Transcript Highlights:

• Or reduce the efficiency of operating a solar collector by more than 10%.
• Authority to make loans for public projects from the Public Project Revolving Fund, declaring an emergency
• Renaming the Enhanced 9-1-1 Fund as the 9-1-1 Emergency Service Fund.
• I am directed to inform the Senate that the duly enrolled and a gross copy of House Bill 1 with emergency
• , telephone operators, members' secretaries, and all the folks in the majority, minority, and pro tem

Transcript Highlights:

• About $500,000 in emergency housing grants were provided to students in 2024.
• About $500,000 in emergency housing grants were provided to students in 2024.
• We did have about 5,000 emergency housing grants provided in 2024.
• And we actually do have a little bit of emerging data on basic needs.
• And we actually do have a little bit of emerging data on basic needs.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> unable to keep up we have emergencies unable to keep up we have emergencies like<00:08:48.440><c
• </c> they were able to get emergency they were able to get emergency Personnel<00:13:19.720><c> to</c
• </c> dollar a square foot from your operating dollar a square foot from your operating budget<00:47:38.720
• </c><00:48:05.359><c> budget</c> take the money from the operating budget take the money from the operating
• </c><00:48:42.480><c> to</c> resources both capital and operating to resources both capital and operating

Committee: Senate Capital Investment

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'll start with our regional and local health operations. So...
• Another function of regional and local public, regional and local health operations. is the health emergency
• And it kind of overruns emergency rooms. And I'll give a brief story.
• We have that operate that cover all 254 counties in terms of service.
• There's a variety of programs that we operate that divert people from.

Committee: House Public Health

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:21:10.080><c> for</c> of finance and operations for of finance and operations for Cambridge-Isanti
• , designated interior shelters, and coordination with local emergency management.
• </c> already maintain comprehensive emergency already maintain comprehensive emergency preparedness<00
• Requiring ICC 500 emergency management.
• </c> reduce long-term operating costs. reduce long-term operating costs.

Committee: Senate Labor

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This measure is an emergency measure.
• This measure is an emergency measure.
• This measure is an emergency measure.
• This does have an emergency clause and requires a two-thirds vote to pass the emergency clause.
• You passed Senate Bill 1829 without the emergency clause.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I was told these districts operate independently with seemingly no oversight.
• They are all sort of operating without any oversight.
• Early responsible mosquito control prevents emergencies or airplanes.
• Early responsible mosquito control prevents emergencies or airplanes.
• That task force was made up of public and private operators.

Committee: House Local Government

Summary: The committee first introduced and approved two RS measures. One dealt with public records requests and aimed to clarify language so disputes between requesters and agencies would not have to be resolved through lawsuits; a technical correction was adopted and the motion to introduce the RS passed. A second RS addressed forced annexation and wastewater systems, proposing that property owners in certain annexation situations be allowed to maintain or replace existing wastewater and water systems; after brief discussion about property rights and local environmental oversight, that RS also passed. The main hearing was on House Bill 554, concerning mosquito abatement taxing districts and opt-out rights for property owners. The bill sponsor and supporters argued that current districts do not adequately honor opt-out requests, that spraying can harm bees, gardens, livestock, and ecosystems, and that property owners should have informed consent and stronger protections. Several residents from Gem County testified in favor, describing personal experiences with spraying, health concerns, and difficulties getting exemptions. They said they had implemented private mosquito-control measures and wanted the bill to restore property rights and transparency. Opponents, including county association representatives and mosquito abatement district officials from Canyon and Ada counties, said the bill would undermine public health mosquito control, create major administrative burdens, and increase costs. They emphasized that districts already use surveillance, larval control, and targeted treatments, that many residents request service, and that aerial and drone applications are important for effective prevention. They also said the bill could make it difficult or impossible to treat in dense neighborhoods, could expose counties to private lawsuits and added expense, and could reduce the ability to prevent West Nile and other mosquito-borne disease outbreaks. No final committee action on HB 554 was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• I have owned and operated such businesses.
• We see soaring rates of teen depression. ...emergency in this state.
• , which is operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
• Apparently, emergency communications is not one of them.
• It’s my understanding off the top of my head, but it’s emergency alerts.

Summary: The committee first heard AB 56, which would require social media platforms to display a warning label about potential mental health harms from prolonged use, with amendments shortening the initial warning and allowing immediate access to the platform. The author and supporters, including a parent who lost a daughter to suicide and a therapist, argued that social media contributes to teen anxiety, self-harm, and other harms and that families need clearer public health information. Opponents from tech and civil liberties groups argued the bill would be ineffective, burdensome, and likely unconstitutional, saying it would create warning fatigue and should be replaced by more targeted tools and digital literacy measures. Several members discussed emergency access concerns, language access, and whether the warning should be more actionable; the bill was moved on a 9-0 vote to the Judiciary Committee. The committee then took up AB 358, which would amend CalECPA to allow law enforcement, with the victim’s consent, to inspect certain abandoned tracking or surveillance devices found in a victim’s home, vehicle, or personal property without first obtaining a warrant. The author and a San Diego prosecutor said the bill is narrowly tailored to devices used solely for spying and is intended to help stalking and domestic violence survivors act quickly before evidence is lost. Opponents from EFF and the ACLU warned the bill would weaken warrant protections, create a loophole around CalECPA, and reduce transparency and accountability. Members debated Fourth Amendment issues, abandonment, and the practical need for rapid access; the bill passed the committee on a 9-0 vote to Appropriations. The committee also heard AB 1137, which builds on last year’s CSAM reporting law by allowing any user to report child sexual abuse material, requiring clearer reporting mechanisms, adding human review in some cases, and mandating third-party audits and public reporting. Supporters, including survivor advocates and a parent of a child victim, said the bill would reduce the burden on survivors and improve removal of abusive content. Tech industry opponents said they support the goal but objected to the human-review mandate, public audit disclosures, and enforcement provisions, arguing they could create security risks and compliance burdens. Members generally supported the bill’s intent but raised questions about audit frequency and human review; the bill was moved on call with seven votes at the time of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• It produces soda ash, boric acid operations, and also sulfites and things like that.
• So a very diverse food production operation in the Central Valley.
• because there's not enough electrification or fuel that will get it there and let it operate.
• The Creek Fire caused buses and a whole bunch of equipment to be operated as emergency vehicles to get
• It's flat and they will operate for four hours before you have to charge them again.

Summary: The committee first established quorum and then approved several governor’s appointments and procedural items, including appointments to the Civil Rights Council, Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, UC College of the Law, San Francisco Board of Directors, bill referrals, and floor acknowledgments. Most of these items passed unanimously, while the Civil Rights Council appointment of Indira Cameron Banks passed 3-2. The bulk of the meeting focused on confirmations to the California Air Resources Board. Supervisor Linda Hopkins and Mayor Patricia Locke Dawson, both nominated to CARB, described their backgrounds and emphasized balancing climate and air-quality goals with economic impacts, community engagement, and practical implementation. Senators raised concerns about cap-and-trade costs, leakage, warehouse and truck traffic impacts, agricultural burdens, emergency vehicle and fleet electrification challenges, natural gas appliance rules, hydrogen, nuclear energy, and the need for socioeconomic analysis. Both nominees said they favored open-door engagement, listening to affected communities, and using data and technology-neutral approaches. Public commenters largely supported both nominees, and the committee voted to advance Hopkins 4-0 and Locke Dawson 5-0 to the full Senate. The committee also heard the appointment of Andrew Rakestraw as chair of the Board of Environmental Safety. Rakestraw, who previously worked in U.S. climate and legal roles, said he would focus on transparency, accountability, fiscal stability, and community responsiveness at DTSC. Senators questioned him about DTSC reform, community engagement in places like the Hinkley/Herupah Valley and Exide cleanup areas, fee-setting and fiscal stability, the hazardous waste management plan, and coordination with the Environmental Justice Advisory Council. He said the board should go beyond brief public comment periods, engage communities directly, and ensure community concerns are reflected in outcomes. Supporters from environmental justice and waste-management groups testified in favor, no opposition was offered, and the committee moved his nomination forward to the Senate floor, with one member abstaining.

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, really, this was probably twofold before the public health emergency.
• I appreciate your comments on the health emergency that we had.
• So, again, I did allude to we did have some staffing issues prior to the public health emergency.
• Again, I did allude to we did have some staffing issues prior to the public health emergency, and so
• Any of the school districts that didn't respond, we include their total annual operating expenditures

Summary: The committee met on December 3, 2025, with a quorum present and approved the September 17 minutes. Members first voted to suspend the 2026 JLARC lodging tax expenditure report for one year, based on staff’s explanation that the report is self-reported, not verified, and less useful than State Auditor accountability audits; the motion passed. The committee also approved renaming the JLARC I-900 subcommittee to the “Committee to Hear SAO Performance Audits,” while keeping the opening script noting that the performance audit process exists under Initiative 900. The committee then heard follow-up updates on two prior performance audits. The Department of Health presented a draft strategic management plan in response to findings on hospital inspections, complaints, adverse event review, and hospital data access. JLARC staff reiterated that 72% of hospital inspections were late, that DOH did not verify third-party inspection standards or review adverse event reports, and that complaint data suggested possible language-access barriers. DOH said it concurred with the recommendations, had improved on-time inspection compliance to about 49%, planned annual updates starting in July 2026, and would work on accreditation oversight, complaint-language access, and data accessibility, though members pressed for firmer deadlines and questioned the three-year timeline for language access improvements. The Liquor and Cannabis Board also reported on its cannabis market study recommendation. JLARC staff said the agency’s data were incomplete and unreliable, limiting oversight of production, recalls, tax collection, and diversion. LCB said it had improved its current CCRS system but still relied on self-reported data, and it presented a decision package for a new traceability system estimated at about $9 million over three fiscal years. LCB described a plant-tagging and serialization approach tied to production, processing, testing, and retail, but acknowledged it did not currently have sufficient staff to fully implement the system without additional funding. The committee also received briefings on JLARC’s recommendation-tracking tools and the 2024 public records reporting summary, including a high-level review of agency response rates, request volumes, costs, and litigation. Finally, JLARC presented the proposed final report on the Office of Privacy and Data Protection, concluding that OPDP meets its statutory responsibilities and has high user satisfaction, but that its mandate should be updated to better match its current capacity and focus; the committee adopted the report for distribution. The meeting then moved into the 2025 tax preference performance reviews, where JLARC staff summarized nine reviews and noted that the Citizens Commission on Tax Preference and Performance Measurement endorsed all 17 legislative auditor recommendations, with comments on seven. Early reviews discussed included natural gas transportation fuel preferences, travel agent and tour operator B&O rates, nonprofit low-income housing development, multipurpose senior centers, disabled veteran adaptive housing, and trade convention attendance, with staff and commissioners generally recommending continuation of some preferences, modification of others, and improved objectives or performance measures where needed.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> there's an exception for um emergency there's an exception for um emergency rules,<02:35:03.040>
• And then for the emergency rule, thank you, Senator Rest, for bringing that up.
• </c><02:36:47.600><c> rule,</c> Um and then for the emergency rule, Um and then for the emergency rule
• </c> is it takes um part of the operational is it takes um part of the operational increase<04:02:58.640
• </c><04:06:04.319><c> the</c> board, the 12 member board operates the board, the 12 member board operates

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Here we'll take a look at FY26 existing operating budget.
• The change in the existing operating budget shows the FY26 to FY27 change.
• As operational requirements decrease, force levels are being responsibly reduced.
• GOSEP has remained vigilant in its statewide emergency mission.
• expenses of the facilities operated by LSD.

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I own and operate five congregate living health facilities.
• I own and operate five congregate living health facilities.
• I just want to reiterate the and operate five congregate living health facilities.
• I'm an NCIDQ holder and 2025 emerging leader for IIDA Northern California.
• She unexpectedly had to fly overseas to attend to a family emergency in Ukraine.

Summary: The joint sunset oversight hearing reviewed five California regulatory entities: the Respiratory Care Board, the California Council for Interior Design Certification, the Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology, and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board, the Board of Occupational Therapy, and the Board of Naturopathic Medicine. Each agency described its licensing, enforcement, modernization, and consumer-protection work since the last review, and committee members focused heavily on workforce access, public safety, transparency, and fee authority. For the Respiratory Care Board, the main issues were a possible move from an associate’s degree to a bachelor’s degree for licensure, fee structure changes, and ongoing work on LVNs performing respiratory tasks. Board representatives said the degree proposal was intended to strengthen competency and could be phased in without harming access, but several public commenters—especially respiratory therapists and families of medically fragile children—argued it would worsen shortages, particularly in rural and low-income areas. Other stakeholders supported clarifying LVN authority in congregate living health facilities, while the California Medical Association flagged the proposed Advanced Practice Respiratory Therapist classification as having limited current workforce impact. The interior design segment drew the most debate. CCIDC leaders defended the current voluntary certification/title-act model, saying it establishes competency, has produced minimal complaints, and that licensure would unnecessarily disrupt the workforce and create barriers without demonstrated public harm. Committee members questioned the lack of state-style enforcement authority, transparency, and Bagley-Keene compliance, and some public commenters criticized the private structure and inconsistent plan acceptance in local jurisdictions. Supporters of the current system said the certification and commercial designation help educate building officials and allow qualified designers to work safely, while opponents argued licensure would provide clearer accountability and reduce confusion. The speech-language pathology, audiology, and hearing aid dispensers board reported major modernization gains, including online licensure processing, faster turnaround times, and new continuing education audits and advertising rules. The board supported creating a licensed audiology assistant category to improve access to care, and public commenters generally backed the board while urging continued modernization. The occupational therapy board described steady growth, improved enforcement and licensing performance, and requested additional fee authority to address rising costs; the main public comment supported the sunset extension and a reduction in advanced practice hand therapy training hours. The naturopathic medicine board emphasized consumer protection, enforcement against unlicensed practice, and the need to clarify statutes; it said most licensed naturopathic doctors practice in underserved areas and welcomed legislative collaboration on scope and enforcement issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• , in provider enrollment operations, in information technology.
• , in provider enrollment operations, and in information technology.
• They have to have at least five years' experience driving under emergency conditions.
• I can do the technical bit of the operation, but to get the patient to the operating room, a whole group
• So these are operations that are not just life-changing.

Committee: Joint Joint Select Committee on Health Care and Behavioral Health Oversight

Summary: The committee met to hear introductory briefings from the Department of Health and the Health Care Authority on agency priorities, federal changes, and implementation challenges. Secretary of Health Dennis Worsham said his department’s listening tour is focused on strengthening governmental public health, improving health care quality and access, and responding to federal funding disruptions and the shutdown’s effects on programs such as WIC. HCA Director Ryan Moran said the agency is prioritizing coverage preservation, oversight of major contracts, affordability, behavioral health integration, rural health transformation, and internal agency operations. Members asked about licensure delays; Worsham said the backlog had been reduced from about four months to six weeks and should be caught up by January 1, with possible further process changes if needed. A major portion of the meeting focused on H.R. 1 and its Medicaid-related implementation. Governor’s health policy advisor Caitlin Stafford, HCA staff, and interim Medicaid Director Trinity Wilson said the state is working with DSHS, the Health Benefit Exchange, tribes, and other partners to prepare for eligibility changes, work requirements, and six-month redeterminations. They said the state expects up to 30,000 Apple Health enrollees could lose coverage under the law’s non-citizen eligibility changes, and that the work requirement/redetermination provisions could affect about 620,000 adults, with roughly 80,000 also enrolled in SNAP. HCA said it hopes to automate most verification, but about 15% to 20% of cases may require manual review, with technology costs estimated at up to $30 million. Staff also said they are trying to keep H.R. 1 implementation mostly in budget language rather than statute, and that communication and navigator support will be important to minimize confusion and coverage loss. The committee also received an update on the Rural Health Transformation Program created in H.R. 1. HCA said Washington submitted its application to CMS on November 5 after extensive stakeholder engagement, including more than 310 written comments, webinars, and tribal consultation. The application centers on six initiatives: rural hospital innovation, community care and prevention, tribal investments, technology and data, workforce development, and rural behavioral health. HCA said the state is likely to receive less than the full $200 million annual amount assumed in the federal program, and that an advisory committee may be created to help guide spending over the five-year program. Members asked about palliative care, small business impacts, and communication with enrollees; HCA said it expects to share outreach toolkits and that no 2026 statutory changes are currently anticipated, though that could change. The final panels covered organ donation and transplant services. Department of Health staff explained the 2023 “Lights and Sirens” law for organ transport vehicles, including licensing, driver qualifications, insurance requirements, and use of emergency lanes and traffic preemption; the department said one company is currently licensed and there have been no complaints. LifeCenter Northwest described the organ procurement process, the legal framework under the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, and the rarity and complexity of deceased donation, noting Washington has seen strong growth in donation and transplants over the past decade. University of Washington Medical Center staff then outlined its transplant programs for kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas, and multi-organ transplants, describing the multidisciplinary evaluation and waitlist process and the coordination required with donor organizations and hospitals.

Transcript Highlights:

• It was an ovarian torsion and she only did an emergency surgery.
• I took my son Joe, Joe and emergency room. He was denied services.
• I'm a physician in Panama City, Florida, operated yesterday evening.
• I was up all night with a patient operational day-to-day.
• I did the right operation and a good surgeon. I've been over 30 years.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These were MMA Lpc specialty in dental plans that operated within the regions formally one through 11
• an overall there are 3, yes, sorry, 5 plans have a statewide footprint, 4 operate and only some regions
• Focus on follow-up within 7 days of hospitalizations and emergency department visits for mental illness
• It is our ultimate responsibility to make sure that our program is operating at the highest levels and
• Like ear infections for the past 6 years have been the leading cause of emergency room visits in the

Transcript Highlights:

• They have, I don't know if you were here, but they have cut back and are literally operating month to
• Where was our urgency and the emergency to fund services when we could have? Thank you.
• So I ask again, where was the emergency?
• Representative West now moves that the vote on the bill be the vote on the emergency.
• Representative Stinson now moves that the vote on the bill be the vote on the emergency.

Summary: The House convened, completed the roll call, prayer, and Pledge of Allegiance, and then took up several measures. The main floor debate centered on House Bill 2787, a one-time $2 million supplemental for the Choosing Childbirth program through the State Department of Health. Supporters said the money would prevent a lapse in services for more than 4,000 mothers and children, especially in rural areas, until the organization can reenter the bidding process in 2028. Opponents questioned the nonprofit’s transparency, donor base, leadership, and prior use of state funds, arguing the Legislature should not provide another supplemental without clearer accountability. The bill passed 70-19, and the emergency clause also passed. The House also considered Senate Bill 546 on data privacy. After floor amendments removed the emergency clause and set a January 1, 2027 effective date, the bill was explained as a comprehensive consumer data privacy measure applying to certain businesses operating in Oklahoma. It would give consumers rights to access, delete, and opt out of the sale of personal data, with enforcement through the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division and civil penalties for violations. The bill passed 84-4. In addition, House Bill 2786 received a joint committee report and passed with no debate; it provides supplemental funding to the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to complete fiscal year 2025 payments to CCBHCs and other vendors, and its emergency clause also passed. The House adopted House Resolution 1034 recognizing February as Black History Month. The chamber also heard several introductions and announcements before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• This can happen to any family that walks into an emergency room with a child.
• This can happen to any family that walks into an emergency room with a child.
• Chair, committee, I'm a nurse of 48 years, and for the last 10 years, I worked in emergency trauma.
• When a parent comes into the emergency room, When a parent comes into the emergency room, if they've
• After they leave the emergency room, if there's not a clue, they may not even leave the emergency room

Summary: The Health and Human Services Committee considered eight bills and reported all of them favorably, several as amended. HB 1347 on clinical laboratory personnel was presented as a response to staffing shortages in Florida labs; the sponsor and Quest Diagnostics supported aligning state licensure with CLIA standards to improve hiring and turnaround times. The bill passed 24-0. CS/HB 47, dealing with specific medical diagnoses in child protective investigations, drew extensive emotional testimony from parents and advocates who said children had been wrongly removed after misdiagnoses; the bill was amended to tighten timelines and record-sharing requirements, then passed 26-0. CS/HB 287 created a public records exemption for applicants, owners, operators, and references of family foster homes and passed unanimously. The committee also approved CS/HB 439, allowing chiropractors to inject vitamins and nutrients under training and safety limits, after an amendment clarified they may not prescribe prescription drugs; it passed 26-0. CS/HB 1021 would allow pharmacists to administer medications in trauma centers under physician direction, and an amendment added pediatric trauma centers; it passed 26-0. HB 867 would let occupational therapists perform dry needling after specified training and supervision, and it passed 25-0. HB 1309, which shortens deadlines for patients to access their medical records and aligns nursing home access rules with federal law, drew opposition from health information management groups over privacy and portal/data-security concerns, but supporters argued it simply speeds access to records; it passed 21-5. CS/HB 915 codifies and expands Medicaid eligibility protections for working people with disabilities so they can keep coverage while employed, with strong support from disability advocates and emotional testimony from the sponsor about her son’s benefits concerns; it passed 26-0. After these votes, the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• College, relating to a very significant issue regarding PFAS chemicals and contamination at the Emergency
• The LSC Emergency Response Training Center trains approximately 3,500 participants from Minnesota and
• and emergency response teams in Minnesota and several surrounding states.
• ><c> center</c><00:10:12.320><c> or</c> The 100acre emergency response center or The 100acre emergency
• The burn pit is also used as a truck driving course and for emergency medical simulations.

Committee: Senate Higher Education

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Socorro, Magdalena, then here to respond to an emergency. Thank you.
• So we have to figure out how to operate, which is limited.
• You mentioned that you were only operating at $200,000.
• The first one is: what is the NMGCB's operating budget?
• I'm very concerned about the way they operate.

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs