Transcript Highlights:

• </c> and this is what I found as the standard and this is what I found as the standard policy<02:30:52.640
• </c> standard is knowingly and recklessly. standard is knowingly and recklessly.
• So, I think that is the standard and the library should be held to the same standard. Yeah. Yeah.
• I think I was very recklessly standard.
• </c><02:44:09.200><c> not</c> I'm just thinking your standards not I'm just thinking your standards not

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm just wondering why that standard.
• I'm just wondering why that standard.
• That is the standard of care. The care is legal. The care is available.
• That is the standard of care. The care is legal. The care is available.
• That is the standard of care. The care is legal. The care is available.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The House Judiciary Committee met in executive session and first took up HB 148, a bill allowing classification by biological sex in limited settings such as multiple-use bathrooms, certain sports, and involuntary commitment facilities. Supporters said it was needed to protect privacy and safety, especially for minors, and argued it was consistent with recent federal and state developments. Opponents said the bill was poorly defined, unnecessary, and could create discrimination or confusion, especially because it did not define “biological sex” in the text. The committee voted 10-8 ought to pass, and the chair said a minority report would be written. The committee then considered HB 254, a bill concerning medical aid in dying. The chair moved ought to pass and described the bill as a matter of liberty for terminally ill patients within six months of death, arguing it should not be treated as suicide. Opponents raised religious, ethical, and policy concerns, including worries about a slippery slope, misuse by vulnerable people, and the effect on death records and public health data. The committee voted 11-7 ought to pass, and the chair said a majority report would be written with a minority report by Representative Perez. Finally, the committee turned to HB 611 with Amendment 2025-0638, a replace-all amendment dealing with recoupment of costs for appointed counsel. The chair explained the amendment would restore the law to its pre-2020 form, allowing the Office of Cost Containment to seek repayment from some recipients of appointed counsel services, including those found not guilty, if they had the ability to pay. Supporters said the prior change had sharply reduced collections and that the state should not treat indigent defendants differently from people who hire private counsel. Opponents argued the policy unfairly bills innocent people and children who were entitled to counsel. The transcript cuts off during debate on the amendment, before a vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• The analysis, it's our understanding that it was based on a sort of a minimum licensing standard.
• And so if we really want to make sure that our kids who... ...a minimum licensing standard.
• , the licensing standards that were used as a basis for rendering that cost analysis.
• One, we are convening a group to look at the licensing standards, the certification standards, and the
• mental health standards, and making sure that there's not duplication and that we're streamlining.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That we maintain our own PFAS standards in Hawaii, which is the spirit of this bill.
• I think it would be a little bit of a double standard to not... >> Yeah. >> Absolutely. >> Um, okay.
• </c><00:26:34.720><c> to</c><00:26:34.960><c> not</c> of a double standard to not of a double standard
• </c><00:51:49.839><c> cesspool</c> provide a standardized cesspool provide a standardized cesspool disclosure
• So the Realtors' Standard Forms Committee is actually currently meeting to discuss whether there's any

Bills: HB644 , HB1802 , HB1569 , HB1619 , HB1620 , HB1730 , HB1749

Committee: House Energy & Environmental Protection

Keywords: PFAS, single-use plastics, environmental health, food ware, pollution reduction, HB1802, conservation banking, conservation bank, mitigation banking, compensatory mitigation, incidental take permit, incidental take license, habitat conservation plan, HCP, DLNR, BLNR, Board of Land and Natural Resources, endangered species recovery committee, threatened species, endangered species

Summary: The committee heard several environmental and energy bills, beginning with HB 644 on single-use plastics. DLNR and DOH supported the measure, and environmental advocates said it would reduce plastic waste in oceans and landfills. Testifiers urged the bill to avoid weakening existing county ordinances, and some supported delaying implementation to use up inventory, while Upstream opposed compostable-plastic exemptions and urged prompt passage. Committee members asked whether reusable and refillable foodware could be added to the PFAS prohibition, and Upstream said that would be consistent with the bill’s goals. The committee then took up HB 1802 on conservation mitigation banks, HB 1569 on microfiber filters for newly manufactured washing machines, and HB 1619 on electric vehicle infrastructure. HB 1802 drew mostly agency testimony from DLNR, with opposition testimony noted from environmental groups, and members discussed whether suggested amendments would address concerns. HB 1569 received limited testimony, with support from the Hawaii Reef and Ocean Coalition and opposition from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. HB 1619 was supported by the PUC, Hawaiian Electric, the Department of Transportation, and several advocacy groups; Earthjustice said the bill was needed to address a widening EV charging shortfall and described the funding increase as relatively small compared with the benefits. The committee also heard HB 1620, which would increase the barrel tax to fund the EV charging rebate program. The State Energy Office and PUC offered comments, while the Tax Foundation of Hawaii opposed the special-fund approach and said the bill should also address the non-petroleum fossil-fuel portion of the barrel tax. Earthjustice and youth transportation advocates supported the measure, and the chair asked for information on unused hydrogen fueling subaccount funds; PUC said no hydrogen program funds had been deployed and estimated the balance was likely around $2 million, with exact figures to be provided later. Finally, the committee heard HB 1730 on wastewater systems, which would create a wastewater technical advisory group and fund positions at DOH. DLNR, DOH, OPSD, UH, and several environmental groups supported the bill, emphasizing cesspool pollution, affordability, and the need for more staffing and technical assistance. Testifiers suggested amendments to create a separate cesspool conversion implementation working group and debated the size and composition of the advisory group, including whether to include outside engineers and whether SHIP should be on the panel. No votes were taken during the hearing segment provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><04:14:23.439><c> across</c> believe there's no um standards across believe there's no um standards
• </c> put some standards in. put some standards in.
• </c> chiropractic education and standards chiropractic education and standards that<05:50:00.240><c>
• ,</c> maintains public safety and standards, maintains public safety and standards, but<05:58:36.320>
• <06:02:10.480><c> that</c><06:02:10.718><c> are</c> high standards of excellence that are high standards

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill, at its core, does not reach animal welfare standards. All it does is end commerce.
• This bill is absent of any standards of care or guidelines for improving oversight.
• The revenue helps maintain good quality of life and standards; overall animal welfare will decline in
• Quality of life and standards overall animal welfare will decline in these facilities.
• To say that USDA-regulated facilities are not meeting the standards is to say those facilities are not

Bills: H5432 , H5433 , S3093 , H5363 , H5137 , H5247

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources

Keywords: Newbury, rodenticides, second generation anticoagulant rodenticides, SGARs, pesticides, pest control, wildlife protection, environmental regulation, local bylaw, municipal authority, private property, rodent control, anticoagulant poison, public health, Massachusetts local option, Wellfleet, fertilizer, nitrogen, phosphorus, nutrient pollution

Summary: The Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources held a hybrid hearing on late-file bills, with testimony focused first on multiple home rule petitions seeking local authority to restrict anticoagulant rodenticides in towns including Andover, Topsfield, North Andover, Williamstown, Georgetown, Lexington, and others. Municipal officials, residents, wildlife advocates, and conservation groups described documented harm to hawks, owls, foxes, turtles, pets, and other wildlife, and argued that towns should be able to regulate these poisons locally. Several speakers said their towns had already voted to support restrictions and were using integrated pest management and other alternatives. Committee members noted that statewide rodenticide legislation had already advanced out of committee in both chambers and that the environmental bond bill was in conference committee, but no votes were taken during the hearing itself. The committee then heard testimony on H. 5137, a bill to prohibit the retail sale of parrots. Supporters, including animal welfare groups, veterinarians, rescue operators, and advocates, said parrots are often sourced from large breeding facilities with poor conditions, that many birds are surrendered because they are difficult long-term pets, and that rescues are overwhelmed. They argued the bill would encourage adoption, reduce demand for commercial breeding and trafficking, and improve bird welfare and public health. Opponents, including breeders, pet retailers, aviculture representatives, and rescue operators, said the bill would harm small businesses, reduce consumer access and transparency, and push sales to unregulated markets without improving welfare. Several speakers said the bill should instead focus on stronger standards and enforcement rather than banning sales. A separate bill, S. 310, designating the Marion Stoddard River Walk, was also briefly discussed in testimony supporting Marion Stoddard’s environmental work. The hearing ended after the committee finished taking testimony and adjourned; no roll-call votes or formal actions were taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill, at its core, does not reach animal welfare standards. All it does is end commerce.
• Instead, we request balanced alternatives like strengthening license standards, enhanced inspections
• Instead, we request for balanced alternatives like strengthening license standards, enhanced inspections
• This bill is absent of any standards of care or guidelines for improving oversight.
• To say that USDA-regulated facilities are not meeting the standards is to say those facilities are not

Bills: H5432 , H5433 , S3093 , H5363 , H5137 , H5247

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources

Keywords: Newbury, rodenticides, second generation anticoagulant rodenticides, SGARs, pesticides, pest control, wildlife protection, environmental regulation, local bylaw, municipal authority, private property, rodent control, anticoagulant poison, public health, Massachusetts local option, Wellfleet, fertilizer, nitrogen, phosphorus, nutrient pollution

Transcript Highlights:

• The bottom line is that this sort of relief and urgent coordination ought to be standard procedure for
• Yeah, it would be the same standard but exclusively applied to the marginal square footage.
• Yeah, it would be the same standard but exclusively applied to the marginal square footage.
• It does not change existing SB 79 housing standards; it simply ensures that local governments cannot
• it simply ensures that local governments cannot take housing standards.

Summary: The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee heard several housing-related bills. SB 457 would direct HCD to develop statistical formulas based on historical development data to help cities complete housing element site inventories, with the author and supporters arguing it would make RHNA compliance more realistic and less costly; the California Building Industry Association opposed, and the bill was later approved on a 7-1 vote. SB 904 would codify and expand wildfire-rebuilding coordination and reporting practices used after recent fires, with supporters saying it would speed recovery and opponents questioning the need for additional reporting; it passed 11-1. The committee also took up SB 1091, which would create a state acquisition-and-preservation program for unsubsidized affordable housing to prevent displacement; it drew broad support from housing and tenant groups and passed 9-1, with members emphasizing preservation as a key housing strategy. Members also considered SB 1267, which would require EV charger installers in common-interest developments to indemnify associations during installation and make homeowners responsible for costs arising from use of privately owned chargers. The bill was presented as a follow-up to prior HOA-related EV charging legislation, with support from HOA, EV, and climate groups and opposition from the California Association of Realtors pending amendments; it passed 10-0. SB 1117 would clarify that ADU impact fees above the 750-square-foot exemption are charged only on the portion above that threshold, not the entire unit, and supporters said it would remove a fee cliff that discourages slightly larger ADUs. Cities, special districts, and fire agencies opposed or opposed unless amended, citing infrastructure funding concerns, but the bill passed 10-0 after extensive debate. The committee also heard SB 1361, which would prevent local governments from taking actions to avoid SB 79 transit-oriented housing requirements at existing or planned transit stops. Supporters from L.A. Metro, labor, and housing groups said it would protect transit investments and jobs, while the City of Burbank opposed; the bill passed 9-0. Two consent items, SB 722 and SB 1426, were approved without discussion. Throughout the hearing, members repeatedly stressed the goals of streamlining housing production, preserving existing affordable homes, and reducing barriers to rebuilding and transit-oriented development.

Transcript Highlights:

• Today, almost all new affordable housing in Massachusetts is required to be built to passive house standards
• While building to passive-house standards makes abundant sense for all the aforementioned reasons and
• While building to passive-house standards makes abundant sense for ability.
• While building to passive house standards makes abundant sense for all the aforementioned reasons and
• passive-house certification and offsetting the attendant construction costs of a high-performance standard

Committee: Senate Senate Committee on Climate Change and Global Warming

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• 29:03.480><c> commercial</c> the fortified home and commercial the fortified home and commercial standards
• Okay, next up is Senate Bill 573, establishing certification standards for facility comfort dogs.
• 573 uh next up is Senate Bill 573 establishing<00:30:29.480><c> certification</c><00:30:30.280><c> standards
• </c><00:30:30.800><c> for</c> establishing certification standards for establishing certification standards
• Senate Bill 646, relative to mental health standard of care. Representative Petuskey: Yes.

Committee: House Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• /c><00:28:24.480><c> Uniform</c> with a violation of the Uniform with a violation of the Uniform Standards
• <00:28:25.640><c> of</c><00:28:25.760><c> Professional</c><00:28:26.720><c> Appraisal</c> Standards of
• Professional Appraisal Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.
• It provides clear standards for the remediation effort.
• </c><00:51:14.680><c> notice</c> create a standardized notice create a standardized notice that<00:51

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These rules, we can have additional safety standards.
• Those health standards have not been developed yet.
• Chris Browning: ...with standards, health effects standards, I can't honestly look you in the eye and
• I'm not aware of a standard that's been established today.
• Second of all, I think the standards are weak from EPA on all the metals...

Bills: HB3005 , HB3007 , HB3403 , HB1907 , HB3175 , HB3986 , HB3466 , HB3411 , HB4246

Committee: Senate Energy

Keywords: climatology, emergency declaration, Oklahoma Climatological Survey, environment, weather data, public policy, state governance, natural resources, advisory councils, sunset law, water quality, hazardous waste, solid waste, radiation management, public health, biosolids, land application, environmental quality, agriculture, wastewater treatment

Summary: The committee took up several measures dealing with environmental regulation, waste management, and energy. Early on, it passed sunset-extension bills for the Oklahoma Climatological Survey and several environmental advisory councils. It then heard extensive debate on HB 1907, the Battery Stewardship Act, which would create a battery recycling system for small and medium batteries through DEQ. Supporters argued it would reduce landfill and garbage-truck fires, protect the environment, and create recycling value, while opponents raised concerns about added regulation, costs shifted to producers and retailers, and the creation of a new state FTE. Despite those objections, the bill passed 8-3. The committee also considered HB 3403, a pilot study on biosolids and sewage sludge applied to farmland. Members debated a committee substitute that shortened the study timeline from five years to three years and added a phased rollback of land application. Supporters said the study was needed because of unresolved questions about PFOS, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, and other contaminants, while critics argued the timelines conflicted and the bill could be hard to implement. The committee substitute was adopted, an amendment to delete key rollback provisions failed, and the bill ultimately passed 8-2 after testimony from Oklahoma City utilities officials and multiple rounds of questions about testing, health risks, and disposal practices. The committee then passed HB 3175 to establish the Oklahoma Advanced Nuclear Energy Office, with members noting it would have minimal fiscal impact and could help Oklahoma build nuclear expertise and jobs. It also passed HB 3986, expanding a gross production tax exemption for wells completed with recycled water, and HB 3466, which removes the statutory requirement that the Corporation Commission maintain a petty cash fund. Finally, HB 3411, another biosolids-related bill to buy testing equipment and provide information to landowners, and HB 4246, a rural water transparency/lowest-bid bill, both passed unanimously or near-unanimously. The meeting ended with the chair thanking members and adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• The certification standard is kind of additional to all of the other ones that they have.
• Certification standards are phasing in for 2028, giving carriers time to figure this out.
• Given the exchange's authority to raise standards, this will help ensure families get better value in
• Some are going to expire before the standard 90 days.
• This is needed policy, establishing network adequacy standards for skilled nursing facilities and rehab

Summary: The committee heard public testimony on several health-related bills. SB 5904 would restrict nursing titles such as RN, NP/ARNP, and LPN to licensed human people and prohibit non-human entities, including AI chatbots, from using those titles. The sponsor and nursing advocates said the bill is meant to prevent confusion and protect public trust, while preserving the use of AI as a support tool. SB 5877 would add a $70 surcharge for certified anesthesiologist assistants so they can participate in the Washington Physicians Health Program and access HealWA resources; supporters said it closes a technical gap and aligns CAAs with other medical professions. SB 5185 would create a pilot pathway for certain international medical graduates with clinical experience licenses to obtain full primary care licensure; supporters from the medical commission, physicians, and IMG advocates said the program has worked well, has shown no patient safety issues, and could help address workforce shortages. The committee also heard extensive testimony on ESSB 6210, which would let the Health Benefit Exchange adopt additional market-factor certification criteria for exchange plans, including standards aimed at preserving access and affordability in underserved counties. Supporters, including the exchange, OIC, consumer advocates, tribal representatives, and patient groups, said the bill is needed to respond to federal policy changes, rising premiums, and disappearing coverage in places like San Juan County. Opponents from carriers and employer groups argued the timeline is too fast, the criteria are too discretionary, and the bill could reduce competition and raise costs. The committee then heard SB 5981, which would strengthen protections and reporting requirements for the federal 340B drug pricing program and limit manufacturer restrictions on contract pharmacies and data requests. Hospitals, clinics, and patient advocates said the bill protects safety-net care and rural access, while manufacturers, employers, and business groups argued it would expand a program that already raises costs and lacks transparency. In executive session, the committee took action on SB 5917, related to Department of Corrections distribution of abortion medications, rejecting five proposed amendments and then advancing the bill on a 10-6 vote with three excused. The committee also advanced SB 5988, which concerns Department of Health opioid treatment program accrediting activities, on a do-pass recommendation after brief discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• This rests on a criminal negligence standard, which is not really something that normally exists out
• of Title 13. ...standard, which is not really something that normally exists out of Title 13.
• This should be the lowest standard... ...now somehow that becomes a problem.
• in order to... ...do have to worry about how to assess whether something meets this standard in order
• That is a reasonable standard. So with that, Madam Vice Chair, do we have anyone else to speak? No.

Committee: Senate Senate Government Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee approved the February 4, 2026 minutes and first held SB 1571. It then heard and advanced SB 1745, which would cap transaction privilege/excise tax rates in cities of 550,000 or more at 2.5% per classification unless voters approve a higher rate, with enforcement through the attorney general and state-shared revenue withholding for violations. Supporters argued it would protect taxpayers and restrain large-city tax increases; the bill was amended with a technical change and passed 4-3. The committee also advanced SB 1686, renaming Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza as the Wesley Bolin and Charlie Kirk Freedom Plaza and authorizing memorial placements for Don Bowles and Charlie Kirk, which passed 4-3. The committee then took up SB 1567 and SB 1435, both aimed at restricting public entities, schools, and libraries from exposing minors to sexually explicit materials and from using public facilities for sexually explicit filming or access. Supporters said the bills were needed to prevent children from being exposed to pornography and to keep taxpayer resources from facilitating such material; opponents, including the ACLU, warned the definitions were broad, could chill speech, and could criminalize librarians and educators for handling literary or educational works. Both bills were amended and passed 4-3. SB 1435 also drew testimony about library access, sex education, and the risk of overbroad enforcement. The committee next considered SB 1433 and SB 1434, which would reorganize Maricopa County boundaries. SB 1433 would move portions of Maricopa County into neighboring counties, while SB 1434 would split Maricopa County into three new counties with a transition board and special elections. Supporters argued Maricopa County had become too large and unmanageable and that smaller counties would improve representation and water and regional governance; opponents said the proposals were costly, disruptive, and politically motivated. Both measures received due pass recommendations, with SB 1433 passing 4-3 and SB 1434 passing 4-3 with one not voting. Finally, the committee approved SCR 1024, requiring legislators to live in their district for one year before election, and SCR 1025, moving the legislative session start to the fourth Monday in January; both resolutions passed unanimously or near-unanimously, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• One step forward in favor of upholding the highest standards of patient care, transparency, and choice
• This bill is important to bring families in Idaho the most current evidence-based community standards
• My physician and nursing colleagues and I have successfully implemented practice standards for transfer
• This bill will deliver current community standards of care.
• This bill will deliver current community standards of care that will protect the childbearing population

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Colleagues, we all represent diverse caucuses with standard priorities to improve our state.
• This bill reflects our responsibility to promote humane treatment and ethical standards in the sale of
• To promote humane treatment and ethical standards in the sale of animals.
• Local agencies need better resources and more support to meet the expectations and standards we continue
• This bill aligns state law with federal standards on human trafficking prevention that adopt specific

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• is, I think I heard in the testimony that this would make us more in alignment with other states' standards
• We have a number of states that have... with other states standards. Is that right? That's true.
• around anti-discrimination as the rest of the ...to the same standard around anti-discrimination as
• We’re all already held to that standard as real estate professionals, and if a client is coming to us
• That follows the full USPAP, the highest professional standards of appraisers, and it's required that

Summary: The Consumer Protection and Business Committee heard public hearings on several bills related to real estate, self-storage, and consumer disclosures. House Bill 2477 would shorten the time to bring claims against appraisers arising from appraisal reports to two years from discovery or five years from signing, except fraud claims, and would limit liability to specified clients and intended users. The sponsor and appraiser witnesses said the bill would reduce long-tail liability, lower insurance and recordkeeping burdens, and help attract new appraisers; no opposition testimony was heard in the excerpt. House Bill 2512 would prohibit real estate brokers from marketing residential properties to exclusive groups unless the property is also publicly marketed. Supporters, including Washington Realtors, Zillow, Habitat for Humanity, Windermere, and others, said it would promote transparency, competition, and fair housing; opponents argued it could limit homeowner privacy and autonomy, and the Attorney General’s office said the Washington Law Against Discrimination already covers discrimination concerns and objected to placing enforcement in that statute. House Bill 2240 would modernize self-storage rental agreements by allowing electronic execution, deeming continued use after notice as acceptance, and setting notice and disposal rules after termination or nonrenewal; storage industry witnesses supported the bill as clarifying safety and notice procedures, while an advocacy witness opposed it as harmful to unhoused people and others who rely on storage units. House Bill 2465 would require a water recreation safety guide for short-term rentals with pools or similar facilities; the sponsor and hospitality industry supported it as a low-cost safety measure, while cities raised implementation concerns and asked for an amendment on where the guide would be posted. House Bill 2501 would update a seller disclosure notice to reflect the Pollution Liability Insurance Agency’s shift from a no-cost insurance program to a loan-and-grant remediation program, and it drew support as a technical correction. House Bill 2624 would exempt public entities, tribes, and nonprofit land conservancies from the 2025 “solicited real estate transactions” appraisal and notice requirements; conservation groups and the Department of Natural Resources supported it as necessary to preserve land acquisition and grant funding, and the sponsor described it as a cleanup bill. The committee then moved into executive session and took action on two liquor-related bills. House Bill 2536, allowing wineries to hold a spirits, beer, and wine restaurant license or beer/wine restaurant license at one location, was moved out of committee with a due pass recommendation by a 14-1 vote. House Bill 2476, modifying the spirits, beer, and wine theater license, was amended via a proposed substitute that restored the 120-seat-per-screen limit except for theaters admitting only patrons 21 and older; the substitute was reported out with a due pass recommendation by a 13-2 vote. Members discussed the balance between business flexibility and concerns about alcohol access in family settings and recovery communities.

Transcript Highlights:

• curious, when the landlords are required to provide the cooling that's reasonably required, could the standards
• for this differ based on who the tenant was, or are the standards better defined than that?
• So the bill doesn't define what the standard would be.
• A tenant can't accept discounted rent for any place that doesn't meet the minimum standards for human
• However, this is a violation of the United States Postal Service's mailing standards, as they cannot

Bills: HB1974 , HB2265 , HB2452

Committee: House Housing

Keywords: land bank, land banking authority, affordable housing, housing crisis, housing supply, public corporation, public housing authority, nonprofit housing, tax-foreclosed property, blight remediation, redevelopment, anti-displacement, equity, redlining, racial segregation, deed restriction, affordability covenant, property tax exemption, excise tax exemption, predevelopment

Transcript Highlights:

• up to $5,000, for homeowners who build safe rooms that meet FEMA and International Code Council standards
• Homeowners must provide documentation showing the safe room was properly installed, meets FEMA standards
• 00:07:40.800><c> they</c><00:07:40.919><c> meet</c><00:07:41.160><c> safety</c><00:07:41.560><c> standards
• </c> as long as they meet safety standards. as long as they meet safety standards.
• ,</c><00:08:01.600><c> include</c> installed, meet FEMA standards, include installed, meet FEMA standards

Committee: Senate Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And it, of course, creates a standard around both of those.
• And it, of course, creates a standard around both of those.
• And it, of course, creates a standard around both of those.
• And it, of course, creates a standard around both of those.
• And it, of course, creates a standard around both of those.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate met briefly, approved the prior journal, and then took up a Rules Committee report that advanced a large package of bills, mostly Election Law measures, along with several bills in other subject areas. The chamber then moved through a supplemental and controversial calendar focused primarily on election administration, campaign finance, and voter access. Senators also announced committee meetings and later filed majority committee assignments in the journal. On the supplemental calendar, the Senate passed several Election Law bills. One measure by Senator Gianaris aimed to curb foreign influence in New York elections by restricting foreign-influenced corporations; Senator Walczyk argued it was too narrow and ignored dark money, while Senator Gianaris said it was needed to address foreign meddling. Senator May’s bill creating short-term early voting sites passed after debate over whether pop-up sites would confuse voters or improve access, especially in rural areas; supporters said it would help bring voting closer to where people are, while opponents called it costly and confusing. Senator Myrie’s bill establishing standardized training for elections commissioners also passed, with supporters citing the need for uniform training and opponents calling it an unfunded mandate. On the controversial calendar, the Senate passed Senator Myrie’s bill allowing additional early voting locations and clarifying that a voter’s intent can determine residency for voting purposes, including in some cases a second or vacation home. The most debated measure was Senator Gonzalez’s bill creating civil remedies and confidentiality protections for election officers who are threatened or intimidated; supporters said it responds to rising threats against election workers, while opponents warned it could chill legitimate questioning at polling places and create vague liability. Several senators explained their votes on both sides, and the bill passed despite significant opposition. The Senate then adjourned until Tuesday, January 14 at 11:00 a.m.