Transcript Highlights:

• We'll just get our staff to work together on it. Okay, very good. Thank you.
• Her to contact our committee staff. Absolutely.
• To testify, our staff can help you with that after your testimony. Please do that.
• To testify, our staff can help you with that after your testimony. Please do that.
• I ask my staff, we don't have this list. Could you give us a copy of this list?

Committee: Senate Education K-16

Summary: The Senate Education K-16 Committee heard several bills focused on school finance, transparency, student safety, and educator misconduct. SB 843 by Senator Kolkhorst would create a centralized TEA database for school bond elections, tax rates, and project details; supporters said it would improve transparency for taxpayers, while members discussed the fiscal note and suggested adding charter schools. SB 1224 by Senator Sparks would require superintendents to report alleged romantic, sexual, or abusive conduct between staff and students directly to law enforcement within 48 hours, with penalties for failure to report; testimony from advocates and survivors strongly supported the bill and urged that it also apply to private and charter schools. SB 747 by Senator Paxton on behalf of Senator King would require school district policies addressing AI-generated sexually explicit images of minors as cyberbullying and direct the School Safety Center to develop guidance; the committee heard emotional testimony from a student victim and discussed school authority to discipline off-campus conduct and the role of cell phones. The committee also heard SB 1636 by Senator Hinojosa, which would limit use of interest and sinking tax revenues to debt service for voter-approved capital projects and not deferred maintenance; school finance witnesses raised concerns that the bill’s language could restrict needed facility maintenance spending and asked for a clearer definition of deferred maintenance. SB 2185, also by Senator Hinojosa, would expand access to the bilingual education allotment for dual-language programs; district officials and educators testified in support, saying it would remove barriers to funding and better support bilingual instruction. SB 604 by Senator West would require the Permanent School Fund Corporation to publicly track bonds backed by the state guarantee program that are downgraded to speculative or junk status, with West arguing the information would provide an early warning sign of district financial distress. Across the hearing, much of the testimony centered on student protection and accountability in schools. Multiple witnesses described educator misconduct cases, failures to report abuse, and the need for outside law enforcement involvement rather than internal district investigations. Committee members repeatedly discussed extending reporting and safety requirements to private and charter schools, and several witnesses urged independent oversight. No bills were voted out; each measure heard was left pending, and the committee recessed subject to the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• First, because our staff has reviewed the bill and determined there is no fiscal.
• The staff of this committee has reviewed the bill.
• they have determined, our professional staff has determined, that there is no fiscal.
• The staff of this committee has reviewed the bill.
• I encourage your staff to review that 943.10. There is no standard in that section.

Committee: Senate Fiscal Policy

Summary: The committee heard and approved several bills. CS for CS for CS SB 138, Trenton’s Law, would broaden DUI and boating-under-the-influence laws to cover any impairing substance, increase penalties for refusal to submit to breath or urine testing, allow blood warrants in misdemeanor DUI/BUI cases, enhance penalties for DUI with death or vehicular homicide involving prior convictions, and authorize DUI diversion programs. Supporters included law enforcement and prosecutors, who said the bill addresses gaps involving over-the-counter drugs and refusal cases; the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers raised concerns about the breadth of the “any impairing substance” language and record consequences for first refusals. The bill was reported favorably. The committee also reported favorably SB 400, which removes the repeal date from Florida’s Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children, and CS for SB 102, which creates a workforce credentialing program for exceptional student education students, especially those with autism, to earn badges for job skills and safety-related competencies. SB 102 drew questions about fiscal impact and teacher training, with supporters emphasizing workforce readiness and parent involvement while some members raised concerns about costs and implementation. SB 130, which updates compensation for wrongfully incarcerated people found factually innocent, was also reported favorably after supporters argued Florida’s current law is too restrictive and too few exonerees have been compensated. The committee then approved CS for CS for SB 296, which repeals the statewide mandate for later middle and high school start times and returns the decision to local districts, while requiring districts to document their analysis of sleep, safety, transportation, and other impacts. An amendment added a reporting requirement to show how districts considered later start times and any unintended consequences. The bill drew broad support from school officials and education groups, with members noting transportation and extracurricular challenges. Finally, SB 234, dealing with criminal offenses against law enforcement officers, was reported favorably after debate over whether the bill should retain “good faith” language and how it would affect defenses and officer accountability. The committee also passed CS for SB 274, designating a portion of International Drive as Harris Rosen Way and adding a memorial designation for the late Senator Geraldine Thompson near the Wells Built Museum; members praised both honorees and the bill was reported favorably. The committee adjourned after recording one member’s request to be shown voting yes on the first bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I will call on staff and everyone to really heed what Mr. Zuber said.
• On staff and everyone to really heed what Mr. Zuber said.
• Staff, I know budget staff and the departments are working incredibly hard to get this right to make
• So could somebody from staff elaborate on the cost of going to the 66-hour workweek?
• Thank you, Chair and staff and members. My name is Richard White.

Committee: Assembly Budget

Transcript Highlights:

• They have no staff. They have no state-owned space.
• And so Wavon has an actual staff that does her licensing.
• So having a full-time staff member is their biggest ask in this area to do that.
• So having a full-time staff itself.
• Obviously, that resulted in an increased workload for staff.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 216, 22 January, 2026; 8:00 AM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're a school that has about 60 staff members.
• And so I know this for the staff.
• Do they have enough to pay for the staff?
• Which of that staff is staff that you actually require them to have, and which are others that are sort
• I think it is additional staff so that workloads are down, that they have the support staff and other

Transcript Highlights:

• So thank you so much for all of the staff work on helping me with this.
• This is why we have good staff, right?
• I'm grateful to you and the committee staff for the hard work and thoughtful analysis on this bill.
• The number of city staff, county staff, COG staff that are spending time, you know, filling out paperwork
• The number of city staff, county staff, COG staff that are spending time filling out paperwork.

Committee: House Housing and Community Development

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think it's Joe Morissette and his staff. He's got a lot of backup staff, and they're both smart.
• So this might be for development staff, a project manager, a business... ...service.
• So it's an all-inclusive rate plus the support staff to do it. Thank you for that.
• So it's an all-inclusive rate plus the support staff to do it. Thank you for that.
• So folks like your... ...my accounting staff, our procurement staff, some of our leadership positions

Committee: Joint Government Finance Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , technical staff that we have on our team that would be happy to probably examine.
• And we've talked about how important it is to onboard staff to ramp up our regulation process so that
• So if we are allocated these resources, we will get to work right away onboarding the staff.
• So to add on, we are implementing some of the plan already through the staff that we have.
• They rely on volunteers, but in order to make this all work, they need full-time staff.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy heard department budget overviews and several budget change proposals from CalRecycle, CalEPA, and DTSC. CalRecycle presented its 2026-27 budget and discussed priorities including edible food recovery, composting, beverage container recycling, and landfill response. Members asked about funding for food recovery grants, processing fees for wine and spirits containers under SB 1013, plastic packaging generation under SB 54, restaurant food waste requirements under SB 1383, and litter cleanup efforts. CalRecycle said edible food recovery has helped recover more than 300 million meals, but there is no sustained funding source; it also explained that beverage container processing fees are set by statute and that new producer responsibility and infrastructure investments are intended to improve recycling rates over time. The committee then heard CalEPA’s overview, including the agency’s response to climate, air quality, water, toxics, and enforcement challenges. Secretary Garcia emphasized federal rollbacks, methane monitoring, AB 617 implementation, safe drinking water progress, Exide cleanup, and pesticide reduction efforts. Members questioned the agency about regional gasoline blends, authority and technical thresholds for landfill intervention, and the growth in the Secretary’s office staffing and budget. CalEPA said the budget increase reflects expanded coordination, technology modernization, hazardous materials response, and legal capacity. The committee also discussed a proposed landfill support, response, and enforcement package for subsurface elevated temperature events, with CalEPA describing a coordinated multi-agency approach and the need for stronger early response tools. DTSC presented its department overview and several BCPs. Director Butler highlighted progress on permit backlog reduction, safer consumer products rulemaking, Exide cleanup, PFAS work, and planning for emerging waste streams such as solar panels and lithium batteries. The Board of Environmental Safety described its oversight role, public meetings, permit appeals, and fee-setting authority, and identified community concerns about cumulative impacts, hazardous waste planning, accessible data, and engagement. The committee also heard a proposal to expand DTSC’s Office of Policy into a statewide planning division to implement hazardous waste management plan recommendations and improve reporting systems. Members raised concerns about whether the new division duplicated existing work, but DTSC said it would fill identified gaps and improve coordination. Public testimony largely supported the proposals, especially ongoing funding for edible food recovery, composting, safer consumer products enforcement, and the coordinated landfill response package. Witnesses from StopWaste, California Against Waste, Waste Management, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, and water advocacy groups urged continued or increased funding for these programs. No votes were taken; the chair held all items open and adjourned the hearing after public comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh<00:41:12.120><c> there</c><00:41:12.280><c> are</c><00:41:12.360><c> staff</c> Uh there are staff
• /c> the the totals include staff costs of a the the totals include staff costs of a new<00:41:16.080>
• Um and also costs five additional staff.
• I hope for the staff to make this run.
• Recommended by staff to change this, or counsel, I should say.

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c><00:15:57.680><c> but</c> to have a superintendent on staff, but to have a superintendent on staff
• </c> consolidate resources to provide staff consolidate resources to provide staff more<00:29:12.399>
• Teachers and staff are offered contracts in April.
• Teachers and staff are offered contracts in April.
• ><c> contracts</c><00:38:38.720><c> in</c> and staff are offered contracts in and staff are offered contracts

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you so much for taking it to be here for our excellent committee staff and your staff, our excellent
• Senate staff.
• Thank you so much for taking it to be here for our excellent committee staff and your staff, our excellent
• Senate staff.

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Summary: The Senate Committee on State Affairs met to consider pending business on three bills. Senator Hughes explained a committee substitute for Senate Bill 2035, which concerns foreign funding of elections. The substitute clarified that income to a U.S. citizen living overseas would not trigger notification, removed new reporting requirements, aligned the bill with existing reporting rules, and shifted civil enforcement to the Attorney General rather than the Ethics Commission. The substitute was adopted and SB 2035 was reported favorably to the full Senate by a 10-0 vote, then recommended for placement on the local and uncontested calendar. The committee then took up Senate Bill 31, the “Life of the Mother Act,” dealing with exceptions to otherwise prohibited abortions based on a physician’s reasonable medical judgment. Senator Hughes said the substitute reflected stakeholder feedback and was intended to further clarify that pregnant women would not be prosecuted, with support from pro-life groups and the medical community. The substitute was adopted and SB 31 was reported favorably to the full Senate by an 11-0 vote, then recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. Finally, the committee considered Senate Bill 2880, relating to abortion pills. Senator Hughes said the substitute focused liability on manufacturers and distributors of abortion pills and imposed civil liability to the fullest extent allowed by law. The substitute was adopted and SB 2880 was reported favorably to the full Senate by a 10-1 vote. After completing the three items, the committee recessed at the call of the chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• is focused primarily on schools right now, it is broken up into little pieces of neuroscience for staff
• injuries, satisfaction,... ...restraint and seclusion rates, staff injuries, satisfaction, exclusion
• Have the one-to-one staff that's needed, for example.
• Psychiatric residential treatment services, nursing staff, clinical staff, physicians, ARNPs have deep
• Who on your staff has the clinical... ...expertise?

Keywords: 907, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you to the staff members that met with me and helped me to prepare for meeting with you today,
• very receptive, and the board worked with the staff to ensure that these programs kept going.
• receptive, and the board worked with the staff to ensure that these programs kept going.
• "I would like to thank everybody on the CHRB staff and everybody on the committee's side and their staff
• And when we walked out, my staff member said to me, we could have gone on for another hour.

Committee: Senate Rules

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• have a deep commitment to trying to get some substantive concerns that I can then bring forward to staff
• But I am the kind of person who really dives into the details in terms of staff analysis and what are
• he has written about it and raised the concern that there was not an economic analysis done by the staff
• I would like to set up conversations with staff and make sure that we are fulfilling the intent of the
• Staff when you need to, right?

Committee: Senate Rules

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And staff will come forward to discuss the bill. Thank you.
• I'm Jared Sacks, staff to the committee.
• Marlon Yannis, staff to the committee.
• Just a question for staff.
• Jared Sacks, staff to the committee.

Bills: SB6053 , SB6134 , SB6147 , SB6106 , SB6045 , SB6135 , SB6128 , SB6282 , SB6068 , SB6303 , SB6290

Committee: Senate Labor & Commerce

Keywords: SB 6053, domestic workers, domestic worker rights, labor protections, minimum wage, overtime, private household employment, nanny, home care worker, personal care provider, housekeeper, cleaner, cook, gardener, household manager, wage theft, retaliation, anti-discrimination, immigration status, privacy rights

Transcript Highlights:

• That includes staff and IT costs, $37 million to backfill federal funds.
• That includes staff and IT costs, $37 million to backfill federal funds.
• So we are not really increasing staff exponentially.
• And also as Senator Chahill said, pass it on to your staff and all the work that you done.
• And also as Senator Chahill said, pass it on to your staff and all the work that you done.

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to make a few adjustments in our schedule today, but thank you to all our committee members and our staff
• I do have a question of staff.
• John Kim, committee staff.
• Any questions for staff? Senator Wilson. Thank you, Madam Chair.
• They have trained staff on the ground in all of our communities.

Summary: The committee first heard Senate Bill 6137 on sports wagering. Staff explained that the bill would allow wagering on collegiate events involving Washington colleges, but would continue to prohibit bets on the performance of individual college athletes. Tribal representatives from the Jamestown S’Klallam, Puyallup, and Kalispel tribes testified in support, saying the bill would keep wagering within the regulated tribal marketplace, protect integrity, and help smaller tribal casinos participate through a hub-and-spoke model. University of Washington and Washington State University representatives supported the ban on individual prop bets and emphasized student-athlete safety, while WSU also argued the bill would expand exposure to harassment and online abuse. No vote was taken. The committee then heard Senate Bill 6079, which would create the Strengthen Washington Homes wildfire mitigation grant program. Staff said the bill would fund grants for wildfire-hardening homes to IBHS standards, authorize pilot projects, and prohibit insurers from using wildfire risk to disqualify homes that meet the standards. Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuder and Senator Marcus Riccelli supported the bill, arguing that wildfire losses and non-renewals are increasing and that upfront mitigation is cheaper than recovery. Local officials and advocates from Medical Lake, Washington Realtors, and climate and wildfire groups also supported the measure. Insurance industry representatives supported the mitigation goals but objected to the bill’s requirement that insurers provide coverage based on IBHS designation and to using the commissioner’s regulatory account as a funding source, saying underwriting still needs to consider broader risk factors. No action was taken. The committee next held a work session and public hearing on Senate Bill 6061, which would create a tourism self-supported assessment program. State of Washington Tourism, the Washington Wine Commission, the Washington Hospitality Association, the Brewers Guild, the Port of Seattle, and rural economic development representatives said the state’s tourism program is underfunded and that an industry-led assessment could provide a stable, competitive funding source. They said the model would be governed by a ratepayer oversight board, subject to ratification, and could generate significant visitor spending and tax revenue over time. Some testimony raised concerns about the scope of eligible businesses and the bill’s references to other industries, but supporters said friendly amendments would refine those details. The committee then heard Senate Bill 5844 on self-storage rental agreements, which would allow electronic agreements, clarify acceptance by continued occupancy, and create a uniform process for termination or nonrenewal for nonpayment or nonmonetary defaults. Self-storage operators supported the bill as a modernization measure that would improve safety and consistency, and no vote was taken on any of the bills heard.

Transcript Highlights:

• Greg Vogel, committee staff.
• Greg Vogel, committee staff.
• Any questions for staff?
• Greg Vogel, committee staff.
• Countless hours of staff time go into these things.

Bills: SB6081 , SB5902 , SB6034 , SB6035 , SB5892 , SB5973

Committee: Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections

Keywords: SB 6081, Washington privacy, sex designation, gender marker, nonbinary, transgender, vital records, birth certificate, death certificate, fetal death, stillbirth, driver license, ID card, Department of Licensing, public records exemption, confidential records, record sealing, data sharing, government records, privacy

Transcript Highlights:

• Matt Sterling, also in OPR staff to the committee. Megan McFadden, OPR staff to the committee.
• Again, I'm Megan McFadden, staff to this committee.
• Again, I'm Megan McFadden, staff to this committee.
• Matt Sterling, staff to the committee.
• Matt Sterling, staff to the committee.

Bills: HB2272 , HB2285 , HB2296

Committee: House Environment & Energy

Keywords: ski areas, winter sports, terminology update, recreation, regulatory changes, carbon capture, clean energy, environmental regulation, sustainability, green technology, distributed energy, renewable energy, energy resources, energy policy, 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So often what we see in our, hire staff is very, very small.
• Price's staff have never done direct service.
• We have staff scattered all throughout. But yes, our staff are heavy travelers.
• But yes, we are a heavily traveled staff. Thank you, Senator Simon." "Thank you.
• We have staff scattered all throughout. But yes, our staff are heavy travelers.

Committee: Senate Children, Families, and Elder Affairs

Summary: The committee held a panel discussion on Florida’s domestic violence system, focusing on how state and federally funded services are coordinated, the role of the Florida Partnership to End Domestic Violence (FPEDV), the Florida Domestic Violence Collaborative, DCF, and certified domestic violence centers. Members reviewed the post-2020 restructuring after the dissolution of FCADV, the current hotline, legal services, training, and technical assistance contracts, and the Legislature’s recent work on lethality assessments under SB 1224. Panelists also described prevention, shelter, counseling, child advocacy, and legal support services, along with the statewide network of 41 certified centers serving all 67 counties. Testimony highlighted both collaboration and tension. FPEDV and Women in Distress described overlapping training and technical assistance roles, but FPEDV said its relationship with DCF has been difficult and at times obstructive, while DCF said communication and coordination are ongoing. Women in Distress and other providers emphasized the importance of direct services, the statewide hotline, injunction assistance, child welfare co-located advocates, and prevention programs. Several members asked about funding flows, certification, and whether the current structure is sufficient for rural counties; witnesses said federal FVPSA funds are formula-based, DCF contracts directly with centers, and rural programs face staffing and fundraising challenges that limit beds and services. A major portion of the discussion centered on the lethality assessment work group and implementation of the new statewide tool. FDLE explained that the work group concluded the Maryland model was copyrighted and costly to replicate exactly, so Florida adopted a statutory assessment that is not evidence-based in the same way, with training available online and 46 of about 400 law enforcement agencies having completed it so far. Senators raised concerns about multiple assessments, redacted police reports, and whether the tool will be useful without better coordination and data collection. Witnesses also discussed rising domestic violence, teen dating violence, and strangulation cases, with providers reporting increased demand, full shelters, and greater use of hotels and mobile crisis responses. No formal votes or actions were taken.