Transcript Highlights:

• We understand our election infrastructure, and we can respond to emerging threats proactively.
• </c> respond to emerging threats proactively. respond to emerging threats proactively.
• Uh, so the only thing that can operate on it is the EOB book application, and it is on a secure network
• But it does operate without internet connectivity.
• </c><00:18:22.400><c> internet</c> But it does operate without internet But it does operate without internet

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Attendance Roll Call 00:00:14 Approval of Minutes 00:00:40 State Board of Elections 00:00:56, 958, all

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government met to hear an update from the State Board of Elections on its Bluegrass Books electronic poll book system. Rachel Pointer and Richard House described the project as an in-house modernization effort intended to improve security, customization, integration with the voter registration system, reduce voter wait times, streamline supplemental and provisional ballot processing, and provide year-round local support to county clerks and poll workers. They emphasized that the system is already a working product, not just a concept, and showed a workflow demonstration of voter lookup, signature capture, ballot issuance, manual lookup, and handling voters who have already voted. The agency also outlined the financial rationale for the project, saying the state currently lacks dedicated funding for replacing the iPads used for election-day poll books and that counties now bear vendor maintenance and support costs. Under Bluegrass Books, the state would seek to cover hardware replacement, maintenance, and on-site support through future appropriations, potentially using bulk purchasing to lower costs. When asked about the size of the appropriation request, the presenters said it was not yet finalized but noted roughly 7,000 devices are deployed statewide and replacement would likely be phased rather than done all at once. Members asked about security and whether the e-poll book could affect vote totals. The Board explained that the e-poll book is separate from ballot casting, that voting machines themselves are not connected to the internet, and that the poll book is networked only to update check-ins and prevent double voting. They said the device is locked down to the poll book application and can operate offline until connectivity returns. A member also asked how to recruit more poll workers; the response suggested higher pay is the main incentive, along with outreach to schools, community colleges, and possible pilot programs involving professionals. The meeting concluded without any votes or formal action beyond approval of minutes, and the next meeting was announced for January 29, weather permitting.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill does public policy things having to do with opioid overdose emergencies.
• This bill does public policy things having to do with opioid overdose emergencies.
• It has to do with people in an emergency having an overdose and needing immediate care, the use of these
• They're required to report things about their acts and operations, as may be required by law or by the
• It was in an emergency-relief posture.

Committee: House Rules

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill would allow a pharmacist to dispense multiple emergency refills of insulin that... ...do not
• The emergency refill of insulin-related equipment or supplies may not exceed the smallest commercially
• So this is basically just saying when we're able to give an emergency supply, if it happens to go beyond
• To me, I've worked in HIV testing before, and I have worked in the emergency department.
• You know, whatever it is, they come in in an emergency fashion and we usually do gonorrhea and chlamydia

Bills: HB50

Committee: Senate Health & Human Services

Keywords: constitutional amendment, ballot language, fiscal note, fiscal impact, cost estimate, savings estimate, Legislative Budget Board, LBB, secretary of state, Election Code, Government Code, voter information, ballot proposition, state budget, election administration, Texas, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• small businesses, finance projects such as energy efficiency upgrades, solar installations, and emergency
• I'd have to get back with you about the needs that are, you know, emerging.
• A normal modernization grant's value exceeds the entire operating budget for our district in Creston,
• and it matches the total operating budget for Wilbur when we receive one.
• In 2024, the legislature made a founding investment of $800,000 in our operation.

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee held its first meeting of the 2026 session to hear Governor Ferguson’s proposed supplemental capital budget from OFM. Budget staff said the proposal uses nearly all of the roughly $400 million in available bond capacity, leaving about $5.4 million unused, and includes additional funding from the Common School Construction account, the Climate Commitment Account, and federal funds. OFM described housing as the largest priority, with $237 million total, including $225 million for the Housing Trust Fund for affordable rental housing, homeownership, preservation, and manufactured home community acquisition; it also highlighted urgent state facility needs, climate and clean energy investments, natural resource projects, and education funding for school seismic safety, small district and tribal compact school modernization, lead pipe remediation, and higher education preservation projects. Committee members asked about the timing of housing production, and OFM said the proposed supplemental projects would not be completed within the biennium. Public testimony in the housing section strongly supported the governor’s housing investments, especially the Housing Trust Fund, manufactured housing preservation, and homeownership programs, while several speakers asked for larger appropriations for workforce housing, community land trusts, right-to-counsel, and specific local projects such as Thrive Center Tacoma, Alliance Place, Casa Mia, and Native and immigrant community facilities. One testifier criticized overall state tax policy, but the chair clarified that the capital budget is bonded and does not directly raise taxes. Testimony on K-12 education generally supported the proposed funding for small school modernization, seismic safety, and Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools lead remediation, with rural districts emphasizing the importance of planning and construction grants for aging facilities. Higher education witnesses supported preservation and deferred maintenance funding but asked for additional support for projects at Cascadia College, WSU Spokane, UW’s decarbonization work, and other campus infrastructure needs. Natural resources testimony backed Salmon Recovery Funding Board and community forest investments, while asking for more funding for ranked RCO projects. In the final section, local governments and utilities opposed a proposed $75 million transfer from the Public Works Assistance account to the operating budget, warning it would reduce infrastructure lending capacity; other speakers supported the Washington State Green Bank, public works financing, and several local economic development and utility projects. No votes or formal committee action were taken at the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are trained in patrol operations, investigations, use of force, detention operations, crisis response
• We operate under strict rules of engagement, high standards, and real consequences.
• The AG is responsible for protecting consumers against fraud, and she has a robust operation in house
• The critical infrastructure we're looking at is state-owned or operated gas or oil production, storage
• It includes reasonable exemptions for authorized operators, utilities, and individuals operating drones

Bills: SB1020 , SB1107 , SB1117 , SB1160 , SB1216 , SB1308

Committee: Senate Public Safety

Keywords: special plates, Arizona Space Commission, transportation, funding, space exploration, peace officer certification, police certification, law enforcement licensing, Arizona POST, peace officer standards and training, military police, veterans, honorably discharged, veteran hiring, abbreviated academy, law enforcement recruitment, public safety, community policing, background investigation, psychological fitness

Transcript Highlights:

• But I know women and women who are in the sex trade today who are still posting ads and operating in
• They want to recover from health care emergencies.
• The emergency room provides primary care, no matter what your ability to pay is.
• Come from an emergency room, primary care that is never reimbursed, you know, at times.
• These providers are already operating on paper-thin margins. The consumer...

Summary: The committee held public hearings on several bills. SB 5720 would enact the Uniform Consumer Debt Default Judgments Act, adding complaint and notice requirements before default judgments in consumer debt cases and preserving existing debt-buyer protections; the sponsor and witnesses from consumer and collection groups described it as a compromise measure, and there was broad support with 53 people signed in pro. SB 5833 would allow a vehicle to remain running for up to 30 minutes to keep a pet safe from heat or cold; the sponsor said he would amend liability language, while animal control and police groups raised concerns about shifting the focus away from animal welfare and creating liability issues, though many sign-ins were pro (107 pro, 4 con). SB 5936 would update human trafficking law by allowing prosecution of business entities that knowingly benefit from trafficking, adding confidentiality protections for victims, and creating a process for T and U visa certifications; survivors and advocacy groups supported it, while hospitality and law enforcement groups asked for clarifying amendments, especially on business liability and duplicative visa procedures, and sign-ins showed 24 pro and 283 con. SB 5993 would prohibit interest on new and unpaid medical debt and shorten enforcement of judgments involving medical debt to six years without renewal; supporters said it would reduce financial harm and help patients, while hospitals, physicians, collectors, and business groups warned it could discourage payment and worsen provider finances, especially for rural hospitals, with 129 sign-ins pro and no con sign-ins. Finally, SB 5735 would create state standards for labeling imitation firearms, including BB guns and toy guns, with advisories and penalties for altered markings; the sponsor said it was intended to reduce mistaken shootings, while gun-rights and firearms-training witnesses argued federal law already covers the issue and that the bill would burden lawful training and competition, with 8 pro and 184 con sign-ins. The committee closed each public hearing and adjourned without recorded votes on the bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Schools<00:27:22.560><c> already</c><00:27:23.080><c> operate</c> Schools already operate Schools
• Thank you, Senator. freestanding emergency rooms and where freestanding emergency rooms and where if<
• room, uh one of these an emergency room, uh one of these freestanding<00:34:54.639><c> emergency</c>
• In addition, freestanding emergency departments drive up costs because they bill at hospital emergency
• </c><00:37:08.320><c> department</c> bill at hospital emergency department bill at hospital emergency

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm here to present SB 742, the Wildfire and Emergency Management Act.
• SB 742 will also require utilities to participate in emergency operations centers to streamline collaboration
• revealed delayed response times for firefighters, raising the need for better coordination with emergency
• We change the date bar with the CPUC must update the general order, January 1, 2028, at emergency to
• reference this to the local operation center, local emergency operation center, make explicit that abandoned

Summary: The Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications heard two bills. SB 742 by Senator Perez, the Wildfire and Emergency Management Act, would require investor-owned utilities to inventory and remove permanently abandoned or decommissioned transmission lines, update CPUC General Order 95, and participate more directly in emergency operations centers. The bill was presented as a response to the Eaton Fire and concerns that an unused transmission line may have contributed to the ignition. Supporters, including TURN and a utility wildfire survivor coalition representative, argued that abandoned lines are a serious wildfire risk and that utilities should be required to create removal plans and timelines. Senators raised questions about implementation, CPUC oversight, and ratepayer impacts, but the author and supporters said the bill is designed to reduce future fire and litigation costs. The committee adopted amendments and voted 12-0 to pass SB 742 as amended to Senate Appropriations, holding the roll open briefly before closing it. The committee also heard SB 327 by Senator McNerney, which would bar investor-owned utilities from using ratepayer funds to oppose municipal utility formation or expansion and would clarify the Public Advocates Office’s authority to inspect utility books and accounts. TURN and California Environmental Voters supported the bill, saying ratepayer money should not be used for political lobbying and that the Public Advocates Office needs clear statutory authority to investigate misuse of funds. PG&E and SDG&E/Southern California Gas opposed the bill unless amended, saying some of the cited lobbying costs were not recovered from ratepayers, that the bill could blur the roles of the CPUC and the Public Advocates Office, and that due process concerns remain. After discussion about clarity and amendments, the committee voted 10-3 to pass SB 327 as amended to Senate Appropriations, and the hearing adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is that how that operates?
• It also pays for the salaries and operations of the fund.
• For what it's worth, for emergency funding, there has to be a federally declared emergency.
• They then leased it out and had a separate operator, if you will.
• The operators say, well, it needs all this stuff fixed.

Summary: The task force met to focus on funding systems and incentive structures for a proposed regional waste infrastructure effort, including how a future WIPA framework might support solid waste planning in the Willamette Valley. Staff and members heard presentations from DEQ on the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, from Business Oregon on the Special Public Works Fund, and from Oregon State Treasury on state bonding capacity and the bond issuance process. Presenters explained how their programs are structured, how projects are scored or approved, what kinds of public entities and projects are eligible, and how interagency coordination and co-funding can work. DEQ emphasized that its revolving loan fund is driven by water-quality benefits and public-health criteria, while Business Oregon described a broader infrastructure loan program for public entities with no scoring system, and Treasury outlined the state’s debt-capacity process and the differences between general obligation and lottery bonds. Members used the presentations to discuss whether similar funding tools could support solid waste infrastructure, especially for transfer stations, regional hubs, and related facilities that may need to be built before Coffin Butte reaches the end of its lifespan. Several questions centered on whether public-private partnerships could qualify, whether equipment inside facilities could be financed, how repayment would work, and whether planning costs could be covered. DEQ and Business Oregon both said they could potentially collaborate on scoring or co-funding, but noted eligibility limits and the need for public ownership in many cases. Treasury said bond capacity is limited and competitive, especially for lottery bonds, and that project authorization generally runs on a two-year cycle, though unused authority can sometimes be reauthorized. In task force discussion, members debated whether the group should pursue a dedicated funding lane for the seven-county region rather than having local governments compete with other statewide needs. Some members stressed the importance of criteria to avoid stranded assets and to ensure funding is available when projects are ready, while others raised concerns about how cities and counties would generate revenue to repay debt during construction and early operations. The group also discussed flow control, system fees, and the need for regional collaboration among counties, cities, and haulers to create enough waste volume to support new infrastructure. Staff noted that pre-session filing materials for the legislature are due September 11, and the chair said the August meeting will focus on organizational structure and identifying partners. During public comment, Representative Kevin Mannix submitted written testimony supporting the WIPA concept and urging the task force to endorse it. Commissioner Bubba King of Yamhill County urged the task force to compare alternatives objectively and warned against adding bureaucracy before evaluating existing infrastructure and costs. Commissioners Kevin Cameron and Roger Nyquist of Marion and Linn counties described regional hub-and-spoke concepts, transfer stations, and intermodal options, emphasizing the need for planning, strategic siting, and collaboration with haulers and local governments.

Transcript Highlights:

• entrances,</c><01:08:57.440><c> drives,</c> and ice, emergency entrances, drives, and ice, emergency
• </c><01:09:48.759><c> that</c> have a snow command operation that have a snow command operation that
• ,</c> and complex equipment operation, and complex equipment operation, ensuring<01:14:19.080><c> that
• </c> cases, you know, the operational cases, you know, the operational procedures<01:42:41.280><c> is
• </c><01:53:07.120><c> alerts,</c> communities and emergency alerts, communities and emergency alerts,

Committee: Senate State and Local Government

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• this fireworks facility was far beyond what anyone would have expected, but they had no permit to operate
• this fireworks facility was far beyond what anyone would have expected, but they had no permit to operate
• Emergency responders can plan accordingly, knowing what's in the facility, and unauthorized facilities
• Just as importantly, it provides fire departments the advanced knowledge necessary to pre-plan emergency
• My name is James Eadie, speaking on my own behalf as a state-licensed pyrotechnic operator.

Committee: Senate Governmental Organization

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Section two describes the emergency personnel survivors benefit review board.
• Section three regards the emergency personnel survivors benefit special fund.
• </c> of the four new categories of emergency of the four new categories of emergency personnel<00:18:
• </c><00:18:49.159><c> personnel</c> regards the emergency personnel regards the emergency personnel survivors
• </c> that frequent to replenish the emergency that frequent to replenish the emergency personnel<00:21

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> was an increase for the operating costs. was an increase for the operating costs.
• </c> not really fully up and operational. not really fully up and operational.
• ><c> postsecary</c> emergency assistance for postsecary emergency assistance for postsecary students,
• </c> in the region that um emergency in the region that um emergency management<00:26:24.159><c> folks
• </c> riders into operations and maintenance. riders into operations and maintenance.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Higher Education Finance and Policy Conference Committee met publicly to compare House and Senate positions on the higher education budget, with the chairs emphasizing transparency and alternating gavel control. Nonpartisan fiscal staff walked through a spreadsheet of differences across the Office of Higher Education and Minnesota State, including major items such as state grants, childcare grants, work study, tribal college grants, emergency assistance grants, hunger-free campus grants, student parent support, direct admissions, paramedic scholarships, and several medical residency and fellowship programs. The House and Senate also differed on administrative funding, campus sexual assault reporting, and a House FY25 cancellation that would be carried forward. Members discussed several of the larger policy and funding choices. The Senate explained its increase for Minitex as support for operating costs and statewide access to information. The House explained its cuts to student parent support and other items as necessary to work within a zero target and to prioritize direct aid to students, while the Senate said it focused on direct appropriations and access-related programs. On hunger-free campus grants and emergency assistance grants, the Senate said it was changing the distribution method and direct appropriations rather than reducing the overall money, while the House noted differences in whether nonprofit institutions remained included. The committee also reviewed Senate-only additions and reductions in Minnesota State, including free course materials, Lake Superior College remediation, and changes to the Kids on Campus appropriation. A representative from Lake Superior College testified that the PAS remediation funding would help address contamination issues at an emergency training site near Lake Superior and that the money was shifted from the Kids on Campus initiative. No final conference agreement or vote was taken in the portion of the meeting provided; the committee continued discussing differences and testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• Operating for 20 years? Correct. Got it.
• HFCs that are operating in the Austin area.
• Documents and operational documents restrict where HFCs can operate.
• Of emergency repairs that you may have to do.
• In 2014, at the age of 31, I underwent emergency heart surgery.

Bills: HB21 , HB211 , HB223 , HB323 , HB524 , HB530 , HB636 , HB762 , HB21 , HB211 , HB223

Committee: House Intergovernmental Affairs

Keywords: housing finance, multifamily residential, low income, tax exemption, audit requirements, affordable housing, local government, development bonds, housing assistance, financial assistance, low income housing, community support, affordability, veterans housing, community involvement, air conditioning, tenant support, healthcare, elderly, taxation

Transcript Highlights:

• I have a young honorary niece who has been in every emergency room in Bernalillo County.
• campus in Bernalillo County for being in between the two emergency rooms.
• We see a rise in our emergency rooms and everywhere else—in the courts and everything.
• So it really is important to us that we don't disturb agency operations.
• We are looking at some operational improvements as well.

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The corporate net operating expenses—I’m not sure about that specific policy—but our forecast at least
• The main changes would include defining what qualifies as best interest days and family emergencies.
• The last proposal on the agenda is licensing during emergencies and disasters for SB 582.
• The last proposal on the agenda is licensing during emergencies and disasters for SB 582.
• due to destruction, significant damage, or closure due to a state or federal emergency declaration.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittees on early childhood education heard a broad review of the Governor’s child care and preschool budget proposals, with testimony from the Department of Finance, the Department of Social Services (CDSS), the California Department of Education (CDE), and the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO). The main topics were cost-of-care-plus and COLA adjustments, the California State Preschool Program, child care slot reductions tied to federal and Proposition 64 funding changes, disaster recovery grants for child care facilities, trailer bill proposals on family fees and absences, prospective pay, and several budget change proposals for departmental staffing and licensing. Officials also discussed the state’s transition toward an alternative methodology for setting rates based on the true cost of care. On rate reform, CDSS and CDE said the current reimbursement system remains below the alternative methodology in many counties and that providers continue to struggle with recruitment and retention. The LAO recommended aligning cost-of-care-plus increases across provider types, while CDE urged that any COLA be added to base rates rather than cost-of-care-plus payments because providers view the latter as less ongoing. CDSS said the next alternative methodology update will be developed with a contractor during fiscal year 2026-27, with public engagement and legislative input, and estimated that fully transitioning to rates informed by the methodology would take about 24 months once policy and funding are in place. CDSS also said the direct-service cost of care under the methodology was estimated at about $18.7 billion in a July 2025 report. A major point of contention was the proposed reduction of 4,167 child care slots due to lower federal CCDF funding and reduced Proposition 64 revenue. CDSS said it expects to absorb the reduction through unspent funds and relinquishments so currently enrolled children are not disrupted, while the LAO supported the reduction as a way to avoid worsening the structural deficit. Members strongly objected to the slot cuts, arguing the administration has repeatedly proposed reductions after prior budget agreements and emphasizing the economic and family benefits of child care. The committee also discussed preschool enrollment trends, including growth in three-year-old enrollment and a sharp increase in two-year-olds served under a temporary provision, with CDE warning that the temporary two-year-old authority expires in 2027. The committee also reviewed an $11.5 million Proposition 64 proposal for child care infrastructure grants for facilities impacted by 2025 state disasters, especially the Los Angeles fires, and members asked for trailer bill language to make the funds flexible for repairs, equipment, insurance, and permitting. On trailer bill items, the panel discussed codifying family fee reimbursement rules, defining excessive unexplained absences to allow disenrollment after prolonged nonuse, and expanding temporary provider absences; CDSS said the absence policy is meant to mirror federal CCDF rules, while CDE said it is already pursuing its own rulemaking. The hearing also covered prospective pay, with CDSS and CDE saying they are waiting for final federal guidance before moving ahead; LAO said the state could save ongoing costs if the federal requirement is rescinded. Finally, the committee reviewed staffing and support budget requests for CDSS and other implementation items, and held several items open for further discussion before the May Revision. Public comment overwhelmingly urged full funding for child care slots, true cost-of-care payments, and ongoing support for early education programs and county offices of education.

Transcript Highlights:

• Those fees are deposited into a restricted account and used solely for the operation of the commission
• Those fees are deposited into a restricted account and used solely for the operation of the commission
• </c> operation of the commission. operation of the commission.
• </c> uh and declaring an emergency. uh and declaring an emergency.
• So, if there's an emergency event, gone.

Committee: House Transportation

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The reason this is true has a lot to do with how much it costs to build, deploy, and operate networks
• The reason this is true has a lot to do with how much it costs to build, deploy, and operate networks
• We want to share all of the experience of 19 years of operation with you. So I have three topics.
• Further, the California Emerging Technology Fund actually sits on the California Broadband Council.
• The California Emerging Technology Fund actually sits on the California Broadband Council. Why?

Summary: The Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee held an informational hearing on the state of broadband affordability in California. Chair Tasha Berner said the committee was examining how broadband prices, access, and affordability are affecting households, especially after the end of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program and amid concerns about federal resistance to state broadband regulation. She noted the committee’s continued interest in policy options for 2026 and referenced prior legislation, including AB 353, that would have required affordable home internet as a condition of doing business in California. Industry witnesses from U.S. Telecom and CTIA argued that broadband and wireless prices have generally fallen in real terms even as inflation and other household costs have risen, citing competition, infrastructure investment, and faster speeds as the main drivers. They said California’s higher costs are tied to permitting delays, taxes, copper theft, and legacy obligations such as COLR requirements, and they urged the Legislature to preserve market incentives, reduce fees and regulatory burdens, and support infrastructure deployment. They also discussed fixed wireless access, federal BEAD funding, and Universal Service Fund reform, arguing that more entities benefiting from networks, including tech platforms, should contribute to support programs. Consumer and public-interest witnesses presented a different view, saying California still has a serious affordability and adoption problem, especially for low-income households. Sunny McPhee of the California Emerging Technology Fund said broadband adoption has improved dramatically over time, but about 500,000 households remain offline or underconnected and many low-income households still pay above the FCC affordability benchmark. Ernesto Falcon of the CPUC Public Advocates Office said California’s market is losing its competitive edge, with prices higher than in other states and meaningful price pressure coming mainly from fiber competition at the gigabit tier. He said roughly 4.8 million Californians are limited to one gigabit option and estimated that more competition could save consumers more than $1 billion annually. Both witnesses emphasized the need for stronger transparency, targeted subsidies, and a permanent affordability solution, including extending and refining the CPUC broadband Lifeline pilot and advancing SB 716. Public commenters, including representatives from cable providers, nonprofits, and digital equity organizations, largely supported SB 716 and a permanent broadband affordability program. Several urged the committee to remove a cap on the Lifeline program, expand the CPUC pilot, and invest in digital navigators, outreach, and enrollment assistance. The hearing ended without a vote or formal action, after the chair thanked the witnesses and public commenters for their testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we have CARB here, emerging opportunities for ZEVs. Oh, here we go. Cap and Trades.
• I think that your question was some details about the emerging opportunities, right? Funding.
• I think that your question was some details about the emerging opportunities. Right. Funding.
• So those, the types of projects that we fund and the emerging opportunities been are the technologies
• So they interface... ...to operate their share of the program, which is very substantial.

Summary: The committee hearing focused heavily on CARB’s broad trailer bill request for regulatory fee authority. Finance and CARB argued the proposal would let CARB develop fees to recover reasonable costs for implementing and enforcing regulations, while the LAO recommended rejection because the authority was too broad, could apply to an entire division of code, and would delegate core legislative taxing/fee-setting power without enough guardrails. Members from both parties raised concerns about the breadth of the authority, accountability, affordability impacts, and whether the Legislature would be put in an up-or-down position after CARB had already developed regulations. CARB responded that fees would still go through a budget change proposal and legislative approval before collection, and cited existing examples such as transport refrigeration units and commercial harborcraft fees. The committee then reviewed CARB’s request for permanent resources to implement SB 905 on carbon capture, utilization, storage, and carbon dioxide removal. CARB said the Legislature had previously authorized limited-term positions and funding, but it had struggled to recruit and retain staff with specialized regulatory and technical expertise, and that the work had included pre-rulemaking contracts, technology review, and permit-related preparation. Members questioned the pace of work, the use of limited-term positions, and whether additional permitting authority would be needed. CARB said it hoped to begin rulemaking later in the year if permanent resources were approved. Members also discussed the cap-and-trade spending plan, noting lower-than-expected auction revenues but higher interest earnings, and the need to monitor the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and possible May Revision changes. The committee then heard overviews of the zero-emission vehicle package, the Community Air Protection Program, demand-side grid support, and e-bike incentives. CARB described ongoing investments in community-based transportation equity, drayage trucks, harbor craft, and other clean technology demonstrations, while members pressed on affordability, program duplication, and whether enough funding was being directed to incentive programs. No formal votes were taken during the portion provided, and the chair repeatedly indicated that the hearing was intended to surface concerns for later budget negotiations.

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair, and Representative Garrett and Senator O'Malley, whenever we're talking about emergency
• It's not a great source of funding for emergency projects, right?
• , but then provide for an emergency application process as well.
• So in scenarios where we have those emergencies, we're kind of that centrally located entity to help
• To the economic benefits that it can accrue to some of these illegal operations.

Committee: Senate Senate Conservation

Keywords: 996, all