Transcript Highlights:

• Corporatization, i.e., the predominance of private equity in health care, has led to dramatic changes
• Corporatization i.e. the predominance<01:03:58.480><c> of</c><01:03:58.720><c> private</c><01:03:59.039><c> equity
• </c><01:03:59.359><c> in</c><01:03:59.599><c> health</c> predominance of private equity in health predominance
• of private equity in health care<01:04:00.640><c> has</c><01:04:00.960><c> led</c><01:04:01.119><c>

Transcript Highlights:

• We were asked by our businesses in 2020 to develop a program around diversity, equity, inclusion to help
• They are future workforce, and it's very important. around diversity, equity, inclusion to around diversity
• , equity, inclusion to help<02:23:16.560><c> the</c><02:23:16.800><c> business</c><02:23:17.120><c> community
• I mean, there's a difference between treating people equally and treating people with equity.

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Removing the premarital education discount will not only promote fairness and equity for all applicants
• 47:01.359><c> promote</c><00:47:01.760><c> fairness</c><00:47:02.160><c> and</c><00:47:02.480><c> equity
• </c><00:47:02.800><c> for</c><00:47:02.960><c> all</c> only promote fairness and equity for all only
• promote fairness and equity for all applicants,<00:47:04.240><c> but</c><00:47:04.400><c> it</c><00:47

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• to me was that the training currently provided is for conflict of interest, monitoring, diversity, equity
• 46.320><c> in</c><00:31:46.720><c> monitoring</c><00:31:47.720><c> diversity</c><00:31:48.279><c> Equity
• </c> interest in monitoring diversity Equity interest in monitoring diversity Equity inclusion<00:31:

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• These particular rules deal with determination of equity value of property that's available to an assistance
• particular rules deal with determination particular rules deal with determination of<01:32:16.480><c> equity
• c> value</c><01:32:17.159><c> of</c><01:32:17.400><c> property</c><01:32:18.000><c> that's</c> of equity
• value of property that's of equity value of property that's available<01:32:18.679><c> to</c><01:32:

Committee: Senate Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> racial</c> chemical dependency mental health racial chemical dependency mental health racial Equity
• <01:43:43.320><c> culture</c> Equity culture Equity culture competency<01:43:45.480><c> court</c><01:
• further recommended a strategy that would address wage compression and also help ensure internal equity

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• /c><00:18:44.640><c> is</c><00:18:44.799><c> the</c><00:18:44.960><c> Health</c><00:18:45.280><c> Equity
• </c> array our next area is the Health Equity array our next area is the Health Equity Bureau<00:18:46.520
• 47.360><c> work</c><00:18:47.760><c> across</c><00:18:48.240><c> the</c> Our next area is the Health Equity

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• At 30 mph, the kinetic energy of your vehicle is more than twice what it is at 20 mph.
• Destructive kinetic<02:42:37.520><c> energy</c><02:42:38.000><c> in</c><02:42:38.160><c> a</c><02:42:
• 38.399><c> crash</c><02:42:39.040><c> rises</c> kinetic energy in a crash rises kinetic energy in a crash
• At 30 mph, the kinetic energy and death.
• At 30 mph, the kinetic energy of<02:42:48.319><c> your</c><02:42:48.560><c> vehicle</c><02:42:49.120>

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• candidates, and administrators in our city, is something that we really could have spent that time and energy
• This created energy, competition, and legitimacy. This is not an isolated story.
• And not only that, I'm sure you might appreciate not having the extra wasted energy of having to go through

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Election Laws

Summary: The Joint Committee on Election Laws held a public hearing focused primarily on ranked choice voting (RCV) legislation and several local home rule petitions, along with one petition to authorize remote participation in Concord town meetings. Chairs Keenan and Hunt outlined hearing procedures and noted the committee would hear both in-person and virtual testimony. The committee also took testimony on Concord’s request for remote participation in open and special town meetings, with supporters arguing it would make town meeting more accessible to residents with childcare, mobility, work, or disability barriers while preserving direct democracy. A large portion of the hearing centered on RCV local-option bills and municipal petitions from communities including Concord, East Hampton, Salem, Chelsea, Arlington, Revere, Amherst, and others. Supporters—among them local officials, legislators, election advocates, educators, veterans, and nonprofit leaders—said RCV would reduce vote-splitting, encourage more candidates, promote more positive campaigning, improve representation, and increase turnout. East Hampton officials described their existing use of RCV, saying it produced record turnout, was easy for voters to understand with education, and could be expanded to multi-winner races without major added cost. Concord and Amherst witnesses said their voters had already approved local steps toward RCV and urged the committee to let municipalities implement the system without further delay. Testimony in favor of the local-option RCV bill emphasized home rule and local control, with several witnesses arguing the state should not block communities that have already voted to adopt RCV. Speakers from MassVOTE, the AFT Massachusetts, Voter Choice Massachusetts, Progressive Massachusetts, the Boston Teachers Union, and Veterans for All Voters said the reform would strengthen democracy, broaden participation, and save money by avoiding low-turnout preliminary elections. Some witnesses also referenced examples from Cambridge, Maine, and Utah to argue that RCV is workable, nonpartisan, and familiar to voters. The hearing ended with no votes or final committee action taken in the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• With recent spikes in energy prices, the rising cost of living continues to impact our most vulnerable
• With recent spikes in energy prices, the rising cost of living continues to impact our most vulnerable
• over time because of the new requirements, and where you would like the state to really focus our energy

Summary: The committee held its second hearing on CalFresh enrollment and nutrition, focused on the effects of H.R. 1 on eligibility, administration, and food access in California. The Legislative Analyst’s Office and the Department of Social Services outlined major federal changes: expanded work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents, narrowed eligibility for certain lawfully present non-citizens, and new state and county cost-sharing for both administrative and benefit costs. Officials said about 665,000 Californians could lose benefits under the work requirement, roughly 72,000 non-citizens could lose eligibility, and California could face hundreds of millions to billions in new costs depending on error rates and implementation details. DSS described its mitigation efforts, including county guidance, trainings, automation, outreach materials, and coordination with workforce programs, while county representatives argued the workload is larger than current funding assumptions and that staffing and training needs are urgent. Members also heard from a CalFresh recipient, Lauren Keltz, who described how benefits helped her family during her daughter’s medical crisis and how a clerical error led to the loss of food, health, and cash assistance, contributing to homelessness and food insecurity. Her testimony was used to underscore the consequences of administrative errors and benefit disruptions. Grocery and agriculture representatives said CalFresh is not only an anti-hunger program but also a major economic driver, with benefits spent locally at grocery stores, farmers markets, and farm stands. They warned that cuts would reduce demand for fresh food, hurt independent grocers and small farmers, and increase reliance on food banks, while urging continued support for market match and farm-to-food-bank programs. In the second panel, advocates and local administrators emphasized the human and operational impacts of the federal changes. The California Immigrant Policy Center called for expanding the state-funded California Food Assistance Program to cover more immigrants excluded by H.R. 1. A San Francisco eligibility worker and a San Diego county administrator said the new rules will add substantial casework, require more client outreach and exemption screening, and strain already limited staffing. Justice in Aging stressed that CalFresh is a key anti-hunger tool for older adults and people with disabilities, especially as housing and health costs rise, and supported outreach funding for seniors. Throughout the hearing, members discussed the need for state funding, better automation, and stronger county and community partnerships to reduce disenrollment and protect access to food.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know you work in the nuclear energy field, so... Thank you, Senator. I'm curious.
• I know you work in the nuclear energy field. You work with science.
• There's energy in numbers. It's true.

Transcript Highlights:

• So let's just make sure that we are taking heed to this and have this same energy on a lot of other topics
• So let's just make sure that we are taking heed to this and have this same energy on a lot of other topics
• I ask that this entirety of the body have the same energy today, moving forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• and a Senate to have two chambers that would basically work against each other, burn up a lot of energy
• , create a lot of friction, because they thought without that friction, Burn up a lot of energy, create
• So that's why we have two chambers, to burn up the energy, I guess, of this branch of government so that

Transcript Highlights:

• Public Service Commission under energy and environment.
• We have added language to identify funding for siting and construction of nuclear energy facilities,
• Added language to identify funding for the Energy Planning and Inventory Commission.

Committee: House Appropriations & Revenue

Transcript Highlights:

• So in the conversations that I've heard, people say you can't, from the energy standpoint, ship wheat
• So if you went back 50 years ago, river would have been far, far, far greater energy efficiency.
• So their energy utilization efficiency for rail has gotten closer to what river is.

Committees: Joint Transportation , Joint Joint Transportation Committee

Summary: The committee first heard an update on the Joint Transportation Committee study of transportation impacts if the Lower Snake River dams were removed. WSDOT and its consultant described the study as focused on transportation mitigation, not on whether dam removal should occur. They outlined geologic risk work on drawdown and erosion, identified vulnerable embankments and nearby roads, rail, and utilities, and explained a total logistics cost model used to compare base conditions and several future scenarios. Those scenarios included no-dam conditions with new unit-train terminals, short-line rail options, a combined “many solutions” scenario, and a future scenario still to be defined. Members asked about irrigation, impacts in Idaho and Oregon, port capacity, emissions, competition, EV trucks, and whether the model could test reduced grain volumes; staff said the model can estimate transportation changes and costs, but not broader farm-economics impacts. WSU’s independent review said the model had improved but still had limitations in spatial detail, routing accuracy, and testing, and that stakeholder engagement remained important though delayed by model development. No votes were taken. The committee then received an update on the alternative sidewalk funding study. Consultants said the study is in its early information-gathering phase, with a statewide survey of cities and counties, interviews, national research, and legal review of possible funding mechanisms. They described current sidewalk funding as fragmented, with grants, transportation benefit districts, levies, and some utility-tax allocations used in Washington, but no dedicated statewide source. They said the study is especially examining a possible sidewalk utility fee, while parcel taxes appear unlikely under Washington’s property-tax rules. Members asked whether any new mechanism would duplicate existing taxes, how a sidewalk fee would be collected, and whether development requirements for sidewalks count as dedicated funding; the consultants said the study is aimed at expanding local options rather than mandating adoption. Deliverables include a preliminary draft by mid-December, a “Sidewalks 101” document by year-end, and a final report by mid-June next year. The committee also heard a brief update on the ocean-going vessels at berth emissions study. Staff explained that the report is nearing completion and will be presented at the next JTC meeting. They highlighted federal Clean Air Act constraints, noting that Washington’s options are shaped by California’s waiver-based standards and that deviations from California’s vessel-at-berth rules could invite litigation. Staff said stakeholder outreach is underway and asked for any missing participants to be identified before the final report is issued. Finally, the committee began hearing from county representatives on local transportation challenges. The county engineers’ association emphasized ongoing collaboration with state agencies and local partners on issues such as fish passage barriers and infrastructure needs, but the presentation was cut off as the meeting moved on to the next item.

Transcript Highlights:

• So in the conversations that I've heard, people say you can't, from the energy standpoint, ship wheat
• So if you went back 50 years ago, river would have been far, far, far greater energy efficiency.
• So their energy utilization efficiency for rail has gotten closer to what river is.

Committee: Joint Joint Transportation Committee

Summary: The committee first heard an update on the Joint Transportation Committee study of transportation impacts if the Lower Snake River dams were removed. WSDOT and Jacobs described the study’s phases, including current work on geology, infrastructure risk, and a total logistics cost model. They explained that the study is examining how freight now moved by barge—especially wheat, fertilizer, and wood—could shift to rail and roads, and they outlined several scenarios ranging from no-dam future conditions to new unit-train terminals, short-line rail options, and a combined “many solutions” scenario. Members asked about irrigation, impacts in Idaho and Oregon, port capacity, emissions, competition, EV trucks, and whether the model could estimate transportation effects if grain volumes decline. The presenters said the study assumes current production levels continue, does not model irrigation changes or broader farm-economics impacts, but does account for transloading costs and can estimate transportation impacts under different volume assumptions. WSU’s independent review team said the model has improved substantially but still needed refinement, especially in routing, road data, and spatial detail, and that stakeholder engagement had been strong though delayed by model development. No votes were taken. The committee then received a presentation on the alternative sidewalk funding study. Staff and consultants said the study is exploring ways local governments could sustainably fund sidewalk maintenance, repair, and new construction, using a statewide survey, interviews, national research, and case studies in eight jurisdictions. They noted sidewalks are important for pedestrian safety and connectivity, but there is no dedicated funding source in Washington, and existing grants and local revenue tools are highly competitive or limited. The consultants highlighted sidewalk fees or utility-style charges as the most promising option to study, while a parcel tax was largely set aside because of state property-tax uniformity concerns. Members asked whether the study would duplicate existing funding or add to current taxes, and how a sidewalk fee would be collected; the consultants said the goal is to expand local options, not mandate adoption, and that fees would likely be billed through utilities rather than property taxes. A preliminary draft report is due December 15, with a final report due in mid-June. Next, staff gave a brief update on the ocean-going vessels study, which is examining shore power and emissions rules for vessels at berth. The presenter explained that federal Clean Air Act rules and California waiver authority create legal limits on how far Washington can go if it wants to adopt similar standards, and that deviations from California’s approach can increase litigation risk. The report will summarize stakeholder outreach and will be presented in draft form at the next JTC meeting. Finally, county engineers from Chelan and Douglas counties began a presentation on county transportation challenges, with the association’s director emphasizing collaboration with state agencies and local partners on issues such as fish passage barriers and infrastructure needs. The county presentation was only beginning when the transcript ended, and no committee action or votes were recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• Under the Energy, Mineral, and Natural Resources Department, you will see a number of statewide 2023
• no activity and then extending the time for a project that may not be viable or just not have any energy
• Not have any energy behind it.

Transcript Highlights:

• visited, uh, some of the stuff that they're doing is exactly in the areas such as, you know, clean energy
• they are utilizing some of their land to, uh, you know, develop wind turbines that actually produce energy
• recently, which, you know, a lot of NSF, a lot of, I mean, we we know USDA, um, some Department of Energy

Transcript Highlights:

• I always looked at it as being energy stuff. That's an energy thing.
• I don't want nothing with energy.

Transcript Highlights:

• These are everyday Floridians who give their time and energy to ensure we as citizens have a voice in
• formally known as the Gulf of Mexico is Important, our great nation is vital to reestablishing American energy
• Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, we understand how much we rely on the Gulf for food, energy

Bills: HB 9 , HB 22 , HB 908 , HB 1392