Transcript Highlights:

• AB 1335 is about equity and fairness for the disability community.
• This bill is sponsored by the California Disability Services Association.
• Colleagues, this bill levels the playing field for those with disabilities seeking employment.
• I encourage you to join me in advocating for the disability community.
• I encourage you to join me in advocating for the disability community.

Summary: The Assembly Human Services Committee met with quorum established after beginning as a subcommittee. The committee heard AB 790, which would require jurisdictions receiving state homelessness funds to develop systems specifically supporting women and children, especially single mothers and survivors of domestic violence. Supporters said current homelessness programs overlook this population; the bill was amended and passed unanimously on a 7-0 vote. The committee also heard ACA 4, the Housing Opportunities Made Equal Act, which would dedicate a minimum share of the state general fund to affordable housing and homelessness programs. Supporters argued more stable funding is needed to address the housing crisis, while opponents questioned whether more spending would help; the measure passed 5-2 to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Members then heard AB 349, which would index the infant supplement for parenting foster youth to inflation. The author and sponsor described the needs of pregnant and parenting teens in foster care and rising costs for diapers and formula; the bill passed 6-0 to Appropriations. AB 779, which expands a domestic violence consultant pilot in child welfare offices statewide, also passed 6-0 after testimony that it would help keep families together safely and improve trauma-informed responses. AB 1335, which would remove a private CARF accreditation requirement for regional center employment programs and rely on state oversight instead, drew support from disability service providers but opposition from the chair over concerns about weakening quality checks; it failed on a 2-2 vote and reconsideration was denied. The committee also considered AB 1066, a bill to bar state-funded immigration legal services for people unlawfully present in the country who have certain serious felony convictions. Supporters framed it as a public-safety and fiscal-responsibility measure, while opponents said it would restrict due process and align California with mass-deportation policies. The bill failed on a 2-2 vote. Two bills, AB 277 and AB 318, were pulled by the author and not heard. After final roll calls on absent members, the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• We stand in Disability Law Center.
• . disability. disability.
• This is a disabilities as well.
• the Individuals with Disabilities the Individuals with Disabilities Education<00:14:35.240> Act
• students with disabilities. students with disabilities.

Bills: HF3493, HF4114

Keywords: safe schools, charter schools, nonpublic schools, Tribal education, funding increase, special education, funding, education finance, appropriations, budget, cross subsidy

Transcript Highlights:

• 14% of our population have a disability, 14% are mobility disabled like me, and half of those are kūpuna
• 14% of our population have a disability, 14% are mobility disabled like me, and half of those are kūpuna
• 14% of our population have a disability, 14% are mobility disabled like me, and half of those are kūpuna
• disability 14% are Mobility disabled disability 14% are Mobility disabled like<01:04:26.880>
• the majority of my own disability the majority of my own disability accommodation<01:04:39.440><

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House convened, completed roll call with 48 members present and three excused, deferred reading of the journal, and received Senate communications noting adoption of House Concurrent Resolutions Nos. 1 and 2. The chamber also recognized several visiting groups and guests, including Congresswoman Jill Tuda, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii participants and students, Okinawan visitors, Farrington High School students, James Campbell High School students, and Waiau High School students, many of whom were introduced in connection with Chamber Week activities and educational presentations. The main business was unfinished business on House Resolutions 6 and 7, which adopted the House rules for the 33rd Legislature, including rules for the Committee on Standards of Conduct. Members generally supported the rules package as a transparency and modernization update, citing earlier public access to testimony, a public list of Speaker appointees, changes to conference committee eligibility, telework for staff, social media guidance, and a public list of bills introduced by request. Several members raised reservations or opposition, focusing on concerns about staff involvement in approving written remarks, budget information timing, the Vice Speaker’s role, social media/free speech issues, and whether some changes reduced public access or conflicted with constitutional open-meeting requirements. No vote on the rules package is recorded in the excerpt. The debate ended with multiple members yielding time and the discussion continuing on the merits of the proposed rule changes, especially the balance between transparency, internal House procedure, and public participation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is it and or or as far as elderly and disabled or elderly or disabled? I saw it both ways.
• disabled and elderly on a fixed income. disabled and elderly on a fixed income.
• <00:13:03.760> I<00:13:04.000> saw disabled or elderly or disabled?
• with disability. with disability.
• income or they could be uh disabled. income or they could be uh disabled.

Bills: HB87, HB96, HB28, HB87, HB96, HB28

Keywords: HB87, Marengo County, coroner, deputy coroner, county commission, expense allowance, mileage allowance, travel reimbursement, local act, local legislation, county general fund, public official compensation, county office, Section 45-46-60, Alabama Code, salary increase, allowance increase, National Signing Day, athletic scholarships, military enlistment

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:02:07.399> and for individuals with disabilities and for individuals with disabilities
• also are part of the disability also are part of the disability Community<00:08:07.080> as
• the rights of people with disabilities the rights of people with disabilities and<00:14:55.000><
• As we really look at the Human Services disability division, they started in 2016.
• there are individuals with disabilities there are individuals with disabilities individuals<01:19

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• My caregivers help me with daily tasks that I cannot do on my own because of my disability.
• Thank you for your time and for supporting California's disability community.
• Thank you for your time and for supporting California's disability community.
• I'm Evan Fern with Disability Rights California.
• I'm Evan Fern with Disability Rights, California.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee heard AB 109, the Budget Act of 2026, and related discussion of the legislative budget agreement. Committee staff and the Department of Finance described a two-year balanced plan with about $253 billion in General Fund spending, roughly $5.5 billion in higher assumed revenues than the May Revision, and about $36.5 billion in combined reserves. They said the package preserves or expands funding for schools and community colleges, child care, IHSS, Medi-Cal-related county administration, housing and homelessness programs, public hospitals, courthouse construction, and some criminal justice and prison-closure savings, while delaying or modifying several prior health care reductions and some Medi-Cal changes. Much of the member discussion focused on Medi-Cal, H.R. 1, and the impact on low-income and immigrant Californians. Several Democrats argued the budget protects vulnerable residents by delaying some cuts, funding county eligibility work, indigent care, public hospitals, and food banks, and rejecting the Governor’s IHSS cuts and asset-limit proposal. Republicans criticized the budget for assuming future revenues, relying on new taxes, and not doing enough to address the structural deficit or improve accountability. Members also raised concerns and support around homelessness funding, Prop. 36, judgeships and courthouse funding, transit and GGRF allocations, local journalism, Caltrans fleet spending, and a proposed “fair share” revenue measure that was not yet before the committee. Public testimony was largely supportive of the budget’s health and human services provisions, especially the rejection of IHSS cuts and the asset-limit proposal, and the inclusion of funding for child care, sickle cell centers, domestic violence services, trauma recovery centers, distressed hospitals, county eligibility work, and transit programs. Some witnesses representing hospitals and health plans cautioned about the effects of moving certain Medi-Cal populations to fee-for-service and about proposed tax changes affecting health care providers. The chair said revenue trailer bills were still being finalized and would likely come back later in the week; the committee then moved to public comment, with the chair limiting speakers to about one minute each.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:34:07.080> related disability related disability related organizations<00:34:09.800> um
• <00:34:13.520> it's governor's Council on disability it's governor's Council on disability
• disabilities and those are disabilities disabilities and those are disabilities identified<00:34
• related to developmental disabilities related to developmental disabilities access<00:38:49.160>
• better include people with disabilities better include people with disabilities in<00:39:49.760>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard from the Personnel Appeals Board, which explained that it became an independent state agency after Senate Bill 487 and was presenting its first standalone operating budget. The board described its quasi-judicial role in hearing appeals from classified state employees over disciplinary actions such as warnings, suspensions, and terminations, and said it handles about 25 to 35 cases a year, with some cases lasting longer because of their complexity. Members also outlined the need for a chair and vice chair who are attorneys, the board’s current staffing and space needs, and its plan to move away from reliance on Administrative Services for office support and website functions. The board requested about $353,500 for fiscal year 2026, including startup costs, routine operating expenses, and two new part-time positions: a program director and a paralegal. Members said the budget reflects the new independent status, includes funding for only four board members rather than the authorized five, and is designed to avoid full-time staffing costs and benefits. Legislators asked about the cost per case, the board’s relationship to DAS, whether appeals must go through the board before court, and how often cases are appealed further. The board said appeals must first go through it, that court appeals are infrequent but have increased recently, and that the board’s process is intended to resolve disputes more quickly and less expensively than court litigation. Committee members also asked about the board’s caseload, outcomes, and staffing. The board said that in the prior year there were 22 cases, with four decisions overturned in favor of employees, nine dismissals, and nine settlements, and that many disputes are resolved before reaching the board through a multi-step internal process. A member noted the governor and council had recently approved a new board member and were expected to approve a fifth soon. The discussion ended with questions about the board’s website and records access, which members said would need to be moved from Administrative Services as part of the agency’s transition. The committee then moved to the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities. The executive director explained that the council is 100 percent federally funded under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act and develops a five-year plan to address the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She said the council works with state agencies and advocacy organizations on quality-of-life issues, accessibility, voter rights training, and plain-language or easy-to-read materials, and that 60 percent of its membership must be individuals with disabilities or family members/guardians. She also described the council’s funding structure, including reimbursement to the state for operating costs, and noted that it currently has three full-time and three part-time positions, with no new positions requested but one full-time position being eliminated and replaced after a pandemic-era staffing change did not work out as planned.

Transcript Highlights:

• our disability service system. our disability service system.
• <00:16:18.320> services disabilities who ser whose services disabilities who ser whose services
• are coming to the Minnesota Disability are coming to the Minnesota Disability Law<00:20:51.200><
• represented disability waiver service represented disability waiver service providers<00:48:35.520
• seniors, and people with disabilities. seniors, and people with disabilities.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I am a disabled veteran.
• finest Navy, and I am a disabled finest Navy, and I am a disabled veteran. veteran. veteran.
• <01:25:45.600> benefits they get their VA disability benefits they get their VA disability
• they do more than just disability they do more than just disability claims.<01:28:41.120> But
• 56.239> to<01:30:56.400> help disability compensation is to help disability compensation

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It's by the Governor's Commission on Disability.
• I'm Stan Ross, Director of the Governor's Commission on Disability.
• So, it's you have to have a disability, and just about everybody who's aging has got some kind of disability
• And I want to verify that Alzheimer's or dementia does qualify as a disability.
• Congratulations for the Developmental Disabilities Council. My name is Carly Malone.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• a disability This establishes a disability integration<02:15:51.119> specialist<02:15:51.679>
• programming support for disability programming support for disability community<02:16:00.159>
• Miss Dry Developmental Disabilities U.
• connect with Colorado's disability connect with Colorado's disability integration<02:17:41.920><
• <02:20:11.200> Rights Lou Erishek, Hawaii Disability Rights Lou Erishek, Hawaii Disability

Bills: HB676

Keywords: HB676, Hawaii correctional facilities, youth correctional facilities, adult correctional facilities, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Office of Youth Services, inmate phone calls, prison phone calls, jail phone calls, free prison calls, free communication services, incarcerated persons, prison reform, reentry, family visitation, recidivism, video visitation, electronic messaging, commissions, ancillary fees

Summary: The committee heard three public safety bills. HB 2235 would appropriate $1.3 million for the Military Affairs and Community Relations Office to strengthen coordination on military and defense issues. Supporters, including the Hawaii National Guard and DBEDT’s military relations office, said the office helps Hawaiʻi understand federal contracting, USA Jobs, and military-related economic impacts. One member questioned why the state should fund a DoD-related office while Hawaiʻi remains under-reimbursed on impact aid; supporters responded that the office serves Hawaiʻi communities and helps prepare residents for federal jobs. The chair said she intended to recommend the bill pass with a HD1, a blank appropriation to be filled in the committee report, technical amendments, a defective effective date, and updated office title language. HB 2263 would expand Hawaiʻi family leave law to cover qualifying military exigencies. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, DBEDT’s military relations office, and the Hawaii National Guard supported the measure, saying military families often face short-notice deployments, relocations, briefings, and urgent family arrangements that require time away from work, and that aligning state law with federal standards would provide clarity and consistency. The chair said she would recommend passage with a HD1, a defective effective date, and technical amendments. HB 2291 would clarify that certain National Guard Youth and Educational Programs employees are excluded from collective bargaining, rename the program, and codify its Hawaiian name. The Hawaii National Guard said it was a housekeeping bill with no appropriation, but requested an amendment to align the bill with updated authorities and program references; the chair asked for proposed language before the later decision-making. She said she would recommend passage with a defective date and the requested amendment if provided, and then recessed the hearing until 11:30 a.m. for decision-making on all three bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• Article one is our aging and disability services piece.
• In some instances, I've had children taking care of their disabled adult family members where there's
• Another instance is where people had disability services and their waiver ended up getting...
• In some instances, I've had children taking care of their disabled adult family members where there's
• <00:09:59.200> services they were on uh disability services they were on uh disability services

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• proportionate exemption reflecting a veteran's disability.
• But what's new is that the disabled exemption used to be just a 100% exemption for a 100% disabled veteran
• If you are partially disabled, let's say 90% disabled, and you receive the $10,000 exemption, which do
• Chair and Vice-Chair Cadena, the disabled prorated. It is more difficult.
• of disability, and their home values—all of that is very, very difficult.

Transcript Highlights:

• We must ensure that Californians with disabilities can fully and equally participate in the electoral
• and Eric Harris, who is, I think he's here, who is the associate director of external affairs at Disability
• My name is Eric Harris and I'm the Director of Public Policy at Disability Rights California.
• We are the state's protection and advocacy system for all people with disabilities.
• Students with disabilities. Not just folks who are coming to vote on our campuses.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• For those on Zoom, your audio will be muted and video disabled until shortly before your turn to testify
• For those on Zoom, your audio will be muted and video disabled until shortly before your turn to testify
• people with disabilities people with disabilities or<00:04:31.160> family<00:04:31.560>
• <00:48:02.839> and disabilities and disabilities and support<00:48:05.800> good<00:48:05.960
• Next, we have Balus Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities in support.

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several health-related bills. HB 72 on pharmacy drew only support, with testimony from the University of Hawaiʻi system, the Board of Pharmacy, pharmacists, and others; no questions were raised. HB 237 on peer support programs also received broad support from the Department of Health, DHS, early learning officials, families, and advocates, with testimony emphasizing the value of peer-to-peer mentoring and support for parents, youth, and people with disabilities; no opposition or questions were noted. HB 250, the prior authorization bill, generated the most discussion. SHPDA supported a revised version focused on reporting prior authorization practices and creating a nonbinding working group to develop automation standards, while PCMA, HMSA, Kaiser Permanente, and others raised concerns about duplicative pharmacy requirements, unintended consequences, and alignment with federal timelines and reporting. Several medical groups and individual patients supported the measure, describing delays and burdens caused by prior authorization. A committee member asked whether the bill’s working group differed from a similar group in Senate Bill 1449, and the witness said it was intended to be the same. HB 303 on health care preceptors was supported by the Department of Health, University of Hawaiʻi, nursing and health care organizations, and the Hawaii Pharmacists Association, which asked that pharmacists’ residency programs be specifically tied to national accreditation standards. HB 341, relating to issuance of SPURS to assist the Hawaii Island Community Health Association, drew support from the health center and related groups. HB 692 on Preschool Open Doors received extensive support from early learning, education, family, labor, and community organizations; testimony stressed the shortage of child care and preschool slots, especially on Kauai, and the need to expand access for families. Committee members asked about adding family child care providers and about licensing/certification barriers, and DHS said the bill was focused on current licensed child care facilities and that certification issues were a separate, broader problem. HB 700 on cognitive assessments also drew strong support, with the Department of Health, the Executive Office on Aging, disability advocates, the Alzheimer’s Association, caregivers, and others urging use of a validated cognitive assessment tool during annual wellness visits and asking that the age 65 threshold be removed; some witnesses supported keeping the data-collection portion as a pilot and emphasized early detection and reporting.

Transcript Highlights:

• SB 888 addresses a critical flaw in the system that unfairly penalizes disabled veterans by counting
• their disability benefits as income when determining their eligibility for the disabled veterans' property
• SB 888 simply extends that same principle to property tax relief for our disabled vets.
• Disability compensation is not a source of wealth.
• Disability compensation is not a source of wealth.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation heard several bills focused largely on veterans’ tax relief, disaster-related property tax rules, contractor tax compliance, and nonprofit property tax exemptions. The chair reviewed committee procedures, including the suspense file process for bills with significant revenue impacts, and noted that only one bill would be voted on immediately. Most measures were presented with supportive testimony and then referred to suspense. SB 888 would exclude VA service-connected disability compensation from household income when determining eligibility for the low-income disabled veterans’ property tax exemption. The author argued the bill would prevent disabled veterans from being unfairly penalized and help them remain in their homes; a VFW representative testified in support, and there was no opposition. SB 1053 would allow county boards of supervisors, for disasters declared on or after January 1, 2026, to extend the five-year period for transferring a damaged property’s base-year value by up to three years. Support came from the California Assessor Association, and the bill was also sent to suspense. SB 1407 would exempt the first $40,000 of military retirement pay and surviving spouse benefit payments from state income tax for qualifying filers, with the author and witnesses arguing it would improve veteran retention in California and support the state economy. Multiple organizations and veterans spoke in support, and the committee members expressed strong sympathy for the measure, but it too was referred to suspense. SB 420 would deny charitable property tax exemption to organizations tied to private immigration detention facilities; the author and supporters said the bill would close a loophole that had allowed a detention facility in Imperial County to avoid millions in property taxes. Members voiced strong support and concern about the reported conditions at the facility, and the bill was also sent to suspense. The only bill taken up for a vote was SB 1165, which would improve coordination between the CDTFA and the Contractors State License Board so unpaid tax liabilities by contractors could be used in licensing enforcement, while preserving due process and installment agreement flexibility. After supportive testimony from the author and the California Tax Reform Association, the committee approved a due pass motion to Appropriations on a 7-0 vote. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill provides a full property tax exemption for veterans who are 100% disabled by the VA, or who
• For disabled veterans who qualify for the exemption but do not meet the low-income threshold, AB 2022
• Roughly 380,000 veterans in California live with service-connected disabilities.
• There are 16 states that provide a full property tax exemption for all totally disabled veterans, and
• also helping other eligible disabled veterans receiving the benefit of the 100%.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In short, just giving people with disabilities the right to live their lives.
• They're the 800-pound gorilla that's crushing people with disability.
• As a person with a disability, it is my right to have a service animal.
• Thomas Murphy from the Disability Law Center. Thomas, have you joined? Yes. Good morning.
• I'm a managing attorney with the Disability Law Center.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing opened with the co-chairs introducing House and Senate members and explaining the hybrid format, three-minute testimony guidance, and the deadline for written testimony. The committee then heard extensive testimony on S. 2665, which would require employers to post notice to employees when an I-9 audit or similar federal immigration inspection is underway. Supporters, including immigration attorneys, a pediatrician, a labor leader, and an affected family member, argued the bill would protect privacy, give workers time to gather documents and consult counsel, and reduce fear and wrongful arrests. One witness from Illinois described a similar law there and said it had not caused the problems employers feared, while others said recent ICE enforcement has made notice especially important. The committee also heard testimony on S. 1360, a bill affecting collective bargaining rights for State Police, with the State Police Association arguing that a statutory gap lets departmental rules override their contract and that the bill would restore intended bargaining protections. A separate labor bill, S. 1305, was also briefly supported by the AFL-CIO as part of broader worker-classification protections for app-based delivery drivers. A large portion of the hearing focused on H. 2066, which would impose fines on transportation network drivers who refuse rides to people with disabilities using service animals. Testimony from blind and disabled riders, service dog users, advocates, and the Disability Law Center described repeated ride cancellations, drivers pulling away after seeing a service animal, and the difficulty of enforcing existing anti-discrimination laws through MCAD or other agencies. Witnesses said the current system leaves riders without practical recourse because drivers are hard to identify and complaints can take years, and they argued that fines on individual drivers would create a real deterrent. Several witnesses also described the impact on employment, medical appointments, and daily independence. Committee members asked about service-animal verification, whether refusals are ever appropriate, and whether penalties should target drivers or companies; witnesses said legitimate refusals are limited to misbehaving or unsafe animals and that companies already have policies and some training, but enforcement remains weak. The committee also heard from a witness supporting a related bill on rideshare accessibility and from advocates describing broader transportation discrimination issues. One witness discussed a separate proposal to study service-animal denial, and others noted that Uber’s self-identification feature and company policies have not solved the problem. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the meeting ended after the final witnesses on the service-animal bill and a brief organizational discussion about related legislation and committee business.

Transcript Highlights:

• Over 65, uh, uh, disabled veteran, or the unmarried surviving spouse with disabled veteran, and the experience
• And we've also ensured that the surviving spouse of a 100% disabled veteran.
• As is, is increasing by 20% each year, the disabled veterans homestead exemption.
• of a service-connected disability, end quote.
• and totally disabled and that he died of a service-related condition.

Bills: HB249

Keywords: real property, ad valorem tax, tax appraisal, property value limitation, real estate taxation, property ownership

Transcript Highlights:

• You're not talking about cutting funding for disabled children.
• loans, I mean disability funding, that that is not impacted.
• What does the individual's with Disabilities Education Act promise?
• So IDEA guarantees children with disabilities a free, appropriate education.
• students go to public schools. 95% of students with disabilities go to public schools.

Keywords: educational reform, federal grants, bureaucracy, wealth disparity, public testimony

Summary: The committee meeting engaged in discussions focused primarily on educational reform, the influence of federal grants on local education systems, and the growing disparities in wealth and access to quality education. Members expressed concerns about the bureaucracy surrounding federal funding that hampers schools' ability to obtain necessary resources for improvement. Several members highlighted personal anecdotes from constituents, emphasizing the urgent need for reform to help students succeed in both K-12 and higher education environments. The meeting included public testimonies that provided insights into various community perspectives on these pressing issues.