company has with the property

Summary: The committee heard several energy, water, and utility bills, with extensive testimony on cost, ratepayer impacts, and climate or reliability goals. SB 919 by Senator Grayson would extend the biomethane monetary incentive program through 2030 and support renewable natural gas development by reducing interconnection cost barriers. Supporters said RNG helps methane reduction and organic waste diversion, while opponents, including TURN and environmental groups, argued the bill could shift costs to ratepayers and subsidize combustion-based fuels, especially dairy digesters. The author said committee amendments removed the rate-basing provisions and instead urged the CPUC to act quickly on its pending decision; the bill was left for a later vote. SB 931 by Senator Laird would reauthorize the Diablo Canyon Community Impact Mitigation Program through 2030. Supporters said San Luis Obispo County and local schools rely on the funding for emergency preparedness and public safety, while TURN argued the extension would add about $47 million in statewide ratepayer costs and should instead be paid from existing PG&E deal revenues. Members discussed the bill as a continuation of the 2022 Diablo Canyon agreement, and the author said the measure simply restores the five years omitted from that deal. The committee also heard SB 1215 by Senator Cortese, which would direct the CPUC to set deployment targets for EV charging in multifamily housing. Supporters said renters and apartment residents are largely shut out of home charging, and that prior utility programs showed the model can be cost-effective and beneficial to ratepayers. The bill was amended to address affordability, ratepayer benefits, and limits on major system upgrades. SB 1295 by Senator Stern would create a framework for using distributed batteries and other local resources to solve grid constraints more cheaply than traditional infrastructure. Supporters said it could improve reliability and reduce costs by targeting batteries where they provide the most grid value, while utilities said they were open to continued discussion. SB 1359, also by Senator Stern, would require the CPUC to more carefully evaluate major gas infrastructure investments and alternatives such as electrification before approving new spending. Environmental groups supported the bill as a guardrail against stranded assets, while gas utilities opposed it, warning it could undermine the obligation to serve, create safety and reliability risks, and retroactively change the rules for approved investments. On water policy, SB 1125 by Senator Menjivar would create a statewide low-income water rate assistance program upon appropriation. Supporters said about 1.6 million households have water debt and that affordability is a statewide issue, not just a problem for disadvantaged communities. Some members raised concerns that the bill lacked a funding source and that state mandates, such as chromium-6 treatment requirements, already strain local water agencies; the author and supporters responded that the bill includes administrative caps and transparency measures and is intended to work alongside future funding. The committee then heard SB 1098 by Senator Pérez, which would restrict the use of utility memorandum and balancing accounts by requiring exceptional circumstances, adding sunset dates, and creating cost-sharing or lower-return rules for certain spending. TURN and other supporters said the accounts allow utilities to recover costs after the fact with too little discipline, while Edison and PG&E opposed the bill, arguing that some costs are unpredictable and that the CPUC already has a formal review process. SB 1125 was moved to Appropriations with a roll call, and the roll was left open for additional votes; the other measures were discussed with no final committee actions announced in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• exemption for federal wildlife refuges, state ecological areas, other protected lands, conservation easements
• Other protected lands, conservation easements, lands that are in natural community conservation plans
• I think it might depend on what easements exist, what agreements the power company has, the property

Committee: Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications

Transcript Highlights:

• We don't want to create a standard of continuing to move forward money that becomes set in perpetuity
• We don't want to create a standard of continuing to move forward money that becomes set in perpetuity
• <00:07:29.400><c> becomes</c><00:07:29.960><c> set</c><00:07:30.160><c> in</c><00:07:30.240><c> perpetuity
• </c><00:07:30.800><c> on</c><00:07:30.880><c> the</c> that becomes set in perpetuity on the that becomes
• set in perpetuity on the backs<00:07:31.240><c> of</c><00:07:31.320><c> taxpayers.

Transcript Highlights:

• They then rent these RVs at significant markups to vulnerable individuals, perpetuating cycles of unsafe
• They rent these RVs at significant markups to vulnerable individuals, perpetuating cycles of unsafe housing
• continues to expend resources addressing the encampment and potentially tows the vehicle again, perpetuating
• send it to an auction and have to put it back to the auction and then see that cycle potentially perpetuate
• send it to an auction and have to put it back to the auction and then see that cycle potentially perpetuate

Committee: House Transportation

Summary: The Assembly Transportation Committee heard a series of bills, beginning with AB 431, which would create a statewide framework for advanced air mobility infrastructure and planning. The author and supporters from AUVSI, Joby Aviation, United Airlines, Wisk Aero, the City of Long Beach, and Archer argued the bill would help California lead in eVTOL technology, support jobs, reduce congestion, and improve sustainability. The committee accepted amendments, and AB 431 passed on a do-pass-as-amended vote to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The committee then considered AB 630, dealing with abandoned and hazardous RVs. The author and supporters, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s office, said the bill would help local governments address unsafe RVs, curb “van-lording,” and improve notice and reporting requirements before dismantling certain unclaimed vehicles. Opponents from the Western Center on Law and Poverty and ACLU California Action argued the bill would destroy needed shelter for unhoused people and that the notice and valuation process could harm vulnerable residents. Members discussed the bill’s focus on dismantling rather than towing, and AB 630 passed as amended. Other measures taken up included AB 314 on transit-oriented development around high-speed rail stations, AB 1223 on Sacramento County transportation funding flexibility, AB 1111 on flexibility for zero-emission school bus mandates, AB 1190 on limiting fees charged by DMV online business partners, AB 987 on predatory towing fees, and AB 911 on a narrow exemption from zero-emission fleet rules for telecommunications bucket trucks and sail-on wheels. Testimony generally split between supporters emphasizing affordability, local flexibility, consumer protection, or emergency readiness, and opponents raising concerns about implementation, mandates, or unintended consequences. Several bills were advanced by committee vote, with some members recording no votes or abstentions on measures they said needed further work.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're not just preventing the weaponization of the court system by a perpetual loser.
• This will just further the damage that was done last year and will perpetuate it going forward.
• Now, the underlying bill perpetuates an benefits in this state.
• And through this budgeting process, Madam Speaker, I see that perpetuated.
• That perpetuated.

Bills: HB2720 , HB2073 , HB2681 , SB5467 , SB5820 , SB5863 , SB5892 , SCR8406 , HB2487 , HB2711 , SB5816 , SB5919 , SB5995 , SB6278

Summary: The House convened, established a quorum, approved the prior day’s minutes, and then moved through caucuses and a series of transportation, elections, energy, historical records, cannabis, abortion-access, and fiscal bills. Members repeatedly emphasized that several measures were supplemental or technical updates to existing law, while others involved larger policy disputes over taxes, fees, clean energy, election security, and reproductive health. The chamber also received Senate messages on other bills and briefly recessed for caucus during the day. The most prominent action was final passage of Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6005, the supplemental transportation budget, after adopting a technical amendment and a larger striker amendment. Supporters highlighted preservation and maintenance funding, rail investments, ferry maintenance, road safety, and continued work on major projects statewide; opponents largely reserved comments or noted concerns about future needs. The House passed the bill 93-0 with five excused. The House also passed Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2711 on transportation resources, after adopting a technical amendment that removed the aircraft tax and delayed an RV-related tax change; supporters said it protected businesses and jobs, while opponents objected to trade-in treatment and other tax changes. That bill passed 83-10. On elections, the House considered Senate Bill 5892 to protect the voter registration database. An amendment to reduce penalties from a felony to a civil infraction and remove the emergency clause failed, while the committee amendment passed 50-34. Supporters said the bill was needed to safeguard sensitive voter data and clarify access; opponents argued it created conflicts with federal law and imposed excessive penalties on local election officials. The bill then passed 57-36. On energy, Substitute Senate Bill 5982 updating consumer-owned utility provisions drew debate over carbon capture, resource adequacy, data centers, and clean energy policy. Amendments on carbon capture and blackout-triggered termination failed, while an amendment preserving cogeneration exceptions passed; the bill then passed 57-37. The House also passed Senate Bill 5863 on preservation and inspection of state historical records, after rejecting an amendment to require longer retention but adopting the committee amendment; supporters stressed preserving the history of residential habilitation centers and the value to families seeking records. Substitute Senate Bill 5874, allowing the Employment Security Department to waive penalties for minor employer reporting errors, passed unanimously. Engrossed House Bill 2681, raising cannabis license fees while removing an escalator, passed 52-42. Finally, Substitute Senate Bill 5917 on access to abortion medications saw several failed amendments from opponents seeking to narrow, reframe, or add fiscal limits to the bill; supporters said it preserved flexibility to ensure access and avoid waste, and the bill passed 57-36.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill explicitly mandates that the area be maintained as open space in perpetuity.
• </c><03:15:59.200><c> It</c><03:15:59.439><c> guarantees</c> space in perpetuity.
• It guarantees space in perpetuity.
• </c> prioritize transparency and perpetual prioritize transparency and perpetual ben<03:16:58.720><c>
• The bill explicitly mandates that the area be maintained as open space in perpetuity.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so then you have these students that are perpetual, I'll say, students that continue to get the financial
• And so then you have these students that are perpetual, I'll say, students that continue to get the financial
• That's when a lot of this stuff falls in their target range, so those ideas can perpetuate and continue

Summary: The task force met to review work under HCR 86 on African American suicide prevention, with members introducing themselves and approving the prior meeting minutes. Dr. Williams summarized survey-based findings from 94 university student respondents, explaining that the study focused on warning signs and triggers rather than suicide behaviors themselves. He said financial stress, stigma, and lack of institutional ownership were major themes, and argued that Louisiana needs mandatory reporting and broader suicide data collection because universities and other institutions often avoid reporting incidents, especially those occurring off campus. Dr. Thomas described current and potential prevention strategies, including gatekeeper trainings, 988 outreach, postvention policies, student-facing information on mental health resources, and adding 988 to student IDs. She also noted that the Office of Public Health already serves as a suicide data hub with real-time and death data, and should be included in any centralized reporting discussion. Members discussed how to balance new mandates with university concerns, with several agreeing that legislation is needed but should be developed with input from the Board of Regents and university leadership. The task force reviewed recommendations in the report, including a Louisiana Suicide Prevention Data Act, a centralized data hub, incentive-based reporting for colleges, modernization of the 2018 suicide prevention law, and possible tax credits or other incentives. Dr. McKee suggested that any reporting requirement should be framed to fit existing professional obligations and that training requirements for licensees could be added. The chair asked that revised recommendations and examples from other states be circulated before February 1, with the final report updated to say “confidential unless otherwise required by law.” No public comments were offered, and the meeting adjourned after the chair said he and Senator Boudreaux would consider legislation and, if needed, a resolution to extend the task force.

Transcript Highlights:

• Importantly, current statute limits municipalities to one qualified project in perpetuity, except municipalities
• Instance to one instance per authorization and perpetuity while not impacting municipalities that already
• Without this check by the legislature, larger cities can initiate multiple projects in perpetuity without

Bills: SB1071 , SB1444 , SB1483 , SB1556 , SB1703 , SB1756 , SB1854 , SB2036 , SB2133 , SB2297 , SB2622 , SB2779 , SB2955 , SB2979

Committee: Senate Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:

• States, the IRS estimates that every five years $11.4 billion of fraud related to stolen EIN is perpetuated
• A huge component of that is being able to utilize RAS as one of the steps along the road to perpetuate
• 00:04:23.520><c> EIN</c><00:04:24.960><c> is</c> stolen EIN is stolen EIN is uh<00:04:26.880><c> perpetuated
• </c> uh perpetuated in the United States. uh perpetuated in the United States.
• </c><00:04:39.919><c> No</c> perpetuate those other f crimes. No perpetuate those other f crimes.

Bills: HB0086

Committee: House Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions