Transcript Highlights:

• The House clerk attested to the required copies.
• Why are we making that change and requiring them to put it on the ballot?
• It's not required of us. We have another methodology to do that.
• It's not required of us. We have another methodology to do that.
• The Attorney General's Office is required to report what?

Summary: The House convened with prayer, a moment of silence for former Senator Donnell C. Childers, the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognition of Officer Antonio Richardson as law enforcement officer of the day. A quorum was announced, the journal was approved, and the Speaker said the chamber would take up 11 budget conference reports, with debate and final votes on each report. The first report considered was HB 7031E, the tax package, followed by HB 501E, the state budget appropriations bill. On HB 7031E, Chair Duggan explained that the conference report included a range of tax reductions and tax-related changes, including sales tax holidays, property tax and homestead-related provisions, reductions in certain taxes and fees, and new exemptions or administrative clarifications. He said the package also added items such as sales tax relief for certain university construction projects, a tennis admissions exemption, and changes to agricultural property tax treatment, and that the amendment reduced state and local tax revenues by $272.2 million. Members questioned the bill about the child care tax credit reduction from three years to one, the homestead exemption provision for certain diplomats and foreign service personnel, the absence of gas tax relief and combined reporting, and the inclusion of firearm accessories and tennis tickets in sales tax holidays. After structured debate, the House adopted the conference report and passed HB 7031E by a vote of 88-11. The House then began the conference report on HB 501E, the $114.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2026-2027, which was described as below the prior year’s spending level and leaving more than $14 billion in reserves. Subcommittee chairs outlined major allocations across education, higher education, IT, health care, transportation and economic development, justice, state administration, and agriculture/natural resources. Highlights included increased FEFP funding and veteran teacher raises, full funding for Bright Futures, major IT modernization projects, Medicaid and behavioral health funding, transportation and local infrastructure spending, correctional and law enforcement investments, fire station and emergency response funding, and large environmental and water-quality appropriations. Members asked detailed questions about school voucher fraud oversight, scholarship funding, teacher raises, preeminence funding, ADAP changes, SNAP data tools and error rates, Medicaid rate changes, prison wastewater monitoring, and other budget items, but the transcript ends during the budget questions before final action on HB 501E is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• It is required.
• There is no requirement that we do this here today.
• I would love No requirement that we do this here today.
• We're required, I'm required because of the covenant that I, who I'm in covenant with is I live for day
• I'm required to act justly. Thank you. Let me just say it like this.

Summary: The Senate convened in special session and took up Senate Bill 8D, later substituting identical House Bill 1D, to establish Florida’s congressional districts. The opening prayer and Pledge of Allegiance were followed by procedural remarks, then extensive floor discussion focused almost entirely on the redistricting proposal, its timing, and its legal basis. Senator Gaetz, explaining the bill, said the Governor had transmitted the map two days earlier, argued that mid-decade congressional redistricting is not prohibited by law, and said the Governor’s stated reasons were to address population growth and to draw race-neutral districts. He also said the legislature could accept, reject, or amend the proposal. Much of the debate centered on the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Louisiana decision and whether it affected Florida’s Fair Districts Amendment and the Voting Rights Act. Senators Smith, Rouson, Sharief, Polsky, Arrington, Bracey Davis, Bernard, Nathan, and others questioned the short notice, lack of public hearings, the use of partisan data, the absence of sworn testimony, and whether the map diluted minority voting strength or fragmented communities of interest. Gaetz repeatedly said he was not offering legal opinions, that the Governor’s counsel believed the Fair Districts race-based provisions were inconsistent with federal law, and that any legal challenge would be for the courts. He also said the Governor’s mapmaker reported using census and demographic data, along with political data as one of many inputs, and claimed the map’s compactness was comparable to the current map. A motion by Senator Smith to temporarily postpone consideration of the bill failed on a 12-23 vote. After the Senate returned from a 30-minute break to review the new Supreme Court decision, debate continued. The chamber then substituted HB 1D for SB 8D, read the House bill, and advanced it to third reading. The transcript ends during debate on final passage, with Senators Rouson and Bernard speaking in opposition and arguing the map was procedurally rushed, legally vulnerable, and politically motivated.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, data practice requests requirements.
• ><c> would</c><00:17:13.480><c> go</c> about these requirements would go about these requirements would
• Many contractors already use established payroll systems to meet current requirements.
• a high deductible option. that require a high deductible option.
• This requires additional investigative This requires additional investigative workload<00:56:28.359><

Bills: HF4364 , HF4821 , HF4543 , HF3945

Committee: House State Government Finance and Policy

Keywords: Central and Eastern European Affairs, ethnic council, advisory council, Minnesota state government, immigrant communities, refugees, humanitarian parolees, Ukraine, Poland, Croatia, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Czech Republic, Baltic states, Slovakia, Slovenia, Kosovo, Russia

Transcript Highlights:

• The 10-year buyback requirement is required in statute.
• The 10-year buyback requirement is<00:19:10.320><c> required</c> is required is required &gt;&gt; in<
• </c> first-time home buyer requirement. first-time home buyer requirement.
• statute doesn't require buyer status statute doesn't require first-time<00:20:51.064><c> [music]</c>
• . requirement. requirement.

Bills: SB2060 , SB2063 , SB2062 , SB2069 , SB2070

Committee: Senate Housing

Keywords: rental housing revolving fund, HHFDC, Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, mixed-income housing, mixed-income rental project, affordable housing, low-income housing, housing finance, housing development, preservation, rehabilitation, pre-development, construction financing, equity investment, credit enhancement, collateral, gap financing, area median income, AMI, perpetual affordability

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> require all three. require all three.
• So that's our require permit.
• </c><02:45:17.040><c> Jared</c> which is required. And we have J. Jared which is required.
• This measure requires the workers.
• </c><03:24:50.399><c> Certain</c> use permit requirements. Certain use permit requirements.

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs heard testimony on HB 1875, which would expand Hawaii’s existing protections to include gender-affirming health care, clarify permitted disclosures of protected health information, and bar certain adverse actions by malpractice insurers and health carriers against providers of lawful reproductive or gender-affirming care. The Insurance Division of DCCA supported the bill with a technical amendment, suggesting language tied to actuarial analysis rather than the phrase “actuarially sound.” The Office of Information Practices also provided comments. Most testimony was strongly in support. State agencies and advocacy groups, including the Hawaii State Youth Commission, State Health Planning and Development Agency, Commission on the Status of Women, Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, Hawaii Public Health Institute, Stonewall Caucus, ACLU of Hawaii, PFLAG Oahu, Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said the bill would protect patient privacy, reduce chilling effects from out-of-state litigation, and help retain providers in a state already facing shortages. Several testifiers said gender-affirming care is medically necessary, evidence-based, and life-saving, and emphasized that Hawaii should protect its own health care decisions from outside political pressure. A few individuals testified in opposition, arguing the bill was unnecessary or that it protected providers more than opponents of the bill, but these views were not echoed by most of the testimony. The chair repeatedly reminded testifiers to keep comments brief and maintain decorum. The transcript provided does not include a final committee vote or disposition on the bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• requirement requirement allow allow allow um<01:14:09.120><c> inspections</c><01:14:10.080><c> or</c
• She said she believed that the way it is written now requires A and B, and that if it requires A, B,
• She said she believed the way it is written now requires A and B, and that if it requires A, B, and C
• </c> require it to have an ORC. require it to have an ORC.
• ><02:20:27.120><c> requirements</c> initial license requirements initial license requirements uh<02:20

Committee: House Executive Departments and Administration

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• 00:07:23.200><c> have</c><00:07:23.400><c> since</c> federal requirements that have since federal requirements
• As those federal requirements given.
• ><c> to</c><01:08:42.600><c> present</c> Um this includes requirements to present Um this includes requirements
• </c><01:18:46.560><c> licensure</c> the registration is to require licensure the registration is to require
• </c> of the contractor's license requirement of the contractor's license requirement that<01:18:55.760

Bills: HF4560 , HF4559 , HF2317 , HF3179 , HF4880 , HF2862 , HF4374

Committee: House Energy Finance and Policy

Keywords: Public Utilities Commission, PUC, energy regulation, utility regulation, electric utility, public utility, rate case, multiyear rate plan, decoupling, rate decoupling, greenhouse gas, social cost of carbon, environmental cost, resource planning, certificate of need, distributed renewable energy, interconnection, budget billing, electronic filing, contested case

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:25:36.159><c> to</c> replacement program are required to replacement program are required to
• 00:38:58.400><c> three-fifths</c> obligation bonds require a three-fifths obligation bonds require a
• ><c> the</c><00:39:03.760><c> the</c> constitutional requirement for the the constitutional requirement
• </c><00:39:14.400><c> a</c> bonding bill would only require a bonding bill would only require a majority
• <01:09:11.440><c> by</c> required by required by statute.<01:09:13.759><c> Our</c><01:09:14.080><c> key

Committee: Senate Capital Investment

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:27:04.600><c> an</c> energy this measure would require an energy this measure would require an
• We already require 245, um, NSF 245.
• </c> uh you know our 50 foot we do require uh you know our 50 foot we do require 245<00:48:33.960><c>
• </c> requirements so that's when we required requirements so that's when we required them<00:49:27.319
• </c> that's an aerobic process which requires that's an aerobic process which requires a<00:52:49.079

Committee: House Energy & Environmental Protection

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard several energy and environmental bills. On HB 974, which would authorize state step-in agreements for certain power purchase agreements and create a trust fund/reserve mechanism, the Attorney General’s office raised concern that the state should not incur liability beyond the trust fund. The Division of Consumer Advocacy said it had comments but did not take a position, while the Public Utilities Commission, Ameresco, Hawaiian Electric, and other industry groups supported the measure, saying it would help developers secure financing for renewable projects and improve reliability. Hawaiian Electric said the bill would not use state funds and that its proposed reserve account would be held in trust and returned to customers if unused. Committee members questioned whether the reserve would raise customer costs; Hawaiian Electric said the amount would be small and would be offset by avoiding higher financing costs, while Consumer Advocacy suggested the language should be strengthened to ensure unused funds are fully returned. The committee then heard HB 338, which would clarify that premium interest-rate adjustments for non-fossil fuel generation are just and reasonable and allow the PUC to include them in rates. DCCA and the State Energy Office supported the bill, and the PUC also supported it. Hawaiian Electric opposed unless amended, arguing the PUC already has discretion and warning the bill could weaken competitive procurement by encouraging higher bids tied to the utility’s credit rating. DCCA said the concern was that developers might not seek the best financing if premium rates are recoverable, but said Hawaiian Electric’s suggested amendment requiring clear and convincing evidence of unavoidable financing-cost increases would help. Members also asked about refinancing and whether developers could later lower debt costs after locking in a premium rate; DCCA said that ability exists and suggested a time limit or review mechanism. For HB 337, which would direct the PUC to establish standards requiring utilities to remove certain fossil-fuel costs from the rate base when adding renewable resources, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Hawaii Clean Power Alliance, and the State Energy Office supported the measure. Hawaiian Electric opposed it, saying it misunderstood utility cost recovery and could threaten grid reliability because fossil plants provide ancillary services such as voltage regulation and balancing, not just energy. Hawaiian Electric pointed to its integrated grid plan and recent fossil-unit retirements as evidence of ongoing transition, and asked the committee to defer the bill and leave oversight to the PUC. The committee also heard HB 879 on cesspool conversions, which would raise the maximum grant from $20,000 to $30,000 and add DOH positions; DHHL, DOH, environmental groups, Hawaii Realtors, and others supported it, while DOH discussed staffing needs and the practical effect of the higher grant cap. The committee also began HB 379 on requiring denitrification capacity for certain wastewater systems near shorelines or groundwater, with DLNR testifying in support.

Transcript Highlights:

• It does not require full-time remote work.
• Second, AB 1582 is not required.
• Burn care requires intensive, resource-heavy interventions.
• So AB 2656 establishes a clear and common-sense requirement.
• The bill simply requires a 45-day written notice.

Committee: Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill requires a driving instructor to properly display and make clearly visible their license in
• Nursing homes are required to make...
• Which is legislation relating to prior authorization, requiring physician review for denial.
• This bill, just a reminder, requires prior authorization.
• So the substitute removes the enactment clause requiring a report from the task force.

Keywords: March 10, 2026 - Regular Session, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Just to explain, there's a reporting requirement at the end of the bill, and all we did was add that
• The reporting requirement should have included this joint committee during the interim in addition to
• The main points of the bill: First, it requires the OVR to promulgate regulations under Chapter 13A,
• And then, finally, it's just a reporting requirement to the governor's office and the committee that
• </c><00:38:16.680><c> statutory</c> they would have the required statutory they would have the required

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Roll Call 00:24 SB 3 Discussion 01:06 SB 3 Vote 04:51 SB 15 Discussion 07:14 SB 15 Vote 14:42 SB 103 Discussion 15:39 SB 103 Vote 33:53 SB 201 Discussion 35:44 SB 201 Vote 39:47, 958, all

Summary: The House Standing Committee on Economic Development and Workforce Investment met with a quorum and first considered Senate Bill 3, relating to student athletes and NIL. Senator Max Wise said the bill would modernize Kentucky’s NIL framework so universities remain competitive and student-athletes can benefit, noting the state’s earlier NIL law and the need to act before a pending national settlement. Several members supported the bill but expressed concern that NIL has changed college athletics and could eventually affect high school sports. The committee reported Senate Bill 3 favorably. The committee then took up Senate Bill 15, relating to minimum wage exceptions for minor league baseball players. Senator Amanda Bledsoe and MLB representative Josh Allen explained that the bill would align Kentucky law with the players’ collective bargaining agreement, treating the players as salaried rather than hourly workers and addressing overtime issues. Members discussed the minimum weekly salaries at Single-A and Triple-A, along with housing, meals, and health benefits under the agreement. The committee adopted a committee substitute, passed a title amendment, and reported Senate Bill 15 favorably. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 103, which concerns the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and services for people with disabilities. Senator Danny Carroll and provider advocates said the bill would add regulatory oversight, require reporting to the legislature and governor, and give preference to in-state services when available, while preserving access to out-of-state services when needed. Testimony focused on Kentucky’s low employment ranking for people with disabilities, unused federal funds, provider funding concerns, and an OVR order of selection that would limit services to the most severe cases. The committee adopted a committee substitute and reported Senate Bill 103 favorably after supportive comments from members about the program’s impact on employment and quality of life.

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, please note that a pre-filing requirement for these bills is now in place.
• Members, please note that a pre-filing requirement for these bills is now in place.
• </c><00:00:44.960><c> for</c> establish a pre-filing requirement for establish a pre-filing requirement
• c> pre-filing</c> Members, please note that a pre-filing Members, please note that a pre-filing requirement
• for these bills is now in requirement for these bills is now in place.<00:00:58.000><c> That</c><00:

Committee: House Rules and Legislative Administration

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• they should require for the saying they should require for the school<01:16:17.800><c> standpoint</c>
• </c><03:07:33.279><c> school</c> torski uh 646 is requiring school torski uh 646 is requiring school
• </c> application system it's not requiring application system it's not requiring the<03:46:17.720><c>
• </c><03:49:20.840><c> from</c> the pieces that are required from the pieces that are required from USDA
• </c><03:52:03.560><c> the</c> does not happen to require the does not happen to require the Department

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee took up HB 651, a school-funding bill that would raise the base cost of an adequate education and increase differentiated aid for students in poverty, English language learners, and special education. The chair opened with housekeeping notices about parking and eating in committee spaces, and noted a revised fiscal note would be distributed. Representative David Luneau presented the bill as part of a broader package of public school funding measures, explaining that HB 651 builds on HB 550 and is intended to respond to court rulings and the ongoing school-funding litigation by adjusting both the base adequacy amount and equity-based funding factors. Luneau said the bill would raise the state’s adequacy grant from about $4,100 to $7,351 per student and increase differentiated aid, while also updating statutory language so future recalculations include the court-identified resource elements. He argued the measure is about fairness and shifting more of the burden from local property taxpayers to the state, not about increasing overall education spending. He reviewed fiscal-note figures indicating the bill would add roughly $576 million to the state share of school funding, bringing the total state share to about $1.65 billion, and said the note also mentions possible effects on charter schools and vouchers. Committee members asked about the evidence supporting higher costs for low-income and English learner students, how long ESL funding should continue, why free-and-reduced-lunch aid remains higher than special education aid, whether the formula is based on enrollment or average daily membership, and whether the bill is truly equitable across districts of different sizes and needs. Luneau and later witness Zach Shen of the New Hampshire School Funding Fairness Project said the bill is supported by research and court findings, that the current formula relies heavily on local property taxes, and that shifting more funding to the state would reduce property-tax pressure and help address disparities among districts. Shen also cited broad public support for the related HB 550 testimony and said HB 651 is intended as a step toward a more equitable funding system. No vote or final action was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• If there's any questions... ...harder to achieve by some of the things that they require.
• First, there is the threshold at which detailed stormwater modeling is required.
• First, there is the threshold at which detailed stormwater modeling is required.
• First, there is the threshold at which detailed stormwater modeling is required.
• have any requirements currently don't have any requirements for<00:43:10.839><c> treatment</c><00:43:

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• own different formats, their own different reporting schedules, and their own different requirements
• As a state, we must optimize our reporting requirements.
• where we could harmonize requirements with federal standards without reducing oversight.
• So, I mean, there's likely a reduction of service required by the AG, by the DOJ.
• Some of them we feel are, doesn't require additional action.

Summary: The joint Senate and Assembly Select Committee on the nonprofit sector held a hearing focused on the importance of California’s nonprofit sector and how state systems can better support it. Chair and co-chair remarks emphasized that nonprofits are essential to the state’s economy and public services, especially as federal cuts and administrative burdens increase pressure on organizations that deliver health care, food assistance, homelessness services, disaster response, and other safety-net functions. CalNonprofits CEO Jeff Green described the sector’s size and complexity, citing roughly 110,000 nonprofits in California, about 1.4 to 1.5 million nonprofit workers, and major concerns about funding uncertainty, delayed reimbursements, and federal threats to nonprofit funding and nonpartisanship. He said many organizations are being forced to use reserves, reduce services, or take out loans while waiting for state payments. The Little Hoover Commission presented findings from its study of state grant and contract administration, arguing that nonprofits often subsidize state services because of late payments, insufficient advance funding, and inadequate reimbursement for overhead. The commission recommended requiring advance payments, expanding prompt-payment protections, matching federal indirect-cost rates, standardizing emergency contract amendments, creating an Office of Nonprofit Empowerment, reducing duplicative reporting, moving to electronic payments, improving feedback to unsuccessful applicants, and using longer grant periods. Committee members expressed support for these ideas and discussed shifting state contracting culture toward outcomes and better coordination. The commission also noted that SB 1240, which would create the Office of Nonprofit Empowerment, and SB 1366, related to payment delays, align with its recommendations. The Attorney General’s Charitable Trusts Section then outlined its rollout of a new online filing system for charities and charitable fundraisers. Elizabeth Kim said the system, launched in stages beginning in 2024, is intended to replace paper filings, reduce incomplete submissions and bounced checks, and speed processing; the final phase is expected to cover renewals, delinquency, raffles, professional fundraisers, dissolution, and complaints. Committee members asked about staffing impacts and complaint handling, and DOJ explained that complaints are reviewed based on allegations, public filings, and, when needed, requests for additional information. A final panel featured Matt Gonzalez of Nonprofit New York, who described New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Nonprofit Services as a model for reducing contract backlogs, increasing advance payments, and improving coordination through ombudsman-style support and chief nonprofit officers. Public commenters from the California Alliance of Child and Family Services, SEIU, and CalNonprofits urged support for stronger state-nonprofit partnerships, transparency, and modernization of contracting systems. No formal vote was taken; the hearing concluded after testimony and public comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• The second row there, which is around additional requirements for funding sub awards.
• We then still have money left over in this track that will require CMS coordination.
• And that's Track that will require CMS coordination.
• Because there are service requirements attached to students.
• Is expecting and the grant requires. So that's partly why. Follow up? Yeah.

Summary: The Rural Health Transformation Committee approved the May 28 minutes and received a status update from DHW Director Juliet Sharon on the Rural Health Transformation Program. Sharon reviewed the committee’s expedited review process for solicitations and subgrants, explained where funding opportunities are posted, and noted a new email subscription feature for stakeholders. She said the department has focused first on administrative and contractor awards, with provider-oriented subgrants coming soon, and said the committee will receive information on applicants, scoring, and awards. Members raised concerns about process complexity, outreach, and whether smaller rural providers may be disadvantaged; Sharon said DHW is working to simplify applications and expand outreach. The committee also discussed the first maternal and child health solicitation, with Sharon saying she would follow up on the applicant pool and would bring any need to pivot back to the committee. The committee then heard from the Idaho Military Division on its rural health priorities. Bureau Chief Wayne Denny said the division is partnering with DHW on modernizing the 911/emergency communications system, including next-generation 911 work with counties, relocating the backup state communications center, and coordinating exercises. He also described rural health extenders, including community health workers and community health EMS, and said the goal is to place at least one paid full-time EMS provider in every county and use prevention and chronic-care management to reduce emergency room use. Members asked about how the extenders would function, how the 911 work would be funded and implemented county by county, and how sustainability would work after the five-year grant period. Jennifer White of the State Board of Education outlined higher education and workforce proposals, including mobile simulation training, shared statewide clinical infrastructure, learn-in-place programs, and targeted equipment and facilities for nursing and allied health. She said the board is also working on graduate medical education, with about $5 million of ready-to-launch projects and roughly $3 million still available, and proposed a strategic rural GME incubator and a rural training site network. A lengthy discussion followed about whether remaining funds should support GME, broader medical education, or undergraduate medical education, including a proposed University of Idaho/University of Utah partnership and possible satellite campus. Some members supported using funds to build Idaho’s medical pipeline and noted existing policy for UME expansion, while others warned against creating long-term state obligations without legislative approval. The committee also discussed outreach, the first federal progress report due at the end of August, and plans to create a governor-appointed rural health transformation task force with legislative and stakeholder representation. The meeting ended with plans for an additional committee meeting on August 18 and a later meeting in late September, with adjournment following.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 1023 will solve the problem by requiring commercial insurers that already cover injectable
• Beyond the immediate impacts of these requirements, we are also concerned about the broader precedent
• This bill doesn't require local governments to do anything.
• City attorneys and county counsels do our Require local governments to do anything.
• Gaps or uncertainty about the scope of required Identifying information at all.

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard several bills on June 9. SB 1023 by Senator Laird would require insurers that cover injectable HIV PrEP under the medical benefit to also cover it through the pharmacy benefit, with supporters saying the change would reduce reimbursement delays and expand access, while health plans opposed it as an unnecessary mandate that interferes with benefit design. SB 964 by Senator Smallwood-Quivas would limit prior authorization for certain dose or frequency adjustments to covered medications, especially for chronic complex conditions; medical supporters said it would prevent harmful delays in care, while insurers argued it weakens safety and utilization controls. SB 1323 by Senator Rubio, as amended, would strengthen protections for people in immigration custody receiving medical care by requiring hospitals and facilities to inform staff how to respond to requests and allowing patients to notify family members of their location; it passed with one no vote. SB 1099 by Senator Reyes would clarify local governments’ authority to provide state and local public benefits to all residents under federal PRWORA rules, with supporters saying it would reduce legal uncertainty for safety-net services; it passed, though one member later changed a vote to no on the add-on roll call. The committee also took up SB 895 by Senator Wiener, a proposed $12 billion science research bond for the November ballot that would create a California scientific research funding institute. Supporters from UC, UAW, hospitals, and advocacy groups said the measure would help offset federal cuts, protect research jobs, and sustain California’s leadership in biomedical and other research; there was no opposition, and the bill passed on a party-line style vote with two no votes. SB 944, also by Senator Wiener, would stabilize Medi-Cal coverage for acupuncture, which supporters described as a cost-effective, non-pharmacological treatment for pain and other conditions that has repeatedly been threatened in the budget process; it passed unanimously. The committee also approved consent items SB 918 and SB 1202, and later cleared the remaining measures on call after roll votes and add-on votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• It uses a lot of specific types of construction around patients, and there's requirements with hospital
• What's happening now is that these manually deployed spikes require the officer to be on the roadway,
• would still have all the same requirements as the Louisiana uniform bid, and that’s pretty much it.
• Some documents require a wet signature. Okay.
• This is about a requirement that trailers have approved safety chains while being towed.

Bills: HB345 , HB503 , HB511 , HB590 , HB655 , HB685 , HB692 , HB707 , HB715 , HB748 , HB776 , HB856 , HB860 , HB868 , HB887 , HB888 , HB896 , HB999 , HB1000 , HB1086 , HB1233

Committee: Senate Transportation, Highways & Public Works

Keywords: rail infrastructure, ports, Class II railroads, Class III railroads, transportation, HB 503, Act 554, Golden Meadow, utility terrain vehicle, UTV, recreational off-highway vehicle, ROV, golf cart, low-speed vehicle, road shoulder travel, local ordinance, municipal traffic regulation, vehicle registration decal, municipal general fund, insurance requirement

Summary: The Senate Committee on Transportation and Public Works met with five members present and approved the April 29, 2026 minutes. The committee then heard and reported a series of bills, including HB 1233, which lowers the contract threshold for hospital service districts using the Seymours program; HB 715, requiring aerial applicators operating from public airports to have transponders and radios and removing proposed ADS-B fee restrictions in favor of separate legislation; and HB 999, allowing impoundment of uninsured out-of-state vehicles. It also advanced HB 692 to let parishes and municipalities use group purchasing organizations, with an added sole-source procurement amendment for certain repairs and parts, and HB 511 to create a pursuit-intervention technology grant program, using a technical amendment to establish the fund structure. The committee also reported HB 590, creating a program to help law enforcement identify drivers with autism or other mental/physical disabilities through special envelopes and related notice technology; HB 503, a local bill cleaning up golf cart and utility terrain vehicle definitions in Golden Meadow; HB 655, authorizing DOTD cost-plus contracts for state-owned ferries; HB 748, clarifying that school board-owned or leased vehicles are exempt from tolls; HB 860, allowing fillable electronic bids; HB 896, addressing tolling rules and fees in Plaquemines Parish and requiring a nearby customer service center; and HB 1000, a cleanup bill on highway priority program reporting and local district contract limits. Later, the committee reported HB 887, which establishes a more consistent scoring and ranking framework for certain procurement processes, and HB 888, a cleanup bill on temporary tags and temporary license plates with added anti-counterfeiting and safety features. HB 1086, a major overhaul moving Louisiana toward a fully electronic vehicle title and lien system, was amended but voluntarily held for a week so members could review the extensive new language. The committee also reported HB 776, expanding port priority funding to larger projects and allowing flexibility in annual amounts, HB 707, shifting LPG commission promotional work to Agriculture and Forestry, HB 868, requiring safety chains or other manufacturer-specified safety equipment on farm trailers, HB 856, authorizing indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracting for DOTD maintenance and construction work, HB 345, adding rail infrastructure at ports to the rail improvement program, and HB 685, allowing transit agencies to use FAST Act cooperative procurement for buses and other rolling stock. At the end, the committee corrected its action on HB 856 by reconsidering and withdrawing the technical amendment set 2332 for later floor work, while leaving the bill reported with the department’s substantive amendments.

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, so the ADA, when it was passed for commercial Title III entities, actually required them to what
• a load-bearing column, something like that, was not required.
• </c><00:12:17.320><c> them</c> entities is actually um it required them entities is actually um it required
• </c><00:12:42.760><c> um</c><00:12:43.280><c> touching</c><00:12:43.680><c> a</c> um would require um
• Obviously, in new was not required.

Bills: SCR63 , SCR8 , SCR160 , SCR90 , SCR93

Committee: House Human Services & Homelessness

Keywords: disability, accessibility, healthcare communication, sign language interpreters, deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, auxiliary aids, building permits, seniors, health care, safety modifications, county regulations, expedited processing, housing ladder, move-up housing, subsidized housing, public housing, affordable housing, housing mobility

Summary: The House Committee on Human Services and Homelessness heard several resolutions focused on disability access, housing, and support for Native Hawaiian beneficiaries. SCR 63 SD1 would have the Disability and Communication Access Board study communication needs in health care settings for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind and revise provider guidance; testimony was strongly supportive, including from the board, a physician, and a family member who described harmful delays in care, and the committee later recommended passage as is. SCR 8 would require counties to act within 45 days on completed permit applications for home modifications needed for an older adult or person with a disability; testimony noted delays in permitting and financing, and the committee recommended passage as is. The committee also heard SCR 160, which urges state housing agencies to create a “housing ladder” program to help individuals and families move from subsidized to unsubsidized housing. Hawaii Public Housing Authority and other agencies supported the concept, and DHS described its family self-sufficiency program and said prior federal resident-services funding had declined over the past 20 years. The committee acknowledged the program may already exist in some form but still recommended adoption of the resolution as is. SCR 90 would ask county planning departments to establish kupuna-friendly building permit requirements for parking accessibility in private businesses. The committee moved it forward with an HD1 for technical amendments; a member raised concern that the measure did not specify the age threshold for “kupuna,” and said they would vote with reservations. Finally, SCR 93 would direct DHHL and the Statewide Office of Homelessness and Housing Solutions to develop a coordinated support and stabilization pathway for Native Hawaiian beneficiaries experiencing homelessness or very low income. DHHL said it is already operating a transitional housing effort called Ka Leo Opu Mama for about 18 beneficiaries using more than $6 million in federal Nah Ho Sa funds, with no dedicated state funding, and the committee recommended passage as is. The meeting ended with the chair thanking testifiers and members and adjourning the hearing.