Transcript Highlights:

• FOR MORE DEVELOPMENT WORKFORCE HOUSING AND ENACT A STATE POLICY TO ALLOW PUBLIC SECTOR HOSPITAL EMPLOYEE
• IN THE PARKS THEY OWN THE MOBILE HOME ITSELF BUT THEY WERE IN AT THE SPACE THAT THE MOBILE HOME SITS
• WE HAVE ALSO SEEN RENTAL RATES GO UP IN THE MOBILE HOME PARKS AS WELL.
• WE HAVE ALSO SEEN RENTAL RATES GO UP IN THE MOBILE HOME PARKS AS WELL.
• YES, WE USE SOME OF THAT BECAUSE THOSE ARE EMPLOYEES SERVICING THE PLAN.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:11:42.719><c> and</c> years Minnesota allowed employees and years Minnesota allowed employees
• Let's put the brakes on your mobility.
• Non-competes put the brakes on mobility.
• </c><01:24:49.440><c> to</c> and all workers have their mobility to and all workers have their mobility
• Not by blocking employees innovation.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• At the MBTA, the mobility integration plan is helping Big part to play in this.
• , and shared mobility can work together as one connected system for riders.
• She noted a new term in the commission report: mini mobility.
• Current Malden resident, biotech employee, and vintage moped commuter.
• At AAA, we recognize and appreciate the benefits of multimodal mobility.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Transportation held a hybrid hearing on the governor’s Ride Safe Act, S. 3077, and related micromobility bills. Chairs and administration officials described the bill as a statewide, speed-based framework for e-bikes, scooters, mopeds, and similar devices, intended to replace outdated device categories with clearer rules for age limits, helmets, equipment, operating locations, registration, insurance for higher-speed devices, and restrictions on tampering. They also emphasized improved crash-data collection, a working group for future updates, and battery safety standards such as UL certification to reduce fire risk. Committee members asked about enforcement, shared-use paths, commuter rail accommodations, battery storage, and how the bill would apply to other vehicles like quads; the administration said some issues would need further study or follow-up. Testimony from advocates, municipal officials, and commission members was mixed but generally supportive of clearer statewide rules. Transportation and safety advocates backed the speed-based tier system but urged additional measures, including a default speed limit on shared-use paths, automated enforcement, and more funding for Complete Streets and Shared Streets programs. Bike shop and police representatives said current laws are confusing for riders and law enforcement and that better definitions and data reporting are needed. Several speakers stressed that enforcement and education will be critical, and that local patchwork rules are difficult to apply consistently. Medical testimony strongly supported tighter protections for young riders. Pediatric emergency and trauma doctors described a sharp rise in serious injuries and deaths involving e-bikes and scooters, including severe pediatric cases, and urged amendments adding a minimum age for faster devices and a universal helmet requirement. They argued that the force and weight of these devices make crashes more dangerous than conventional bicycles and pointed to past Massachusetts safety laws as evidence that age and equipment restrictions can reduce injuries. Some public testimony opposed the bill as written, especially from moped commuters who argued that gas-powered mopeds are being treated differently from comparable electric devices and should be included in the framework. They called for clearer rules on bike-lane access, insurance, parking, and statewide standards for mopeds as vulnerable road users. No votes were taken during the hearing; the committee heard testimony and questions only.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill will also require retailers to publicly disclose their policies on employee interactions with
• Senate Bill 1092 by Senator Allen, relating to mobile home parks.
• Mobile home parks are the largest source of unsubsidized affordable housing in the country.
• Although they're called mobile homes, mobile homes are not typically able to be moved, and many mobile
• So this bill provides that if a mobile home park owner, and increasing evictions.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They hurt Exxon Mobile.
• They hurt Exxon Mobile.
• They hurt Exxon Mobile.
• They hurt Exxon Mobile.
• They hurt Exxon Mobile.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Close the back doors, and everyone please silence your mobile devices.
• Close the back doors, and everyone please silence your mobile devices. Mr.
• And please, a friendly reminder to silence your mobile devices.
• And please, a friendly reminder to silence your mobile devices.
• I own my own company up north, 100 employees, and I call an employee meeting, I guess, is what we're

Summary: The Senate received House communications listing numerous House-passed bills, substitutes, amendments, and concurrent resolutions, and then took up committee reports and a consent calendar. Consent Calendar 65 passed unanimously with 20 yes votes and included Senate Resolution 26 recognizing Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, House Concurrent Resolution 131 on apprenticeship programs for school-based mental health professionals, House Concurrent Resolution 137 on mathematics instruction review, and House Concurrent Resolution 148 on a statewide menopause education strategy. Later, Consent Agenda N also passed with the required two-thirds vote and included a large group of bills on evidence and witnesses, Family Court jurisdiction, theft by impersonation, realty transfer tax, auto insurance practices, child services and educational services, STD prevention, agricultural and forestry matters, menstrual disorder materials, a Smyrna charter change, massage/body work, dry needling, and lead poisoning screening. Several substantive bills were debated and passed. Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 314, modernizing Delaware’s rape shield law and clarifying how courts handle evidence of prior false sexual assault allegations, passed 21-0. Senate Bill 347, a cleanup bill to the Medical Debt Protection Act that expands prohibited collection actions and requires disclosure when a collector is a large health care facility, also passed 21-0. House Bill 300, creating a statewide Title IX coordinator in the Department of Education to support compliance and data collection for interscholastic athletics, passed after debate; Senate Amendment 1 to the bill, which would have required athletes to compete according to biological sex, was defeated 6-14 with one absent, and the underlying bill then passed 20-0 with one absent. The Senate also passed House Substitute 1 for House Bill 84, which limits mandatory employee attendance at meetings where employers convey political or religious views, after questions about employer, union, and exemption coverage; House Substitute 1 for House Bill 301, which clarifies criminal penalties for violence, threats, and intimidation at polling places and election-related sites, passed after discussion of what conduct it would cover; House Bill 63, addressing fireworks disclosures and related regulation, passed 19-2 after senators discussed enforcement and impacts on veterans, children, and pets; and House Bill 348, updating the electric vehicle rebate program to give DENREC more flexibility and expand eligibility, passed 16-5. The chamber then recessed until the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• The ALJ is an employee that's hired by the chief administrator.
• Yes ma'am you were a longtime state employee I assume.
• I want to go be a state employee. Were you a supervisor?
• I always paid attention to my employees, and that's one of the values of the Survey of Employee Engagements
• And that is widely known with state employees.

Bills: HB3146, HB3719, HB3895, HB3923, HB4748, HB4751, HB4936, HB4952, HB4990, HB4991, HB5061, HB5196, HB5238, HB5246, HB5487

Keywords: State Office of Administrative Hearings, SOAH, administrative hearings, contested case, contested case hearing, administrative law judge, ALJ, final decision, proposed decision, agency hearing, hearing continuance, rescheduling, Texas administrative law, Government Code Chapter 2001, workers' compensation, Department of Human Resources, Texas Labor Code, Transportation Code, Agriculture Code, Insurance Code

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair recognizes the gentleman from Mobile. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the recognition.
• To me, the Metro is Mobile.
• You're recognized, G from Mobile, J. Brown. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
• If you took all the water out, then the floor of, say, Mobile Bay...
• The floor of, say, Mobile Bay, Mississippi, should be covered in grass.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to see the mobile health unit rider kept in there.
• The Texas State Employees Union represents state employees across all agencies, including Health and
• Ray Hemel representing the Texas Public Employees Association.
• But I'm speaking on Article 2 in general, vis-a-vis the employees who are your employees ultimately,
• And you certainly have, on the benefits of employees.

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Legislature Employee Relations Act provides employees, as specified, the right to form, join, and
• , all matters of employer-employee relations.
• The employee assistance... I know, sorry. Okay, go ahead. Thank you.
• The Employee Assistance Program is a union-negotiated benefit for all state employees.
• The Employee Assistance Program is a union negotiated benefit for all state employees.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 5 held an informational hearing on the Governor’s May Revision proposals for labor, public safety/judiciary, and transportation, and no votes were taken. In Part A on labor, the Employment Development Department described funding for EDD Next document management work, updated UI loan interest costs, disability insurance and paid family leave benefit increases, WIOA adjustments, UI and school employee benefit changes, an EMT training reappropriation, and a technical correction tied to an EDD Next reversion. PERB discussed reduced funding requests for AB 288 due to litigation and a proposal to implement AB 1 covering legislative employees. DIR presented proposals for legal unit reclassifications, two major IT modernization projects, a new Cal/OSHA emerging technologies unit, a COIA reappropriation, and trailer bill language requiring electronic payment of employer assessments and removing a salary cap for the DWC administrative director. CalHR proposed consolidating employee assistance services into a statewide contract with enhanced support for first responders, and CalPERS and CalSTRS presented budget adjustments tied to investment costs, state contributions, and benefit overpayments. Members focused heavily on the unemployment insurance debt and interest payments, asking why the administration had no concrete plan to pay down principal. Finance and LAO explained that the state’s UI tax structure has long been insufficient and that any long-term solution would need to address both the outstanding federal loan and the structural imbalance in employer taxes. Questions also centered on EDD Next costs and timelines, with the chair asking for clearer long-term project cost estimates and Finance noting that future maintenance and operations costs will continue after implementation. On DIR’s emerging technologies unit, members asked whether it would address AI-driven workplace harms; DIR said the unit would focus on physical workplace safety issues involving AI, robotics, autonomous equipment, and related guardrails, while LAO noted broader labor-practice questions would likely fall outside Cal/OSHA’s scope. In the CalPERS discussion, members raised concerns about transparency in private equity and external management fees, while CalPERS said higher fees reflect a strategy of greater private-market and active-management exposure and are offset by higher net returns. Members urged more information on specific investments and future reporting. For CalSTRS, Finance presented routine contribution and overpayment adjustments, but members also raised broader transparency concerns that CalSTRS staff said they would follow up on separately. Public comment in Part A was dominated by strong support for an immigrant worker emergency relief fund, along with support for apprenticeship and workforce proposals and PERB staffing. The chair and members said they would follow up on where the immigrant relief proposal should be considered, noting it may belong in another policy area. The hearing then moved into Part B with an overview of Judicial Branch-related May Revision items, including court interpreter funding, appellate court security, workload cap changes, lactation room implementation delays, and a reduction to the state court facility construction backfill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Orientation and mobility is another service that we provide.
• Orientation and mobility is another service that we provide.
• We are 100% federally funded; however, we are state employees.
• We are 100% federally funded; however, we are state employees.
• The OCA has a staff of 32 full-time employees. When I started, we had three.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing was an informational and oversight session of the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities, with chairs and members hearing agency updates from several commissioners. The Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition described its maternal and child health work, including home visiting, early intervention, WIC, newborn hearing screening, and cross-agency efforts on prenatal substance exposure, respite care, children’s vision, and maternal health initiatives. DPH emphasized that federal grant cuts, layoffs, and the loss of data systems such as PRAMS would weaken services and planning, and members asked about Title V funding and the impact of federal uncertainty. The Massachusetts Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing highlighted communication access services, interpreter and CART referrals, emergency after-hours support, family navigation, and independent living services. Commissioners and members discussed the shortage of ASL interpreters and the need to expand training pipelines, including partnerships with colleges and possible ASL programming for younger students. The Department of Developmental Services reported serving nearly 50,000 people and focused on youth and adult services, transition-age supports, autism services, self-direction, respite, and new high-acuity residential models. Members asked about respite availability, self-direction outcomes, and workforce shortages; DDS said it was expanding clinical capacity and provider rates while monitoring possible federal Medicaid, SNAP, and immigration-related impacts. The Commission for the Blind described services for about 28,000 legally blind residents, most of whom are older adults, including social rehabilitation, orientation and mobility training, children’s services, assistive technology, vocational rehabilitation, and Turning 22 supports. The commissioner discussed a UMass-based effort to build the workforce pipeline for blindness services and said the agency was watching federal restructuring but had not yet seen direct cuts. MassAbility’s leadership then warned about major federal changes affecting Social Security disability determinations, including staff restructuring, office closures, and a new overpayment repayment policy, and said the agency was preparing for possible increases in claims and uncertainty around reallotment dollars that help fund services. The Disabled Persons Protection Commission closed the hearing with an update on its abuse investigations and protective services for adults with disabilities. DPPC reported rising hotline calls and investigations, a growing caseload, its sexual assault response team, the abuser registry, and a new interagency protective services integration system funded by ARPA dollars through 2027. The agency also flagged new federal rules that could affect funding eligibility and said it may need statutory changes to comply. Members asked about funding, reporting pathways, and how complaints reach DPPC, and the commissioner said the agency uses both mandated reporting and proactive outreach to identify and respond to abuse.

Transcript Highlights:

• and began rulemaking to establish the disciplinary framework in 2024 Senate Bill 1600 created the Mobile
• That is a 19% increase from the previous year demonstrating successful expansion of the mobile licensure
• And why has already received 43% of the total applications submitted during the first year of mobile.
• We see the same pattern with mobile licenses issued the same 10 professions represent the majority or
• This tells us that while mobile licensing is a technically open to all professions in practice, it is

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 376 by Senator Williams regarding Mobile County be pending. Mr.
• </c> Mobile County. Mobile County.
• This is current employees right now, right?
• </c><01:28:12.239><c> Whereas</c><01:28:12.560><c> this</c> Mobile Alumni Chapter.
• Whereas this Mobile Alumni Chapter.

Keywords: 920, all

Summary: The Alabama Senate convened with prayer and the pledge, confirmed a quorum, excused absent senators, and adopted the previous day’s journal. The chamber then received House messages referring House Bill 614 on supplemental appropriations and House Bill 224 on the distribution and use of tax funds to the Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee. Committee reports followed on several bills, including favorable reports for House Bills 169, 542, 593, and 13, with HB 542 amended in committee. The Senate also referred Senator Orr’s proposed rules change to the Rules Committee. A series of resolutions were taken up and adopted, including Senate Resolution 109 creating the Alabama Boating Safety Task Force, Senate Joint Resolutions 102 and 103, House Joint Resolutions 237, 215, 216, 218, and 235, Senate Joint Resolution 88 supporting the U.S. Department of Energy’s nuclear life cycle innovation effort, Senate Joint Resolution 93 creating a rural EMS and volunteer fire department study commission, Senate Joint Resolution 94 commending Exchange Club of Tuscaloosa Officer of the Year honorees, and Senate Joint Resolution 110 commending William Riley Hawkins Jr. on his retirement from AARP Alabama. The Senate also recognized several guests in the gallery, including local school superintendents and a student visitor. The chamber then moved through local legislation, adopting BRs and passing numerous local bills and constitutional amendments, including measures for Mobile, Prichard, Class 2 municipalities, Mingo County, Talladega County, Perry County, Wilcox County, Clay County, Washington County, and Madison County. Senate Bill 376 on Mobile County and Senate Bill 379 on Madison County were both passed and transmitted. Most local bills passed on unanimous or near-unanimous votes using the previous roll. The Senate also adopted Special Order Calendar Resolution 111, setting a special order calendar for the 27th legislative day that prioritized a long list of appropriations, education, retirement, dam safety, and higher education bills. On that calendar, House Bills 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 565, and Senate Bill 380 were taken up. HB 235’s committee substitute was tabled, a floor substitute was adopted restoring funding to the McQuain Center and removing some arts grants, and the bill passed. HB 236 passed after a language amendment. HB 237 passed as the Education Opportunities Reserve Fund bill. HB 238 passed after a floor substitute that shifted arts grants, added Voices for Alabama’s Children, adjusted RAISE Act weights, and increased funding for poverty, special education, and gifted students, along with a small amendment. HB 239 passed as the public education employee pay raise bill, with a substitute adding a retiree bonus and members discussing that the bonus would also be carried through SB 380. HB 240, HB 241, HB 242, and HB 565 all passed. SB 380 on the teachers retirement system received committee amendments and was being advanced as the vehicle for the retiree bonus, with Senator Orr explaining the bonus would be about $33 million and based on $1 per month of service for eligible retirees with at least 10 years of service.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, this ensures that there's protection for the employees when it comes to harassment from the patient
• </c><00:09:43.200><c> when</c><00:09:43.440><c> it</c> protection for the employees when it protection
• for the employees when it comes<00:09:43.760><c> to</c><00:09:44.000><c> harassment</c><00:09:44.560
• to make sure that retention of employees to make sure that we<00:43:05.839><c> take</c><00:43:06.000
• </c> program which includes Metro Mobility program which includes Metro Mobility and<00:55:02.319><c>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I was looking at your website, and I see I think eight employees. Are they employees?
• So the 10 employees are for the National Center for Frontier Communities.
• So they are down to 120 something employees.
• In many cases, those people become federal employees.
• What kind of opportunities can we create to prepare those employees?

Transcript Highlights:

• And when I say nine, we've got two round trips of the Mardi Gras service that go to Mobile.
• We've got 262 employees that work out of our crew base and mechanical base in New Orleans.
• Louisiana, Mississippi, and their respective DOTs, and the city of Mobile.
• Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, and Mobile, originating and terminating in New Orleans.
• One leaving Mobile at the same time.

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Transportation, Highways, and Public Works met on March 9, 2026, established a quorum, and approved the March 3 minutes. The chair introduced new members and then moved through four priority-program items: the statewide flood control program, the airport construction and development priority program, the port construction and development priority program, and the state highway priority program. DOTD staff said there were no changes to the flood control, airport, or port projects from the prior week, and the highway priority packet reflected about $1.2 billion in total investment, including about $913 million slated for construction in the upcoming fiscal year. Members also discussed the written justifications for projects raised during the road show but not included in the highway priority list, with the department explaining that those comments would continue to be tracked and addressed in future priority programs. Each of the four programs was approved without objection. The committee then received a presentation from Amtrak’s Todd Stennis on Louisiana service and the new Mardi Gras route between New Orleans and Mobile, which began in August 2025. He described the route as a state-supported service funded by Louisiana, Mississippi, the city of Mobile, and their transportation agencies, and said ridership had exceeded projections, with more than 80,000 riders in about six months against a first-year estimate of 76,000. He also outlined strong on-time and customer-service performance, station usage patterns, fares, and planned capital improvements funded through federal CRISI grants and state matches that are intended to improve rail fluidity and shorten travel times over the next several years. A substantial portion of the Amtrak discussion focused on railroad crossing safety after members raised concerns about recent accidents and fatalities. Stennis emphasized the blue emergency placards at crossings, the 800-number system for reporting incidents, and ongoing coordination with Operation Lifesaver and the host railroads to improve public messaging. Members also asked about an app used to identify crossings when signs are unreadable, and Stennis said he would follow up. The meeting concluded with a motion by Vice Chair Carter to adjourn, which carried without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• And when I say nine, we've got two round trips of the Mardi Gras service that go to Mobile.
• "We've got 262 employees that work out of our crew base and mechanical base in New Orleans.
• "Louisiana, Mississippi, and their respective DOTs, and the city of Mobile.
• Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, and Mobile, originating and terminating in New Orleans.
• One leaving Mobile at the same time.

Summary: The Joint Committee on Transportation, Highways, and Public Works met on March 9, 2026, with a quorum present and approved the March 3 minutes without objection. The committee welcomed new members and then took up four priority program items: the statewide flood control program, the airport construction and development priority program, the port construction and development priority program, and the state highway priority program. Department of Transportation and Development staff explained that the highway packet reflected about $1.2 billion in total investment, including roughly $913 million scheduled for construction in the coming fiscal year, and included written justifications for projects discussed at road show hearings but not included in the program. Each of the four programs was approved without objection. The committee then heard a presentation from Amtrak on Louisiana service and the Mardi Gras route between New Orleans and Mobile. Amtrak reported that the new state-supported service, launched in August 2025, had exceeded its first-year ridership projection of 76,000 and had already carried more than 78,000 riders by late February, with strong customer satisfaction and high load factors. The presentation also described Louisiana’s broader Amtrak network, station ridership patterns, fares, and planned capital improvements funded through state matches and federal CRISI grants to improve rail fluidity and shorten travel times over time. Members focused heavily on rail crossing safety, asking about recent accidents and what was being done to reduce them. Amtrak said the crossings involved were generally equipped with gates and lights and that it was working with Operation Lifesaver, Norfolk Southern, and CSX on additional public safety messaging. Members also discussed the practical appeal of the service and asked a follow-up question about an emergency notification app used for railroad crossings. The meeting concluded with a motion by Vice Chair Carter to adjourn, adopted without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• The program is funded through premiums paid by both employers and employees.
• For the family share, employees pay 100%.
• Employees don't like to pay taxes, and employers don't like to pay taxes.
• Employees don't like to pay taxes, and employers don't like to pay taxes.
• This includes exemptions for employees engaged in casual labor and about private homes, employees that

Summary: The committee heard public hearings on several bills. HB 2675 would eliminate a number of state accounts and transfer remaining balances from two accounts to the general fund, while also changing how revenues in the Salary Insurance Contribution Increase Revolving Account are deposited; OFM testified in support and there was no public opposition. SHB 1903 would create a statewide low-income energy assistance program through the Department of Commerce, funded by the general fund and Climate Commitment Act revenues; supporters said it would address Washington’s underfunded and uneven energy assistance system, while utilities and rural co-ops raised concerns about cost, reporting burdens, utility authority, and implementation details. SHB 2384 would require actuarial reviews for certain continuing care retirement communities with prepaid life care contracts; residents and consumer advocates supported the added transparency, while providers opposed the added review costs and said they already pay for actuarial work. SHB 1982 would expand the ability of tribal members to vacate convictions tied to treaty rights, add OPD representation and a tribal liaison position, and then an amendment was described that would remove the liaison position and eliminate the fiscal impact; the sponsor and OPD supported the bill, and testimony emphasized correcting past treaty-rights convictions. The committee also heard SHB 2389, a broad juvenile justice bill that would expand suspended disposition options, create midpoint review hearings, reduce some robbery ranges, and address juvenile rehabilitation capacity and transfers. Supporters argued it would reduce racial disparities, favor community-based rehabilitation when safe, and improve outcomes, while prosecutors, sheriffs, counties, judges, cities, victim advocates, and some tribal law enforcement warned it would weaken accountability for serious violent offenses, increase court and local government burdens, and shift costs without funding. Several witnesses and the bill sponsor discussed proposed amendments, including removing presumptions and the mid-sentence review. The committee then heard SHB 2439, which would raise tobacco and vapor product license fees, create a responsible vendor program, add manufacturer certification and enforcement provisions, restrict certain products and sales practices, and redirect tobacco tax revenue to public health, cancer research, and youth prevention accounts; public health and prevention groups supported it, while retailers and industry representatives opposed the fee increases and some of the new restrictions. Finally, HB 2681 would sharply increase cannabis license fees and index them to inflation; OFM supported the change as aligning fees with program costs, while cannabis businesses and associations opposed or sought changes to the fee structure and CPI indexing. The committee also heard a briefing on SHB 2215, which would require the Caseload Forecast Council to forecast SNAP and state food assistance caseloads in light of upcoming federal cost-sharing changes; no questions were raised at the briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• The term includes an employee of a retailer includes an employee of a retailer includes an employee of
• a mobile a mobile device.
• Mobile device. A phone or Nine. Mobile device. A phone or Nine. Mobile device.
• Is capable of running apps through the mobile operating through the mobile operating through the mobile
• B provides common services for mobile device for mobile device for mobile device programs. programs.

Keywords: 920, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Mobility Index.
• More than 75 percent of CSU spending is employee compensation.
• I'm not sure I have the trends in breakdown of employees.
• The Chancellor's Office has about 700 staff out of 63,000 employees, so about 1% of total employees.
• We also, in our priorities, include employee compensation.

Summary: The subcommittee heard opening remarks and updates from UC President James Milliken and CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia on the state of higher education, including federal funding losses, civil rights/Title IX compliance, enrollment, housing, and budget needs. Both leaders emphasized the value of UC and CSU to California’s workforce, research, and economic mobility, while warning that federal grant cancellations, investigations, and changes to student aid are creating major financial and operational strain. UC reported losing or having at risk more than 1,600 grants and over $1 billion in research activity, while CSU said it had lost more than 200 grants totaling about $161 million, including minority-serving institution grants that affected student support programs. Both systems said they are investing in civil rights services and trying to limit the release of personally identifiable information in response to federal requests. The committee then reviewed the higher education student housing grant program. Finance and Legislative Analyst’s Office staff said the governor’s budget does not include major new changes but continues support for the program. CSU reported 12 approved projects that will add about 5,047 beds, with roughly 75% below market rate, and said it has about 68,000 beds systemwide, a 92% occupancy rate, and ongoing housing insecurity among students. UC said its housing projects have added more than 7,000 beds when reduced-rent and regular-rent units are combined, but nearly 10,000 students were on housing wait lists at the start of fall 2025. Both systems described rapid rehousing efforts, emergency beds, and partnerships with community colleges, and UC noted several joint housing projects, including at Riverside, Merced, and Santa Cruz. Members discussed whether future housing bonds and use of surplus school sites could help expand capacity. In the enrollment section, the LAO recommended maintaining UC’s 2026-27 resident undergraduate target, funding enrollment growth separately from base increases, pausing the nonresident reduction plan at the three highest-demand UC campuses, and holding UC enrollment flat in 2027-28. For CSU, the LAO recommended revising the 2026-27 enrollment expectation downward to reflect updated projections, while also funding enrollment growth separately and holding enrollment flat in 2027-28. CSU said it has rebounded from pandemic-era declines, is above its funded target by about 3,000 FTE, and is shifting about $89 million and 10,000 FTE from lower-demand campuses to higher-demand ones while developing turnaround plans for seven campuses with sustained enrollment declines, including Sonoma State. UC said it has already exceeded its compact enrollment goals and is planning continued growth, but that sustaining it depends on ongoing state support. Members raised concerns about campus-specific enrollment declines, nonresident caps at UC San Diego, and the need for stronger turnaround plans and teacher preparation pathways. The final section covered core operations and deferred payments: Finance said the governor proposes another one-year deferral of about $129.7 million for UC and $143.8 million for CSU, and the LAO recommended retiring the deferrals when one-time funds are available. CSU described rising compensation, financial aid, utilities, insurance, and deferred maintenance costs, and said it is pursuing cost-saving measures such as procurement alignment, campus integration, and shared administrative services.