Transcript Highlights:

• It's creating uncertainty for property owners navigating the rebuilding process.
• And to this day, many people are still living in temporary housing as they navigate the rebuild process
• That measure was the result of a stakeholder process to develop a countywide transportation expenditure
• And so we think this is a really important part of that process to have buy-in from our local community
• So they're already paying into that process.

Committee: Senate Revenue and Taxation

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on public health, wildfire recovery, local government finance, transportation, and rural health care. SB 1124 by Senator Archuleta would require the California Department of Public Health to create and post lung cancer screening eligibility signage at tobacco retail locations. The author and a physician witness argued the bill would raise awareness of a highly underused screening that can save lives, while retailers and fuel/convenience groups raised implementation concerns about signage size, notice, and penalties. The bill passed to the Health Committee on a 4-0 vote after the committee later took up the on-call item. SB 1352 by Senator Valadao and Senator Allen would clarify that wildfire victims can rebuild homes up to 110% of the original size without triggering reassessment, so long as the property was destroyed in a governor-declared disaster. Supporters, including the L.A. County Assessor, the California Assessors Association, Realtors, and taxpayers groups, said the bill would reduce uncertainty and help families rebuild without higher property taxes. It passed to Appropriations on a 5-0 vote. SB 1343, presented by Senator Allen on behalf of Senator Dodd, would provide a $4,000 income tax credit for sales tax paid on furniture and appliances purchased to furnish a primary residence after a disaster; it drew one opposition witness from the California Teachers Association but otherwise had no public opposition and passed 5-0 to Appropriations. SB 1172 by Senator Hurtado would place caps and transparency requirements on consultant compensation in local tax-sharing agreements, responding to cases in Shafter and Dinuba where revenue was allegedly diverted to consultants. Local government and business groups supported the measure as a guardrail, while some members expressed concern about Sacramento limiting local control; it passed 4-0 to Appropriations. SB 1408 by Senator Arreguín would authorize the Contra Costa Transportation Authority to place a countywide sales tax measure of up to 1% on the ballot to continue transportation funding; transit agencies and local officials supported it, while taxpayer groups opposed it, and it passed 4-1. SB 1404 by Senator Stern would restore a fee on property owners in state responsibility areas to fund Cal Fire wildfire prevention and suppression, with supporters arguing the fee would broaden funding and opponents calling it an unfair tax on rural and wildfire-prone residents; it passed 4-1 to Appropriations. Finally, SB 1102 by Senator Dodd would create a $2,000 tax credit for frontline nurses working in rural hospitals; supporters said it would help recruit and retain nurses in underserved areas, and the bill passed 5-0 as amended to Appropriations.

Transcript Highlights:

• His amendment in the education committees ensures that parents and families participate in this process
• His amendment in the education committees ensure that parents and families participate in this process
• And by nature of the way the legislative process works, we don't really have a built-in system to review
• We were having two processes for fingerprinting, and we consolidated that.
• Have you thought, put any process into actual some resources behind this?

Bills: HB1796 , SGA9249 , SGA9269 , SGA9244

Committee: Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education

Keywords: school construction, contract indebtedness, school districts, bonding authority, education funding, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're not involved in that process, so that is between the admitted carriers and the department in terms
• We went out and contracted with a company and got 200 desk examiners.
• to help them so they could help their customers manage through the losses and understand what the process
• So they could help their customers manage through the losses and understand what the process was.
• And we are also contracting with some of the same vendors that handled our claims to set up teams that

Summary: The Assembly Insurance Committee held an oversight hearing on the California Fair Plan, focusing on its rapid growth, financial stability, rate adequacy, and role in the homeowners insurance market. Committee members described the Fair Plan as increasingly functioning as a “safety net” rather than a true insurer of last resort, while Fair Plan representatives said the plan was created by statute, is privately funded by member insurers, and is now taking on more business because of non-renewals and limited availability in the admitted market. They emphasized that the plan offers residential and commercial coverage, but not a full HO-3 homeowners policy, and said expanding into that product would require major new staffing, vendor, and claims infrastructure. A major topic was pricing and assessments. Fair Plan officials said their rates have historically lagged their projected costs, especially because reinsurance costs were not fully recoverable in rates until recently. They reviewed recent filings, including a 2023 filing that was reduced from an estimated 80% need to a 35.8% request after working with the Department of Insurance. They also discussed the plan’s reinsurance tower, a new catastrophe bond, and the $1 billion assessment triggered by the 2025 Los Angeles fires after losses exceeded available capital. They said AB 226 helped secure a $600 million line of credit to reduce assessment risk, and they thanked lawmakers for supporting that measure. Members raised constituent concerns about coverage limits, underinsurance, and misinformation from agents. Fair Plan officials said they do not deny applicants because their homes exceed the plan’s $3.3 million limit; instead, policyholders can combine Fair Plan coverage with excess insurance. They said broker training and webinars are being expanded to address misunderstandings, and they noted that raising the cap would depend on achieving actuarially sound rates and sufficient financial capacity. Members also asked about smoke claims from the 2025 fires; the Fair Plan said it has paid covered smoke claims under California law, reviewed closed claims, and removed the “sight and smell” language from its policy form after litigation and CDI action. Public commenters from the insurance industry, builders, agriculture, and nonprofit service providers largely urged faster depopulation of the Fair Plan, more adequate rates, and reforms to the clearinghouse process. Some warned that the Fair Plan is now competing with the admitted market because it can be cheaper in some areas, while others said the plan is still essential because the private market is not serving high-risk or specialized properties. The hearing ended without a vote or formal action, but committee members and Fair Plan representatives agreed to continue working on rate, transparency, and depopulation issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• HB40 by Schofield relating to the authority of sheriffs and constables to enter into contracts to provide
• HB192 by Oliverson relating to the funding of contracting with and employment of four law enforcement
• House Bill 3 is just the first step in this process.
• This is a step in the process of achieving interoperability. ...district yet.
• You apply and you go through the grant process. That's right.

Bills: HB1 , HB 2 , HB 3 , HB 5 , HB20 , HB 22 , HB 1 , HB 2 , HB 3 , HB 5 , HB 20 , HB 22

Keywords: youth camps, emergency preparedness, safety standards, health regulations, camp licensing, disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace, medical examiner, county judge, sheriff, mayor, emergency coordinator, emergency manager license

Transcript Highlights:

• are a few that have Have base funding that were legislatively appointed versus a competitive grant process
• It is my hope that next year we can all figure out together a process in which nonprofits and school
• districts can apply to MDE through a competitive grant process.
• Thank you for keeping them a priority as you move into the next phase of the negotiation process, and
• contract.

Bills: HF1388

Committee: House Education Finance

Keywords: BARR Center, Building Assets, Reducing Risks, education finance, school funding, grant appropriation, evidence-based program, student achievement, social and emotional learning, school climate, teacher effectiveness, high school graduation, students in poverty, students of color, BIPOC, equity in education, Minnesota Department of Education, urban schools, suburban schools, rural schools, school coaching

Transcript Highlights:

• abuse by the their popular director, Pete Newman, followed by a re-traumatizing civil litigation process
• These are not... contract cases, or slip and fall cases, or trade secrets, or confidential... potential
• It takes a lifetime, as Elizabeth said, to process and heal.
• Sidelined victims, much like myself, in the investigation process, and has even sneakily tried to get
• Unfortunately, the bankruptcy process is another way to try to silence us.

Bills: HB170 , HB865 , HB748 , HJR112 , HB 1110 , HB1495 , HB786 , HB 1130 , HB170

Committee: House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Keywords: civil liability, self-defense, force, deadly force, legal immunity, attorney's fees, criminal justice, firearms, liability, veterans, gun ownership, immunity, firearm hold agreement, sexual abuse, nondisclosure, confidentiality, public policy, Trey's Law, parental rights, child upbringing

Transcript Highlights:

• The provision included a waiver process allowing exceptions when the Secretary of Energy determined the
• to decide how to do that, to make these cuts, because the process that we have at the Department of
• But you do it in almost a two-year process while you develop this budget, because the priorities are
• When you went through the process of getting your security clearance, did you have to disclose all of
• You can take that contract that I, you know, ask that I, letter that I got recently that said $40,000

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee

Keywords: national security, Department of Energy, foreign espionage, security protocols, Chinese Communist Party, national laboratories, research security

Summary: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee convened to address pressing issues related to research security risks at the Department of Energy, focusing specifically on foreign nationals' access to sensitive information. The meeting highlighted the increasing threats posed by espionage from the Chinese Communist Party, which has sought to infiltrate U.S. national laboratories and exploit American research for military purposes. Discussions included the importance of tightening security protocols to safeguard national interests and maintain technological advantages. Witnesses provided insight into historical contexts and current vulnerabilities, emphasizing that without proper measures, the gaps could jeopardize national security.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> it to a processor at that processing it to a processor at that processing facility<00:48:17.480>
• <00:51:13.880><c> for</c><00:51:14.119><c> just</c><00:51:14.240><c> a</c> process for just a process
• </c> cost for transportation and processing cost for transportation and processing and<00:52:53.720><
• process process and<00:56:10.039><c> if</c><00:56:10.200><c> I</c><00:56:10.359><c> could</c><00:56:
• </c> were trying to to move this this process were trying to to move this this process or<01:04:02.599

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee held a public hearing on House Bill 451, which would create a postconsumer paint stewardship program in New Hampshire. Prime sponsor Representative Karen Ebel described the bill as a bipartisan, broadly supported model based on PaintCare programs used in other states. She said consumers and businesses could drop off leftover paint at participating retailers or municipal household hazardous waste sites, with the paint then collected and recycled by the stewardship organization. She emphasized that the program is intended to reduce landfill disposal, improper dumping, and contamination of groundwater and soil, while also helping municipalities save on hazardous waste handling costs. Members asked several questions about how the program would work and how it would be funded. Ebel explained that the program would be financed by a small fee charged at the point of sale on paint products, not a general sales tax, and that retailers could either list it separately or roll it into the price. She said the fee would cover the Department of Environmental Services’ administrative costs, which were described as minimal, and that the program’s structure was developed with DES and industry input. Questions also addressed whether cans would be recycled and how collected paint would be processed; Ebel said the ACA and PaintCare representatives could provide more detail, but that the paint and containers would be handled through recycling or other approved disposal methods rather than landfilled. Representative Judy Aron, a co-sponsor and chair of the House Environment and Agriculture Committee, testified in support, saying the bill had been developed over several years with stakeholders and would keep toxic paint out of landfills while saving municipalities and taxpayers money. Representative Peter Bixby, the ranking member of Environment and Agriculture, also supported the bill, saying his committee had heard it many times and that it had strong bipartisan enthusiasm. No vote was taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• they'll be coming to our the process they'll be coming to our committee<00:08:39.039><c> saying</c><
• I oppose this bill because it would make the already opaque compacting process even less transparent
• </c><00:42:42.920><c> even</c> already opaque compacting process even already opaque compacting process
• </c><00:59:15.240><c> we</c><00:59:15.400><c> also</c> improving our processes we also improving our
• </c> this the lottery director can't contract this the lottery director can't contract with<01:07:04.520

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 1082 streamlines this inter-district transfer process by creating a concurrent review.
• It just helps the process work smoothly and will help reduce administrative burden.
• of time now, there won't be the CEQA process surrounding the development of these SCSs.
• This is an additional process that does not need to happen. It's already happening.
• So the group that licenses these 300,000 security guards actually does have a process.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, offered prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then moved through confirmations and floor legislation. Three California Housing Finance Agency and State Mining and Geology Board appointments were confirmed unanimously. The chamber then took up several policy bills, with debate often focusing on housing, public safety, energy, and local government impacts. Among the major measures, SB 1173 on lesser related offense jury instructions passed after supporters argued it would give judges limited discretion and improve fairness, while opponents warned it could create inconsistency. SB 1354, barring out-of-state military or law enforcement activity in California without the Governor’s permission, passed despite objections that it conflicted with federal commander-in-chief authority. SB 1090, the Altadena disaster-speculation bill, passed to restrict unsolicited purchase offers in fire-affected areas, and SB 966 passed to preserve refinery worker safety participation rights. SB 1256, a local housing/land-use bill, passed unanimously after discussion of fire-safety concerns and ongoing amendments. The Senate also approved SB 865 on music festivals, SB 866 on homelessness planning and regional coordination for jurisdictions not receiving HAP funds, SB 938 on peace officer training requirements for certain immigration-enforcement-related applicants after the author committed to major amendments, SB 1359 on natural gas planning to reduce ratepayer costs, SB 923 on privacy rights under the CCPA, SB 1098 on utility memorandum and balancing accounts, SB 1010 on refrigerant recovery for cooling appliances, SB 937 on restricting flashbang use in crowd control and immigration enforcement, SB 1082 on inter-district pupil transfers, and SB 1087 on modernizing regional transportation planning. Several bills drew split votes and pointed debate over mandates, taxes, local control, and regulatory certainty, but most ultimately passed.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:24:39.080><c> could</c> discovered throughout that process could discovered throughout that process
• There is abiotic<00:32:06.360><c> processes</c><00:32:07.080><c> going</c><00:32:07.440><c> going</c>
• Currently,<00:35:30.720><c> the</c><00:35:30.840><c> process</c><00:35:31.360><c> is</c><00:35:31.480
• ><c> to</c><00:35:31.680><c> identify</c> Currently, the process is to identify Currently, the process
• </c><00:35:41.480><c> that</c> been identified, there's a process that been identified, there's a process

Committee: Senate Natural Resources & Energy

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Attendance Roll Call 02:25 SB 100 Discussion 02:59 SB 100 Roll Call Vote 31:10 SJR 134 Discussion 32:41 SJR 134 Roll Call Vote 33:43 SB 222 Discussion 34:43 SB 222 Roll Call Vote 39:55, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Hospitals already operate as contracted with a hospital.
• Hospitals already operate as contracted with a hospital.
• It's a long-established FDA-supported and created process.
• I was so naive in the process.
• We've heard the process of what it is to get blood here.

Summary: The Senate Health and Welfare Committee began with introductions of three new Senate pages, who briefly described their backgrounds and interests. The committee then approved the minutes from February 3rd by voice vote. The first bill heard was House Bill 558, which would codify protections for foster youth’s Social Security survivor benefits so those funds remain with the child rather than being used by the state. The sponsor and committee members discussed that the bill would align state law with an existing executive order, clarify that it applies only to foster youth, and help young people transition out of foster care. After questions about fiscal impact and how the benefits work, the committee voted to send HB 558 to the floor with a due pass recommendation. The committee then took up House Bill 528, dealing with directed and autologous blood donations. Supporters said the bill would clarify Idaho law, protect patient choice, and address reported barriers to obtaining directed donations for planned procedures. Opponents, including Red Cross and blood center representatives, argued the bill was unnecessary because such donations are already allowed, could create confusion, add cost, and imply the general blood supply is unsafe. After extensive testimony from medical professionals, patients, and advocacy groups on both sides, the committee voted to send HB 528 to the floor with a due pass recommendation, with one member requesting to be recorded as opposed.

Transcript Highlights:

• And every so often in this process, you get hit like a ton of bricks.
• process between the landowner and the county when applying for a development permit.
• Yes, as a matter of fact, this has nothing to do with the approval process.
• Senator Rouson, I want to thank you for this, just how the process works.
• A local agency cannot require the private provider contract as a permit condition.

Committee: Senate Rules

Summary: The committee first confirmed six appointees in a single vote, then took up a series of bills, most of them reported favorably. The early debate centered on SB 208, a land-use bill by Sen. McLean that would require development fees to reflect review costs and create more objective compatibility standards for residential development denials. An amendment adding housing-related provisions, including an OPAGA study of urban development boundaries, drew extended discussion over the Everglades and local control; it was adopted, while a late-filed amendment on rural boundaries was withdrawn. The bill was then reported favorably after supporters and opponents, including Miami-Dade and housing groups, weighed in. The committee also favorably reported SB 686 on agricultural enclaves after amendments adding conservation, wildlife corridor, and Everglades-related protections, with one amendment specifically preserving stronger protections in counties covered by the Northern Everglades/Indian River Lagoon plan. Several criminal justice and public records measures also advanced. SB 436 would add resisting an officer with violence as a qualifying prior offense for battery enhancement and include certain felony battery offenses in prison release reoffender status. SB 830 would extend public-records protections to county and city administrators and related family information. SB 990 would authorize protected cell captive insurers in Florida. SB 600, on bail bonds, drew the most debate: an amendment by Sen. Rouson preserved the current treatment of charitable bail organizations’ deposits, with supporters arguing nonprofits help low-income defendants and critics saying the bill should distinguish commercial and nonprofit bonding; the amendment was adopted and the bill reported favorably. SB 914 on dry needling and SB 1434 on infill redevelopment also passed, the latter with an amendment removing a 10% markup requirement for buyback provisions. The committee then moved through a large education and health agenda. SB 1504 would let high school students who complete an insurance/personal finance elective qualify later for a customer service representative license. SB 1718 would expand educator preparation and temporary certification options. SB 7038 was a broad education package covering tuition waivers for Florida State Guard members, residency rules, consumer protections, dual enrollment, grading, and college funding; amendments clarified workforce licensure and exempted certain dental training from new licensure rules. SB 1092 on podiatric medicine added definitions and restrictions for cellular/tissue-based products. SB 1138 on qualified contractors created a pre-application review program for certain local governments, with historic-preservation carveouts. SB 186 on student health and safety required seizure-training and action plans in schools, and SB 560 on child welfare streamlined psychotropic-medication procedures for children in state care while adding youth advisory meetings and insurance-data review. SB 902, a broad Department of Health bill, addressed medical marijuana facility setbacks, practitioner discipline, autism microcredentials, marriage and family therapy licensure, a neurofibromatosis grant program, and family home health aide delegation; it passed after two amendments. Finally, SB 218 on land-use regulations limited hurricane-recovery restrictions to affected counties, SB 1002 expanded child-neglect definitions tied to parental drug abuse, SB 1474 tightened biosolids land-application rules, SB 1708 eased out-of-state veterinary licensure by endorsement, and SB 314 established a Florida regulatory framework for payment stablecoins aligned with federal law. Most measures were reported favorably by committee vote after brief testimony or no debate.

Transcript Highlights:

• can work these processes out with the dollars that they collect.
• We're asking that we are looking for accreditation in the process.
• Many of my family members do, and it's an excruciating process.
• It's just a price, an American process.
• You know, there are agencies that are not giving people due process, but they do have due process even

Bills: SB1232 , SB1421 , SB1505 , SB1511 , SB1520 , SB1803

Committee: Senate Military Affairs and Border Security

Keywords: outdoor advertising, military compatibility, zoning, electronic signage, permitting, undocumented immigrants, financial services, identification requirements, loans, foreign remittances, transitional housing, military, veterans, grant program, supportive services, SB1511, commercial driver license, CDL, nondomiciled CDL, nondomiciled commercial driver license

Transcript Highlights:

• So did your HR affect the due process? Is there a due process in here?
• I want to ask about the appeals process.
• Is there a process for that?
• I had a due process provision put into H.
• There is always due process, and there must always be due process. All right, thank you.

Bills: SB 1 , HCR 20 , HR 131 , HR 133 , HR 135 , HR 136 , HR 137 , HR 144 , HR 145 , HR 146 , HR 149 , HR 150 , HR 151 , HR 152 , HR 158 , HR 161 , HR 162 , HR 163 , HR 165 , HR 166 , HR 168 , HR 169 , HR 170 , HR 175 , HR 178 , HR 127 , HR 129 , HR 130 , HR 132 , HR 134 , HR 138 , HR 139 , HR 140 , HR 141 , HR 142 , HR 143 , HR 153 , HR 154 , HR 155 , HR 156 , HR 159 , HR 160 , HR 164 , HR 167 , HR 172 , HR 173 , HR 176 , SB 1 , HB 8 , HB 15 , HB 27 , SB 5

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, memorial, remembrance, legacy, condolences, community, higher education, university merger, research, public health, economic impact, healthcare, insurance, affordability, medical coverage, state regulations

Transcript Highlights:

• Therefore, lit the litigation process.
• </c><00:24:34.799><c> that</c> there aren't um rules, processes that there aren't um rules, processes
• </c> of an administrative or policy process of an administrative or policy process do<00:35:56.640><c
• </c> happening while the process continues. happening while the process continues.
• </c><00:52:36.319><c> forensic</c> to increase pay for contract forensic to increase pay for contract

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:13:13.360><c> and</c> landlord tenant, breach of contract and landlord tenant, breach of contract
• ,<00:13:38.720><c> business</c><00:13:39.040><c> disputes,</c> contract, business disputes, contract,
• Let us support responsible process.
• So, I'm the working group process.
• Um, I echo the concerns of our CPN chair that the process was subverted.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• so along those Streamlight that process so along those lines<01:26:52.159><c> just</c><01:26:52.320>
• This bill supports vital operations including the ability to process and issue teaching licenses in a
• This bill supports vital operations including the ability to process and issue teaching licenses in a
• </c> remains fully staffed and can process remains fully staffed and can process licenses<01:42:52.679
• </c> cancelled over $13 million in contracts cancelled over $13 million in contracts for<02:01:34.040

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We landed a rural hospital contract, and we had a great run there.
• </c><00:23:50.960><c> and</c> We landed a rural hospital contract and We landed a rural hospital contract
• process process among<01:05:09.320><c> many</c><01:05:09.600><c> other</c><01:05:09.880><c> therapeutic
• They're far into that process.
• for hospitals as well as the uh process for hospitals as well as the DOH.

Bills: HB1626 , HB1643 , HB1668 , HB1550 , HB1974 , HB1858 , HB1871 , HB1966 , HB1972 , HB1973

Committee: House Health

Keywords: youth penalties, juvenile justice, community service, fees and fines, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, reform, court costs, cultural connection, pharmacy, pharmacist, pharmacy audit, audit reform, pharmacy benefit manager, PBM, recoupment, extrapolation, claims audit, pharmacy reimbursement, dispensing fee

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SB 847, which would create a Kauai pilot program allowing qualified psychologists limited authority to prescribe psychotropic medications. The Board of Psychology supported the bill’s intent but asked for amendments to delay the effective date or extend the pilot so rules could be written first, and to clarify the education/training language. Supporters, including the Hawaii Psychological Association, Hawaii Mental Health Coalition, and several psychologists, argued that prescribing psychologists have long safety records in other jurisdictions and that the pilot could improve access to care on Kauai, especially amid ongoing mental health needs and storm-related stress. They cited studies and examples from New Mexico, Louisiana, the Department of Defense, and other places. Opponents, including the Hawaii Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, Queen’s Medical Center, and a Department of Health representative, said the bill needed substantial work, raised concerns about training, liability, and workforce impacts, and urged a team-based model with psychiatrist oversight rather than independent prescribing. Some testimony also referenced a GAO report, with witnesses disagreeing over its meaning and cost-effectiveness. No vote was taken during the discussion, and members asked questions about how the bill would address the workforce shortage and whether a psychiatrist on Kauai could already meet the need. The committee then moved to SB 2271 on hospital licensing and SB 2272 on home health care licensing. The Department of Health, the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, and the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities supported both measures, which were described as streamlining and clarifying licensing oversight by relying on accreditation or certification reports. A member asked whether the bill language on hospital accreditation reports was duplicative, and the response was that the second provision was intended to strengthen enforcement by requiring hospitals to provide the actual report to DOH. The committee did not take final action in the portion of the hearing provided, and the chair noted that all bills on the agenda would later be considered for decision-making.

Transcript Highlights:

• The business provides contracts, construction, network security, and payroll processing for agencies
• But I think this is a healthy process to start to look at that area and improve that area. ...process
• will follow the usual process.
• will follow the usual process.
• So just that's the process, though, that's important.

Summary: The Senate convened for an Indian Day/Native American Day session featuring prayers, drum and color guard presentations, and extensive recognition of tribal leaders, students, royalty, and community advocates from across New Mexico and neighboring tribal nations. Senators used the morning to introduce guests and speak about Native sovereignty, language preservation, education, water access, economic development, and the importance of tribal-state relationships. Several speakers highlighted personal and family ties to Native communities, while others emphasized ongoing work on issues such as clean water for Navajo communities, Native youth leadership, and missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives. A major non-ceremonial item was the reading of Senate Executive Messages from the governor authorizing consideration of Senate Bills 306, 309, 312, and 313. Those bills would, respectively, change licensure rules for certain institutions, alter lottery tuition fund deposit requirements, and repeal or revise provisions related to safety helmets and child restraint devices in negligence and damages law. The Senate also received committee reports advancing House Bill 34, Senate Bills 204, 241, 77, 152, 190, and 143, along with confirmations for Elaine Luna and Grace Margaret Herrera to the New Mexico Highlands University Board of Regents. The Rules Committee also reported on the governor’s appointment of Don Walters as child advocate for the Office of the Child Advocate. The chamber also adopted a Senate resolution recognizing February 6, 2026, as New Mexico Speech, Language, and Hearing Association Day, with Senator Pope speaking in support of audiologists and speech-language pathologists. Throughout the session, members repeatedly acknowledged the prior night’s Senate-House basketball game, which raised more than $26,000 for cancer, and used the occasion to thank participants and guests. No roll-call votes were recorded in the transcript beyond voice votes adopting the committee reports and the unanimous-consent actions on floor procedures and guest access.