Transcript Highlights:

• And then the key to any P3 program is the program manual.
• The bus and bus facility grant program is an existing program that was established under the Move Ahead
• program in 2023.
• program in 2023.
• This would have very little risk of affecting program solvency for low-revenue programs, would not be

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met for a work session and public hearing on February 19, 2026. In the work session, Switch Maritime presented a proposal for hydrogen fuel cell ferries for Washington State, including a budget proviso directing the Joint Transportation Committee to study hydrogen propulsion and a lease model for future Washington State Ferries procurement. The company described its Sea Change vessel, said the design could be adapted for Washington routes such as San Juan Islands–Anacortes, and emphasized that hydrogen fueling could be delivered through a mobile supply chain without new charging infrastructure. Senators asked about vessel flexibility, size, hydrogen availability, and terminal compatibility. The committee also received an update from WSDOT on the new public-private partnership program authorized in 2025. Staff said the agency is developing a four-phase implementation process, including consultant selection, a steering committee, a program manual, stakeholder engagement, and candidate project identification, with a report due to the transportation committees on September 1, 2026 and program launch targeted for January 1, 2027. The presentation stressed that the program manual will provide flexibility within the statute and that legislative input is being sought on engagement and project timing. The public hearing was on Senate Bill 6352, an omnibus transportation resources bill that revises and expands provisions from last year’s ESSB 5801. Staff outlined sections covering a mobile driver’s license and ID card program, a reduced-fee ID card for older drivers, changes to alternative fuel and aviation taxes and fees, revised sales tax distributions for ferry and multimodal funding, transit and bicycle education grants, fish passage permitting, clean energy siting on WSDOT right-of-way, toll notice procedures, older driver safety outreach, traffic safety camera revenue sharing, and a delay to the tow-truck indigent impound reimbursement program. The prime sponsor highlighted two priorities: digital driver’s licenses and dedicated ferry funding. Testimony was mixed. Supporters included airlines and aviation groups backing mobile ID and repeal of the luxury aircraft tax, transit and bicycle safety advocates supporting grant flexibility and continued bike education funding, and ferry advocates supporting dedicated ferry revenue. Local governments, including Bellevue, Kenmore, and Tacoma, raised concerns about the traffic camera revenue change, saying the shift from net to gross revenue would reduce local safety funding and could discourage new camera programs. The Association of Washington Cities also warned about unintended consequences in the fish passage and traffic camera provisions. RV dealers sought a delay to the luxury vehicle tax, and peer-to-peer car-sharing platform Turo asked for clarification on documentation requirements. The committee took no final vote and announced it would consider executive action the following week.

Transcript Highlights:

• been in the program.
• </c> chooses to walk away from the program. chooses to walk away from the program.
• </c><00:03:01.840><c> Both</c> ignition interlock program. Both ignition interlock program.
• And if they restart the program.
• </c> program and then re-entered the program program and then re-entered the program after<00:08:24.960

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Federal match-up program.
• We evaluate all programs.
• youth, or expand some programs.
• While WIOA, which is our Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act program, this youth program Serves
• programs are working as expected.

Transcript Highlights:

• Stanley, as a sponsored research program, a sponsored program, meaning external funding.
• As a sponsored research program, a sponsored program, meaning external funding, these funds that were
• This program, again, was treated internally as a sponsored program with the external funds from Pulaski
• The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at UALR reviewed the expenditures per program guidelines
• Yes, I mean, the program staff were administering the program per the guidelines that have been approved

Committee: All LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I will explain how school meal programs work and how the program mechanisms work, highlight the various
• Together, these features of the program are more comprehensive than school meal programs in other states
• However, the program evaluation may be too early to accurately assess the long-term impacts of the program
• The whole program is a wonderful program.
• It costs more for some of these programs, and so as you all consider the right way to fund these programs

Transcript Highlights:

• Across all programs.
• The program was designed basically to do a couple of things. And it's a very narrow program.
• That is a successful program.
• It is a successful program.
• public programs.

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> um</c><00:08:33.760><c> the</c><00:08:34.000><c> program</c> 29, the program um the program 29,
• And on page the program.
• </c> amounts available under this program. amounts available under this program.
• And those programs.
• </c> fund the programs that are working. fund the programs that are working.

Bills: HF2312

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Keywords: higher education, college finance, student aid, financial aid, state grants, North Star Promise, scholarships, tuition relief, Minnesota State, University of Minnesota, Office of Higher Education, work-study, child care grants, Indian scholarships, tribal colleges, Hunger-Free Campus, student parents, pregnant students, parenting students, sexual misconduct

Transcript Highlights:

• But other programs, like SNAP and other programs like that, are programs that families have so they can
• But other programs, like SNAP and other programs like that, are programs that families have so they can
• But other programs, like SNAP and other programs like that, are programs that families have so they can
• </c><00:30:28.880><c> merge</c> same program as the two programs merge same program as the two programs
• All of these programs... of the Early Childhood programs that of the Early Childhood programs that received

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Were you with the program then? Have you been with the program since its inception?
• Okay, I have been with the program before it was even a program, a pilot, and that was 1985.
• We have a program. This is one of several programs, but probably...
• 80 growers who've been part of this program, and the program is growing.
• and the program is growing.

Bills: HF3692

Committee: House Agriculture Finance and Policy

Keywords: Farmer-Lender Mediation Act, mediation, agriculture finance, debt relief, civil law, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• on a biennial basis, this program is really going to be... ...on a biennial basis, this program is really
• So no new funding was appropriated for this program, for the CC program, in the 2025 legislative session
• The various programs that we will walk through, from legislatively directed programs to disaster loan
• programs, to the special mission-based programs, to our core participation loan programs.
• So it depends on the program.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee received a compliance and status update on Industrial Commission programs and the Bank of North Dakota. Staff reviewed appropriations and spending for several Industrial Commission funds and grant programs, including lignite research, oil and gas research, clean sustainable energy, grid resiliency, salt cavern analysis, and the new NDSU research and technology park grant. Members discussed the timing of reimbursements, uncommitted balances, and the structure of the pipeline capacity and enhanced oil recovery funding. The Industrial Commission also reported on its administrative budget, grant management system project, and recent leadership transitions across several agencies. Karen Tyler of the Industrial Commission described active grant rounds and the status of major projects. She said the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority approved three projects in its sixth round, with remaining uncommitted cash and loan capacity still available, though no new funding was appropriated this session. She also said the Oil and Gas Research Council approved six enhanced oil recovery projects and expects additional funding after a federal Department of Energy award replaces one project’s state funding. For grid resiliency grants, she said some projects have been funded, some commitments were returned or reallocated, and some DOE funds remain pending. She also updated the committee on the salt cavern business case study, which replaced an earlier larger development proposal, and on the NDSU research park grant, where the nonmatching portion was paid and the matching portion has moved slowly because the match must be in cash. Ron Ness then gave an extended presentation on enhanced oil recovery and North Dakota oil and gas trends. He said production remains steady, but future growth depends on infrastructure, especially gas takeaway and projects like the Bakken East pipeline. He argued that enhanced oil recovery using CO2, natural gas, surfactants, and other methods could extend Bakken production for decades, but that the state needs more CO2 supply, better storage, and updated tax and regulatory incentives. Members asked about lateral lengths, CO2 availability, pipeline impacts, and the role of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and Ness emphasized that the projects are intended to share technical learning across operators and attract follow-on investment. The Bank of North Dakota then presented its compliance report and strategic update. President Don Morgan said the bank’s mission remains to support North Dakota agriculture, commerce, and industry while cooperating with the state’s financial sector. He reviewed the bank’s main business lines: participation lending with community institutions, student loans, disaster lending, mission-based programs, and a new fintech-focused effort. Morgan said deposits are flattening, so the bank is managing balance sheet growth carefully, while still reporting improved net income and strong efficiency. He also introduced Rough Rider Coin as a bank-to-bank payment rail, not a public cryptocurrency, intended to speed and modernize payments within North Dakota’s banking and credit union system. Committee members asked about student loan eligibility, disaster program use, and how credit lines and liquidity would be affected if deposits shrink.

Transcript Highlights:

• within the parks and recreation program, so they used to have three programs and now have two.
• Home Visiting Program... $4,237,200 one-time for the Idaho Home Visiting Program, $28,020,000 for the
• We fund a drug court, a family court, substance abuse programs, children advocacy programs, and reentry
• ... family courts, substance abuse programs, children advocacy programs, and reentry programs.
• The Idaho Child Care Program capacity is intended to find child care programs needing short-term investments

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee first approved a $3,700 dedicated-fund enhancement for the Endowment Fund Investment Board to replace a high-end laptop. It then took up several Department of Lands items. A $125,000 supplemental for Forest and Range Fire Protection to help stand up firefighters was rejected after concerns were raised that prior firefighter bonus money had gone largely to office staff rather than firefighters. The committee did approve a supplemental shifting 1.25 FTP and $160,000 from the Abandoned Mines Lands Fund to the Navigable Waterways Fund to align spending with statutory uses, and later approved a broader FY 2027 Department of Lands package including radio equipment, vehicle storage, a UTV, legal counsel fund shifts, Idaho Geological Survey support, replacement items, and OITS hardware. A proposed substitute that would have omitted the $140,500 general-fund restoration for eastern Idaho fire preparedness failed, but the original motion including that amount passed. The committee also adopted language for the Idaho Geological Survey and later approved Parks and Recreation FY 2027 enhancements for staffing, trail work, a mower, grant pass-throughs, staff housing, interpretive displays, Farragut entrance work, RV campsite development, and replacement items, after questions about federal replacement-item funding were answered by the director. A FY 2026 Parks and Recreation supplemental allowing program transfers above the 10% cap also passed. The committee then moved to the Department of Health and Welfare’s Division of Public Health Services. It approved FY 2027 funding for the Idaho Home Visiting Program, immunization assessment fund restoration, disaster planning and training, fee-for-service lab testing, ARPA multi-year grants, HIV prevention, hepatitis prevention, and a $19,000 suicide prevention restoration; a substitute motion that would have reduced the home-visiting restoration to $500,000 failed, and the original motion passed. The committee adopted reporting language for suicide prevention, HIV prevention, hepatitis prevention, and immunization assessment funds. It then considered the Division of Early Learning and Development, approving funding for Idaho Child Care Program capacity, replacement items, population forecast adjustments, and the transfer of the Idaho Home Visiting Program from Public Health; a separate motion to require an open competitive acquisition process for Idaho STARS was set aside and the committee instead held the language in committee for further work. The committee also adopted language for Idaho Home Visiting reporting, Idaho Child Care Program reappropriation, Idaho Child Care Capacity Grant restrictions, and a transfer-limitation exemption for the division. Finally, the committee began the Division of Family and Community Partnerships and heard a request for $180,000 in federal funds for kinship navigation services to help relatives and close family friends care for children and prevent foster care entry. The transcript cuts off before the vote on that item, so no final action on it is shown here.

Transcript Highlights:

• With me today, we have two testifiers who can talk more broadly about the program.
• Continuing the work of this grant program is vital to public library users across the state.
• That's what makes this program so key.
• That's what makes this program so key.
• That's what makes this program so key.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Workforce Training Program.
• Looking at a few of the programs that helped make this happen, for state funded programs.
• program does? That's the intent of the program. Okay, and thank you so much. Appreciate it.
• The federal law and the regulations that govern that program. program have been unchanged.
• program.

Committee: House Appropriations - S/C on Articles VI, VII, & VIII

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• uh which is a really purchasing program uh which is a really interesting<00:02:52.640><c> program</c
• </c> appreciate the um you know that program appreciate the um you know that program really<00:02:59.200
• That program began as a pilot four years ago and became a full-fledged program two years ago.
• But of dairy with an eye program.
• He said it is a good program.

Bills: HF2446

Committee: House Agriculture Finance and Policy

Keywords: agriculture finance, broadband development, Department of Agriculture, Board of Animal Health, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Office of Broadband Development, food safety, food handler license, cottage food, home processed food, livestock dealer, meat packing company, milk marketer, milk marketing license, grain buyer, grain storage, beginning farmer, emerging farmer, farm down payment assistance, livestock investment grant

Transcript Highlights:

• This program is really going to improve transparency of our programs, accountability, data production
• This is our oldest grant program.
• Again, this program was established in 1987. Again, this program was established in 1987.
• programs, to the special mission-based programs, to our core participation loan programs, provide a
• So it depends on the program.

Summary: The committee received a compliance and budget update on Industrial Commission agencies and programs, including the Industrial Commission administrative office, the Oil and Gas Research Program, the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority, the State Energy Research Center, the Research Technology Park grant program, and related funds. Staff reviewed spending and balances for items such as electric grid resiliency grants, lignite research, enhanced oil recovery, the salt cavern business case study, and the new NDSU research and technology park grant. Members also discussed timing, carryover balances, matching requirements, and how some programs are structured to reimburse projects over several years rather than spend funds immediately. Karen Tyler of the Industrial Commission described the agency’s administrative budget, the grant management system nearing completion, and the transition to standalone audits and staffing after separating from other agencies. She also outlined the status of active grant rounds across lignite, oil and gas, renewable energy, outdoor heritage, and clean sustainable energy programs. Members asked about the length of active grants, demand for clean energy funding, and the possibility of future grant rounds. Tyler and members also discussed the salt cavern study, the need to better define its commercial value, and the research technology park grant’s cash-match requirement. Ron Ness then testified on enhanced oil recovery and broader oil and gas market conditions. He said North Dakota production remained steady, but future growth depends on infrastructure, longer laterals, and better use of natural gas and carbon dioxide for EOR. He described the state’s EOR grant round, the use of federal DOE funding to replace part of a state-funded project, and the expectation of additional grant rounds. Members asked about CO2 supply, storage, and the economics of using legacy fields and pipelines to extend oil production and support agriculture and industrial uses. The committee also heard from Bank of North Dakota President Don Morgan, who reviewed the bank’s mission, governance, lending verticals, disaster programs, and new initiatives. He said the bank is seeing deposit growth flatten and is responding to fintech competition by focusing on liquidity, risk management, and a new payment infrastructure initiative called Rough Rider Coin, which he emphasized is not crypto and not a public coin, but a banking payment rail for North Dakota institutions. Members asked about student loan rates, disaster lending, and how the bank’s lines of credit and balance sheet capacity are affected by deposit trends. Morgan said the bank remains profitable and continues to support agriculture, commerce, and industry through participation loans, student lending, and state-directed programs.

Transcript Highlights:

• Just to share with you briefly, last year, we did pull several of our programs out from other programs
• We're very thankful for this program.
• Programs...
• Smooth and effective program launch.
• And you've put together a program, you have a business plan, you have marketing programs, programs you

Committee: Senate Children, Families, and Elder Affairs

Summary: The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs received three presentations and took no bill votes. The Department of Children and Families gave an extensive update on human trafficking prevention and services, describing Florida’s statutory framework, hotline and investigation data, placement options such as safe houses and safe foster homes, new adult safe house certification rules, expanded screening tools for vulnerable adults, and prevention efforts including youth-led outreach and training. Members asked about whether current funding is sufficient, how DCF addresses grooming and re-victimization in residential settings, and how long youth typically remain in safe-house placements; DCF said funding is only one part of the support system, that families and youth receive prevention resources even when allegations are not substantiated, and that placement length varies by child. OPPAGA then presented its 2024 annual report on commercial sexual exploitation of children. The report found that verified CSE victims slightly declined in 2023, with Broward, Miami-Dade, Duval, Hillsborough, and Escambia among the highest-prevalence counties. Most verified victims were community youth rather than children already in care, though dependent youth had higher rates of prior maltreatment. OPPAGA also reported continued concerns about limited placement capacity, especially for less restrictive Tier 1 safe houses, and service gaps such as the need for survivor mentors. Its recommendations focused on expanding placement options, improving data collection, and strengthening collaboration to support survivor mentors. Finally, DCF presented the Step into Success pilot program for current and former foster youth ages 16 to 26. The program combines workforce education, professional development, and paid internships with mentor support; the first cohort launched in 2024 with 15 participants, all of whom secured placements, and the department reported strong satisfaction and early outcomes. Committee members asked about scalability, costs, and whether the model could be moved beyond DCF-run operations into community-based providers. DCF said the program was designed to be scalable, currently costs about $500,000 annually for the pilot, and could be expanded statewide with additional funding and partner support. The committee adjourned after the presentations.

Transcript Highlights:

• He froze all programs.
• He did not freeze programs that had waste, fraud, and abuse; he froze all programs.
• Not all programs were frozen at all.
• He specifically, in the OMB, called out programs related to illegal DEI programs and programs that effectively
• I was proud to help create the State Trade Expansion Program, the STEP Program.

Committee: Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• retail customers must provide to one program.
• program.
• These programs are all... A fair assumption.
• , or our Project Help Assistance Program.
• . ...for their programs.

Summary: The Environment and Energy Committee heard testimony on three bills. HB 2426 would allow the Pollution Control Hearings Board, with unanimous agreement of the parties, to use alternative board compositions for appeals, including a single member or other qualified environmental adjudicators, so long as one member is a Washington-licensed attorney and the panel has environmental law expertise. The bill sponsor and supporters from business and conservation groups said it was a narrow, consensus-based change intended to improve efficiency and predictability. ELUHO’s director supported the concept but flagged technical issues in the bill language about attorney and Growth Management Hearings Board member qualifications. HB 2416 would provide no-cost allowances under the Climate Commitment Act to Spokane’s waste-to-energy facility, which is not currently covered until the second compliance period. Supporters, including Spokane officials, labor, and local partners, said the facility protects a sole-source aquifer, provides waste disposal and electricity for about 13,000 homes, and faces large compliance costs that could raise rates and threaten jobs. Opponents from environmental groups and Ecology argued the bill would give the facility preferential treatment, subsidize most of its emissions through 2050, and fail to ensure real emissions reductions; AWB raised concern about market impacts if new allowances are added. No vote was taken. HB 2373 would require electric utilities to offer monthly bill discount programs with tiered income levels, expanded outreach and enrollment, and updated reporting on low-income energy assistance. The sponsor said the bill is meant to make assistance more consistent and accessible statewide, while utilities and rural co-ops warned it could create unfunded mandates and significant rate increases for non-low-income customers, especially in smaller systems. Supporters from community action agencies, Commerce, and some utilities said monthly assistance is needed because energy burdens are rising and current programs are patchwork, though several urged pairing the bill with state funding or amendments. The committee heard extensive testimony but took no final action on any of the bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> support to enhance their um programming support to enhance their um programming that<00:21:20.600
• </c> district and that would be programming district and that would be programming that<00:21:25.159>
• This federal program supplements that state-mandated English learning programs to help students gain
• </c><00:53:54.200><c> to</c> mandated English learning programs to mandated English learning programs
• It is important to note that this program operates alongside the Rural Education Achievement Program,

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So this type of program would really help with that, would it not?
• And programs that we need, but it also helps at the higher education level.
• used to promote this program.
• There was a lot of interest in this program.
• They wouldn't have to stay in the program longer to get more amounts.

Committee: Senate Education K-16

Summary: The Senate Education K-16 Committee heard Senate Bill 1961, which would expand reporting on post-secondary outcomes and workforce data, including employment, earnings, regional labor demand, and credentials of value. Senator Bettencourt said the bill is intended to close data gaps and improve alignment between education programs and workforce needs. Witnesses from Opportunity Austin, Texas 2036, Samsung Austin Semiconductor, and the Fort Worth workforce community testified in support, saying better data would help students, parents, schools, employers, and regional economic development efforts. After questions from members about regional workforce pipelines and semiconductor talent needs, public testimony closed and SB 1961 was left pending. The committee then took up several pending bills and reported them favorably, including SB 1325, SB 604, SB 1832, SB 747, SB 2185, and SB 2395, with committee substitutes adopted where needed. SB 1325 was amended to remove the DSHS commissioner’s authority to issue standing orders for respiratory distress medication in schools. SB 1832, relating to school transfer or private-school funding options for students victimized by a public school employee, and SB 747, relating to intimate visual material policies, were both advanced on recorded votes. SB 2185, on the bilingual education allotment, was initially moved to a local calendar but was later backed up and reported to the full Senate after a fiscal note was noted. SB 2395, on school district general obligation bonds, was also reported favorably and then moved to the local and uncontested calendar. The committee also heard SB 646, which would expand the Mental Health Professional Loan Repayment Program to additional professions, increase award amounts, and add stipends for rural and bilingual service. Senator West said the bill responds to mental health workforce shortages and inflation. The Texas Counseling Association supported the measure, and a Hogg Foundation representative said participation has grown sharply since prior changes. SB 646 was left pending. The committee also heard SB 2647, which would create a Texas state accrediting agency and interim oversight system for higher education accreditors; supporters from the Texas Public Policy Foundation and a massage school owner argued it would improve accountability and reduce accreditor overreach, while Senator Menendez raised concerns about effects on law and medical school accreditation and student opportunities. SB 2647 was left pending. Finally, the committee heard SB 2786, which would exempt first responders from the Texas Success Initiative entrance exam, and SB 2615, which would standardize remote-work policies across public higher education institutions. The Texas State Association of Firefighters supported SB 2786, saying it would remove an extra step for career advancement; the bill was left pending because the committee substitute had not yet been adopted. SB 2615 was presented as a way to ensure more consistent in-person staffing expectations while preserving exceptions for illness, disability, and some non-teaching roles; it too was left pending. The committee then recessed subject to the call of the chair.