Transcript Highlights:

• Lastly, the bill provides that nothing requires the disclosure of the student's foster care status in
• They teach these lifelong skills that are probably more important than learning about D-Day.
• Principals are dealing with the kids every day. They know the kids. They know the communities.
• It only has to sit there now 30 days instead of 60.
• As long as all transfers occurred at the time it was written, before the 11th instructional day.

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• residing in the sub-district that the commissioner represents for a period of at least 90 consecutive days
• heard legislation on the floor that's going to cause everyone to change their residency within 30 days
• If we change the rules for the state, when you come here, and within 30 days you're a qualified elector
• So glad I put a smile on some people's faces, but no doubt I care deeply about this.
• equipment, at the end of the day, it's about providing a vital service.

Committee: House Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• If anything changes, we will announce it from the dais.
• for non-exempt activities to 50 days, and it also limits the number of days that the exempt property
• can be used for monetary gain to 15 days.
• That'll be coming out in about, I think, 10 days.
• That'll be coming out in about, I think, 10 days.

Committee: House Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• increased spending, where the debt's coming from: that's in special education and that's in long-term care
• At the end of the day, it's going to be that student that has the biggest impact.
• At the end of the day, it's going to be that student that has the biggest impact.
• I hope that the taxpayers come through for us at the end of the day.
• I hope that the taxpayers come through for us at the end of the day.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:52:45.839><c> of</c> their children will be taken care of their children will be taken care of
• </c> driving the cost of child care down. driving the cost of child care down.
• </c><00:52:59.440><c> SP419</c> care options across the state. SP419 care options across the state.
• I know that's really not care of that?
• I don't really care since it's an amendment.

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• And so we want to be very careful about That.
• To your point, if you know, fix it in two days is unreasonable.
• Sorry, it's getting late in the day for me.
• Many of us, this means going into debt. or postponing necessary care.
• They also paid for my time off to take care of her.

Transcript Highlights:

• right or third if there's a second day right or third day<00:15:01.160><c> correct</c><00:15:01.880>
• </c><00:33:03.120><c> of</c> follow up th this is within 7 Days of follow up th this is within 7 Days
• </c><00:33:14.279><c> of</c> providing things within seven days of providing things within seven days
• </c> with First Responders on the worst days with First Responders on the worst days of<00:52:31.760>
• Um, uncompensated care costs.

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• 11.600><c> child</c> false but have hurt children and child false but have hurt children and child care
• 13.440><c> an</c><00:09:13.760><c> incredible</c><00:09:14.560><c> moment</c><00:09:14.959><c> in</c> care
• This is a an incredible moment in care.
• move forward this session. >> I hope to catch you guys on one of your walks together one of these days
• </c> your walks together one of these days. your walks together one of these days.

Transcript Highlights:

• They take care of a lot of things behind the scenes, as I'm sure you're aware of, around bill payments
• That's why I think when we look at the benefit enhancement here, we should be a little careful.
• Let's have Michael Dushman, Adam Lowe, and Claire Oliver's come up to the podium, the dais.
• Within health care, we know that one's health is often tied to one's financial security, and a state
• Our own parents and grandparents struggling to breathe as they go about their day.

Committee: Joint Select Committee on Pension Policy

Summary: The Select Committee on Pension Policy approved the June minutes by roll call vote, with 11 ayes and 6 excused. The chair then outlined meeting procedures and public comment rules before educational briefings began. Lisa Wan of the Office of the State Actuary gave the agency’s annual update, describing its staffing, clients, strategic plan, and performance measures. She noted the office is a small nonpartisan legislative agency that provides actuarial valuations, fiscal notes, policy analysis, and support for multiple retirement systems and boards, and said the office faces a heavy workload in 2025 because of the demographic experience study and other recurring projects. Jacob White provided the annual LEOFF 2 Board update, covering the board’s structure, plan demographics, funded status, contribution rates, and several policy topics under review. Those topics included a Seattle overtime/pension spiking review, catastrophic disability survivor benefits, retiree return-to-work employer contributions, and the change in interest credited to member accounts. He said the board would continue coordinating with DRS and report back through interim updates. Erin Gutierrez presented background for the LEOFF 1 study, explaining plan benefits, medical and death benefits, historic funding, and federal tax qualification issues. She compared Substitute House Bill 2034 and Substitute Senate Bill 5085, describing 2034 as a restatement/termination approach and 5085 as a merger into a Legacy Retirement Plan, both requiring IRS determination letters. Committee members asked questions about LEOFF 1 medical costs, funding sources, and tax implications, and public commenters urged the committee to protect tax qualification, consider a recurring COLA for PERS and TERS 1, and address pension policy concerns. The meeting ended with adjournment and notice of a 30-minute break before executive session.

Transcript Highlights:

• Just let us know and we'll take care of that. Okay.
• So what that does is it can cut 30 to 45 days out of development plan approvals.
• So what that does is it can cut 30 to 45 days out of development plan approvals.
• So, if licenses only takes 7 to 10 days.
• Their board is fully 10 days to do it.

Summary: The committee first heard a presentation from Northern Kentucky building industry representatives Brian Miller and Matt Mains on housing affordability and construction workforce issues. They argued that regulatory and code requirements add significant cost to new homes, citing an estimate of nearly $94,000 per home nationally and $15,000 to $20,000 per home in Boone County over the past decade. They recommended reforms to building code adoption, architectural design mandates, permit fees and delays, and setback/land dedication rules, saying these changes could reduce costs by $25,000 to $35,000 per home without affecting public safety. They also discussed workforce training efforts through the Enzwe Building Institute, dual-credit programs, apprenticeship incentives, and workforce grants, saying these efforts have helped hold wage growth below regional trends and improve housing affordability. Committee members asked about the breakdown of regulatory costs, the effect of energy codes, and ways to speed up permitting. The presenters said the costs were roughly split among federal, state, and local requirements, with local regulations adding about $25,000 to $35,000 and some energy-code changes adding about $19,000 per home. They said faster plan review, coordination with the Kentucky Division of Water, and addressing municipal staffing shortages could cut 30 to 45 days from approvals. Members also discussed the difficulty of building starter homes under about $350,000 and the need for more missing-middle housing, with the presenters saying such homes are hard to produce without sacrificing quality. The committee then took up Representative Kim Moer and Dr. Dale Bertram’s discussion of marriage and family therapist licensing and healthcare workforce data reporting. They explained that the bill would allow Kentucky to recognize out-of-state marriage and family therapists who meet licensure requirements, have no disciplinary history, and have passed the national exam, in order to reduce barriers and address provider shortages, especially in rural areas. They also described a separate workforce data reporting section that would require licensure boards to collect consistent information on where licensees practice and whether they are actively seeing patients, including through telehealth, so the state can better understand its healthcare workforce. Members supported the portability idea, noted that some qualified applicants are currently working in Indiana instead of Kentucky, and asked whether the data collection could be handled administratively; the sponsors said the bill would create consistency across boards. The committee also briefly discussed occupational board updates and the need for stronger communication between legislators and licensing boards, including architecture licensure issues and efforts to recruit more professionals.

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> care.
• <00:34:57.280><c> care</c> I'm really having a care a care I'm really having a care a care management
• care.
• Nobody likes top-down<00:51:34.200><c> care.</c> top-down care. top-down care.
• </c> popular these days. popular these days.

Summary: The Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board received a presentation from Dr. Stack and Commissioner Langfeld on Kentucky’s application for a federal Medicaid-related funding opportunity tied to House Resolution 1. They described a compressed six-week stakeholder process that produced more than 50 responses and letters of support, and said the application was organized around five broad priorities: maternal health, behavioral health and substance use disorder, oral health, EMS/trauma response, and chronic disease. They emphasized that the proposal was designed to align with CMS goals, use allowable funding categories, and focus on sustainability rather than a short-term grant. Commissioner Langfeld outlined five core initiatives: rural community hubs for chronic care innovation, beginning with obesity and diabetes; a maternal and infant health effort called POWER; a behavioral health and substance use model called IMPATH; an oral health initiative called Rooted in Health; and an integrated crisis-to-care EMS and trauma response effort. He said the chronic disease work would include prevention, food-as-medicine concepts, and technology tools, while the maternal health effort would expand team-based care around mothers and infants using community health workers and doulas. The behavioral health proposal would build on existing crisis intervention models, oral health would address workforce and access gaps through training, mobile vans, and telehealth, and the EMS proposal would better connect emergency response with home-based and community care. Several senators questioned whether the proposal would meaningfully address rural hospital closures or the broader rural health care crisis. Senator Meredith said the plan was not transformational and would not save rural hospitals, while Senator Berg asked how success would be measured. In response, the presenters said they would use both lagging and leading indicators, with an emphasis on rapid-cycle feedback and data use that is more actionable in real time. They also said the work could help existing models that already show promise, such as behavioral health units and dental workforce expansion, even if it would not solve the larger funding gap created by HR1. Senator Douglas asked how the proposals would motivate patients to participate in their own health care. The presenters responded that the chronic disease prevention work would focus on obesity, diabetes prevention, nutrition, and consumer-facing technology tools to help people engage in their own care, and that EMS-community health worker partnerships could identify unmet needs in the home and reduce preventable problems. The board then moved on to its next agenda item, Medicaid managed care delivery models, with Tom Stevens, Katherine North, and Dr. Patel scheduled to present.

Transcript Highlights:

• Folks, to Hoplin, I want to respect those who are here on time, and I know everyone has busy days and
• which would fund a pilot program for out-of-state medical residents to receive reproductive health care
• There are so many legislators across the Commonwealth who care deeply about this issue and are trying
• think about mental health, is not helping the cause of getting people with postpartum depression the care
• And I hope you enjoy the rest of your day. Thank you.

Summary: The commission met to review the state budget process and discuss maternal and perinatal health funding. Members heard that the House did not adopt several maternal health amendments, including funding for community-based perinatal mental health grants, implementation of maternal health law items, private insurance coverage for midwifery care, a midwifery workforce development fund, birthing center grants, and the Tufts Center for Maternal Health Advancement. On the Senate side, several items were adopted, including funding for the Mass NOW menstrual equity program, $1 million for the Neighborhood Birth Center, and an out-of-state resident reproductive health training pilot; however, proposed funding for a midwifery workforce development fund, a health education trust fund, and the Tufts center was not adopted. Commission members discussed whether to send a letter to the conference committee. Several members emphasized that while the Senate wins were positive, the commission’s core mission is perinatal and postpartum mental health, and that the letter should note the lack of explicit support for perinatal mental health and PMAD-related needs, as well as the importance of infant mental health and the parent-infant relationship. The commission voted unanimously to send a letter to the conference committee highlighting the broader maternal health wins while urging continued investment in perinatal and postpartum supports. The meeting also covered commission vacancies and future planning. Staff reviewed open seats, including a House minority seat, several governor-appointed seats, an optional commissioner seat, and appointments for the Senate and House co-chairs. Members suggested possible representation from the Children’s Trust, families impacted by addiction, and midwifery. The commission also noted that April and June meeting minutes would be circulated for later approval, and that the legislative session is nearing its end with several pending bills related to perinatal mood disorders and postpartum issues. The meeting adjourned after no further new business.

Transcript Highlights:

• death of any person from a collision involving a motor vehicle, and clarifies protections for health care
• It clarifies protections for health care information, driving records, and other confidential information
• It limits health care information collected by the Commission to Commission purposes only, including
• It limits health care information collected by the state. definition of the term under federal HIPAA
• It limits health care information collected by the Commission to Commission purposes only, including

Summary: The Transportation Committee met in executive session and considered seven measures, with staff briefing members on proposed amendments and substitutes. The main policy bills included Substitute Senate Bill 6066 on crash prevention zones, Senate Bill 6131 on the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission’s role in traffic safety and fatality review, Senate Bill 6311 on maintaining pedestrian passage during construction, Senate Bill 6230 on rounding cash transactions to eliminate pennies, Senate Bill 6032 on covering or cleaning towed vehicles with mud or debris, and Senate Bill 6335 revising the State Transportation Commission. The committee also considered Substitute Joint Memorial 8016, urging federal emergency treatment for the Fairfax Bridge closure and replacement. Members discussed competing amendments on SB 6066, including proposals to clarify enforcement coordination, signage, penalty amounts, and the scope of local versus state crash prevention zones. On SB 6131, amendments were offered to either remove or narrow the Traffic Safety Commission’s public health authority designation, while another amendment added HIPAA-related definitions and confidentiality protections. For SB 6311, the substitute focused on continuous accessible pedestrian passage near hospitals, parks, and schools, with later clarifications on where the requirement applies, local feasibility standards, and liability limits. SB 6230’s amendments would have allowed exact-payment exceptions and permissive rounding authority, while SB 6032’s amendment would have required reusable covers if a driver chooses to cover a towed vehicle. The committee adopted or accepted substitutes and then advanced all seven measures with do-pass recommendations to the Rules Committee. Senator King withdrew his SB 6066 substitute, SB 6131’s withdrawn amendments were replaced by adoption of amendment S-4874.1, and SB 6311’s substitute was withdrawn and then advanced in the revised form. SB 6230’s amendments were withdrawn after members noted a floor substitute was being worked on, and SB 6032’s amendment was set aside because the prime sponsor was absent. The meeting ended with thanks to committee staff and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• A realistic go-live date, according to our team, is Memorial Day weekend in May.
• A realistic go-live date, according to our team, is Memorial Day weekend in May.
• A realistic go-live date, according to our team, is Memorial Day weekend in May.
• </c> which handles all of our long-term care which handles all of our long-term care and<01:05:31.839
• So that had to be added into care plans.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• What do you do 50 day is a good point.
• </c> Um, after what we learned the other day. Um, after what we learned the other day.
• They run into these issues every day.
• I don't care. I don't think DMV cares.
• I don't<04:32:18.800><c> care.</c><04:32:19.359><c> Yeah.</c> don't care. Yeah. don't care. Yeah.

Committee: House Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, and that's folks in the Health Care Authority.
• Hurley indicated, you have somebody that can do 30 days.
• So let's be careful, I think, when we use that term.
• I fight for people every day who have made mistakes.
• Every day we’re getting reports of law violations.

Summary: The House Community Safety Committee met on January 29, 2026, and announced it would not hold executive session that day because of the large number of public hearing sign-ups; those executive sessions were pushed to the following Monday. The committee first heard House Bill 2558, relating to the mental health sentencing alternative (MHSA). Staff explained that the bill narrows eligibility to people diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, adds restrictions for certain domestic violence and prior violent offense cases, requires more detailed DOC reports, lengthens some community custody terms, mandates regular progress hearings, and shifts assessment work to contracted providers. The sponsor said the bill is intended to refocus the program on people whose offenses are tied to serious mental illness and to reduce misuse in domestic violence and other violent cases. No public testimony was taken on HB 2558 that day, and the hearing was held open for later testimony. The committee then heard House Bill 2217, which would replace the current first-time offender waiver with a pretrial deferral option and a suspended sentence option for eligible first-time felony defendants. Supporters, including public defense, immigration advocates, judges, economists, and the Sentencing Guidelines Commission, argued the bill would create a meaningful rehabilitation pathway, reduce recidivism, improve employment outcomes, and avoid the long-term harm of an immediate felony conviction. They also said the deferred-adjudication structure could help immigrants avoid immigration consequences and would better incentivize restitution and compliance. Opponents, including sheriffs, prosecutors, and victim advocates, raised concerns about expanding eligibility to offenses such as assault 2 and robbery 2, the meaning of “violent offense,” the possibility of judicial diversion without prosecutor consent, and the impact on victims and public safety. After testimony, the sponsor said she would remove the bill’s strong presumption in favor of relief, and the committee closed the public hearing on HB 2217. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2641, the “ICE Out Act of 2026,” which would bar Washington law enforcement agencies from hiring people who were sworn ICE officers after January 20, 2025, with the restriction applying prospectively beginning October 1, 2026. The sponsor said the bill was meant to protect communities and prevent hiring officers associated with federal immigration enforcement practices she described as harmful. The committee then heard House Bill 2648, which would require state and local officers who encounter suspected ICE employees conducting immigration enforcement to activate body and dash cameras, report the encounter, and document it, while providing state indemnification for officers acting in good faith. Supporters said the bill would improve transparency and protect communities and officers; the Washington State Patrol said many of the practices already align with its policies. The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs expressed concerns about added reporting requirements, possible effects on federal-local cooperation, and asked for changes to soften mandatory language and strengthen indemnification. The committee ended the hearing without further testimony and adjourned, noting executive sessions on about a dozen bills would occur the following week.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I hope you have a wonderful rest of the day. Thank you.
• Out of the grief when he died, I happened to be on duty that day.
• I happened to be on duty that day.
• And they, too, deal every day with the spikes in cortisol.
• And at the end of the day, the department did withdraw that proposal.

Summary: The Labor and Commerce Committee heard public testimony on several bills. Senate Bill 618, the Eric Schrauss Memorial Act, would remove the current time-and-exposure qualifiers for the workers’ compensation presumption that certain heart problems in firefighters and law enforcement officers are occupational diseases. The sponsor and family members of fallen firefighters testified in support, describing delayed claims and arguing the bill would spare grieving families from lengthy appeals. Opponents including counties, self-insurers, cities, and L&I’s research staff said the current qualifiers are based on science, warned the change would greatly expand claims and costs, and noted a 2023 advisory committee did not recommend the change. No vote was taken. The committee also heard Senate Bill 5379, which would extend interest arbitration rights to Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission law enforcement rangers. The sponsor and a park ranger testified that rangers are commissioned peace officers who cannot strike and are paid less than comparable law enforcement, leading to staffing shortages and turnover. The bill was presented as a fairness and retention measure. Testimony on Senate Bill 6147, concerning grocery store closures in food deserts, was split: supporters from Tacoma, labor, and local government said a six-month notice requirement would help communities respond to closures like the Fred Meyer shutdown in South Tacoma, while grocers and industry groups argued the bill was too prescriptive, would add legal risk, and would not solve underlying crime and business pressures. Senate Bill 6106, requested by the Employment Security Department, would exempt tribes from the state WARN-style notice law and make employee names and addresses submitted in layoff notices confidential under the Public Records Act. ESD and business groups supported the bill as a clarification and privacy fix, and no opposition was heard. The committee then took testimony on Senate Bill 5927, which would cap future workers’ compensation COLAs at 3%; employers and self-insurers supported it as a way to address volatility and long-term liabilities, while labor, injured-worker advocates, and others opposed it as an across-the-board benefit cut that would erode wage replacement. L&I explained it has been studying possible COLA changes but did not bring forward its own proposal. Finally, Senate Bill 6287 on kratom would restrict adulterated or harmful kratom products, require labeling, set a 21+ sales age, and allow local regulation; supporters backed the age limit and bans on concentrated 7-OH, while some industry witnesses opposed the private right of action and local patchwork rules. The committee adjourned after public testimony; no final votes or executive action were taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• She not only cares about me and my sister, but she cares about all of the New Mexico students, and she
• So all those times, days...
• It's International Beaver Day.
• at a fitting time that we're just— two days away from International Beaver Day.
• At the end of the day, it's also a money issue.

Committee: Senate Senate Rules

Transcript Highlights:

• , seven days a week?
• We kind of like just bought into 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You're always on.
• We kind of like just bought into 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• in and day out.
• get to stay for one day.

Committee: Senate Criminal Justice

Summary: The committee heard and voted on a long series of criminal justice, public safety, victim protection, and regulatory bills. Several measures were reported favorably, including SB 1374 on school district reporting requirements, SB 1378 on restitution for leaving the scene of a crash, SB 1072 creating an expedited DNA testing grant program, SB 1140 establishing a Hillsborough County criminal offender substance abuse pilot program, SB 1266 revising public records protections for crime victims and certain law enforcement identities, SB 1546 delaying and refining background screening requirements for athletic coaches, SB 1430 on post-judgment execution proceedings related to terrorism victims, SB 1444 making a broad set of criminal justice changes, SB 240 on domestic and dating violence protections, SB 606 clarifying public lodging and food service removal procedures for nonpaying guests, SB 1450 giving law enforcement discretion in arrests involving people with significant medical conditions, SB 44 increasing penalties for impersonating law enforcement with unauthorized red or blue lights, SB 1000 expanding court-ordered sealing options, SB 1400 requiring platforms to remove altered sexual depictions, and SB 1696 addressing rideshare impersonation and transit service rules. Many of these bills were amended before final passage, often with strike-all amendments or technical changes, and several had support from law enforcement, advocacy groups, or industry representatives. Testimony was generally supportive on the public safety and victim-protection bills, with speakers emphasizing faster DNA testing, better protections for domestic violence survivors, clearer rules for hotel and motel operators, and stronger tools against fraud, impersonation, and trafficking. Some bills drew notable concerns or opposition. SB 1266 prompted questions about whether a 72-hour cooling-off period for officer identities could be extended too broadly, while SB 606 drew concerns that the bill could affect families living in hotels or extended stays during the housing affordability crisis. SB 1444 generated discussion about false reporting language, off-duty carry for prosecutors and judges, and the scope of automatic sealing changes. SB 1000’s expanded sealing relief received broad support but was narrowed by amendments excluding certain offenses such as DUI and indecent exposure. The most contentious measure was SB 1804, which would create a capital offense for trafficking a child under 12 or a mentally incapacitated person for sexual exploitation. The sponsor argued it targets the most severe trafficking cases and includes safeguards such as excluding minors from capital punishment and preserving life imprisonment if the capital procedure is invalidated. Opponents, including the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops and Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, argued the death penalty is unconstitutional for non-homicide crimes, costly, and ineffective, and committee members raised concerns about whether the bill would incentivize traffickers to kill victims to avoid identification. Debate also touched on broader concerns about the death penalty’s constitutionality and whether life imprisonment is a more severe punishment. The transcript ends during that debate, without a final vote on SB 1804 included in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• engage in cutting-edge research, being able to provide pathways for developing the state's health care
• And when we have, my God, what, 265,000 people that report to you every day, imagine.
• Yes, thank you all of you for caring so much about our Yes, thank you, all of you, for caring so much
• Each of these programs serves an important function in California health care.
• I just lost my father a few days ago.