Transcript Highlights:

• Virtual hearing is interrupted in any way, please log back in. I will try to get you in the queue.

Bills: H4738 , H4843 , H4844 , H4845 , H4849 , H4878 , H4887 , H4924 , H5052 , H5053 , S2878 , S2894 , S2897 , H5102 , H5107 , H5108 , H5109 , H5128 , H5136 , S2963 , S2956

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Keywords: Holyoke, City Council, municipal governance, special meetings, local government transparency, park land exchange, Lexington, public use, school committee, athletic fields, town administrator, employment authority, Wilbraham, local law, Uxbridge, public meeting notices, legal notices, municipal transparency, local government, digital publication

Transcript Highlights:

• Can I interrupt you for just one minute?

Committee: Senate Agricultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, we finally had a conversation today where I wasn't interrupted. So, that was nice.
• I mean, we finally had a conversation today where I wasn't interrupted. So, that was nice.
• I mean, we finally had a conversation today where I wasn't interrupted. So, that was nice.
• </c><00:42:31.520><c> But,</c><00:42:32.000><c> um,</c> interrupted. So, that was nice.
• But, um, interrupted. So, that was nice.

Summary: The committee took up House File 4252 and first heard a walkthrough of a DE2 amendment that largely incorporated Office of Higher Education technical and statutory cleanup items, including reporting consolidations, updates to postsecondary registration and licensing statutes, and an anti-fraud provision. New provisions in the DE2 would require public postsecondary institutions to explain developmental courses before enrollment and obtain a written acknowledgement, revise the state grant tuition cap, add a $1.5 million ongoing appropriation in FY 2027 for an identity verification system to combat enrollment fraud, and provide $5,000 one-time funding for reforestation at Bemidji State University. Fiscal staff also noted additional special revenue fund revenue and expenditures tied to licensing and registration litigation response. The main debate centered on the A8 amendment offered by Representative Rarick, which would require the governor to appoint University of Minnesota regents only from candidates recommended by the joint legislative committee if the legislature fails to elect regents. Rarick argued the amendment was needed to address what he described as conflicts of interest and pay-to-play concerns in recent gubernatorial appointments. Several members questioned whether the language was constitutional, whether it actually addressed conflicts of interest, and whether it should instead refer to ARCAC-screened or ARCAC-recommended candidates. Nonpartisan staff said the governor’s appointment power is addressed in the university charter, not directly in the constitution, but could not definitively assess constitutionality if challenged. Members were divided: some supported the goal of cleaner governance but said the amendment was not ready or did not match the problem being described; others argued the legislature had failed to complete its own regent appointments and that the amendment was a response to that failure. No vote on the A8 amendment or the bill was reached in the portion provided, though a roll call was requested on the amendment and the chair indicated the bill would continue through amendment consideration before final discussion and vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• And that's exactly what we did, per recommendation from all the system sectors, to not interrupt the
• And that's exactly what we did, per recommendation from all the system sectors, to not interrupt the
• And that's exactly what we did, per recommendation from all the system sectors, to not interrupt the
• And that's exactly what we did, per recommendation from all the system sectors, to not interrupt the
• And that's exactly what we did, per recommendation from all the system sectors, to not interrupt the

Committee: Senate Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm sorry to interrupt you there. No, thank you, Mr. Chair.
• I'm sorry to interrupt you there. No, thank you, Mr. Chair.
• million from the city's fund and giving them to a county, especially in this area of community interrupts
• </c> this area of of of community interrupts this area of of of community interrupts and<01:04:28.079
• They call themselves interrupts, one of our members, after saving a life, serving people at they get

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:

• But interrupt for just a second on—I want to go back to the unclaimed properties.
• :17.880><c> so</c> wages I'll move on to the Petr fund so wages I'll move on to the Petr fund so interrupt
• 00:20:19.440><c> on</c><00:20:19.799><c> I</c><00:20:19.880><c> want</c><00:20:19.960><c> to</c> interrupt
• for just a second on I want to interrupt for just a second on I want to go<00:20:20.120><c> back</c>
• your flow which I just did I interrupt your flow which I just did I understand<00:57:52.599><c> CH</

Committee: House Commerce Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Our students and parents deserve a learning environment free of interruptions.
• Our students and parents deserve a learning environment free of interruptions.
• Our students and parents deserve a learning environment free of interruptions.
• Our students and parents deserve a learning environment free of interruptions.
• Our students and parents deserve a learning environment free of interruptions.

Transcript Highlights:

• /c><00:58:15.920><c> I'm</c> developer okay and I'm sorry I'm developer okay and I'm sorry I'm interrupting
• 16.720><c> ahead</c><00:58:16.960><c> no</c><00:58:17.160><c> problem</c><00:58:17.440><c> no</c> interrupting
• you go ahead no problem no interrupting you go ahead no problem no problem<00:58:18.319><c> okay</c>
• Without it, we can't have interruptions.
• and so I think it's it's interruptions and so I think it's it's uncomon<02:02:34.599><c> upon</c><02

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I could see if you had, you know, one year, a new person, but it
• Link, sorry to interrupt. What does ADA stand for? The American Bar Association.
• I will get into my spiel, and if there’s any questions throughout, please feel free to interrupt and
• Sorry to interrupt. I asked him if you'd agree with what he thought. Oh, okay. Sorry to interrupt.

Committee: Joint Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• I didn't mean to interrupt, but I wanted to make sure everyone had that amendment properly. So, Mr.
• I didn't mean to interrupt, but I wanted to make sure everyone had that amendment properly. Mr.
• I didn't<00:46:20.319><c> mean</c><00:46:20.480><c> to</c><00:46:20.640><c> interrupt,</c><00:46:20.880
• ><c> but</c><00:46:21.119><c> I</c><00:46:21.280><c> wanted</c> didn't mean to interrupt, but I wanted
• didn't mean to interrupt, but I wanted to<00:46:21.520><c> make</c><00:46:21.599><c> sure</c><00:46:

Bills: SF0025 , SF0027 , SF0043 , SF0066

Committee: Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources

Transcript Highlights:

• Please interrupt if anything doesn't seem to be working sound-wise or audio.
• Please interrupt<00:09:02.480><c> if</c><00:09:02.600><c> anything</c><00:09:03.320><c> um</c><00:09:
• 03.960><c> doesn't</c><00:09:04.520><c> seem</c><00:09:04.640><c> to</c> interrupt if anything um doesn't
• seem to interrupt if anything um doesn't seem to be<00:09:04.800><c> working</c><00:09:05.080><c> sound-wise
• Okay, before I interrupted you, we lost about 30 seconds of what you were saying.

Transcript Highlights:

• If I may, I apologize for interrupting.
• If I may, I apologize for interrupting.
• If I may, I I apologize for interrupting.<00:37:30.320><c> I</c><00:37:30.560><c> I</c><00:37:30.560>
• 31.040><c> really</c><00:37:31.280><c> just</c><00:37:31.440><c> I</c><00:37:31.839><c> really</c> interrupting
• I I I really just I really interrupting.

Summary: The committee first approved the October 13 minutes and then moved through a large agenda of contracts and agreements, including a deferred list from the September 2025 agenda. Members questioned several agencies about the purpose, cost, and duration of the items before them, with repeated motions to consider the contracts reviewed without objection passing by roll call. The Office of Energy Policy and Energy and Environment Cabinet presented a solar-and-battery program. Members asked about panel and battery lifespan, warranty coverage, who would pay for replacement or disposal, and whether the program made sense in Kentucky. The agency said panels and batteries generally last 25 to 30 years, warranties would cover replacement during the warranty period, EPA guidance would govern disposal, and federal funds would cover program expenses. Officials estimated the program could reduce participating homeowners’ utility bills by about 70%, with a minimum required savings of 20%. The Department for Community Based Services explained a new vendor contract for SSI initial and redetermination work for children in out-of-home care, saying the work is federally required, the department lacks in-house capacity, and the contract replaced a prior vendor after an RFP protest and rebid. The Department of Highways described umbrella traffic engineering contracts for smaller highway safety projects, noting they are used for spot improvements and are nearing full utilization. The Kentucky Historical Society said its contract funded a temporary exhibit tied to 250th anniversary programming, and the Board of Medical Licensure discussed an amended audit contract, explaining that annual audits were adopted after an auditor’s recommendation and that the board is funded by state allocation plus fees and fines. The Department for Natural Resources/Abandoned Mine Lands gave the most extensive presentation, describing a $5 million engineering services contract as part of a much larger workload increase driven by Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, with projects prioritized by citizen complaints and safety impacts; the agency said the contract supports design and oversight for community-scale mine reclamation projects that exceed in-house capacity.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm going to interrupt real quickly just to follow back up on those that you just mentioned relative
• provisions and and and &gt;&gt; I'm<00:18:49.200><c> going</c><00:18:49.280><c> to</c><00:18:49.360><c> interrupt
• 49.760><c> real</c><00:18:49.919><c> quickly</c><00:18:50.320><c> just</c> &gt;&gt; I'm going to interrupt
• real quickly just &gt;&gt; I'm going to interrupt real quickly just to<00:18:50.640><c> follow</c><00
• And I hate to interrupt. Representative McPherson. Yes, thank you, Chairman.

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes and heard a brief member introduction before taking up an overview of major tax provisions in HR1, referred to by the presenters as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Representatives from the Kentucky Society of CPAs explained new federal deductions for tips, overtime, and car loan interest; a new tax-favored “Trump account” for children; expanded bonus depreciation and Section 179 expensing for businesses; changes to R&D expensing; and a new limit on wagering loss deductions. Members asked several clarifying questions about the duration of the provisions, W-2 and 1099 reporting changes, and how overtime deductions would work. The presenters emphasized that tips and overtime remain subject to payroll taxes and that many of the business provisions are permanent, while the individual deductions are temporary through 2028 or otherwise phased in over time. The discussion then shifted to individual and nonprofit provisions, including the increase in the state and local tax itemized deduction cap from $10,000 to $40,000 with income-based phaseouts, the temporary senior deduction, and a new deduction for car loan interest with income limits and vehicle qualifications. On charitable giving, the presenters described a permanent nonitemizer deduction, new floors for individual and corporate charitable deductions, and a new scholarship-granting organization credit that would allow donors to receive a dollar-for-dollar federal credit up to $1,700, beginning in 2027. Members focused heavily on the SGO provision, asking about state implementation, oversight, whether churches would qualify, and whether the credit could support both public and private education. The presenters said the state would need to establish the mechanism and that additional federal guidance is still pending. After the tax presentation, the committee heard from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce on workforce issues, with a focus on child care and housing as barriers to labor force participation. Chamber representatives said they were not proposing large new government programs, but rather targeted policy recommendations for the 2026 session. They described Kentucky’s long-term decline in workforce participation since 2000, attributing much of it to demographic change, an aging population, and fewer younger workers entering the labor force. The presentation continued into a broader discussion of workforce trends and the need for practical policy responses, but no votes or formal actions were taken on these informational items.

Transcript Highlights:

• /c><00:57:16.319><c> to</c><00:57:16.520><c> this</c> Most of you may recall two years ago the interruptions
• of you may have been wanting to speak that day, and you didn't get the chance to because of the interruptions
• c> you didn't get the chance to because of you didn't get the chance to because of the the the interruptions
• 46.039><c> wasn't</c><00:58:46.359><c> fair</c><00:58:46.680><c> to</c><00:58:46.880><c> your</c> interruptions
• that wasn't fair to your interruptions that wasn't fair to your 45,000<00:58:48.400><c> constituents

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and first took up House Bill 446, as amended by committee substitute, which would expand third-degree assault protections to cover judges and justices of the Court of Justice and public transportation drivers. Supporters said the bill responds to violence and threats against judges and would extend protections already given to other public servants. Members generally supported the bill, though several suggested broadening it further to include circuit clerks or all officers of the court. The committee adopted the substitute and favorably passed HB 446 on an 18-0 vote. The committee then considered House Bill 456, a DUI-related cleanup bill sponsored by Representative Patrick Flanery and presented by County Attorney Joe Ross. The bill would add fentanyl, Flexeril, and clopene to the per se DUI list, treat driving on a suspended license as an aggravating circumstance, revise implied-consent notice language, and make changes to ignition interlock rules, including suspension periods and fees. Representative Scott West of the Kentucky Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers testified in opposition, warning that some interlock violations and fees could unfairly extend suspensions and discourage participation, while members and the sponsor said the bill would strengthen DUI enforcement and that non-listed substances could still support DUI charges under other provisions. The committee adopted the substitute and favorably passed HB 456 by a 16-0 vote with one pass. Finally, the committee began hearing House Bill 10, relating to the rights of real property owners, sponsored by Representatives Maryanne Proctor and Emily Callaway, with testimony from a Pacific Legal Foundation representative and a Boone County Sheriff’s Office staff attorney. The sponsors said the bill is intended to address squatting by defining squatters and improving property-owner remedies, and noted support from sheriffs and realtors. The transcript cuts off before the bill’s full presentation or any committee action on HB 10.

Transcript Highlights:

• I didn't mean to interrupt you; I just wanted to point that out because I didn't want that... to be forgotten
• I have for you, and you may not have this, but in facilities, rather than removing and interrupting..
• . ...interrupting a classroom experience for the day.
• Senator Bettencourt, can I interrupt and ask: I want to make sure I understood what you just said.
• I'm sorry to interrupt. Please, continue. No, I agree.

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, and thank the former Chair of Natural Resources for interrupting my first... mammoth, Monterey
• Chair, and thank the former Chair of Natural Resources for interrupting my first Thank you, Mr.
• Chair, and thank the former Chair of Natural Resources for interrupting my first when you went that way

Summary: The committee heard a series of natural resources bills, with several measures accepted on committee amendments and moved forward on party-line or near-unanimous votes. AB 2461 on oil and gas bonding and well-closure financial assurance drew strong support from environmental groups and some legislators, while an industry representative was neutral and warned about unintended consequences and reduced transfers. Senators Laird and Cabaldon supported the bill as a clarification of AB 1167, and the committee voted do pass as amended to Appropriations, with the bill placed on call. The committee also approved a consent calendar of 10 bills, which was moved and held on call. AB 53 by Assemblymember Ramos, as amended, would expand tribal eligibility for conservation grants and loans and express legislative intent to create a process for returning ancestral lands to federally recognized tribes. Tribal and environmental supporters argued the bill recognizes tribal stewardship and helps remove barriers to conservation participation, while county, farm bureau, and habitat league witnesses raised concerns about long-term land management, public accountability, easements, and jurisdiction if lands are transferred. Committee members emphasized the importance of preserving conservation protections and continuing work on the land-return framework; the bill was moved do pass as amended to Appropriations and held on call. AB 2679 on Lake Tahoe corridor safety and access was supported by local officials and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, who described dangerous parking, pedestrian conflicts, and a successful shuttle pilot, and the bill was moved do pass as amended to Appropriations. AB 1666, creating biomass innovation parks and other incentives for non-combustion uses of forest and agricultural biomass, received broad support from business, conservation, and local government witnesses, with senators framing it as a way to address wildfire debris and create rural jobs; it also advanced do pass as amended to Appropriations. AB 2494, which would modernize the demonstration state forest system and elevate biodiversity, recreation, carbon storage, and tribal stewardship over maximum sustained production, drew strong support from environmental and tribal advocates but significant opposition from forest industry, county, and research witnesses who warned it could undermine research, sustainable forestry, and local economies; the author said he would continue negotiations, and the bill was moved do pass to Appropriations. The committee also heard AB 2234, which updates the definition of geothermal exploratory projects, and AB 2521, which seeks to use the California Council on Science and Technology for watershed-wide water availability analyses to help identify excess water for groundwater recharge. Both bills had support from sponsors and some stakeholders, while AB 2521 drew concerns from agricultural water interests about agency reliance, public trust considerations, and funding. Both measures were moved do pass as amended to Appropriations. Finally, AB 2410 would extend a CEQA exemption for certain fuels-reduction projects in high fire-risk areas; local government groups supported it as a wildfire-prevention tool, while environmental and other opponents argued the remaining exemption still weakens habitat protections and public review, and one witness sought to remove conventional herbicides from the exemption.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've also seen that when folks are connected with a peer respite, it can very often interrupt a cycle
• A peer respite doesn't interrupt someone's life in that way.
• On a neurochemical level, ibogaine acts across multiple receptors in the brain, interrupting withdrawal

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery

Summary: The hearing opened with remarks from House Chair Mindy Domb and Senate Vice Chair Robyn Kennedy, who outlined procedures for the hybrid public hearing, noted the committee would hear testimony on 15 bills related to treatment settings, and recognized members present. The first major bill discussed was H. 4200, authorizing a pilot program for psychedelic-assisted treatment in licensed facilities. Representative Jim O’Day and witnesses from Control Z supported the bill, describing it as a tightly controlled, medically supervised pilot with DPH oversight, limited sites, and screening requirements. Committee members asked about the number of sites and whether Column Health still existed; witnesses said the bill contemplated three separate pilot programs and that Column Health no longer existed after being purchased by another company. The committee also heard testimony on S. 1405 to make the drug stewardship program permanent by removing its 2026 sunset date. Senator John Keenan and others said the program helps collect and safely dispose of unused medications, reduces diversion, and should remain in place because manufacturers should bear disposal costs. A member from Boston added support based on local concerns about people searching through bags for drugs, and Keenan explained the original sunset reflected pilot status and industry pushback. A large portion of the hearing focused on S. 1394 and H. 2193, which would strengthen implementation of the 2023 Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform. The Children’s Mental Health Campaign, Parent/Professional Advocacy League, Massachusetts Association for Mental Health, and Elliott Community Human Services testified that the roadmap’s helpline, community behavioral health centers, and crisis services are important but unevenly implemented. They urged a single point of accountability within EOHHS, regular strategic planning, a public data dashboard, and financial analysis of the behavioral health system and the access and crisis intervention trust fund. Witnesses said commercial insurance often does not fully reimburse community behavioral health center services, making sustainability difficult, and asked for better coordination across agencies and crisis response systems. Committee members asked whether the roadmap includes substance use disorder; witnesses said it is intended to cover behavioral health broadly, including mental health and substance use. The committee also heard testimony on bills to ban aversives and on suicide prevention signage. Lisa Jean Graff testified in support of S. 1394 by urging a statewide ban on aversive practices, including electric shock, withholding food or bathroom access, and other painful interventions, arguing disabled people deserve the same protections from harm as others. Fonda Bryant and Carol McLean supported a bill requiring suicide prevention signs on tall parking garages, describing personal experiences and saying the signs could create a brief pause and connect people to 988 or other help. McLean said her son died by suicide from a parking garage and that signage might have made a difference. The committee also heard strong testimony in support of creating intensive stabilization and treatment units within DMH facilities (S. 1398/H. 2204), with the Massachusetts Nurses Association and a DMH nurse arguing that highly assaultive patients need specialized, more secure units to protect staff and other patients and to improve care. Additional testimony supported creating a dedicated board for licensed mental health counselors (H. 4696/S. 1382), with Rep. John Badger, the Mass Mental Health Counselors Association, and others saying LMHCs are a large and growing workforce that needs its own licensing board, clearer standards, and faster implementation of existing licensure reforms. The committee also heard extensive testimony on H. 2223 regarding benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics. Survivors and advocates described severe withdrawal, lack of informed consent, cognitive harms, and long-term disability, while a physician supported the bill as a way to improve disclosure of risks. Finally, the committee heard multiple witnesses in favor of H. 2231/S. 1383 to establish peer-run respite centers statewide. Advocates and people with lived experience said peer respites provide non-coercive, home-like alternatives to hospitalization, can reduce trauma and repeated admissions, and may be especially important for marginalized communities; they also cited cost savings and existing positive outcomes from current respite programs. No votes or final committee actions were taken during the hearing portion reflected in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are here in support of this bill because of the urgent need to interrupt the dramatic increase in
• delivery of home care services and to refrain from actions intended to, or having the effect of, interrupting
• Dionysia, I'm so sorry to interrupt you, but we're going to run over.

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several aging-related bills, with most speakers focusing on housing stability, home-based services, and care transitions. Representative Badger and a commissioner testified in support of H4039, which would create a universal breakfast and lunch program at senior centers funded through a new Senior Breakfast and Lunch Fund, arguing it would reduce food insecurity and social isolation among older adults. Representative Lipper-Garabedian and multiple providers then supported H780/S495, the hospital-to-home partnership program, describing how embedded aging-services liaisons help older patients transition safely from hospitals to home, reduce readmissions, and avoid nursing facility placement; witnesses from Mystic Valley Elder Services and Mass Aging Access cited pilot results, including hundreds of patients served and examples of substantial cost savings and successful discharge planning. The committee also took testimony on S478, which would require continuing care retirement communities to disclose entrance-fee refund policies more clearly at enrollment. Senator Lovely and LeadingAge Massachusetts said the bill would improve transparency for residents and families, while a consumer witness said her family experienced delays and confusion in getting a refund after her mother left a CCRC. Members noted the issue is also being examined by a special commission on CCRCs. A large portion of the hearing focused on S475, a statewide bridge subsidy program for older adults facing housing instability. Advocates from the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, Western Massachusetts, Somerville, Northampton, East Hampton, Old Colony Elder Services, and Somerville’s Office of Housing Stability described rising senior homelessness, long waitlists for subsidized housing, and cases where short-term rental assistance kept older adults housed while they waited for permanent housing. Somerville witnesses said the pilot program helped nine households remain housed and that some participants have since moved into permanent housing. Members asked about wait times, program design, and how to prioritize applicants; witnesses emphasized flexibility, emergency risk, and the need for a statewide expansion. The hearing also included testimony on S465, an ALS bill that would expand home care access regardless of age and bar the use of quality-adjusted life-year metrics in coverage decisions, with the sponsor and ALS Association arguing the measure would reduce discriminatory treatment and better center patient care. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• can abbreviate this, certainly, and open it up to questions as I go along, so please feel free to interrupt
• can abbreviate this certainly and open it up to questions as I go along, so please feel free to interrupt
• you might have a 30-day coal supply on hand to keep your power plant running through any supply interruptions

Summary: The committee met in Grand Forks, approved the February 26 minutes by voice vote, and recessed for a tour of Minnkota Power Cooperative before hearing presentations on large energy consumers and related infrastructure issues. The first presentation, from the North Dakota Transmission Authority, focused on the need for better local decision-making tools for counties, townships, and planning and zoning boards facing major projects such as transmission lines, pipelines, data centers, wind, solar, and large-scale agriculture. The speaker urged more objective, data-driven analysis, noted that local officials often have limited time and resources, and said the state should support training and tools through groups like the League of Cities and the Association of Counties. Members asked about proactive outreach, data center ordinances, and how to avoid subsidizing large loads or causing reliability problems. The Division of Air Quality then discussed environmental oversight of data centers, emphasizing that North Dakota’s air remains among the cleanest in the country and that the agency’s role is limited to air, water discharge, stormwater, and waste—not zoning or water use. The presentation explained that data centers generally have low direct emissions but may rely on diesel backup generators when the grid is unavailable, which creates air-quality concerns; the department said it is requiring air monitors at some projects to collect real-world data and guide future decisions. Members asked about generator emissions, misinformation, monitoring costs, and staffing succession, and the agency said permit applicants pay for the monitors while the state handles some QA work. The Department of Water Resources followed with an overview of North Dakota water law and data center water use. The director explained the state’s prior-appropriation system, the public-interest review for permits, and the large overall water supply available from groundwater and the Missouri River. He said most proposed data centers use closed-loop cooling systems and generally request relatively small amounts of water compared with other uses such as power plants, irrigation, and oilfield operations, and that even a worst-case data center scenario would use only a tiny fraction of Missouri River flow. Questions focused on downstream impacts and comparisons to fracking water use, and the director said the state’s use is too small to materially affect downstream users. Later, McLean County State’s Attorney Ladd-Erickson testified online about data center zoning and permitting. He asked the committee to have Legislative Council gather information on how other states handle data center permitting and to keep the topic on the interim agenda. He argued that local zoning should remain local, but said counties lack the technical and legal resources to manage complex reclamation or bonding requirements and that state-level enabling legislation may be more appropriate. He also recommended eliminating tax incentives for data centers. The committee chair said staff would prepare a document on other states’ zoning and permitting approaches. After a lunch recess, the committee reconvened at the EERC, where CEO Charles Gorecki gave an overview of the center’s 75 years of work and its role in oil and gas, carbon management, and other energy technologies, highlighting enhanced oil recovery and carbon dioxide utilization as major opportunities for future production and tax revenue.

Transcript Highlights:

• utility services to a common area, including gas, heat, water, or electrical services, when the interruption
• This outdated system can also lead to interruptions in essential services.
• It has an urgency clause to make sure the program is not interrupted, and it has received bipartisan

Summary: The Assembly met on May 7, 2026, after an initial delay caused by the absence of a quorum, then proceeded with prayer, a moment of silence for victims of a hate-motivated attack at the Islamic Center in San Diego, and the Pledge of Allegiance. The Speaker pro tempore then moved through the daily file, repeatedly urging members to be on time and at their desks as the House of Origin deadline approached. Procedural actions included dispensing with the journal, deferring some items, and moving AB 1667 to the inactive file. The bulk of the session was devoted to floor consideration of many bills, most of which passed with little or no opposition. Measures approved included bills on artificial intelligence provenance information (AB 2713), community college trustee compensation (AB 2528), transit camera enforcement and privacy (AB 1837), excess proceeds claims in taxation (AB 2705), HOA technical cleanup (AB 1892), hepatitis C treatment access (AB 1843), child care planning in local general plans (AB 1914), greenhouse energy code flexibility (AB 2200), rent-now-pay-later consumer protections (AB 2350), housing cleanup and density bonus measures (including AB 2390, AB 2480, AB 1567, AB 1751, and others), spay/neuter access (AB 2010), workforce housing financing tools (AB 2110), supportive housing and homelessness-related changes (AB 2146), mental health and health plan notification measures (AB 1598, AB 2613), student aid and education bills (AB 1534, AB 1636, AB 1669, AB 1728, AB 1784, AB 1871), public safety and criminal justice bills (AB 1546, AB 1572, AB 1872, AB 1877, AB 1932), and several health and social services measures (AB 1602, AB 1628, AB 1680, AB 1825, AB 1845, AB 1906, AB 1907, AB 1925). Most bills were described as support measures, often with bipartisan backing and no opposition, and passed by wide margins. A few bills drew more discussion, especially AB 1751, a housing/townhome bill that sparked extended debate over wages, prevailing wage, stakeholder engagement, and whether the measure could depress pay for construction trades; despite concerns and an opposition speech, it ultimately passed 44-0. AB 1793, which would allow symmetrical rounding of cash transactions to the nearest nickel in light of the penny’s phaseout, also drew light debate and passed 47-1. AB 1932, an urgency measure expanding community-based crisis response, passed with one no vote on both the urgency and the bill. Several urgency or 54-vote bills, including AB 1534 and AB 1932, required later roll calls or calls to be lifted, but all measures described in the transcript were ultimately approved.