Transcript Highlights:

• them to create a web-based location with links to recommended practices and resources to support digital
• include recommendations for incorporating student mobile device use into a statutory definition for digital
• 5346, the web-based location at OSPI that includes links to recommended practices and resources for digital
• the bill establishes a definition for personally owned mobile devices and revises the definition of digital
• them to create a web-based location with links to recommended practices and resources to support digital

Bills: SB6278

Committee: House Education

Keywords: teacher preparation, principal preparation, educator preparation, alternative route certification, teacher certification, principal certification, Washington Professional Educator Standards Board, PESB, field placement, student teacher, residency, mentoring, school district partnerships, K-12 education, preK-12, high-need schools, Title I, special education, English language learner, rural schools

Transcript Highlights:

• My question to you is on the digital shelf labels.
• You know, I was at Safeway yesterday, and I saw that, you know, it had $8.99 digital...
• Is it Safeway yesterday, and I saw that, you know, it had $8.99 digital label?
• Digital price tags do allow for greater efficiency for retailers, and one of our members, for example
• HB 2503 matters because it recognizes that digital and AI-driven sexual content is not neutral for children

Bills: HB2278 , HB2325 , HB2481 , HB2503

Committee: House Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans

Keywords: tourism, promotion areas, state funding, economic development, community engagement, tourism promotion, Washington Tourism Marketing Authority, assessment, self-supported assessment, visitor economy, destination marketing, statewide marketing, lodging, hotels, restaurants, travel services, attractions, recreation, retail, beverage producers

Transcript Highlights:

• look fairly similar to one another because of the different elements of in-person, text-based, or digital
• But it really depends on when... ...text-based or digital content, but it really depends on once they
• One of the things that we've been able to do is develop a media literacy course and digital citizenship
• I'm the K-12 digital education coach in Quincy School District, and it is an honor to be in front of
• Digital equity investments so that all students, not just some students in some districts, benefit.

Summary: The committee met to hear an overview of Washington’s alternative learning experience (ALE) programs and then an update on artificial intelligence in schools. OSPI’s Anissa Sherritt explained that ALE is a course-level funding designation for instruction that occurs partly or wholly away from the traditional seat-time model, with online, site-based, and remote course types. She emphasized that ALE is still basic education, subject to the same public school requirements, and that OSPI provides technical assistance, annual reporting review, and program reviews. Representatives from several programs described different models: Washington Virtual Academy (a large online ALE operated through Omak School District and partnered with for-profit Stride), Columbia Virtual Academy in Valley School District (a district-run, nonprofit online/remote program), Pearl in Quilcene (a K-8 remote parent partnership program), and River Home Link in Battleground (a site-based hybrid program). They discussed student supports, special education, enrichment, family choice, transportation, and how they measure outcomes. Members asked for follow-up information on funding, demographics, racial and ethnic data, multilingual learners, and post-graduation outcomes, and OSPI agreed to provide additional data where available. The committee then heard from OSPI and several districts about AI guidance and implementation. OSPI’s Holly Ryan Calloway described the agency’s human-centered AI framework, three guidance documents for schools, statewide professional learning, an AI innovation summit, and new AI literacy and informatics course frameworks and CIP codes. Quincy School District described a multi-year effort to integrate AI by centering student needs, creating district policy and classroom guidance, and training teachers to use AI responsibly while building an AI readiness plan from elementary through high school. Peninsula School District described its AI action research team, teacher professional learning, and classroom uses of generative AI to support science instruction, communication, and prompt engineering, while stressing that AI should enhance rather than replace learning. Members raised questions about privacy, energy and water use, prompt engineering, workforce and university connections, and the need for clear standards and ongoing educator training. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• While printed newspapers are important, we have long recognized critical digital readership for the public
• While printed newspapers are important, we have long recognized critical digital readership for the public
• As you heard, newspapers have incredible digital reach through our websites, mobile apps, digital e-editions
• As you heard, newspapers have incredible digital reach through our websites, mobile apps, digital e-editions
• I think one important note is currently 86% of Floridians consume local news via print or digital.

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Summary: The Judiciary Committee took up two bills. SB 98, by Senator Harrell, would let self-storage facilities advertise lien sales either in a newspaper or on a qualifying website, while keeping other notice requirements in place and updating contact information provisions. Supporters, including the Florida Press Association and several newspaper/storage owners, argued print and digital newspaper notices already provide broad public notice and that the bill could reduce notice effectiveness; the sponsor said the bill is an optional modernization and does not affect government notices. After debate, the committee voted 8-1 to report SB 98 favorably. The committee then heard SB 164, by Senator Grall, which expands Florida’s Wrongful Death Act to allow parents to recover civil damages for the death of an unborn child at any stage of development, with carve-outs for the mother and lawful medical care. The sponsor said the bill aligns civil law with Florida’s criminal protections for unborn children and gives families a remedy where current law may not. Opponents, including the ACLU of Florida, health care workers, and others, warned it could invite lawsuits against doctors, hospitals, friends, family members, and people involved in abortion access, and could worsen OB-GYN shortages and deter care. Supporters said it recognizes unborn life and should be treated consistently with existing wrongful death law. The committee approved SB 164 on a 4-3 vote and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• I will point out as we were working on those is the study, the legislature tasked us to convene a digital
• There was a... ...second grant, which was to help local governments migrate from digital systems to paper
• Some things that they reported in terms of keys to successes, one of them was digital permitting and
• I appreciate the fact that the digital permit or the statewide digital permit system may not be a good
• It's a double-digit increase from the previous year.

Committee: House Local Government

Summary: The committee heard presentations on the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and recent permitting reforms affecting local governments. Department of Ecology staff explained SEPA’s purpose, the review process, exemptions, planned actions, and recent housing-related changes, including transit-oriented development exemptions and SEPA appeals protections for certain local ordinances. Members asked about repeated SEPA reviews, cultural and historic resource review, and how SEPA interacts with NEPA. Seattle’s Department of Construction and Inspections said recent SEPA exemptions have reduced the number of reviews for residential projects and supported more housing permitting, and the city is considering raising exemption thresholds further. The State Building Code Council provided an update on code adoption timelines and implementation of legislative housing measures. Council staff said the 2024 code cycle is delayed administratively, with final adoption moved to May 15, 2026 and implementation targeted for May 1, 2027 unless legislative or administrative changes allow the current November 1, 2026 implementation date to remain. They also reported progress on code updates for single-stair buildings, multiplex housing, dwelling unit size, and temporary emergency shelter standards, with draft language underway. The committee then reviewed recent permitting legislation and implementation. Commerce staff summarized bills from 2023 and 2025 that set permit processing deadlines, limited pre-application requirements, restricted design review to clear and objective standards, changed historic designation rules, and expanded middle housing, ADU, lot split, passive house, self-certification, transit-oriented development, and parking-related requirements. Commerce also described its studies, guidance, grants, and reporting work under SB 5290, noting that 2024 data showed mixed performance and that local governments need better checklists, digital tools, staff training, and clear application standards. Issaquah and Kitsap County described local efforts to streamline permitting through code updates, pre-application meetings, software improvements, and a 2x6 review process, while also warning that staffing shortages, complex site conditions, coordination with state agencies, and reporting burdens continue to slow permits. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• under Texas law, which would be platforms that facilitate transactions between users and through digital
• HB2767 simply clarifies that enforcement must remain with local governments, not with private digital
• On the other hand, what this bill does do is prevent the regulation of the digital platforms that are
• This is land use and commercial activity versus the regulation of a digital platform.
• Oh, so it helps by these digital platforms, which, you know, if you log on to DoorDash or utilize that

Bills: HB346 , HB1360 , HB1510 , HB1606 , HB1804 , HB1805 , HB2156 , HB2391 , HB2767 , HB3022 , HB3044 , HB3272 , HB3293 , HB3493 , HB3809 , HB3824 , HJR110 , HB2463

Committee: House State Affairs

Keywords: expedited service, business records, veteran-owned businesses, franchise tax, fee schedule, Texas Ethics Commission, election reporting, campaign finance, violation categorization, penalties, public disclosure, Texas Utilities Code, electric utility, retail electric provider, municipally owned utility, electric cooperative, vegetation management, tree trimming, line clearance, transmission line

Transcript Highlights:

• As the digital age rolled around, those stock certificates, although available, were transformed into
• digital entries, book entries in the brokerage, and then in the bank that the brokerage did business
• As the digital age rolled around, those stock certificates, although available, age rolled around, those
• a larger bank that finance that bank, and finally at the top of the heap was the DTCCC, it's the digital
• As those funds became digital, digital, As those funds became digitized, individuals would lose ownership

Transcript Highlights:

• And the umbrellas that we use are biotech, pharma, medical devices and equipment, genomics, and digital
• So that's the And digital health care, and contract research organizations and contract manufacturers
• And medical technology, some digital technology more and more, but again, a little more sheltered from
• And most of them are in genomics and digital health care.
• Everything from computer science, digital technologies, artificial intelligence...

Summary: The Assembly Select Committee on Biotechnology and Medical Technology met to examine how federal funding cuts, tariff uncertainty, and proposed state policy changes are affecting California’s biotech and life sciences ecosystem. The chair and panelists emphasized California’s outsized role in the industry, describing major clusters in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Irvine, and San Diego, and warning that disruptions to NIH, NSF, and FDA-related funding are already chilling venture capital, slowing startup formation, and threatening the state’s competitiveness against places like China and Massachusetts. Industry witnesses from Biomedical Manufacturing Network, Biocom California, California Life Sciences, and Farma said federal research dollars are the catalyst for the pipeline from university research to startup formation, clinical trials, commercialization, and manufacturing jobs. They argued that cuts or uncertainty in NIH and NSF funding reduce grant applications, delay or cancel projects, weaken doctoral and postdoctoral training, and could drive scientists and physician-scientists out of the field. They also raised concerns about proposed antitrust limits on mergers and acquisitions, saying M&A is a key exit path for investors and a common route by which therapies reach market. University representatives from UC, Stanford, CSU Biotech, and UCLA described direct impacts on research programs, graduate training, and lab operations. They reported suspended or terminated grants, reduced training opportunities, canceled retreats and internships, and anxiety among students and early-career researchers. UC said hundreds of millions in funding have been suspended or terminated and that reduced facilities-and-administration rates could harm patenting and tech transfer; Stanford said more than 1,000 training and career-development grants are frozen or terminated nationwide; CSU Biotech said 133 grants had been cut or scaled back, totaling about $140 million, with about $30 million from NIH and NSF. The committee discussed possible state responses, including restoring or strengthening the R&D tax credit, supporting STEM education and apprenticeships, encouraging manufacturing expansion, and preserving the research workforce pipeline.

Transcript Highlights:

• Indeed, it allows Americans to participate fully in society and an ever-expanding global digital economy
• Interagency coordination is essential to closing the digital divide.
• divide, or just close the digital divide, not expand it.
• I'd also speak to digital literacy programs.
• Absolutely, I think maps are foundational to closing the digital divide and we have the broadband data

Committee: Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee

Keywords: state policy, governance, legislative processes, public concerns, policy improvement

Summary: During the committee meeting, various issues surrounding state policy and governance were deliberated. Although the specifics of bills under discussion were not highlighted, comments from several committee members indicated a focus on improving legislative processes and addressing public concerns. The chairman facilitated discussions that included several points of critique as well as suggestions for enhancement of existing laws. The atmosphere remained constructive despite the complexity of the topics at hand.

Transcript Highlights:

• So audiobooks are more popular, and the audiobooks can come either via digital download.
• That is the digitization of historical newspapers so that they can be available. Online.
• And that's in addition to the UC Berkeley digitization efforts? Yes. Those are great.
• Different digitization efforts. Okay. Do we have any other questions? **Mr. Muratsuchi?
• Anyone else can come and use services on-site or digitally.

Transcript Highlights:

• following matters be scheduled for consideration by the House: the Senate bill authorizing print-free digital
• following matters be scheduled for consideration by the House: the Senate bill authorizing print-free digital
• Second reading of the bills: An act authorizing print-free digital legal notices in the City of Newton

Transcript Highlights:

• Companies don't know how to report abandoned crypto, and people aren't getting reconnected with their digital
• Digital assets such as Bitcoin and other currencies based on blockchain technology are currently undefined
• And this bill also ensures that California implements best practices for managing abandoned digital assets

Committee: House Banking and Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a digital system.
• This system provides us the ability to do that through a digital system and provides accountability.
• It's a digital system.
• So since it's a digital system, we all have a tablet as chief officers.
• They cannot speak with the digital fire department.

Committee: House House Public Safety & Law Enforcement Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee heard and advanced several public safety and corrections measures. SB 1161 would prevent $750,000 appropriated to DPS for Yuma County’s Amberly’s Place Family Advocacy Center from lapsing; testimony emphasized that the bill preserves existing funding for crisis response and victim services. The committee also advanced SB 1215, which clarifies the cancer list tied to the occupational disease presumption for firefighters and peace officers and adds retroactivity to June 30, 2021. SB 1270, aimed at retention for Tier 3 corrections employees, would allow optional employer supplemental contributions to defined contribution accounts at specified service intervals, with an amendment capping annual contributions at $5,000 and requiring employer policies; members discussed retention, vesting, and whether the incentive could simply be taken and left after the waiting period. Both SB 1161 and SB 1215 received due pass recommendations, as did SB 1270 after one no vote and several members noting the need for better retention tools. The committee then considered SB 1400, which authorizes law enforcement wellness and crisis response programs and sets confidentiality rules for information shared in those programs. Supporters said the bill would expand access to peer and professional support while preserving public records and misconduct investigation access, but members raised concerns that the privilege language could be too broad for licensed therapists; the sponsor indicated openness to an amendment, and the bill was advanced with members reserving the right to change their votes if the language is not tightened. SB 1538, as a strike-everything amendment, would require workers’ compensation coverage for PTSD treatment for firefighters and peace officers and could include one course of MDMA treatment if federal approval and DEA rescheduling occur by the stated deadline. Supporters described promising clinical trial results and argued the bill is a conditional authorization, while counties opposed the mandate and raised cost concerns; after debate over whether the bill is permissive or mandatory, the committee adopted the strike-everything amendment and gave the bill a due pass recommendation. The committee also passed SB 1537, which renames the Peace Officer Training Equipment Fund as the Public Safety De-escalation and Life Safety Fund and repeals the advisory commission. Supporters said the new name better reflects the fund’s use for de-escalation and less-lethal equipment, while some members opposed the change and preferred the money be used for raises. Finally, the committee began hearing SB 1580, which would appropriate funds for fire incident management support hardware and software and, under a chairman’s amendment, redirect money from the Peace Officer Training Equipment Fund to additional public safety technology and retention/recruitment purposes; testimony focused on regional data-sharing systems and the need for accountability and clarity on how the funds would be spent.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and in addition to the digital storage, I had been working with it in file hold.
• Um, and in addition to the digital storage, I had been working with it in file hold.
• So some of those records might be so old that you're not going to put them into a digital format.
• So some of those records might be so old that you're not going to put them into a digital format.
• That you're not going to put them into a digital format.

Summary: The committee reviewed follow-up status on several prior audit observations. For the Department of Liquor Commission item tied to a DAS audit, staff explained that the commission had been listed as observation 8 because it participated in a recycling program, but the required response had been missed because DAS did not notify the commission. After the committee raised it, the commission contacted DAS and submitted the response, and members agreed the observation could be marked complete, making the audit 9 for 9 resolved. The committee then heard from the Department of Employment Security about the remaining open item from a 2016 audit of the former Department of Resources and Economic Development concerning the Work Ready New Hampshire program. The deputy commissioner said the issue had been addressed by 2019 statutory changes that moved the job training program to Employment Security, increased funding, and specifically recognized Work Ready New Hampshire in statute. Members indicated the item should be treated as resolved and moved to green. The Adult Parole Board also reported on its 2019 audit follow-up. Chair Roger Phillips said 18 of 26 recommendations had been completed, with eight still open, including structured decisionmaking, a tracking/performance measure system, records retention, and access to inmate mental health and substance abuse information. Committee members said the board needed to submit an updated report to DAS with timelines and explanations for the remaining items, and the board said it would provide a timeline within 30 days. The committee then agreed to expect a follow-up report after the first of the year, likely by the end of March, to review the status of the eight open items. At the end of the meeting, members discussed future audit topics. They noted that the wetlands council’s responses had been included with the department’s answers, so no separate appearance was needed. They also raised possible future audits involving special education oversight, the Board of Naturopaths, OPLC-related boards, dental examiners, and police standards training, with a request that some of those entities provide status reports at a later meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Good ladies and gentlemen, this has to do with digital ID.
• The legislation is to ensure that digital information is not required to access government services in
• Line 24: physical, non-digital identification authorized under state law shall remain valid.
• Good gentleman, we use digital chips in our police dogs and stuff like that.
• It's the requirement of using digital identification for persons. Thank you, Speaker.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, I wanted to let you know that you can find these digitally.
• let you know that you can<00:25:34.720><c> find</c><00:25:34.960><c> these</c><00:25:35.360><c> digitally
• /c><00:25:36.640><c> We're</c><00:25:36.880><c> going</c><00:25:36.960><c> to</c> can find these digitally
• We're going to can find these digitally.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know you just sent a digital copy today.
• know you<00:02:37.680><c> just</c><00:02:37.760><c> sent</c><00:02:38.000><c> a</c><00:02:38.239><c> digital
• </c><00:02:40.160><c> So,</c> you just sent a digital copy today.
• So, you just sent a digital copy today.

Transcript Highlights:

• We do have a robust outreach using traditional media... ...digital media, in-person outreach, and more
• That is our digital newsletter which is sent to more than a hundred and forty four thousand subscribers
• We send that through our mass digital communications platform and we send...
• Digital media, we manage our newly redesigned...

Bills: SB651 , SB897 , SB1814 , SB1818

Committee: Senate Veteran Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Research consistently shows that equipping young people with digital literacy tools and open lines of
• It doesn't cover all the other issues of the digital space and the digital economy.
• Nowadays, so many people are forced to endure toxic, non-consensual digital spaces.
• Nowadays, so many people are forced to endure toxic, non-consensual digital spaces.
• Nowadays, so many people are forced to endure toxic, non-consensual digital spaces.

Summary: The committee heard and acted on several education-related bills, beginning with AB 65 on paid pregnancy leave for public school employees. The bill drew strong support from teachers, school employees, unions, and education groups, who argued it would provide up to 14 weeks of paid leave, reduce financial penalties tied to sick leave use, and help recruit and retain educators. Some witnesses and members raised concerns about funding, district eligibility, and implementation, but the bill was advanced on a do-pass recommendation to the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee, with one member not voting and the bill placed on call for absent members. Members then heard AB 673 on an unaccompanied youth support grant program for homeless 16- and 17-year-olds, AB 1552 on reporting recommendations to strengthen civic engagement in higher education, AB 1572 on annual CIF review and qualification standards for sports officials, and AB 1586 on opioid overdose response training and naloxone access for school resource officers. AB 673 and AB 1552 received support from education, youth, and advocacy organizations; AB 673 also drew questions about overlap with existing homeless and foster-care-related programs, while supporters said the bill targets a vulnerable subpopulation that is often missed. AB 1552 and AB 1572 were broadly supported and advanced, and AB 1586 was backed by treatment providers, school nurses, and education groups as a practical student-safety measure; all were moved forward with do-pass recommendations and placed on call. The committee also considered AB 1721, which would create a work group to review and streamline school safety plans, and AB 2060, which would establish a mentor teacher grant program and stipend to strengthen the teacher pipeline. Both bills were supported by administrators, educators, and school-related organizations, and both advanced to the Senate Appropriations Committee. AB 2440, aimed at clarifying Proposition 28 arts and music education funding rules and allowing small districts to pool resources, also received broad support and moved to Appropriations. AB 1784, which would extend pregnancy-related protections to undergraduate students and prohibit discrimination based on pregnancy or related conditions, passed to the Senate Judiciary Committee after support from higher education and women’s advocacy groups. Finally, AB 2660, which would codify the CalBridge STEM pathway program and related efforts to diversify the STEM workforce, was supported by higher education and workforce advocates and advanced to Appropriations after questions about the related EnLACE program and its funding sources.

Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Renee Joe with the Center for AI Digital Policy, in support.
• For example, creating a digital replica of the company's real chief training officer and using it in
• digital replicas.
• Not to criminalize standard digital practices like collecting IP addresses.
• For many survivors, digital tools are lifelines.

Summary: The committee heard several public safety bills, with testimony split between supporters who framed the measures as targeted fixes and opponents who warned about overcriminalization and unintended consequences. SB 701, by Senator Wahab, drew support from law enforcement and local government groups, who said state law lacks a tool to address the conduct at issue; the ACLU opposed it as duplicative of existing law, while public defenders said they may withdraw opposition after amendments. Because there was no quorum at that point, the bill was held open without a vote. SB 834, by Senator DeRazzo, was presented as a technical cleanup bill to improve California’s automatic record clearance system by preventing outdated “pending” charges from blocking relief, requiring local court records to match DOJ records, and creating a way for people to obtain proof of relief. It received broad support from criminal justice reform and defense organizations, with no opposition, and the chair indicated support, but no final action was taken during the hearing. SB 248, by Senator Rubio, would require DOJ to send new gun purchasers educational materials during the waiting period about safe storage, suicide prevention, domestic violence, and related resources; supporters called it common-sense education, while one opponent argued the information is already available. The committee voted the bill out on a due-pass motion to Appropriations, but it remained on call pending one additional vote. Senator Rubio’s SB 19, the Safe Schools and Places of Worship Act, would create a new offense for credible threats against schools or houses of worship even when no specific individual is named. Supporters, including law enforcement and Jewish community advocates, said current law leaves a loophole and that the bill would help prevent panic and resource-draining lockdowns; opponents from civil liberties and youth justice groups argued existing law already covers threats and that the bill would worsen the school-to-prison pipeline. After a motion and second, the committee voted due pass to Appropriations, with the measure also left on call. Later, SB 759 by Senator Archuleta, prompted by the killing of Whittier Officer Keith Boyer, would require a court hearing after a third supervision violation or new offense for people on post-release community supervision; supporters said it adds accountability, while opponents said it removes probation discretion and could increase jail and court burdens. The bill passed due pass to Appropriations and was reported as passing. The committee also heard SB 6 by Senator Ashby, which would schedule xylazine as a controlled substance while preserving veterinary use. Supporters, including veterinarians, law enforcement, and a parent who lost a son to a drug-related death, said the drug is increasingly present in fentanyl mixtures and needs to be controlled; opponents from drug policy and civil liberties groups argued scheduling would criminalize users, hinder research, and repeat failed drug-war policies. After extensive debate, the committee voted the bill out due pass to Appropriations, and it passed. Finally, SB 11, the AI Abuse Protection Act, was introduced to regulate AI-generated voice, image, and video replicas, with supporters emphasizing protection against deepfakes and nonconsensual images; the California Chamber of Commerce opposed unless amended, seeking narrower definitions and limits on consumer warnings. The hearing ended while SB 11 was still under discussion, with no final vote reflected in the transcript.