Transcript Highlights:

• And I want to be central to that team so that we can be as successful as possible.
• ><c> either</c><00:32:57.160><c> under</c> all 16 stations are either under all 16 stations are either
• All right, a couple months, but who's counting? I had a couple of goals.
• All right a couple months but<01:06:15.600><c> who's</c><01:06:15.760><c> counting?
• </c><01:06:16.600><c> Um</c> but who's counting? Um but who's counting?

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And that supports 1,700 New Mexico grocery stores, farmers markets, gas stations, and convenience stores
• From that early beginning, we now have, at last count, about 27 faculty and staff who are working with
• And then lastly, kind, of the foundation of it all, a centralized extension data repository.
• It is a centralized platform housed within our group within Extension. at New Mexico State University
• Your station there does so much good work and they're Always doing outreach to the community.

Transcript Highlights:

• Lois was stationed in Washington, DC, where she worked as a codebreaker, utilizing complex machinery
• I gave them the count of rockets, UAVs, casualties, drones. Gave them the count.
• , gave them the count of rockets, UAVs, casualties,<08:01:15.680><c> drones.
• Gave them the count. casualties, drones. Gave them the count.
• So I naturally asked a question: what United States armed forces are stationed in Lebanon?

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• KLC opposes the centralation of taxes.
• KLC opposes the centralation of centralization<00:23:15.840><c> of</c><00:23:16.080><c> local</c><00:
• 23:16.400><c> transit</c><00:23:16.880><c> room</c> centralization of local transit room centralization
• But Boone, centralized collection.
• </c> know that it's so much that centralized know that it's so much that centralized collection<00:53

Keywords: Meeting Start: 00:00:13 Roll Call 00:00:24 Approval of Minutes from September Meeting 00:02:10 Presentation of Special Purpose Governmental Entities Report 00:03:19 Presentation of Kentucky League of Cities Legislative Platform for the Upcoming 2026 Session of the General Assembly 00:15:37 Discussion of Centralized Collection of Net Profits and Occupational License Taxes 00:37:05 Adjournment 00:55:53, 958, all

Summary: The committee received reports on special purpose governmental entities from the Department for Local Government and the Fire Commission. DLG staff described SPGEs as limited-jurisdiction political subdivisions and reviewed the department’s registry, reporting portal, compliance monitoring, and planned system upgrades such as a two-way message center, automated noncompliance notices, and tracking for new entities and board expirations. They reported that, as of October 10, 2025, 69% of SPGEs were active and discussed compliance data by cycle, fiscal year, and district type. The Fire Commission reported that fire department mergers have reduced the number of departments by 16 since last year, largely because of volunteer staffing shortages, while financial disclosure compliance had risen to 94%. The commission also noted 509 compliance reviews, 19 in-house inquiries, seven referrals to outside agencies, and one recent federal prison sentence in a theft case. Members asked whether DLG advises SPGEs on tax rates; staff said it only performs calculations and the entities set their own rates. Questions to the Fire Commission focused on whether department reductions meant station closures; officials explained that most changes were mergers that keep physical buildings in place while combining personnel and finances to meet minimum staffing requirements. They said the trend is spread across the state but is especially pronounced in rural areas. The Kentucky League of Cities then presented its 2026 legislative agenda. Its priorities included modernizing city revenue options, increasing equity in road funding, fixing tax increment financing issues, addressing transient room tax collection from web-based platforms, strengthening emergency response coordination, clarifying massage parlor regulation preemption, correcting unintended consequences of House Bill 606, improving newspaper publication rules, and modernizing procurement statutes. KLC also said it supports allowing all cities to collect restaurant tax revenue, wants cities to receive a larger share of road funds and EV-related revenues, and seeks state collection and remittance of any future local sales tax to comply with the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement. Members asked about best-value bidding, road-fund equity, Airbnb tax litigation, EV prevalence, and disaster funding applications; KLC said cities currently must accept the lowest bid, the road split should better reflect city street costs, the Airbnb tax case remains pending, EV data by locality has not been studied, and allowing cities to apply directly for disaster funds would reduce reliance on county officials. No votes or formal actions were taken beyond approving the September meeting minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• to spend more time on at that station to spend more time on research<00:25:15.640><c> must</c><00:25
• If you're asking the number of attorneys that we have in count, we'll have to get you that number.
• And this is where we are centralizing a lot of services to serve the entire enterprise.
• They, we count those dollars very separately.
• They They we count self-sustaining.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Interim Joint Budget Review Subcommittee on Education met for its first summer interim meeting, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and took roll. The first presentation came from Jerry Gels, principal of Ignite Institute in Erlanger, who focused on the rising cost of dual credit. He said dual credit tuition has increased from about $150 to $290 for a three-credit course over roughly five years, which he argued is discouraging participation, especially for working-class and low-income students. He cited Ignite data and broader college outcomes to argue dual credit improves college persistence, shortens time to degree, and reduces student debt, noting that many of his students enter college with substantial credit and that low-income students at Ignite have increasingly participated after targeted efforts and scholarship use. He also said the instructional labor is largely paid by county school systems, so he questioned the size of the tuition increase and said the committee should examine how the costs are being set and whether college tuition should be stabilizing as more students arrive with credits already earned. Members asked about who pays for dual credit, the role of state scholarship support, and whether tuition varies by institution. Gels said students in his district generally pay the dual credit cost themselves, though some districts may cover it, and he noted the dual credit scholarship now covers fewer classes than before. He said the price appears to be set centrally rather than varying by university, and he emphasized that the higher cost is creating barriers even though the courses are taught largely by local teachers on school payrolls. He also described Ignite’s efforts to expand access for free- and reduced-lunch students, saying participation among that group rose from 27% with no dual credit to about 90-92% taking at least one dual credit class. The committee then heard from the Goldwater Institute, represented by Michael Frazier and Dr. Tim Minella by Zoom. They argued Kentucky’s public universities should face stronger accountability and transparency, citing declining public confidence in higher education, rising costs, and what they described as administrative growth and research spending that does not clearly benefit students or the Commonwealth. They proposed requiring a 10-year accounting of staffing growth by category, comparing it to enrollment and low-income Kentucky enrollment, and limiting non-STEM faculty teaching releases for research unless approved under a baseline consent process. They also criticized certain university-funded research projects as examples of misdirected spending and said public reporting should distinguish Kentucky residents from non-residents more clearly, pointing to a reported decline in low-income in-state undergraduate enrollment. No votes or formal actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Mitch Weiss, Corey Consulting, representing numerous MPOs, RTPAs, and the Central Coast and Central Valley
• smaller community organizations, especially smaller communities such as those we just heard in the Central
• I hope we can count on your support to create healthier communities and environments across California
• Environmental Justice, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, Richmond Shoreline Alliance, Central
• We are centrally located,” “We have businesses coming to want to relocate, but we do not have any of

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Our database provides a centralized, ready-to-use resource to support such implementations.
• And are not maintained in any kind of centralized searchable database.
• It creates a centralized database that allows us to see patterns across districts and see where violations
• The committee continued the consent calendar vote count, with members recorded as voting aye.
• Now you can go to a police station and probably find a law enforcement officer there, or a sheriff's

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It counts down by somewhere between 25% and 40% over the range of data that's actually close.
• I think this one here, and I mentioned, it's pretty much raw budget divided by count.
• That's their current count versus capacity. So, yet we see...
• So they should be some helpful for where those counts... I just couldn't do that, right?
• Community safety and accountability are central to our mission.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The commission on correctional consolidation and collaboration heard testimony focused on how Massachusetts uses custody levels, staffing, programming, and medical release tools, with Prisoners’ Legal Services arguing that the system is overusing expensive high-security settings and underusing step-down options. Dave Rainey said the incarcerated population has dropped substantially over the last several years, but spending and staffing have not fallen in proportion. He argued that DOC overclassifies people into medium and maximum security, relies too heavily on behavioral assessment units that function like segregation, and keeps people in restrictive settings such as Souza-Baranowski and Shattuck Hospital longer than necessary. He also said medical parole is underused and that many people with serious chronic illness or advanced age pose little public-safety risk and should be released through existing legal pathways. Sheriffs and other commission members pushed back on some of those points, emphasizing that staffing needs are driven by the acuity of the current population, that corrections is not overstaffed, and that classification decisions involve serious public-safety judgments. They also stressed that some high-cost medical placements are necessary because people remain under sentence and require care, and that furloughs and other release tools can create security risks if contraband or substance use is involved. The discussion also covered the role of county sheriffs versus DOC in reentry, with several members saying county systems tend to do more day-to-day step-down and release planning, while DOC has more difficulty moving people through lower-security settings before release. Ben Foreman of MassINC offered a more systemwide, data-focused perspective, praising the state’s transparency and arguing that Massachusetts has made major progress in reducing incarceration and increasing public safety. He said the state still has an opportunity to improve by right-sizing facilities, investing in community-based mental health treatment, and using the commission to better understand the capital and operating costs of the current system. In response to questions, he said he was aware of DOC studies on programs like furlough but had not reviewed recent ones, and he noted that total-control facilities like Souza-Baranowski have long been criticized in the research literature for poor outcomes. Nora Wassel of the Women and Incarceration Project then testified that the commission should issue an interim report and scrutinize the planned new women’s prison, which she said is not justified by current population trends or available data. She argued that women are overclassified under DOC’s own tools, that reentry beds and minimum-security placements are underused, and that the system may be failing to account for women’s distinct medical and reentry needs. The meeting ended with continued discussion of reentry, furloughs, day reporting, and whether consolidation should mean fewer facilities, better step-down pathways, or both.

Transcript Highlights:

• Every dollar counts. Seriously, these days, it's very tough.
• Your gas station puts their prices up on the sign outside.
• Every dollar a family can save counts.
• have to go to the specific credit union, but it would be the same in terms of access, like in the Central
• I have more access, but in the Central Valley, people would still have to go to the same place that we

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Today, the state’s efforts Like gas stations and mobile sources like diesel trucks.
• One goes from the Central Valley to the San Francisco area, where we have refineries; one from the Central
• Valley to Los Angeles; and one from the Central Coast to Los Angeles.
• The central objective of this proposal is to return California crude production to 125 million barrels
• There is a lot of exposure that comes to people in the Central Valley.

Summary: The joint informational hearing of the Assembly Committees on Utilities and Energy, Transportation, and Natural Resources focused on California’s transportation fuels sector, especially the state’s response to refinery closures and the broader transition away from fossil fuels. Opening remarks emphasized the tension between climate and air-quality goals, fuel affordability, refinery jobs and local tax bases, and the need to avoid crisis-driven responses as Phillips 66 and Valero consider shutting refineries in Wilmington and Benicia. Professor Emily Grubert framed the issue as a long-term managed transition in which the public already bears much of the risk and should also capture benefits from a well-planned shift. CARB Chair Leanne Randolph reviewed the state’s emissions and fuel policies, including AB 32, the low-carbon fuel standard, clean vehicle programs, and the at-berth regulation for ocean-going vessels. She said California’s transportation sector remains the largest source of greenhouse gases and a major source of smog-forming pollution, but that the state has made substantial progress and still needs to reduce demand for fossil fuels while maintaining compliance with federal air-quality standards. Randolph also said CARB’s recent LCFS amendments had not caused the predicted spike in gas prices and explained that compliance pathways for the at-berth rule include emissions-reduction technologies or payments into a remediation fund. CEC Vice Chair Gunda described declining gasoline demand, shrinking in-state refining capacity, and growing dependence on imports, arguing that the state is in a “mid-transition” period that requires both support for legacy infrastructure and continued investment in cleaner alternatives. He outlined the administration’s petroleum market stabilization proposal, which aims to return California crude production to 125 million barrels a year through four components: codifying the ban on fracking, validating the Kern County oil-and-gas permitting ordinance, creating a temporary CEQA exemption paired with a two-for-one plug-and-drill framework, and strengthening pipeline and spill-safety requirements. Department of Conservation Director Jennifer Lucasey said the proposal is intended to stabilize crude supply and pipeline throughput while preserving health and environmental protections, and noted that CalGEM would still review permits and enforce other requirements. Mayor Steve Young of Benicia testified that a Valero closure would significantly reduce city revenue and leave the community facing years of cleanup and redevelopment challenges. He said the city supports environmental protection but is worried about the economic hit, the possibility that Benicia becomes a fuel-import terminal, and the lack of local influence over refinery decisions. Members pressed the panel on the CEQA exemption, tribal and habitat review, disclosure of closure liabilities, fuel-demand projections, and whether the proposal should include more demand-side measures. No formal votes were taken; the hearing was informational, and officials said some proposals, including a margin-cap pause and further transition planning, would be taken up later in the process.

Transcript Highlights:

• it's still unnecessary because unlike passenger cars, where we have to actually go to a smog check station
• has made tremendous progress in reducing vehicle speeds on many of our minor arterials, but we are counting
• McGovern, with the Coalition for Clean Air, in support, and also voicing support for APN Action, Central
• These things include parking on fire hoses, blocking fire station driveways, driving through active fire
• measure allows the authority to accommodate utilities that are trying to expand their business in the Central

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I have counted Olympians among my teammates. This positions me uniquely to oppose this bill today.
• Davis Tran Station, all in strong opposition. Thank you. My name is Mariam.
• I'm the Executive Director of Cal Pride Valle Central, and I oppose this bill. Thank you.
• I'm on the Central Committee of the Peace and Freedom Party. Thank you.
• I am the executive director of Cal Pride Valle Central, and I strongly oppose this bill. Thank you.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• stations can be small, independently owned gas stations. would be revenue neutral.
• stations can be small, independently owned gas stations, you're going.
• Thank you. gas stations.
• And then by contrast, almost one in two gasoline stations are major branded stations.
• Or is it the gas station?

Summary: The Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications held an oversight hearing on managing the transportation fuels transition, fuel pricing, and supply reliability. Chair Allen opened by discussing prior legislation, including SB 1322 and special session measures, that expanded reporting to the California Energy Commission (CEC) and gave the state tools to study gasoline costs, refinery margins, inventories, and potential supply disruptions. He framed the hearing around refinery closures, rising imports, global conflict affecting crude markets, and the need to balance affordability, reliability, and the state’s long-term clean-fuels transition. CEC Vice Chair Siva Gunda, CDTFA Chief Deputy Director Gentian Droboniku, and DPMO Director Ty Miller presented data showing California’s growing dependence on imported crude and refined products, declining in-state refining capacity, and stable-to-tight inventories that are being supported by higher imports. They said the new transparency laws have improved understanding of the market and pointed to the proposed Gateway Pipeline, marine imports, and distribution constraints as important supply issues. CDTFA and DPMO emphasized that retail margins, especially for branded gasoline, have widened significantly, with large price gaps between branded stations and hypermarts/unbranded stations, and that some of the recent price increases were tied to the Iran conflict while earlier spikes were more consistent with localized market behavior and possible price gouging. DPMO also said it is investigating high-priced branded stations, monitoring algorithmic pricing under AB 325, and continuing to analyze diesel spot-market transparency. The CEC and CARB also discussed the Transportation Fuels Transition Plan and the SB 237 assessment, describing them as efforts to plan for a managed decline in fossil fuel demand while protecting workers, communities, and consumers. They said California’s climate goals remain centered on an 85% greenhouse gas reduction by 2045, with continued use of liquid fuels expected but with lower-carbon alternatives, more efficient vehicles, and alternative fuels playing a larger role. Committee members focused heavily on workforce impacts, the need for concrete transition planning, and whether the agencies could provide a clearer picture of what California’s fuel system will look like under the state’s long-term goals. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Central Texas is in a unique situation. I imagine all of you have a home here.
• Systems landfill versus Travis Central Appraisal District. Got it.
• Where we find the issues is, I'll just pick the Central Business District.
• Every day counts, and we ask you to take actions quickly. Thank you.
• So get whatever input in now because this train's leaving the station.

Bills: SB467, SB325, SB867, SB994, SB1052, SB1237, SB1449, SB1531, SB2063, SB2172, SB2173, SB2520, SB2529, SB2538, SB2541, SJR46, SJR84

Keywords: SB 467, Texas property tax, ad valorem tax, homestead exemption, residence homestead, fire damage, house fire, destroyed home, temporary tax relief, appraisal district, chief appraiser, local taxing unit, tax rollback, tax refund, Tax Code Chapter 11, prorated exemption, homestead improvement, disaster relief, property tax exemption, residential property

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank security and count on it the most.
• </c><01:19:42.719><c> And</c> Minnesota and central Minnesota. And Minnesota and central Minnesota.
• You may count on that; the governor may count on that as being a number one feature of the Senate taxes
• You may count on that; the governor may count on that as being a number one feature of the Senate taxes
• on that, the governor may may uh count on that, the governor may count<01:43:00.560><c> on</c><01:43

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Give it a good 15-second or so count and then turn it back on. I said, you're joking, right?
• You know, if I could simply tell people, hey, you've got a problem, you turn it off, you count 15 Mississippi
• firefighting in Kingfisher and has done a lot of work that is enabling that city to build its new fire station
• The twins attended the University of Central Oklahoma together before transferring and graduating from
• I like my good friend from South Central Oklahoma. I will always remember April 16th.

Bills: SB1365, SB2139, SB1595, SB1303, SB2180, SB2072, SB1772, SB1209, SB137, SB1944, SB372, SB1636, SB1256, SB1827, SB2104, SB1226, SB1876, SB1966, SB80, SB1148, SB1147, SB1149, SB1161, SB1162, SB1164, SB1159, SB1165, SB1174, SB1156, SB1158, SB1163, SB1175, SB1176, SB1166, SB1167, SB1157, SB1146, SB1481, SB1144, SB1145, SCR20

Keywords: SB1365, Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act, procurement exemption, competitive bidding, state purchasing, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, tourism department, merchandise for resale, gift shops, lodges, golf pro shops, state parks, restaurant contracting, retail outlets, public procurement, purchasing flexibility, Title 74, emergency clause, restrictive covenants, discriminatory covenants

Summary: The House opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several gallery introductions, including the Oklahoma Elks Lodge Association, Guthrie Day visitors, students from Sanger Ridge Elementary and Stillwater, and multiple honored guests and athletic teams. The chamber also heard a farewell speech from Representative Dale Kerbs reflecting on his 10 years in the House, his committee work, staff, family, and major policy changes during his tenure. A concurrent resolution recognizing the YMCA on its 175th anniversary was also adopted. The bulk of the meeting focused on a series of Senate bills carrying joint committee reports, many of them appropriations or retirement-related measures. The House passed bills providing COLAs or related benefit changes for judicial retirees (SB 1148), firefighters (SB 1147), police retirees (SB 1146), public employees (SB 1145), and teachers (SB 1144), along with a one-time stipend for a small group of retired police and firefighters who missed prior increases (SB 1149). Members asked questions about pension solvency, tiered COLA structures, and whether any bills reduced state contributions; the sponsors generally said the systems were stable or that future legislatures would retain oversight. The House also passed limits bills for the Health Care Authority (SB 1161), State Department of Health (SB 1162), Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (SB 1164), Department of Human Services (SB 1163), Public Safety (SB 1165), Agriculture (SB 1166), and the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (SB 1175 and SB 1176). Several other measures were approved with little or no debate, including appropriations for remediation assistance (SB 1159), a Pardon and Parole Board pay increase (SB 1156), funding for the Office of Juvenile Affairs to ensure juveniles receive prescribed medication (SB 1158), a new OSBI cybercrimes and fraud unit (SB 1157), and OMES provisions for Pay for Success and a public contract-spending database (SB 1167). The House also passed a school bill adding 20 minutes of recess for K-5 students, with members joking about recess for legislators as well. Most bills passed with strong bipartisan margins, and several emergency clauses were adopted by the required two-thirds vote. The House then recalled HB 1933 from engrossing and enrolling and adjourned until Monday, April 20, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• questions about, for example, in the manufacturing world, does food processing and packaging also count
• or a company that doesn't even bring an opportunity to us because they just assume that it doesn't count
• right after the governor pointed me into this, the feedback that I got actually from a lot of our central
• your presentation, you mentioned that you identified the need for MRO and aerospace development in Central
• from that, we have welding simulators, and so of the 500 students come through, we had about 10 stations

Transcript Highlights:

• We have students here today from the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.
• in aggregate value of personal property for the current year over the previous year shall not be counted
• in aggregate value of personal property for the current year over the previous year shall not be counted
• that's, that's, you know, legal right now, but now we're going to proliferate them in all these gas stations
• Now we have a proliferation of gambling machines in every gas station, strip mall, and other vacant buildings

Summary: The House convened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, approved the prior day’s journal by a 134-0 roll call vote, and then moved through a series of introductions recognizing guests and student groups at the Capitol, including Turning Point USA chapters, CASA volunteers and staff, JAG students, university groups, nursing students, and several legislative interns. The chamber also handled a point of order about an unauthorized prop in the room, which was removed. The first major bill taken up was House Bill 1766, dealing with personal property tax treatment and new construction calculations. Supporters argued it would treat personal property more like real estate under Hancock-style limits and provide fairness to taxpayers, while opponents warned it could reduce revenue for taxing districts. After debate, the House passed HB 1766 by a vote of 94-50. The House then considered House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2989, a major gaming measure that would criminalize illegal gaming machines, create a regulated framework for video lottery terminals, give local governments an opt-out, and expand enforcement authority for the Attorney General and prosecutors. Members debated whether the bill was a needed enforcement tool or an inappropriate expansion of gambling, with concerns raised about addiction, local control, revenue distribution, and whether the bill should have gone to Fiscal Review. A motion to refer the bill to Fiscal Review failed 69-44, and the bill itself passed 83-66 with one present. The chamber next took up House Committee Substitute for House Bill 2014, the supplemental appropriations bill. The sponsor said it provided just over $3 billion in additional authority, including tax refund authority, disaster relief, St. Louis tornado recovery funding, and major MoDOT funding, along with other smaller items. Members from both parties supported the bill, while also noting concerns about reliance on supplementals and the need to budget more accurately in the future. The House adopted an amendment reducing some general revenue authority, then adopted the bill and perfected and printed it. The meeting ended with announcements, including a notice that the Super Committee on Tourism would meet immediately in Hearing Room 6.

Transcript Highlights:

• We do have Columbia Generating Station near Richland.
• have focused on potential coal-to-SMR conversions, as well as on sites close to Columbia Generating Station
• State and local permitting authority has been centralized in EFSEC, the Energy Facility Site Evaluation
• Energy Northwest is counting on utilities, ignoring... ...financial risk.
• Energy Northwest is counting on utilities, ignoring what protected them from WPPSS liability back in

Bills: SB5821, SB6004, SB6010, SB5941

Keywords: nuclear energy, energy strategy, advanced technology, sustainability, state policy, renewable energy, public entities, electric generation, contracting, SB 6010, Washington energy siting, EFSEC, Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, tribal consultation, government-to-government consultation, federally recognized tribes, energy facility siting, RCW, clean energy, alternative energy

Transcript Highlights:

• We do have Columbia Generating Station near Richland.
• have focused on potential coal-to-SMR conversions, as well as on sites close to Columbia Generating Station
• State and local permitting authority has been centralized in FSEC, the Energy Facility Site Evaluation
• Energy Northwest is counting on utilities, ignoring what protected them from WPPSS liability back in
• Energy Northwest is counting on utilities, ignoring what protected them from WPPSS liability back in

Summary: The committee heard public testimony on Senate Bill 5821, which would direct the Department of Commerce, if funded by gifts or grants, to develop a nuclear power strategic framework and integrate it into the state energy strategy. Supporters, including Sen. Braun, Energy Northwest, public power representatives, and several pro-nuclear advocates, said Washington needs to keep advanced nuclear on the table to address rising electricity demand, reliability concerns, and clean energy goals. Opponents, including the Sierra Club, Columbia Riverkeeper, tribal representatives, and other environmental advocates, argued the bill gives nuclear special treatment, lacks sufficient guardrails on waste, safety, cost, and public process, and was rushed without adequate tribal consultation. Several tribal testifiers said the bill should require early, meaningful government-to-government consultation and stronger protections for treaty rights and cultural resources. The committee then held a work session on a Washington State Institute for Public Policy report reviewing state policies supporting small modular reactors. Staff and researchers explained that the report surveyed 79 policies in 35 states and found most states are still in preliminary planning stages, with policies focused on feasibility studies, siting, workforce development, permitting, financial support, and market integration. Members asked about water use, waste, footprint, and whether the report covered fusion; the researchers said it was limited to fission and that water needs vary by reactor design. Some senators noted the need to consider lifecycle impacts and compare nuclear with other energy technologies. The committee also heard Senate Bill 6010, which would change FSEC tribal consultation procedures by exempting most government-to-government consultations from the Open Public Meetings Act when there is no deliberation or commitments, requiring all FSEC members to participate in consultation, and giving tribes a chance to review and correct the consultation summary before it goes to the governor. Tribal witnesses and environmental groups supported the bill as a way to improve confidentiality and meaningful consultation, while the Association of Washington Business opposed it, saying it could add delays and suggesting timelines. Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 6004, which would update contracting statutes so public entities can contract for renewable or non-emitting generation capability under CETA definitions; utilities supported the update as a modernization, while consumer and environmental opponents warned it could shift financial risk to ratepayers, especially for nuclear projects. No votes were taken in the transcript.