Transcript Highlights:

• We've continued poor forest management practices, which has contributed to recent wildfire...
• We've continued poor forest management practices, which has contributed to recent wildfires that are
• When we sit down with our best practices, with best-in-class educators, they will say that we need to
• And in the state of California, we can be one of the leaders in catching up on forest management and

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation met under suspense-file procedures, with the chair explaining limits on testimony, position letters, and that bills with fiscal impacts of $150,000 or more would generally be sent to suspense rather than voted on immediately. Several bills were pulled from hearing, and a consent calendar of committee bills later passed 4-0. AB 761 by Addis, the only item initially slated for a vote, was ultimately held over to the next hearing. The committee heard testimony on a series of tax-related proposals. AB 232 would create catastrophe savings accounts for homeowners to save pre-tax money for wildfire, flood, or earthquake-related expenses; it drew support from the Department of Insurance and the California Bankers Association, but was sent to suspense. AB 1443 would exempt tips from state income tax for five years and was supported by the California Restaurant Association and a restaurant owner, but also went to suspense. AB 1435 would provide relief to businesses and property owners facing cleanup and security costs from unauthorized encampments and illegal dumping; it received broad support from business, real estate, trucking, retail, and local government representatives, and was referred to suspense. The committee also heard AB 1428, which would create a California Affordable Child Care Fund financed by a 0.5% tax on income above $10 million; child care workers and SEIU-backed witnesses supported it, while taxpayer and business groups opposed it as harmful to competitiveness and affordability. AB 691 proposed a tax credit for adopting shelter pets and covering veterinary costs, AB 1219 proposed a middle- and low-income personal income tax cut, AB 1354 proposed a credit for increased homeowners insurance premiums, AB 19 proposed an education savings account/voucher-style program, and AB 567 proposed insurance rate stabilization and related tax/fund changes; each drew testimony for and against where present, but all were referred to suspense. The meeting ended with the committee adjourning after the held-over AB 761 item was postponed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our forester gets with OSU, conservation, and looks at heat maps.
• As I say, we hired a forester, and it's just getting that in line and trying to determine how we want
• That would be a question that we can probably follow up with your officer with our forester.
• Definitely set up a meeting with you and our forester, who will geek out about it.
• Our next step is to formalize this work through a community of practice that supports apprenticeship

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:25:02.200><c> and</c> central Minnesota working forests and central Minnesota working forests
• </c> all have to list all the state forest all have to list all the state forest lands?
• Our forests face many threats.
• </c> forest management investment fund. forest management investment fund.
• </c> wildlife and forest products economies. wildlife and forest products economies.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• their Advocacy Day at the Capitol. and their seedling giveaway to promote public awareness of working forest
• and the importance of the forest. economy here in our great state.
• Founded in 1914, the Texas Forestry Association has worked tirelessly to ensure that abundant forests
• The forest sector in Texas covers over 12 million acres, directly employs over 70,000 people and has
• HB 4422 by Rosalinda, discriminatory practices by health benefit plan, issue a pharmacy benefit plan.

Bills: HJR1, HJR2, HB9, HB22, HB908, HB1392, HB195, HB 13, HB143, HB135, HJR1, HJR2, HB9, HB22, HB908, HB1392

Keywords: constitutional amendment, property tax, ad valorem tax, tax exemption, tangible personal property, income-producing property, business personal property, equipment exemption, machinery, local government finance, school district revenue, county taxes, Texas Constitution, Article VIII, tax relief, commercial property, death tax, inheritance tax, estate tax, property transfer

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> forester and a new G&amp;A contract forester forester and a new G&amp;A contract forester to<02:
• One of the GNA foresters GNA foresters.
• We're working through with our district foresters and our foresters with their one forester.
• We're working through with our district foresters and our foresters with their one forester.
• </c><03:16:41.840><c> their</c> foresters and our foresters with their foresters and our foresters with

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 65th Senate bill says fire home hardening practices in common interest communities.
• I'm the state senator from the very forested Fifth Legislative District, and I'm Victoria Hunt.
• I'm the state senator from the very forested Fifth Legislative District.
• We appreciate her thoughtful approach and commitment to practical implementation.

Summary: The committee held public hearings on two housing-related bills. Senate Bill 6054 would prohibit common interest communities, including HOAs and condominiums, from banning fire-hardened building materials that meet health and safety standards, while still allowing reasonable rules on design, placement, and appearance. The sponsor said the bill is intended to help homeowners reduce wildfire risk without forcing any resident to make changes, and staff explained that it would apply retroactively to conflicting governing documents. Testimony was generally supportive, including from the Office of the Insurance Commissioner, the Washington State Community Associations Institute, and HOA United, though the American Wood Council asked for narrower definitions so wood products could still qualify under other standards. Senate Bill 5938 would revise the $80 foreclosure prevention fee created last session. Staff said the bill expands exemptions to include reverse mortgages for borrowers age 60 and older, chattel loans and retail installment contracts for dwellings secured as personal property, and limits duplicate charges in certain state-supported homeownership programs. It also removes the option to pay the fee from borrower cash at closing, allows financing through loan proceeds, clarifies disclosure and Commerce’s rulemaking authority, and directs Commerce and the Housing Finance Commission to study creating a state homeowner assistance fund by July 1, 2027. The sponsor and supporters said the changes would stabilize foreclosure prevention funding, prevent multiple charges on the same transaction, and help homeowners stay in their homes. Testimony on SB 5938 was strongly supportive from the Washington Homeownership Resource Center, the Washington Build Back Black Alliance, HOA United, and the Northwest Justice Project, with speakers emphasizing foreclosure prevention, housing stability, and the need for assistance for seniors, first-time buyers, and HOA homeowners. At the end of the hearing, the chair announced that the committee would likely take executive action on the bills early the next week and asked members to submit amendments by the stated deadlines.

Transcript Highlights:

• One, if we don't securitize, then we have to be practical about it.
• If we don't securitize, then we have to look at it practically.
• You just acknowledge there's a nexus here for mismanaging our forests.
• Paul Mason, Pacific Forest Trust. Two points.
• One of those special funds would be the timber regulation and forest restoration fund, the timber tax

Summary: The hearing opened with budget framing from the chair and the LAO, who said the May Revision addresses roughly a $14 billion budget problem and that the environment and transportation subcommittee’s proposals account for about $1.9 billion of the solution. The LAO urged members to focus on solutions that do not worsen out-year deficits, to preserve reserves, and to defer major policy changes that are not necessary to pass the budget, including the newly introduced water-related trailer bills. Members also raised concern about a late-dropped Olympic-related trailer bill, which the LAO likewise suggested should be deferred for fuller review. The first major item was the Delta Conveyance Project and related water quality control plan trailer bills. The administration argued the proposals would streamline permitting, water rights proceedings, judicial review, and land acquisition, and would clarify DWR’s bond authority for the project. DWR said the project is needed to protect water supply reliability against drought, earthquakes, sea level rise, and other climate-related disruptions, and that the tunnel would help move water when conditions are wet and safer for the environment. Committee members from both parties questioned the timing, the use of budget trailer bills for major policy changes, the scope of the CEQA and water-rights changes, the lack of a bond cap, cost growth, and eminent domain protections. The LAO recommended deferring both water trailer bills without prejudice. Public comment was sharply divided, with labor, water agencies, and some business groups supporting the project as climate adaptation and reliability infrastructure, while environmental, tribal, fishing, county, and community groups opposed it as an attempt to bypass public process and weaken protections. The committee then briefly heard the DMV’s Digital Experience Platform fee trailer bill, which would reinstate a $1 system improvement fee to help fund the vehicle-registration phase of the project. DMV said the fee would raise about $7 million annually and offset roughly $59 million to $60 million of project costs, while the LAO noted it would help but would not solve the Motor Vehicle Account’s broader structural gap. The hearing then moved to California High-Speed Rail, where the new CEO presented an updated plan and said the project remains a major climate and infrastructure investment. He reported a revised Merced-to-Bakersfield cost range of $34.9 billion to $38.5 billion, said the agency is trying to reduce risk through direct procurement of materials, and argued that stable annual funding is needed to avoid higher costs from delays.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a predatory practice that is almost in no instance is it of benefit to the consumer.
• This is a practice that has been outlawed by several other states.
• , restricting certain sales practices, and classifying travel insurance for rates and forms.
• I'm the strategic advisor to the State Forester with the Department of Natural Resources.
• I have background in HR, so do recruiting before, and I'm thinking about hiring practices.

Bills: HB2428, HB2399, HB2087

Keywords: life insurance, policy lapse, policy cancellation, nonpayment of premium, premium grace period, lapse notice, termination notice, third-party notice, third-party designee, beneficiary protection, consumer protection, insurance regulation, insurer notice requirements, policyholder, beneficiary, Washington RCW, insurance code, unintentional lapse, coverage continuation, premium delinquency

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the director of the Florida Forest Service, and the Forest Service is a...
• I'm the director of the Florida Forest Service, and the Forest Service is a division under the Department
• Another thing I did want to mention is on our forests, our 38 state forests, since January, we burned
• property forested as well.
• our 38 state forest since Another thing I did want to mention is on our forest, our 38 state forests

Summary: The Senate Committee on Agriculture received a presentation from Florida Forest Service Director Rick Dolan on the agency’s wildfire response, forest management, and emergency support roles. He described the service’s four regions and 14 districts, its year-round wildfire response, use of bulldozers, helicopters, and drones, and the current high fire danger due to drought conditions. Dolan also highlighted prescribed burning, fuels mitigation, state forest management, the pine seedling nursery, and the agency’s role in hurricane response and incident management. Members asked about equipment loans and whether more prescribed burning could reduce wildfire impacts; Dolan said Florida already leads the nation in prescribed fire and emphasized public education and fuels reduction. The committee then considered and unanimously reported favorably Senate Bill 386, which creates a farm-equipment consumer protection process similar to a lemon law, allowing purchasers to seek repair or replacement of defective major farm equipment at no cost. The committee also took up Senate Bill 290, the Agriculture and Consumer Services omnibus bill. The bill would modernize fair association rules, preempt local bans on gas- and diesel-powered farm and landscape equipment, allow surplus of certain state-owned lands for bona fide agricultural use while excluding parks, forests, and wildlife lands, create a veterinary loan repayment program, make Farmers Feeding Florida permanent, expand Forest Service training opportunities, criminalize signal-jamming devices, increase penalties for CDL and English-proficiency exam cheating, restrict certain door-to-door solicitation, protect food safety inspectors, clarify biosolids rules, and add criminal and vendor-list penalties for contractors who fail to pay subcontractors. The committee adopted three amendments to align dates and technical language and to authorize native seed research and marketing through the Florida Wildlife Foundation. Testimony on SB 290 included support from several industry groups, concerns from the Home Builders Association about the new contractor-payment criminal penalties, and opposition from a citizen worried about the new surplus-land process for conservation lands. Despite concerns, CS/SB 290 was reported favorably. Finally, the committee unanimously recommended confirmation of the appointees listed on tabs 4 and 5, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Service personnel. of California's forests our federal national forests.
• It is also a national forest.
• Forest Service record on our national forest lands has not been a good one, because over decades, over
• Trump is attacking our forests. The federal government is attacking the Forest Service.
• And so we have seen over time. the approach to forest management in our national forests be a critical

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Fifty-seven percent of California's forests are federal national forests.
• Forest Service employees hampers essential functions that keep forests healthy, such as clearing down
• Forest is essential... ...that would defund the Forest Service. Adequate funding for U.S.
• Forest Service record on our national forest lands has not been a good one, because over decades, over
• forest.

Summary: The Assembly met after a quorum call, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, approved routine procedural motions, and recognized several guest groups, including First Five California, a fourth-grade class from Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School, visitors from Modoc and Lassen counties, and representatives from the Port of Long Beach. The chamber then moved through second reading and concurrence items, with most bills and resolutions being read, deemed adopted, or passed on file without debate. The main floor action centered on ACR 39, designating May 2025 as Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Month. Assembly Member Ramos and many caucus members spoke in strong support, describing the crisis as a state of emergency and emphasizing violence against Native women, girls, and two-spirit people, the need for better data collection, agency coordination, tribal sovereignty, and continued action beyond symbolic recognition. The resolution passed concurrence with 67 ayes and 0 noes. The Assembly also passed a series of bills on topics including classified school employee pay stubs (AB 374), allowing voucher preferences in housing (AB 282), authorizing nurse practitioners to sign death certificates (AB 583), student health insurance protections (AB 594), local housing pre-approval programs (AB 1206), veterans education program administration (AB 1509), expanding the Family Urgent Response System (AB 898), Star Wars Day (H.R. 33), local news sale notice requirements (AB 611), mask-wearing protections in public spaces (AB 1326), a Chula Vista university land-use measure (AB 76), undercover officer record protections (AB 1178), and preservation of Clover Valley in Rocklin (AB 1152). Most passed with broad support, though AB 282 and AB 611 drew some opposition. A major debate occurred on AJR 10, which urged the President to reverse cuts to the U.S. Forest Service. Members from both parties discussed wildfire prevention, forest health, staffing, and federal-state responsibility, with some criticizing the administration and others emphasizing forest management and the need for bipartisan cooperation. The resolution was adopted after a co-author roll and final roll vote of 67 ayes and 0 noes. The chamber then adopted the second-day consent calendar, heard an adjournment in memory for Giovanni “Johnny” of East Side Italian Deli, and adjourned until Monday, May 12, 2025.

Transcript Highlights:

• For Colorado forest health, this manifests as functioning forest ecosystems, resilient watersheds, landscapes
• For Colorado forest health, this manifests as functioning forest ecosystems, resilient watersheds, landscapes
• For Colorado forest health, this manifests as functioning forest ecosystems, resilient watersheds, landscapes
• ><c> created</c><00:46:07.599><c> by</c> forest health council was created by forest health council was
• </c> identified that make up Forest Health. identified that make up Forest Health.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Butler is a concurrent resolution to memorialize the United States Congress and the United States Forest
• such actions as are necessary to allow the use of dogs for deer hunting in the Kisatchie National Forest
• actions as there are necessary to allow the use of dogs for deer hunting in the Kasachi National Forest
• It gives law enforcement a practical tool to deter undesirable behavior.
• He graduated from Forest Heights Academy of Excellence and Honor students. That's Mr.

Bills: SR125, SCR70, SCR12, HB4, HB251, HB623, HB819, HB944, HB986, HB1098, HB1222, HB1257, HB221, HCR58, SCR22, SCR24, SB29, SB30, SB32, SB41, SB42, SB43, SB47, SB84, SB93, SB113, SB192, SB199, SB219, SB220, SB221, SB222, SB241, SB253, SB255, SB289, SB292, SB306, SB314, SB351, SB399, SB404, SB14, SB102, SB133, SB151, SB165, SB169, SB170, SB200, SB217, SB280, SB291, SB300, SB303, SB330, SB449, SB489, SB521, SB45, SB156, SB181, SB203, SB274, SB304, SB379, SB396, SB410, SB425, SB427, SB436, SB424, SCR61, SCR9, SB35, SB65, SB215, SB246, SB249, SB269, SB282, SB296, SB323, SB363, SB369, SB474, SB490, SB492, SB500, HCR31, HB296, HB299, HB322, HB364, HB519, HB535, HB538, HB568, HB571, HB622, HB635, HB676, HB772, HB784, HB1006, HB1018, HB1043, HB1070, HB1134, HB1239, HB62, HB193, HB203, HB210, HB220, HB228, HB246, HB420, HB475, HB486, HB574, HB584, HB750, HB813, HB815, HB826, HB870, HB949, HB953, HB1045, HB1092, HB1151, HB1162, HB1176, HB1177, HB1196, HB1214, HB1241, HB22, HB28, HB33, HB41, HB47, HB87, HB115, HB162, HB195, HB214, HB217, HB233, HB283, HB290, HB319, HB324, HB345, HB362, HB363, HB368, HB377, HB380, HB382, HB386, HB392, HB406, HB431, HB441, HB466, HB503, HB533, HB559, HB575, HB590, HB593, HB618, HB636, HB655, HB664, HB685, HB692, HB707, HB715, HB732, HB738, HB741, HB748, HB776, HB807, HB822, HB856, HB860, HB868, HB887, HB888, HB905, HB908, HB961, HB980, HB990, HB992, HB999, HB1000, HB1010, HB1146, HB1157, HB1233, HB1236, HB1243, HB54, HB137, HB180, HB192, HB310, HB321, HB396, HB512, HB552, HB578, HB638, HB663, HB708, HB717, HB718, HB1009, HB1082, HB1104, HB1107, HB1198, HB1246, HB1250, HB17, HB36, HB73, HB119, HB126, HB129, HB133, HB140, HB159, HB166, HB211, HB226, HB245, HB271, HB280, HB337, HB351, HB354, HB399, HB677, HB712, HB723, HB726, HB728, HB759, HB789, HB844, HB850, HB966, HB1036, SB149, SB382, SB441, HB134, HB258, HB359, HB782

Keywords: SR125, Senate Resolution 125, MUSV, Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel, MASC, Modular Attack Surface Craft, Conrad Shipyard, Morgan City, Louisiana shipbuilding, U.S. Navy, Department of the Navy, unmanned naval vessels, autonomous ships, defense procurement, military contracting, shipyard jobs, maritime workforce, advanced manufacturing, robotics, software engineering

Transcript Highlights:

• their confidence um growing their communication<00:02:59.080><c> skills</c><00:02:59.879><c> practicing
• </c><00:03:00.360><c> critical</c> communication skills practicing critical communication skills practicing
• those adult roles they also practice those adult roles they also practice<00:05:24.000><c> a</c><00:
• In that space, that's where children were really able to practice taking care of someone else.
• This is a huge project in Forest Lake.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And we are still here, speaking our language, practicing our ceremonies, protecting our sovereignty,
• And we are still here, speaking our language, practicing our ceremonies, protecting our sovereignty,
• <00:49:16.480><c> our</c><00:49:16.800><c> ceremonies,</c> practicing our ceremonies, practicing our
• government will take care of us after our chiefs gave up millions and millions of acres of land, forest
• </c> millions acres of land, forest, water. millions acres of land, forest, water.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That's a matter of real practical on the field. It's going down.
• Association, as a forester and wood scientist by education. and trade.
• I urge the committee to keep forests in focus.
• Captured water is vital in forest products manufacturing, and there.
• There will be no working forest or healthy forest without markets.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There is not much we can do on that unless We line the entire reservoir, which is not practical.
• It is all up in the Gila; most of it was on federal forest service land.
• B-A-R-E, it's done by the Forest Service.
• Drought has weakened our ecosystems, it has shrunk our reservoirs, and it makes Forests more vulnerable
• Your forested watershed is your treatment barrier. If it is damaged, your entire system is at risk.

Transcript Highlights:

• Two of these would be new community forests and one would expand an existing community forest.
• Two of these would be new community forests and one would expand an existing community forest.
• Community Forest.
• Please take this opportunity to invest in the community forest program before this forest and others,
• commercial forest lands in the Nisqually watershed and continuing to operate them as working forests

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:

• I'm saying compared to a forest, there's a difference between a residential development and a forest
• The Maumelle watershed is not increasing in forested areas. It's losing forested area.
• I'm saying compared to a forest, there's a difference between a residential development and a forest
• The Maumel watershed is not increasing in forested. actually are increasing in forested area.
• The Maumel watershed is not increasing in forested areas. It's losing forested area.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Practices on how to manage these forested buffers, these riparian areas as we refer to them, include
• I'm talking about the forested vegetation; we’ve got to help. Those areas rebound.
• Birdsong, thank you for your time and testimony regarding the forest vegetation for re-vegetation and
• One is vetting all of your activities with local experts, so that really is a best practice.
• I think that is the best practice, so I think it should be encouraged.

Keywords: 997, house, all