Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> pack,</c> is sort of in the middle of the pack, is sort of in the middle of the pack, and<00:03:
• > effects</c><00:10:00.920><c> of</c><00:10:01.000><c> this</c> Because of the ongoing effects of this
• I have been the owner of Sundance Auto Repair in Marshall, Minnesota, for the past 10 years.
• </c> If any of our employees were on leave of If any of our employees were on leave of absence<00:36:
• And one of the of my job creators.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• of of some of in participating in some of of some of this<01:03:49.119><c> growth.
• of of switch gear has gone up price of of of switch gear has gone up 441%. 441%. 441%.
• /c><01:30:12.320><c> doing</c> the price of the price of of doing the price of the price of of doing
• </c> as a residential customer of of power. as a residential customer of of power.
• of of of of<01:46:29.760><c> code</c><01:46:30.080><c> change.

Committee: Joint Minerals, Business & Economic Development

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of chairman of the esteemed position of chairman of the executive<00:14:37.880><c> departments</c><00
• My apologies, that's why we ask. testimony of parents of trans Miners and testimony of parents of trans
• </c> majority of the committee minority of majority of the committee minority of the<04:51:19.120><c>
• 4% of 1% of the change our laws because 4% of 1% of the population<05:32:50.000><c> regret</c><05:32
• </c> Conference of the United Church of Conference of the United Church of Christ<05:44:17.558><c> the

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> we did an analysis of of the funding and we did an analysis of of the funding and we<00:09:57.040
• </c> a lot of people have a metag gap plan of a lot of people have a metag gap plan of some<00:21:49.279
• /c> our budget it's half of the rest of our our budget it's half of the rest of our budget<00:33:48.799
• </c> about a lot of your operations one of about a lot of your operations one of the<01:00:22.400><c>
• of the assets of the borrower.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Department of Administrative Services presented an overview of its budget and operations, emphasizing that it is the lowest-spending agency in state government and that its general fund allocation has declined since 2019. Commissioner Arling House explained that DAS also handles back-office functions for several administratively attached boards, which has affected staffing and spending comparisons. He said the department’s current general fund spending is roughly split between retiree health and other operations, and that the presentation was based on adjusted authorized spending rather than the original budget figures. A major portion of the meeting focused on retiree health benefits and the long-term effort to control costs. Deputy Commissioner Cassie Keane described how the state moved from a projected deficit in retiree health to savings through a series of changes, including higher premium contributions, co-pay adjustments, and shifting Medicare retirees into Medicare Advantage arrangements to capture federal reimbursement. She said the state has about 12,500 retirees and spouses on the plan, with roughly 10,906 Medicare retirees and 1,580 non-Medicare retirees, and that the savings have depended heavily on federal funding and procurement decisions. She also noted that Medicare retirees pay Part B premiums and that the state has grandfathered older retirees from some premium contributions. Members asked about what the expenditures cover, why the state offers retiree health instead of simply giving retirees a payment to buy coverage themselves, and whether out-of-pocket costs changed under Medicare Advantage. Keane said the plan covers actual health claims or insurance premiums, that co-pays and maximum out-of-pocket limits remain in place, and that the state has no authority to change benefit details without legislative action. She explained that retiree health is a long-standing employee benefit that wraps around Medicare and is not collectively bargained in the usual sense, though its eligibility rules and cost-sharing have been tightened over time to better target the benefit to long-term state service. The discussion also covered vendor performance problems. Keane said Anthem recently won the contract back from Aetna, but its pharmacy subsidiary, Caroline, caused serious service disruptions. DAS responded by withholding payments, assessing more than $2 million in performance guarantees, and hiring a third-party auditor to review the pharmacy processes. The current contract runs through the end of calendar year 2026, and officials said they are watching federal Medicare Advantage reimbursement changes closely because future savings are uncertain.

Transcript Highlights:

• of Firearms.
• health officer of the City of San Diego, proud supporter of Senate Bill 27.
• are fires outside of those types of situations.
• of this?
• of, on the Measure J component of it, the L.A.

Summary: The committee heard several public safety measures, with extensive testimony on firearms regulation, disability and sexual assault, mental health diversion, emergency response, and law enforcement masking. SB 704 by Senator Arreguín would require firearm barrels to be purchased through licensed dealers with a background check, as a response to the rise in ghost guns and 3D-printed firearms; supporters said barrels are a key component of untraceable guns, while opponents argued the bill burdens lawful gun owners and does little to stop criminals. SB 258 by Senator Wahab would eliminate the remaining spousal rape exception for victims unable to consent because of disability; supporters called it a needed closure of an archaic loophole, while disability-rights advocates opposed it unless amended, warning it could worsen misunderstandings about capacity to consent and harm disabled people’s autonomy. After debate, SB 258 passed the committee on a due-pass motion to Appropriations, with several members voting aye and the bill held on call. Senator Umberg presented SB 398, which closes a loophole in the law prohibiting paying or offering money or other value to induce someone to vote or register to vote; there was little opposition, and the bill passed on a due-pass motion to Appropriations and was held on call. He also presented SB 27, a CARE Court cleanup measure that would allow certain misdemeanor defendants found incompetent to stand trial to be routed into CARE Court and would expand eligibility to some people with mood disorders with psychotic features. Supporters said it would improve access to treatment and reduce unnecessary incarceration, while county behavioral health directors and disability advocates warned it could blur the line between voluntary civil treatment and coercive criminal proceedings and expand CARE Court beyond its intended scope. SB 27 passed on a due-pass motion as amended to Appropriations. The committee also heard SB 36 from Senator Umberg, a price-gouging measure tied to wildfire-related emergency conditions that also expands search-warrant authority for certain misdemeanor investigations. Public defenders opposed the search-warrant expansion as unnecessary, while a late supporter from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spoke in favor; the bill was moved on a due-pass motion as amended to Appropriations and held on call. SB 571 by Senator Arreguín would increase penalties for impersonating emergency personnel and related conduct during disasters; supporters cited post-fire looting and impersonation, while opponents argued longer sentences do not deter crime and that existing law is sufficient. The bill passed on a due-pass motion as amended to Appropriations and was held on call. Finally, Senator Wiener presented SB 627, which would prohibit law enforcement from wearing extreme masks except in limited circumstances, aimed largely at masked federal immigration enforcement operations. Supporters said masked, unidentified officers create fear and undermine trust, while law enforcement groups argued the bill wrongly sweeps in local officers, is too broad, and should instead target federal agents or impersonators. Testimony was still underway when the transcript ended, and no final committee action on SB 627 is shown here.

Transcript Highlights:

• the safety of the members of our school district.
• UU is the sales of repair or replacement parts exclusively for use in aircraft or in the significant
• of all of its citizens.
• We also receive a significant amount of—about 50% of our admissions—come from one of two of our emergency
• of households and in the bottom lines of hundreds of farmers.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Ways and Means Committee held its final public hearing on the FY26 state budget, with chairs and members emphasizing that public testimony would help shape the budget and asking speakers to keep remarks brief. Committee leaders introduced members, explained the hearing process, and repeatedly thanked residents, students, and advocates for participating. No votes were taken during the hearing. Testimony focused heavily on education funding and the Chapter 70 formula. Students from Amherst, Northampton, Gateway Regional, Chester Elementary, and other districts described budget-driven cuts to electives, special education supports, paraprofessionals, counselors, transportation, and building maintenance. They urged higher Chapter 70 aid, increased minimum aid, rural school aid, and a reopening or restructuring of the funding formula, arguing that current formulas leave many districts unable to meet student needs and force local layoffs and overrides. Other speakers urged funding or protection for a range of programs and facilities, including the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute for homicide survivor services, the Museum of African American History, the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and CART/interpreter services, the Access to Counsel housing legal aid program, the Department of Mental Health and Pocasset Mental Health Center, and Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children. One speaker opposed offshore wind-related spending and urged a reset of the state’s energy approach, while another advocated ending the aircraft sales tax exemption. Committee members responded sympathetically to many speakers, asked a few follow-up questions, and several expressed support for maintaining or expanding the programs discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> example of that is City of Minneapolis. example of that is City of Minneapolis.
• </c> was one of the highlights of his life. was one of the highlights of his life.
• I serve as mayor of the city of St. Paul, Minnesota, the capital city of the state of hockey.
• money is there in terms of of of how it money is there in terms of of of how it would<01:48:37.199><
• The portions would primarily be around some of the concessions areas, the sort of renovation and repairs

Committee: Senate Capital Investment

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> is full authority of of things that we is full authority of of things that we needed.<00:04:58.800
• </c> the top of the state to the bottom of the top of the state to the bottom of the<00:15:00.959><c>
• </c> algebra to most of us, but at the end of algebra to most of us, but at the end of the<00:40:06.320
• Uh some of that is a lot of increase.
• c> 23,</c> of of slide 23, of of slide 23, it<01:33:09.760><c> shows</c><01:33:10.159><c> the</c><01:

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Keywords: Appropriations - Room 216, 14 January, 2026; 1:00 PM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• First of all, I wanted to welcome all of you to the homelands of the Squaxin Island people, and it's
• habitat side of things because of this agreement.
• It's an agency of the state of Washington.
• This table provides a bit of a summary of that.
• Since 2001, forest landowners have inventoried and repaired more than 52,000 miles of road, 9,200 fish

Committee: House Agriculture & Natural Resources

Keywords: 904, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of costs.
• Part of what's included in that, part of why that's the case. Is because of declining enrollment.
• Well, I'm not aware of specific combinations of those.
• . of the State Board of Education in 2019.
• of silos.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Higher levels of threats and hostility are, of course, reported for women and people of color, and that
• Higher levels of threats and hostility are, of course, reported for women and people of color, and that
• I'm a professor emeritus of the University of Washington School of Pharmacy.
• I'm an emeritus professor of the University of Washington School of Pharmacy.
• , all of the rest of that that's in the records part.

Bills: HB2176 , HB2244 , HB2120 , HB2333

Committee: House State Government & Tribal Relations

Keywords: drug therapy, public records, confidentiality, healthcare, collaborative practice, transparency, accountability, exemptions, government accountability, audit, legislative review, resource efficiency, committee work, political violence, elected officials, election officials, criminal justice, protection, safety, threats

Transcript Highlights:

• But I appreciate, again, the work of this committee and the work of staff and the work of many people
• I was wondering if you had a sense of what sort of the lifespan of the data center.
• I'm here today on behalf of all of those members to speak strongly in support of House Bill 2515.
• of transportation, of buildings and other things.
• Our coalition is concerned about rising costs of repairs, environmental impacts, and challenges to the

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 2343, which would require the Department of Fish and Wildlife to obtain CAFO or individual discharge permit coverage for its game farms, and to treat game farms with at least 5,000 birds as large CAFOs. The prime sponsor and local officials from Centralia said the WDFW pheasant farm has contributed to nitrate contamination in a critical aquifer, affecting drinking water and public health, and argued the state should be held to the same standards as private operators. WDFW testified that it has already voluntarily secured the permit the bill would require and is working with Ecology and local partners. Testimony from county health and residents largely supported the bill, citing elevated nitrate levels and health risks, especially for infants and pregnant people. The committee then heard House Bill 2301, which expands Washington’s paint stewardship program to cover additional paint-related products, aerosol paints, and certain non-industrial coatings. The sponsor and industry supporters said the existing paint recycling program is working well and should be broadened to keep more materials out of landfills and reduce local hazardous waste costs. Local government witnesses supported the expansion but asked for changes on convenience standards, packaging coverage, and reimbursement for local collection costs. Ecology supported the overall concept but raised implementation concerns, including the need for uniform standards, full reporting, and more time for rulemaking. A wood preservatives industry representative opposed including wood preservatives, saying they are not paint and have different handling requirements. The committee also took testimony on House Bill 2515, a proposed substitute addressing emerging large energy use facilities, defined mainly as large data centers and virtual currency mining facilities. The bill would require utilities to adopt tariffs or policies to protect other ratepayers, require long-term contracts, demand response or curtailment provisions, reporting on energy and water use, and new clean energy targets for these facilities, while also changing how no-cost allowances under the Climate Commitment Act are allocated and creating an annual fee for the facilities. Supporters, including environmental groups, community action agencies, some utilities, and labor and tribal representatives, said the bill would protect ratepayers, improve transparency, and keep Washington on track for climate goals. Opponents, including data center and business groups, some ports, and several labor organizations, argued the bill is too prescriptive, could raise costs or discourage investment, may affect existing contracts and other large industrial loads, and could reduce construction jobs. No votes or final actions were taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• We had a target of reaching 28% of lands of the Commonwealth permanently conserved by 2025, and we met
• So we had a target of reaching 28% of lands of the Commonwealth permanently conserved by 2025.
• Of course.
• And it also takes it beyond just sort of the executive branch sort of management of those agencies.
• many of you may know of.

Committee: Senate Senate Committee on Climate Change and Global Warming

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held a hearing on natural and working lands, carbon sequestration, and related provisions in Governor Healey’s $3 billion Mass Ready Act. EEA officials described the bill’s investments in flooding, land protection, tree planting, wetlands restoration, biodiversity, dams, seawalls, and coastal resilience, along with permitting reforms intended to speed ecological restoration projects. They also outlined current programs on resilient lands, healthy soils, forest climate solutions, forest reserves, and urban tree planting, and said the administration expects natural and working lands to offset up to 7 million metric tons of residual emissions by 2050, while acknowledging that additional strategies will be needed to close the gap to the state’s 10-million-ton offset target. Committee members pressed EEA on the cost of reaching the 30% conservation-by-2030 goal, the loss of a federal USDA grant of about $22 million, the adequacy of current sequestration estimates, and whether the state should consider regional approaches or statutory changes. EEA said current state conservation spending has been about $35 million to $40 million annually, that the Mass Ready Act is intended to help double the pace of conservation, and that federal funding remains uncertain. Senators also raised concerns about PILOT payments for state-owned land, the management of state forests, and the proposed Chapter 91 general license for restoration projects. EEA said the bill’s forest reserve language is meant to create a more durable designation process while still allowing limited active management. Advocates from The Nature Conservancy and Mass Audubon supported stronger investment in land conservation and restoration, saying natural and working lands are a cost-effective climate strategy that also provides biodiversity, water quality, and public health benefits. They urged passage of legislation to increase funding, improve PILOT equity, and strengthen land-use planning and mitigation requirements. They also backed removing Chapter 91 licensing requirements for ecological restoration, arguing that the current process adds cost and delay. In a later panel, a forest scientist and an urban forestry advocate emphasized the carbon and cooling benefits of mature trees, called for greater protection of older forests, and supported bills to expand municipal reforestation and modernize public shade tree law. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• A division of land caused by the acquisition of a portion of an existing lot tracked by an agency with
• of their right-of-way.
• I'm here today on behalf of the Port of Tacoma.
• I'm here today on behalf of the Port of Tacoma.
• of the Public Libraries of Washington.

Summary: The committee first heard HB 2517, which would give regional transit authorities, especially Sound Transit, more flexible permitting tools for high-capacity transit projects. Staff and the bill sponsor said the goal is to let permit applications and technical reviews proceed concurrently with property acquisition and land use decisions, reducing delay and uncertainty for large transit projects. Sound Transit testified that the bill could save as much as nine months, while a city representative from Bothell asked for an amendment requiring notice to property owners before permits are advanced on land not yet owned or controlled by the agency. The committee then took testimony on HB 2313, concerning publicly owned grocery stores in underserved areas. The bill would let cities acquire land, build or rehabilitate stores, seek capital grants, and create tax increment financing areas for grocery access projects, with annual reporting requirements. Supporters, including the sponsor, Food Lifeline, and Northwest Harvest, argued that grocery closures and food deserts are real problems and that local governments need tools to fill gaps when private grocers leave. Opponents, including grocery industry groups and several students, warned that public stores could undercut private grocers, burden taxpayers, and create operational and property-rights concerns; some testimony also questioned the need for government ownership and the use of tax increment financing. A proposed substitute removed eminent domain and tax increment financing provisions and narrowed the bill to grant-funded stores in underserved areas. Next, the committee heard HB 2451, a major rewrite of local tax increment financing rules. The bill would tighten notice, consultation, reporting, and mitigation requirements for TIF areas, strengthen the “but-for” test, limit where increment areas can be located, and protect existing taxing districts by excluding certain levies and requiring negotiation, mediation, or arbitration when impacts are significant. Cities, ports, counties, libraries, fire chiefs, and hospital districts largely described the bill as a negotiated compromise that improves transparency and addresses unintended impacts, though some local governments said they still wanted more flexibility or protections for existing projects. One city testified against the bill, arguing the new restrictions would make TIF much less useful for large redevelopment efforts. The committee then heard HB 2298, which would authorize county auditors to create voluntary property title protection programs to help prevent land-record fraud by allowing owners to record a protection instrument that delays recording of a title transfer for up to five business days unless identity verification is provided. Auditors, treasurers, and county officials strongly supported the bill as a practical response to rising deed fraud, while title and foreclosure industry representatives said the proposal was too limited, could interfere with foreclosures or other transfers, and would only delay—not prevent—fraud. The final bill heard was HB 2566 on local government procurement, which would raise certain small-purchase and small-public-works thresholds for counties, remove some differences between larger and smaller counties, and give counties more options when no bids are received. County representatives supported the bill as a needed update to procurement rules and a way to reduce bureaucracy and keep pace with inflation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Of course, this concerns all of California.
• It started in the Bay Delta, but of course that is the hub of much of the water distribution of the state
• And one of the key parts of this... ...to, it does.
• of nature and part of the landscape.
• of it.

Committee: Senate Rules

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of their right-of-way.
• of their right-of-way.
• I'm here today on behalf of the Port of Tacoma.
• I'm here today on behalf of the Port of Tacoma.
• of the Public Libraries of Washington.

Bills: HB2313 , HB2451 , HB2298 , HB2566 , HB2517

Committee: House Local Government

Keywords: grocery stores, public ownership, food accessibility, community services, economic development, tax increment financing, local government, municipal finance, public infrastructure, property title protection, land record fraud, county auditors, voluntary program, real estate, procurement, contracting, transparency, financial oversight, municipal permitting, transit projects

Transcript Highlights:

• species of trout and endangered salmon. ...lapse of seven species of trout and endangered salmon.
• The Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Department of Ecology,
• However, one of our first work sessions, the director of the Department of Agriculture and I sat here
• of expanded the scope of this review to all of Western North America.
• So I'm going to kind of speed through some of this.

Bills: SB6104 , SB6241 , SJM8015 , SB6318

Committee: Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources

Keywords: agriculture, protection, state regulation, farmers, land use, sustainability, steelhead, conservation, wildlife, fishing, environmental protection, federal response, wildfire protection, community safety, infrastructure, natural resources, commercial shellfish, fees, fishing industry, regulations

Transcript Highlights:

• lot of the agencies wouldn't be able to leverage some of those match features that are part of those
• If we were to look at the full cost of those one-time expenses as part of that, it was a change of, I
• of that data. ...a group of us are building a fusion center that's going to allow us to share more of
• Chairman, Senator Cook, that’s part of some of the mechanics that are part of the general fund versus
• of that.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee first heard a budget presentation for the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS), which is in the middle of a multi-year consolidation of IT staff and functions from other agencies. The analyst and administrator explained that ITS now has 243 authorized FTP, with more growth expected as Health and Welfare IT staff move over, and that much of ITS’s budget is driven by personnel, security, and pass-through technology purchases funded through dedicated revenues. The agency’s main 2027 requests included a personnel cash transfer to move costs off general fund and onto dedicated funds, $2.7 million for enterprise firewall/security upgrades, continued access to a federal E-CORE grant for an AI/data repository project, and funding for the Health and Welfare modernization/consolidation. Members asked about the grant, the 3% holdback, whether Health and Welfare’s budget would be reduced, the cost of delaying security upgrades, and why the agency’s FTP count has grown while overall IT costs are being centralized. ITS Administrator Alberto Gonzalez emphasized that the agency is defending against more than 100 million cyberattacks per month, with only a small fraction getting through, and said the firewall request was a critical security need. He said consolidation has produced efficiencies and a net reduction in IT personnel statewide, while also improving security and service delivery. He also explained that the agency is working on a possible policy change to separate continuously appropriated cash into a different fund for cleaner accounting. Questions from members focused on cybersecurity, bandwidth pressures from video/body-cam traffic, procurement speed, AI uses, and the rationale for office furnishings and equipment requests tied to the Health and Welfare move. The committee then moved to the Idaho State Tax Commission budget, another roughly $55 million portfolio with five programs and 447 authorized FTP. The analyst noted that the commission’s budget is heavily general-fund supported, but it also has several dedicated funds and large continuously appropriated flows tied to tax distributions and rebates. For fiscal year 2027, the commission requested additional dedicated-fund support for property tax outreach, $400,000 for GenTax automation, use of dedicated funds for the chief operating officer, replacement items, and the governor’s rescission. Chairman Jeff McRae said the agency returns more than $7.8 billion in revenue for about $55 million in spending, but warned the commission is at a “tipping point” where further cuts would reduce its ability to process revenue and serve taxpayers. Members questioned the commission about phone wait times, staffing levels, the multi-state tax compact, conformity work tied to the federal “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” and the parental choice tax credit program. McRae said the call center would need about 45 staff to meet standard service levels but currently has about seven, and that conformity changes would require significant software, form, and testing work, likely with overtime and possible taxpayer filing delays. He also explained that the tax credit program was designed with electronic-only applications, income prioritization, audits, and criminal penalties to reduce fraud. No votes or final actions were taken in the portion provided; the meeting consisted of budget presentations, member questions, and agency responses.

Transcript Highlights:

• Page 11, we funded with the Office of the State Engineer, the City of Aztec's rehabilitation of their
• of the type of work.
• On slide four, I've laid out kind of the general framework, some of the mechanics of how we do things
• right-of-way?
• heard of.

Transcript Highlights:

• I just want to take a second of personal privilege to say pray for the families of a family of Rick Hoagabom
• Getting rid of that doesn't get rid of the federal laws.
• Getting rid of that doesn't get rid of the federal laws.
• So this has kind of gotten out of hand.
• where it needs to do an installation of a particular type of equipment, they can go to that list of

Keywords: 989, all