Transcript Highlights:

• , the impacts of suicide, I felt like I had a place and a spot to join an amazing team.
• And we provide technical assistance.
• We advise on plans... ...fund those partners, and we provide technical assistance.
• assistance, how do you guide it?
• Juliette Lee, also with the Native American technical assistance provider team.

Committee: Senate Rules

Summary: The Senate Committee on Rules established quorum and approved several routine items on the agenda, including governor’s appointments not required to appear: Courtney Welsh to the California Housing Partnership Corporation Board, Janessa Goldbeck to the California Veterans Board, and Tom Huntington to the State Parks and Recreation Commission, each by 3-0 vote. The committee also approved reference of bills to committees, the 2026 committee chair/member assignments, the 2026 session schedule, the 2026 holiday schedule, and floor acknowledgments, all by unanimous votes. The committee noted that some 2026 committee changes would take effect February 1, 2026, and that new committees would depend on adoption of a Senate resolution. The committee then heard from Dr. Hernando Garson, nominated as chief medical officer of the Emergency Medical Services Authority. He described his background in emergency medicine, disaster response, and EMS leadership, and members questioned him about EMSA’s strategic plan, data integration, statewide standards versus local flexibility, ambulance patient offload time regulations, stakeholder engagement, and emergency response coordination. Dr. Garson emphasized data-driven decision-making, technical assistance to local agencies, collaboration with hospitals and EMS stakeholders, and the need for safer alternatives to routine ambulance transport such as community paramedicine, telehealth, and nurse triage. He also discussed disaster preparedness for vulnerable and rural communities and the use of regional and state assets, including ambulance strike teams, during fires and floods. The committee approved his appointment 4-0. The final item was Stephanie Weldon’s nomination as Deputy Director of the Office of Health Equity at the Department of Public Health. Weldon, who identified as Yurok-Tolowa and Karuk, spoke about her tribal, county, nonprofit, and state experience, her role as the first Native American woman in the position, and her commitment to health equity, rural communities, and culturally responsive public health work. Senators asked about how the office sets priorities, measures outcomes, addresses behavioral health, tribal consultation, youth mental health, and how it responds to political pressure around DEI language; Weldon said the office focuses on community-driven, data-informed work and transparency. Public commenters strongly supported her confirmation, citing her leadership on the California Reducing Disparities Project and related equity efforts. The committee approved her appointment 4-0, sending it to the full Senate for confirmation.

Transcript Highlights:

• By providing technical assistance workshops for our Navajo Nation chapters.
• Director Baldwin receives the requests and she can assist with burial.
• Assist with burial, as well as the Navajo Nation Social Services Department, which can assist with burial
• Military veterans committing suicide has no race or ethnicity.
• Assistance or any type of assistance.

Transcript Highlights:

• Some of the services are suicide prevention, housing, and general support for veterans.
• 19.600><c> and</c><03:09:19.760><c> general</c> suicide prevention, housing, and general suicide prevention
• And, of course, we’ve all heard about the suicide rates.
• I'm the assistant director of the DMV. Jennifer Gornert: My name is Jennifer Gornert.
• I'm the assistant director of Bailey.

Committee: House Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• This declaration turned on the public assistance, individual assistance, and...
• There's also some assistance provided to help cost share when federal assistance is.
• And there's also some assistance provided to help cost share when federal assistance is.
• And specifically, the FEMA Public Assistance that of the public assistance program.
• I'm the assistant director.

Transcript Highlights:

• And fire and EMS suicide rates are nearly double that of the general population.
• Blair Walsh, Assistant Agency Director for TDEM, here as a resource. Okay, great, super.
• This is assisted living.
• Do you all see the same thing with group homes, or is it mainly in assisted living centers?
• Medical assistants are essential healthcare professionals.

Bills: HB35 , HB138 , HB754 , HB1314 , HB1612 , HB2254 , HB2510 , HB2789 , HB3560 , HB3597 , HB4224 , HB4273 , HB4643 , HB4783 , HB138

Committee: Senate Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:30:19.440><c> Our</c> housing, and other assistance. Our housing, and other assistance.
• Um and that's before the assistance.
• </c> families that need additional assistance families that need additional assistance to<01:10:40.239
• 44.320><c> and</c> depression, suicidal ideiation, and depression, suicidal ideiation, and family<02:
• Mahalo for your consideration. assistance. We can save a family over assistance.

Summary: This joint informational briefing on Act 310 grants and aid focused on organizations describing how federal funding cuts, Medicaid/SNAP changes, and related policy shifts are affecting their services and budgets. Committee members explained there would be no Q&A, testimony would be limited to one minute, and in-person participants would be heard before Zoom callers. Members repeatedly asked testifiers to identify the amount of federal funding lost or at risk. Testimony came from a wide range of nonprofits and community providers, including Aloha Care, Hawaii Bicycling League, Hawaii Literacy, Hawaii Youth Symphony, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, the Tsunami Museum, The Kohala Center, West Hawaii Community Health Center, West Hawaii Region Hospital Foundation, Sounding Joy Music Therapy, Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii, Dynamic Community Solutions, Feeding Hawaii Together, Girl Scouts of Hawaii, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, Hawaii Youth Services Network, Hawaiian Lending and Investments, Homana, Honolulu Theatre for the Youth, Kids Hurt Too Hawaii, and Kokua Kalihi Valley. Most described reduced or threatened federal support and requested state funding to maintain services such as health care access, food security, disaster preparedness, literacy and digital inclusion, youth mentoring, arts education, housing, and climate or agricultural resilience. Several speakers emphasized direct impacts on vulnerable populations, including kūpuna, low-income families, immigrants, homeless youth, and people with disabilities. Requests ranged from relatively small planning or program grants to multi-million-dollar stabilization asks, with some organizations citing specific losses such as reduced Medicaid or USDA funding, canceled EPA or FEMA support, or expiring federal grants. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the briefing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are available to provide technical assistance to assist counties and CBOs in how to leverage existing
• So what is it that we can do from a legislative standpoint to assist in that?
• There are about 200,000 open cases that are currently assisted.
• So we've passed through about $200 million to families in that formerly assisted category.
• We can provide technical assistance if the Chair would like us to do that.

Summary: The committee heard a series of budget and oversight presentations from CalHHS-related departments and agencies. CalHHS opened with a broad overview of its 2026-27 budget and priorities, including behavioral health, housing and human services integration, children and youth services, and aging/disability supports. OICR then presented its budget and its SB 823 realignment report on youth formerly committed to DJJ, saying county implementation varies widely but that the state has not seen evidence of net widening in the available data. OICR recommended climate surveys, youth advisory councils, stronger behavioral health and education programming in secure youth treatment facilities, better transitional planning, and improved longitudinal data systems. The agency also described a Title II federal grant transition problem, saying it cannot yet pay some subrecipients for prior work and is awaiting federal action on retroactive spending authority and an administrative funding adjustment. The Ombudsperson division requested two additional positions to address a growing complaint workload and access issues with counties over youth meetings, records, and grievance files; LAO raised no policy objection but noted the ongoing General Fund cost. The State Council on Developmental Disabilities requested $730,000 General Fund ongoing to cover the gap between federal limits on administrative overhead and the actual cost of an interagency agreement with the Department of Social Services. EMSA presented its department overview and several proposals, including a delayed AB 716 ambulance rate report, a $2.6 million request to replace aging disaster-response vehicles, a $250,000 security architecture assessment, and four positions plus ongoing General Fund for HR, enforcement, and legal workload. Members questioned the delay in the AB 716 report, the optics and timing of the vehicle replacement request, and whether EMSA was doing enough to prevent future staffing and enforcement problems. LAO repeatedly noted the ongoing General Fund implications of EMSA’s requests. The Department of Community Services and Development sought reappropriation of unspent Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund money for the Low-Income Weatherization Program and described a Proposition 4-funded continuation of the farmworker housing component, which would require a new statewide administrator and program design process. The Department of Rehabilitation requested authority to draw an additional $60 million in federal funds annually and add 54 positions to meet sharply increased Vocational Rehabilitation caseloads; LAO had no concerns. Child Support Services proposed restoring a prior reduction to local child support agency funding and reported higher federal performance incentives, while also presenting a supplemental report on full pass-through of child support collections to CalWORKs families, estimating about $150 million annually for full pass-through or about $80 million for a state/county-only approach, plus automation costs. Members questioned why funding should rise when caseloads are declining, and whether the policy could be made cost-neutral. CDPH closed the hearing with an overview of its $5.1 billion budget and its state of public health report, highlighting record-low mortality and higher life expectancy, but also rising overdose deaths among ages 25-44, persistent maternal and infant mortality disparities, and the need for stable public health and emergency-response capacity; no votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• organizations, not only to fulfill their supply requests, but to get them training and technical assistance
• Leukemia or overdose in suicide? Multifold the latter.
• When we know that it’s associated with gambling disorders associated with suicide, it’s a higher price
• And so as you see the prevalence rate of gambling disorder go up, so will the rate of suicide along those
• public health campaigns, just similar to how we talked about heart disease or stroke awareness or suicide

Committee: House Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Task Force

Summary: The task force meeting opened with a brief organizational update, including new leadership, roll call, and an explanation of the task force’s statutory duties: to study current and future drug and substance use in Missouri, explore solutions, draft or modify legislation, and report recommendations on prevention and treatment. The chair outlined the summer hearing plan, which would feature field experts, with future sessions expected to cover alternative therapies such as psilocybin and ibogaine and testimony from the Department of Mental Health. Members were encouraged to think about legislative ideas and policy recommendations for the upcoming session. The first major testimony came from Dr. Rachel Winograd, who described Missouri’s overdose crisis as evolving into a “fourth wave” marked by fentanyl mixed with animal tranquilizers such as xylazine and medetomidine, along with methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs. She said overdose deaths have declined for a third straight year, with preliminary 2025 data around 1,200 deaths, but emphasized that the crisis remains severe. Her main recommendations were to focus on demand reduction rather than repeated supply crackdowns, expand evidence-based treatment—especially methadone and buprenorphine—broaden naloxone access, and improve practical supports like housing, transportation, and case management. She also said peer services are valuable but should not be used as a substitute for clinical care, and noted that Missouri Medicaid generally covers evidence-based treatment but reimbursement for peer recovery services remains a gap. Dr. Heidi Miller, the state medical director at the Department of Health and Senior Services, reinforced the call for integrating substance use disorder care into whole-person health care. She highlighted the state naloxone standing order, which supports more than 11,000 Medicaid naloxone prescriptions annually, and urged five best practices: integrating SUD treatment into primary care, maternal health, general medical training, EMS initiation of buprenorphine after overdose, and expanded methadone access. She also argued for team-based reimbursement, stronger parity enforcement between behavioral health/SUD and physical health, and caution in regulating emerging substances so policy does not outrun the science. Dr. Doug Burgess of University Health in Kansas City echoed the integration theme, arguing that Missouri’s system is too fragmented and that patients are often stabilized and then left to coordinate their own next steps. He compared ideal SUD care to the coordinated response used for heart attacks, with seamless transitions from emergency care to inpatient treatment, rehab, and outpatient follow-up. He said treatment courts can be effective when they are well coordinated and informed by addiction science, and he stressed the importance of discharge planning, peer recovery coaches, information-sharing, and maintaining Medicaid coverage during justice involvement. No formal votes or committee actions were taken during this portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• I saw my first suicide, or learned about my first suicide, in prison in 2009.
• is when my friend Scythe and— ...but what hit me the most is when my friend Scott Rose committed suicide
• . ...among the highest states in the country for suicides.
• nearly half of all adults, as well as a quarter of children impacted by TS or TD, have considered suicide
• Between 2021 and 2022, about 27% of adults and 10% of children with this condition attempted suicide.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight

Summary: The committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight held a hybrid hearing covering public construction, business regulations, and honorary designations, with most of the discussion focused on two matters: a five-year moratorium on new jail and prison construction (S. 2114/H. 3422) and a bill designating June 7 as Tourette Syndrome Awareness Day (S. 2152/H. 3305). The chair emphasized that the hearing was public, testimony would be recorded, and speakers should generally keep remarks to three minutes. Senator Comerford introduced the prison moratorium bill, saying it would pause new construction while allowing renovations, and Senator Friedman introduced the Tourette awareness bill and a separate Tuskegee Airmen commemoration measure, asking for favorable action on both honorary designations. A large portion of the hearing featured remote testimony from incarcerated people at MCI Framingham and MCI Shirley in support of the prison moratorium. Witnesses repeatedly argued that Massachusetts does not need a new women’s prison, that the incarcerated population is declining, and that funds would be better spent on mental health care, addiction treatment, vocational training, pre-release programming, housing, and repairs to existing facilities. Several speakers described poor conditions, limited programming, and the need to address trauma, domestic violence, and substance use as root causes of incarceration. One committee member responded to testimony by noting that incarceration numbers are going down, that the state is working on housing and workforce opportunities for people returning home, and that the committee wants to expand pathways to employment and reentry. The Tourette Syndrome Awareness Day bill drew testimony from the bill’s young sponsor, Owen Rosenthal, his parents, medical professionals, and advocates. They described Tourette syndrome as a misunderstood neurodevelopmental condition, said awareness would reduce stigma and improve diagnosis and support, and cited the need for education in schools, workplaces, and the medical community. The Tourette Association of America supported the bill, noting underdiagnosis, co-occurring conditions, pain, and mental health risks associated with Tourette syndrome. Committee members praised the youth advocates and asked that written testimony be submitted electronically. The hearing ended without any recorded votes or final committee action in the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2024, the VA announced its first-ever direct funding for research in psilocybin and MDMA-assisted
• Members, when the status quo is producing suffering, silence, addiction, and suicide, preserving the
• In this bill, there is some very good language in there that would assist in making sure that that is
• They will be checking in legislators, their assistants, and single guest 30 minutes after we adjourn
• They will be checking in legislators, their assistants, and single guest 30 minutes after we adjourn

Summary: The House first established a quorum after a quorum call and welcomed special guests, including the Freedom of the Road motorcycle riders and students from Warsaw High School. It then took up House Committee Substitute for House Bill 1855, a reporting bill on Alpha-Gal syndrome. The bill sponsor described the condition as a serious tick-borne allergy that has affected his family and many Missourians, arguing that Missouri needs mandatory reporting and surveillance data to identify hotspots, guide public health outreach, and support research and funding. Supporters from both parties said the bill would improve awareness and data collection, while one member raised concerns about the fiscal note and whether the state would get useful information for the cost. The chamber adopted Amendment 1 to HB 1855, changing the follow-up language from “may” to “shall,” but rejected Amendment 2, which would have required patient consent before lab results were reported into the surveillance system. Opponents of the consent amendment said it would undermine disease surveillance and set a bad precedent for other reportable conditions; supporters argued for privacy and individual choice. After debate, the House adopted the committee substitute as amended and ordered it perfected and printed. The House then considered House Committee Substitute for House Bills 2230 and 2978, a K-5 education measure addressing screen time, cursive, and handwriting. The sponsor said the bill responds to research and parent/teacher concerns about excessive screen use, poor literacy outcomes, and mental health effects, and would create a state focus group to review evidence and make recommendations while leaving districts flexibility. Members discussed carve-outs for special education, English language learners, and virtual school, and adopted an amendment excluding the virtual school program. The House then adopted the substitute as amended and ordered it perfected and printed. Finally, the House took up House Bill 2355, the “Food is Medicine” initiative, which would allow Missouri to use federal funds through 1115 waivers for pilot programs such as medically tailored meals, produce prescriptions, nutrition education, and related supports. Supporters said the program could improve health outcomes, reduce Medicaid spending, and help address food deserts. An amendment adding vitamin therapies and updating a date drew discussion over supplement safety and regulation, but the transcript cuts off before a final vote on that amendment or the bill itself.

Transcript Highlights:

• Leslie Kennedy, CSU's Assistant Vice Chancellor of Academic Technology Services; and finally Dr.
• She's here in the audience and here to provide any technical assistance.
• She's here in the audience and here to provide any technical assistance. Thank you.
• And so the privacy would not extend to discussions of suicide in that instance.
• We can assist in white policies to ensure consistency across the system as well.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Higher Education and the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee held an oversight hearing on the California State University’s AI-empowered initiative, including the systemwide rollout of ChatGPT EDU and broader AI integration across CSU campuses. Opening remarks emphasized both the promise of AI for student success, workforce preparation, and access, and the need to address risks such as bias, privacy, misinformation, environmental impacts, and mental health harms. CSU representatives said the initiative grew out of Academic Senate recommendations and a systemwide generative AI committee, and that the goal was to provide equitable access, training, governance, and workforce alignment across the 23-campus system. CSU officials described systemwide contracts for AI tools, the AI Commons training hub, and faculty grant programs supporting AI-related curriculum innovation. They said more than 93,000 ChatGPT EDU accounts had been activated, over 4,300 faculty had taken voluntary training, and $3 million had been awarded to 63 faculty-led projects from more than 400 submissions. San Jose State University highlighted its own AI-focused programs, courses, orientation training, faculty fellows, student ambassadors, and interdisciplinary efforts to build AI literacy and responsible use into instruction and co-curricular programs. CSU also said it was tracking metrics on adoption, academic outcomes, workforce outcomes, and environmental impacts. Faculty, staff, and student representatives welcomed the educational potential of AI but raised concerns about the rollout, saying it had moved quickly and without enough consultation or consistent systemwide policy. They urged stronger protections for academic freedom, intellectual property, privacy, equity, and worker input, and warned about bias, surveillance, job displacement, and the environmental cost of AI. Legislators pressed CSU and OpenAI representatives on training requirements, data privacy, bias reporting, discipline for misuse, liability, sycophancy, and safeguards against harmful uses such as non-consensual imagery or self-harm-related interactions. CSU said interactions in the licensed tool are private, data are not used to train models, and campuses retain their own conduct processes; members also asked CSU to follow up on systemwide training, policy consistency, and additional safeguards.

Transcript Highlights:

• He became depressed, suicidal, and emotionally unstable.
• It is just to assist us and be able to move the case forward.
• We provide technical assistance.
• I was an assistant attorney general in Louisiana.
• That workforce to assist us there.

Committee: Senate Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Senator Mann, Madam Chair, so we got technical assistance back from the department that they don
• </c><00:27:21.039><c> I</c> suicide as one of the primary drivers.
• I suicide as one of the primary drivers.
• Uh, how many suicides do you that time.
• Suicide is a primary driver.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college-age Americans.
• New Hampshire's suicide rate is already above the national average.
• Firearms are used in 90% of fatal suicide attempts, with no second chance.
• Suicide by gun on campus in my years there.
• Um, so there is assistance available for those people in that situation.

Transcript Highlights:

• The Department of Agriculture would administer a grant program for providing financial assistance for
• Farmers currently have one of the highest suicide rates in the country.
• Farmers currently have one of the highest suicide rates in the country.
• But they do some of that, and then there are some federal administrative-type groups that also assist
• I'm not saying we shouldn't pay overtime, but we have to figure out how to assist those growers to be

Bills: HB2721 , HB2616

Committee: House Consumer Protection & Business

Keywords: commercial interior designer, interior design licensure, registered interior designer, NCIDQ, Washington State Board for Architects, professional regulation, title protection, firm registration, seal and signature, continuing education, building code, nonstructural interior design, space planning, interior architecture, design profession, public safety, occupational licensing, architects, engineering scope, permit review

Transcript Highlights:

• We've seen a member of the majority charge our assistant leader.
• We've seen a member of the majority charge our assistant leader.
• and how suicide impacts our military families.
• And all of our assistants, come on, let's give all of our assistants a hand.
• I wish Assistant Leader Gutierrez was here just for the same.

Transcript Highlights:

• For young people today, rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation continue to skyrocket without
• activities they used to enjoy. 55% feel depressed and hopeless, and 31% have seriously considered suicide
• </c> have seriously considered suicide. have seriously considered suicide.
• </c> think about suicide on a weekly basis. think about suicide on a weekly basis.
• living assisted locations are short<01:10:02.400><c> on</c><01:10:02.560><c> staff.

Bills: HF4213 , HF4198 , HF3930 , HF3585 , HF3451

Committee: House Education Finance

Keywords: education finance, school funding, K-12, prekindergarten, pre-K, early childhood education, general education aid, special education, literacy aid, school meals, free school meals, school breakfast, school lunch, charter school lease aid, charter schools, nonpublic pupil aid, private school aid, transportation aid, desegregation aid, integration aid

Transcript Highlights:

• Extreme risk protection laws also. help prevent suicide.
• Suicide by firearm is almost always deadly.
• Nine out of of 10 firearm suicide attempts resulting in death.
• Gun confiscation is not a serious means of preventing suicides.
• People can commit suicide in many different ways in places that have.

Bills: SB29 , SB406 , SB447 , SB875 , SB893 , SB1033 , SB1346 , SB1362 , SB1539 , SCR22 , SB 29

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• I am the first assistant at the DA's office in New Orleans.
• Billy Lecoma of Faith House testified that across Acadiana, they have experienced multiple murders, a suicide
• Lecoma, Faith House testified that access across Acadiana, they have experienced multiple murders to a suicide

Committee: Senate Judiciary C

Transcript Highlights:

• It also resulted in at least 20 suicides. In Idaho, unfortunately, we are seeing that same spike.
• back to that individual and to their parents and provide resources that are available to try and assist
• anti-bullying bill, and I was working with a big group of parents who had lost their children to suicide

Committee: House Judiciary, Rules and Administration