Transcript Highlights:

• getting the community real-time feedback about their concerns and helping to also, in the process, educate
• That's also helping to educate all stakeholders about who has what responsibility for what aspects of
• that, and other things that perhaps are just going to take more time to really dig into in terms of educating
• My name is Melissa Bumstead, and I represent parents against the Santa Susanna Field Lab.
• My name is Melissa Bumstead and I represent parents against the Santa Susanna Field Lab.

Summary: The joint oversight hearing focused on DTSC’s implementation of SB 158 reforms, including enforcement, community engagement, fee stability, the hazardous waste management plan, permitting backlogs, and the Safer Consumer Products program. Senators and Assembly members emphasized protecting overburdened communities and asked how DTSC and the Board of Environmental Safety are using their authority to improve accountability, reduce delays, and address hazardous waste facilities and consumer product chemicals. The hearing also included discussion of extended producer responsibility programs and whether DTSC can support them more efficiently, including through coordination with CalRecycle. DTSC Director Katie Butler said the department is now more transparent, accountable, and fiscally stable, citing stronger enforcement actions, an interactive inspections map, expanded community outreach, and emergency response work on the Los Angeles wildfire cleanup. She said DTSC has made progress on fee reform, the hazardous waste management plan, cleanup grants, permit renewals, and safer consumer products rulemaking, including adding microplastics to the candidate chemical list. Board Chair Andrew Rakestraw said the board has held multiple public meetings and hearings, is working on fee rates and performance metrics, and is revising the hazardous waste management plan after public comment, including removing a proposal to send certain contaminated soil to municipal landfills. He also noted remaining concerns about fee structure, permit delays, and the pace of the safer consumer products program. Public witnesses offered sharply different views. A representative of the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance said SB 158 reforms have improved permitting and transparency, but urged more attention to risk-based decision-making, reduced duplication, and possible General Fund support for plan implementation rather than relying only on fees. Earthjustice argued DTSC remains too slow and that communities continue to suffer from long-delayed permits and weak protections, urging the Legislature to take a more active role and to prioritize eliminating hazardous substances rather than minimizing costs. Committee members pressed the witnesses on permit renewals, community impacts, and the pace of the safer consumer products program, while DTSC defended its progress and said further legislative collaboration may be needed on hazardous waste management and emerging waste streams.

Transcript Highlights:

• talked about how unaffordable and how expensive it is out there, members, for people who are new parents
• talked about how unaffordable and how expensive it is out there, members, for people who are new parents
• We believe that public goods and services, from education and health care to roads, parks, and libraries
• We believe that public goods and services, from education and health care to roads, parks, and libraries
• We believe that public goods and services, from education and health care to roads, parks, and libraries

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• A chance for kids to keep their parents in their lives while those parents work to get better.
• </c> the child of an incarcerated parent. the child of an incarcerated parent.
• </c> simply because their parent needs help. simply because their parent needs help.
• Parent<00:10:39.920><c> needs</c><00:10:40.120><c> help.</c> Parent needs help. Parent needs help.
• </c> while those parents work to get better. while those parents work to get better.

Committee: House Families & Children

Keywords: 00:00 - Call to Order/Roll Call 01:00 - Discussion of 26RS SJR 54 03:23 - Roll Call Vote on 26RS SJR 54 04:48 - Discussion of 26RS SB 122 17:08 - Roll Call Vote on 26RS SB 122 21:30 - Adjournment, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When the Democrats have said today that this keeps them up at night, pornography is keeping parents and
• When the Democrats have said today that this keeps them up at night, pornography is keeping parents and
• When the Democrats have said today that this keeps them up at night, pornography is keeping parents and
• For example, any any required education.
• </c> they're terminating my parental rights. they're terminating my parental rights.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the last surviving benefit that these kids have that is left from their parents.
• expect for parents of their own children.
• ’t have any more, and we thought about foster parenting.
• And I know we’ve created a better environment for foster parents.”
• The adoption of the reasonable prudent parent standard, I think, gets closer...”

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But it will also serve to help educate health care providers.
• Non-ionizing radiation and early to higher education.
• We need to educate the medical community. We need to educate the public to be looking.
• We need to educate the medical community. We need to educate the public to be looking.
• We're all very well educated on cancers.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Health

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Health held a hearing focused on children’s health, disease prevention, screening, treatment, and pharmacy-related bills. The chair explained that the session was for public testimony only, with no votes or decisions taken that day, and outlined the three-minute limit for individual testimony. The committee then heard testimony on a range of bills, including H. 2413 on adding electromagnetic sensitivity to the state’s MAVEN registry, S. 1508 and H. 2433 on creating an amputation prevention task force, H. 2535 and S. 1551 on establishing a naloxone purchase trust fund, S. 1635 on authorizing pharmacists to provide opioid use disorder treatment, H. 2385 on creating a special commission on avian influenza, and S. 1497 on patient safety and non-FDA-approved compounded drugs. Testimony on H. 2413 came largely from advocates and individuals who described electromagnetic sensitivity as a real health condition and argued that adding it to the registry would improve data collection, provider education, and public awareness. Testimony on the amputation prevention task force bills came from the American Diabetes Association and podiatry groups, who said diabetes-related amputations are often preventable, disproportionately affect people of color, and could be reduced through earlier screening, better care coordination, and improved insurance coverage for preventive foot care. On the naloxone trust fund bills, a representative, emergency physician, and nurse testified that hospitals often cannot reliably send overdose patients home with naloxone because of billing and reimbursement barriers, and that a bulk-purchase fund would expand access at no added cost to payers or providers. The committee also heard strong support for S. 1635 from pharmacists and public health researchers, who said community pharmacists could safely initiate and maintain buprenorphine treatment and help close gaps in opioid use disorder care. On H. 2385, a local board of health chair supported a special commission on avian influenza, citing gaps in emergency preparedness and the need for clearer coordination across agencies. On S. 1497, a pharmacy representative opposed restrictions on compounded drugs from outsourcing facilities, warning that changes could reduce access to life-saving medications and harm patient safety. No votes or formal actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am a parent of a deaf and hard-of-hearing child.
• I'm an educational audiologist, and I am the current board president for California Hands and Voices.
• Our proposal with BHSA is to continue to fund psychiatry education. ...in next year.
• Yes, workforce will include education capacity expansion. Perfect. Okay. And then, so.
• Nurse Midwifery Education Programs Funding. Thank you. Chair Menjivar, excuse me.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Lelani was raised in a single-parent household by her devoted mother, a woman who taught her daughter
• : her mother, Tamika Barrett, a prior graduate of Brookside Charter School who also serves as an educator
• The JAG program empowers our nation's young people with the skills and support to succeed in education
• The lottery, also gambling, was implemented and was going to fund education, supposedly.
• What happens, what actually happens is the money goes to education in the original...’” Supposedly.

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:

• They have set up tables in Room 11 where legislators can meet with students to talk about the educational
• They are eager to join you in a conversation about their education.
• </c><00:33:15.039><c> and</c><00:33:15.360><c> social</c> talk about the educational and social talk
• about the educational and social value<00:33:16.320><c> of</c><00:33:16.559><c> their</c><00:33:16.799
• Madam Speaker, I ask that the education.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Morrill Act forever changed higher education.
• That’s a proven fact in higher education.
• Our educators are really good at informal education.
• Carla's seen it all within higher education.
• Carla's seen it all within higher education.

Committee: Joint Higher Education Institutions Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These parents were soccer team.
• </c><01:17:19.600><c> HP1</c><01:17:20.159><c> 1184</c> their children's education.
• HP1 1184 their children's education.
• Um, so I proceeded to ask for a hearing under the education rule, specifically 204.
• </c> to review special education to review special education programs<03:06:50.880><c> and</c><03:06:

Committee: House Municipal and County Government

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You see, parenting does not end when your child dies.
• The word is parents. Please, let’s add MLD to the newborn screen.
• You see, parenting does not end when your child dies.
• The word is parents. Please, let’s add MLD to the newborn screen.
• </c> the affected child so even if parents the affected child so even if parents who<00:38:39.800><c>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It may have to do with... ...education in the future.
• We also saw a huge intersection around unemployment, the need for education, and how housing and education
• I've reached out... my entire education and career path are put at risk.
• My dream was simple: finish high school and pursue higher education.
• My dream was simple: finish high school and pursue higher education.

Committee: House Intergovernmental Affairs

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and get them into the facility to do the job, but maybe leave those bonuses and child care to the parents
• So, we brought forward this amendment specifically because it makes sense to invest in education and
• And, you know, I just kind of think of myself because at one point in my life, I was a single parent
• Again, the goal is to educate our workforce. Let's use the money to do that and only that.
• Again, the goal is to educate our workforce. Let's use the money to do that and only that.

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It should not be limited to the parent. I'll double-check.
• and the person—so it looks like this is just restricted to parents.
• It is not intended to be just the parent.
• parent.
• And then the courts look back and go, was this caused by the parents? And did the parents do this?

Committee: House Crime and Public Safety

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c> next four issues, taxes, education, next four issues, taxes, education, drugs<00:37:47.359><c>
• </c><01:14:31.920><c> is</c> citizens and one of the parents is citizens and one of the parents is undocumented
• I'm not a lawyer, but my career has been in education.
• I'm not a lawyer, but my career has been in education.
• </c> of unhealthy choices and his parents of unhealthy choices and his parents were<02:18:07.040><c>

Committee: House Housing

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Housing Committee opened with a public hearing on HB 196, which would repeal the Housing Champion program. Representative Matt Drew, the prime sponsor, argued the program is an unnecessary and poorly targeted subsidy, saying it rewards municipalities after projects are completed and may not be limited to new housing production. He questioned the transparency of the program, cited difficulty finding required annual reports, and noted a fiscal note suggesting the state could recover up to $3 million if obligations are terminated. Committee members and witnesses debated whether the program’s criteria amount to political favoritism or a standard grant process; supporters said the rubric is specific and that municipalities are evaluated against objective requirements. Representative Priest, Nick Taylor of Housing Action New Hampshire, and Karen Benfield of Stay Work Play New Hampshire all opposed repeal, saying the program encourages local zoning and regulatory changes, helps smaller communities participate, and supports housing supply and young people’s ability to stay in the state. The hearing on HB 196 was then closed. The committee then opened a hearing on HB 1405, a bill establishing an affordable housing guarantee program within the Housing Finance Authority. Prime sponsor Representative Chris Muns said the bill would reduce lender risk by guaranteeing up to 80% of principal on qualifying loans for affordable housing, with a cap of $30 million per lender per year and $300 million outstanding at any time. He described the measure as a low-cost public-private partnership backed by the full faith and credit of the state, and said it was identical to a prior Senate bill that had received unanimous bipartisan committee support before dying later in the process. He framed the bill as one part of a broader housing package aimed at financing, infrastructure, workforce, zoning reform, and other housing-related issues. No votes were taken during the portion of the meeting provided. The only formal actions were opening and closing the public hearing on HB 196 and opening the public hearing on HB 1405, with testimony continuing on HB 1405 at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• and provide higher education to a community that historically has struggled.
• institutions that we have here at Fresno State up to Our higher education institutions that we have
• I'll just give you an example since we're here at a higher education institution.
• We were able to improve their educational goals.
• I think there's school education, there's lived education, and there's so many different types.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and provide higher education into a community that historically has struggled.
• institutions that we have here at Fresno State up to Our higher education institutions that we have
• I'll just give you an example, since we're here at a higher education institution.
• I think there's school education, there's lived education, and there's so many different types, and I've
• had the benefit of being educated by my neighbors for the past two decades.

Summary: The hearing focused on inclusive economic development in California’s Central Valley, with the chair describing prior state and federal investments in Fresno and the region, including Transformative Climate Communities funding, the Southwest Fresno Community College campus, affordable housing and infrastructure projects, medical education pathways, F3 Farm Food Future, and high-speed rail-related jobs. The chair emphasized that rural and historically disinvested communities often face complex application processes and limited technical capacity, and said the committee’s goal was to learn from successful local models and identify ways to better direct resources to communities that need them most. The first panel featured representatives from the Sierra Health Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, and UC Merced. Chet Hewitt argued that health and economic opportunity are inseparable and described Sierra Health’s economic development portfolio, including the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund, the Impact Investment Fund, and the Community Economic Mobilization Initiative (CEMI), which together support healthier workplaces, microbusiness financing, and nonprofit capacity. Jessica Kaksmarik said Irvine’s place-based grantmaking in inland regions aims to strengthen worker and community power, support community-led development, and expand equitable pathways to mobility, while stressing that philanthropy must partner with government because it cannot meet the scale of need alone. Dr. Manuel Pastor and Dr. Ed Flores both argued that inequality and extractive development weaken long-term growth, and that community organizations need both power-building and technical expertise to influence regional planning; Flores also described the Valley Seed project and high-road economic development models that link labor, climate, and community benefits. The second panel highlighted community-based programs and the effects of unstable funding. Yolanda Randalls described the Sweet Potato Project at West Fresno Family Resource Center, a youth agriculture and entrepreneurship program that combines hands-on farming, business training, and mental health support; she said participants improved from a 1.9 GPA to a 3.3 GPA and that the program is seeking long-term support as its funding nears expiration. Addie Carr of Neighborhood Industries described a second-chance employment model that provides job training, case management, literacy and life coaching, and small no-interest loans, and said CEMI helped the organization open a second store and create more jobs. Maria Redoubt Orozco of Community Alliance with Family Farmers said small farmers are central to the Valley’s economy but face land, water, climate, and market barriers, and warned that federal cuts to programs like Local Food Purchasing Assistance threaten local food systems. Daniela Rodriguez of Immigrants Rising described entrepreneurship and technical assistance for undocumented and mixed-status entrepreneurs, including the SEED initiative, and said policy uncertainty and access-to-capital barriers continue to constrain immigrant economic mobility. In closing discussion, panelists repeatedly called for longer-term, braided, and flexible funding rather than one-time grants, and the chair noted the need to continue supporting community-defined practices and public-private partnerships.

Transcript Highlights:

• And this case was on a fast-track determination of parental rights.
• And this case was on a fast-track determination of parental rights.
• I am a foster parent in Pasco County.
• I am a foster parent in Pasco County.
• Despite this exculpatory evidence, our parental rights were terminated.

Summary: The Human Services Subcommittee considered three bills and reported all of them favorably. HB 1013, relating to crisis care coordination, would create a pilot program in Polk and Volusia counties to connect people who have had Baker Act-related crises with follow-up counseling, assessments, and outpatient services through partnerships between law enforcement and community providers. The sponsor said the program has reduced repeat Baker Act commitments in Polk County, and the committee adopted a strike-all amendment moving the pilot to a different statute, formalizing partnerships, and requiring an independent DCF evaluation due in January 2029. The bill drew support from mental health and justice advocates and passed unanimously. The committee then heard PCS for HB 511, which addresses child protective investigations involving specific medical diagnoses. Sponsors and several parents, attorneys, and advocates described cases in which children were removed after injuries were initially treated as abuse but later linked to conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, metabolic bone disease, or other medical fragility. They argued the bill would require notice of the right to a second medical opinion, better consideration of preexisting conditions and medical records, and more coordination before reports are sent to law enforcement, while still preserving protections for abused children. Members expressed sympathy for the families and emphasized the need for fairness and accurate medical review; the bill passed 17-0. Finally, HB 1439, based on recommendations from the 2025 Commission on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder, was presented as a broader mental health and substance use disorder measure focused on crisis response, access to care, and workforce development. An amendment aligned the bill more closely with commission recommendations, including assessment tools, trauma-informed practices, school-based behavioral health access, telehealth, discharge planning, and long-acting injectable treatment access. The commission chair testified that the bill reflected a vetted set of recommendations from subject matter experts and commissioners, and the committee adopted the amendment and then reported the bill favorably by unanimous vote. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am a former special education<00:58:27.520><c> teacher.
• I am also the education teacher.
• </c><00:58:56.640><c> leadership</c> as a doctor of educational leadership as a doctor of educational
• </c><00:59:21.760><c> nearing</c> students in higher education nearing students in higher education nearing
• Prior to my role at AEL New Hampshire, I was a special education teacher.

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Keywords: 1191, senate, all