Transcript Highlights:

• They educate us, and we'll bring one in to talk to them about an issue, like nuclear power, and then
• If we can accept into our office lobbyists who represent... ...nuclear power companies, puppies, wind

Bills: SB5 , SB11 , SB12 , SB5 , SB11 , SB12

Transcript Highlights:

• geopolitical situations, we have to make sure we have a safe secure supply of uranium to feed the nuclear
• power fleet in the U.S., including the two nuclear power facilities in Texas, and it is important that

Bills: HB279 , HB310 , HB365 , HB391 , HB420 , HB422 , HB638 , HB279 , HB310

Committee: House Natural Resources

Keywords: HB 279, uranium mining, uranium permit, production area authorization, production zone, Texas Water Code, TCEQ, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, contested case hearing, administrative hearing, groundwater restoration, groundwater baseline, water quality, mining permit, restoration values, natural resources, environmental regulation, in-situ uranium mining, permit amendment, public hearing

Transcript Highlights:

• We need cheap, abundant power sources, whether that's natural gas with CCS, nuclear, hydro, or geothermal
• You can't permit a nuclear plant, you can't permit a pipeline, you can't permit a transmission line.

Committee: Senate Environment and Public Works Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• We are now going to do something that is usually considered the nuclear option, and people yell and scream
• Hunter: I want you to understand, for those of you who are new, that this is usually considered the nuclear

Transcript Highlights:

• with, and what we label in CETA is non-emitting generation, which to date we've largely talked about nuclear
• engaging in the state this year, and we've been engaged on several bills this past session, including on nuclear
• We work in a range of technologies from nuclear energy to geothermal, as well as land-based systems and

Summary: The committee held an interim work session focused first on carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS), then on hazardous waste and extended producer responsibility (EPR). On the CCUS topic, industry and nonprofit presenters described point-source capture, direct air capture, mineralization, and geologic sequestration, emphasizing Washington’s basalt formations and state trust lands as strong candidates for storage. They argued that CCUS can help hard-to-abate industrial sectors, support jobs and investment, and provide a pathway for compliance, while also noting the need for clearer permitting, subsurface rights, pipeline authority, and storage infrastructure. Ecology and Commerce staff explained current state policy touchpoints, including Cap-and-Invest offsets and exemptions for permanently stored CO2, the public comment process underway to define “thousand-year” permanence, and how CCUS might fit within the Clean Energy Transformation Act without counting emitting generation as non-emitting. Some presenters supported more state action and primacy over federal permitting, while others warned about costs, energy use, uncertain capture performance, and the need to ensure real net greenhouse gas reductions and long-term liability protections. Members asked about public meetings, whether mineralized carbon would qualify as exempt under the Climate Commitment Act, the timeline for Ecology guidance, aquifer and water-quality concerns, energy intensity of capture systems, and liability if storage later proves problematic. Responses said Ecology’s guidance process is already underway, public meetings will be virtual, mineralized carbon would likely qualify if it meets the permanence standard, and EPA rules require storage in deep saline formations below drinking water aquifers. Industry speakers said capture energy use varies by source and concentration, and one presenter noted that some states use trust funds funded by injectors to address long-term liability. The second half of the session shifted to hazardous waste and EPR. Ecology staff reviewed existing product stewardship programs for electronics, paint, batteries, and mercury lights, and described moderate risk waste and household hazardous waste management in Washington. They highlighted that E-Cycle and PaintCare are producer-funded, that the battery stewardship program will begin in 2027, and that the mercury lamp program is in transition after its prior stewardship organization exited, prompting enforcement notices and a pending replacement plan. Ecology recommended best practices for future EPR programs, including clear producer and product definitions, full producer funding, convenience standards, annual reporting, and strong agency enforcement and plan approval authority. Local government speakers from King County and Douglas County described rising collection costs, equity and access barriers, rural travel distances, and the need for stable funding and flexible local implementation. King County said it collected over 3 million pounds of hazardous products in 2025 and supports EPR as a way to shift costs from ratepayers to producers, while Douglas County emphasized that rural residents will participate when services are accessible and that future systems should account for geography and local infrastructure.

Transcript Highlights:

• Nuclear cask fees. Carbon free by 2040.
• Nuclear cask fees. Carbon free by 2040.
• Nuclear cask fees. Carbon free by 2040.

Transcript Highlights:

• It adds nuclear and fusion to the clean energy buyers program.
• It adds nuclear and fusion to the clean energy buyers program.
• It adds nuclear and fusion to the clean energy buyers program.

Transcript Highlights:

• They're subject to no negotiation, and our only remedy is to take the nuclear option of terminating our
• as Matt Lund indicated, he said under current law, the hospitals only have one option: that's the nuclear
• Now the carrier has only one option, which is a nuclear option: to terminate the contract.

Summary: The committee heard public hearings on several health-related bills. House Bill 1904 would prohibit cat declawing except for therapeutic purposes, with staff explaining definitions, fines, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements. The prime sponsor and animal welfare advocates described declawing as cruel and linked it to pain and behavior problems, while the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association supported the substance of the bill but asked to remove the added reporting and disciplinary provisions as redundant and burdensome. House Bill 2211 would provide guidance for medically tailored meals under existing Medicaid-related nutrition supports, including standards for Washington-based nonprofit providers where possible, menu review, and nutrition requirements. The sponsor said it would clarify implementation without expanding the program, and supporters from meal providers, food distributors, and local farms said it would improve health outcomes, keep dollars local, and support Washington jobs and agriculture. House Bill 2329 would allow licensed midwives to delegate certain tasks to medical assistants and to supervise medical assistants, with the sponsor and birth center operators saying it would fix an omission in current law and help rural and under-resourced birth centers operate more efficiently. Supporters said it would improve staffing and financial stability, while the sponsor indicated the lactation consultant language would likely be removed because those consultants are not regulated by the Department of Health. The committee then returned to House Bill 1904 for additional testimony from humane organizations, veterinarians, shelter leaders, and local officials, all supporting a ban on declawing and emphasizing animal pain, shelter impacts, and available alternatives. House Bill 2247 would expand and clarify veterinary telehealth and veterinarian-client-patient relationship rules, allowing a VCPR to be established in certain telehealth circumstances and setting guardrails for consent, practice standards, and when in-person exams are still required. Supporters from shelters, animal welfare groups, mobile clinics, and veterinarians said telehealth would improve access in rural and underserved areas, reduce shelter intake, and help animals receive care sooner; the veterinary association supported the bill with amendments to clarify recordkeeping and access-to-care findings. House Bill 2339 would update nursing license terminology and processes for advanced registered nurse practitioners, including title changes, controlled substance rules for CRNAs, transcript submission, and interim permits. Nursing board and ARNP representatives supported the technical updates, while the hospital association and medical association raised concerns about title language for clinical nurse specialists and the deletion of a reference to the medical profession. Finally, House Bill 2106 would require health carriers to give 90 days’ notice of significant mid-contract payer modifications and provide the actual modification language, with the sponsor and hospital and provider representatives saying insurers are increasingly making unilateral changes that affect payment, services, and patient access. UW Medicine and a rural hospital district described examples where insurers changed imaging or preventive service coverage mid-contract, causing financial losses and forcing difficult choices about network participation. Carriers were noted as opposing the bill, while providers and facilities argued it would improve transparency and prevent one-sided contract changes that disrupt care.

Transcript Highlights:

• Berkson is chair of the Nuclear Weapons Task Force and Dr.
• because if everyone could do this, it would decrease the need for the likely coming expansion of nuclear
• being built out to meet the new system, and that it produces a waste stream that can be used for nuclear

Summary: The committee heard public hearings on four bills. SB 5982 would expand Clean Energy Transformation Act coverage to include port districts and certain single-customer utilities, and would revise definitions for market customers and affected market customers. Supporters, including environmental groups, Commerce, Ecology, and some port and utility representatives, said it would close loopholes and ensure large loads such as data centers and port-based generation are subject to CETA. Opponents from ports, PUDs, business groups, and industrial consumers argued the bill could sweep in existing single-customer utilities and burden smaller ports or industrial projects. No vote was taken; the chair closed the hearing after noting substantial pro, con, and other testimony. SB 6008 would create a statewide residential battery incentive and flexible demand program administered through Commerce, with higher incentives for low- and moderate-income customers and requirements tied to utility flexible demand programs. Supporters said it would improve grid resilience, lower bills, and help deploy virtual power plants and distributed storage. Utilities and some advocates supported the concept but asked for changes on funding, low-income verification, compensation, deadlines, and program design. No action was taken beyond the public hearing. SB 6050 would allow portable plug-in solar devices and one meter-mounted device per premises, while restricting utilities, landlords, and HOAs from blocking them and setting safety and certification conditions. Supporters called it a low-cost way to expand distributed solar access, especially for renters and lower-income households. Opponents, including labor, utilities, and safety-focused witnesses, raised concerns about fire risk, backfeeding, lack of existing electrical code standards, utility worker safety, and the need for interconnection review. The committee then heard SB 6056, which would direct Ecology to exempt utility service vehicles from certain clean vehicle emissions standards; Ecology said it was already pursuing a similar rule and flagged the bill’s broad definition and potential policy implications, while utility associations supported the exemption for emergency response vehicles and environmental advocates opposed the statutory approach. No votes were taken on any of the bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• enterprise architecture, and I've used this for a fair amount of time in my background, looking at a nuclear
• gone through the peanut butter and jelly policy writing thing we did at the Pentagon in 810, the nuclear
• That was one example we used in nuclear policy was the PB&J, and it was challenging, by the way.

Committee: House Science, Technology & Telecommunications Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Third, grid operators are asking for dispatchable resources such as coal, natural gas, and nuclear.
• </c><08:28:30.000><c> Yet,</c><08:28:30.318><c> we</c> natural gas, and nuclear.
• Yet, we natural gas, and nuclear.
• ><09:16:54.320><c> of</c><09:16:54.558><c> course</c><09:16:54.718><c> was</c> The assurance of deterrence
• In exchange, Ukraine turned over all of its nuclear weapons to Russia. signed an agreement recognizing

Bills: HR881 , HB1503

Keywords: immigration, law enforcement, ICE, border protection, violence, security threats, forced organ harvesting, trafficking, human rights, organ donation, sanctions, international law

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 57 should pass to rules, an act relating to nuclear energy development.
• That is a deliberate deterrent designed to make lawyers think twice before they ever agree to represent
• That is a deliberate<02:28:08.560><c> deterrent</c><02:28:09.359><c> designed</c><02:28:09.760><c> to
• </c><02:28:09.920><c> make</c> deliberate deterrent designed to make deliberate deterrent designed to

Transcript Highlights:

• These amendments clarify the non-lethal deterrence funding structure.
• strategies to reduce wolf-livestock interactions, including human presence, physical barriers, predator deterrence
• If one ranch uses conflict deterrence and their neighbor doesn’t, the entire effort can unravel.

Summary: The committee heard several wildlife and water-related bills. SB 872, by Senator McNerney, would create a Delta Levees and Canal Subsidence Fund and allow waiver of local cost-sharing for Delta levee repairs to protect the State Water Project and Delta infrastructure. Supporters from water agencies, environmental groups, counties, and agricultural interests said the bill is needed to address levee failure and canal subsidence; there was no opposition, and the bill was held open until a quorum was present, with broad support expressed. SB 1108, by Senator Caballero, would establish the Grasslands Ecological Area Conservancy in the Central Valley to coordinate conservation, habitat restoration, public access, and voluntary easements in a region described as the largest remaining wetland/grasslands complex west of the Mississippi. Support came from the Grasslands Water District, Audubon, conservation groups, and local stakeholders, who emphasized the area’s importance to migratory birds, wildlife corridors, and land-use transition under groundwater sustainability. There was no opposition, and the bill received favorable committee support. SB 1135, by Senator Blakespear, would reestablish and strengthen the statewide wildlife coexistence program to reduce human-wildlife conflict through nonlethal deterrence, education, and compensation for livestock losses. Supporters cited rising wildlife incidents, wolf depredation, and the need for proactive tools; opponents and some committee members raised concerns about rural impacts, funding, and the absence of law enforcement/public safety as a specifically named advisory role. After discussion and amendments that moved the cattlemen and Farm Bureau to neutral, the bill passed out of committee on a due-pass motion, though some members voted no or abstained. SB 1305, by Senator Richardson, would direct CDFW to study the feasibility of grizzly bear reintroduction and prepare a roadmap, with tribal consultation and stakeholder engagement, but would not itself authorize reintroduction. Tribal sponsors and conservation groups supported the bill as a planning and cultural restoration effort, while hunting, ranching, and county groups opposed it, arguing California already faces major wildlife-management and funding challenges and that the proposal would create new conflicts. Committee members debated costs, appropriations, and whether the study should include funding estimates; the bill was amended and passed on a due-pass motion. The committee also heard SB 1250, by Senator Cortese, which would require Caltrans to incorporate wildlife connectivity into transportation planning; supporters said it would reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve habitat connectivity, and the bill was presented in support as the hearing continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is basically not a revenue generator for the city by any means; this is a deterrent, essentially
• This is one deterrent to be able to help and assist them and supplement that, not, you know, take over
• But I completely understand that in public safety, we want to have every deterrent.

Committee: Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection

Summary: The committee heard several privacy, technology, and public safety bills. SB 898 would require manufacturers of connected consumer products to disclose how long software support will last and to notify consumers when support is nearing its end; Consumer Reports supported the measure, while members raised concerns about private enforcement, notice mechanics, and replacement obligations for leased devices. The bill was amended and passed 5-1 to Judiciary, with the measure placed on call. SB 1279 would authorize Long Beach to install additional speed safety cameras on Pacific Coast Highway under the same privacy and equity guardrails as the existing pilot program, including limits on data use, no facial recognition, warning periods, and reduced fees for low-income recipients. Supporters cited severe crashes and fatalities on PCH, while opponents raised civil liberties and due process concerns and questioned how the system identifies the actual driver. The committee approved the bill 6-2 and placed it on call. SB 1111, the Artificial Intelligence Abuse Protection Act, would create civil remedies for non-consensual AI voice, image, and video cloning and digital replicas. Support came from SAG-AFTRA and Common Sense Media, and members discussed concerns about background images and employer liability, including a request to preserve a rebuttable presumption for good-faith employers. The bill passed 7-1 to Public Safety and was placed on call. SB 1217 would create a DOJ-run clearinghouse for survivors of non-consensual intimate imagery and deepfakes to request removal from online platforms; survivors and advocacy groups testified in strong support, and members discussed privacy, cybersecurity, funding, and the lack of a private right of action. It passed 8-0 to Public Safety and was placed on call. The committee also heard SB 1095, which would require fusion centers and participating agencies to adopt MOUs barring use of sensitive personal information for immigration enforcement or racial/identity profiling, require annual reporting, and allow audits and inspections. Supporters argued fusion centers have operated with too little oversight and have been used to circumvent state privacy and immigration laws; some members supported the transparency goals while others raised concerns about operational ambiguity and the bill’s interaction with existing law. The discussion continued, with the author and members debating the scope of permissible information sharing and enforcement consequences for violations.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a deterrent, essentially.
• This is one deterrent to be able to help and assist them and supplement that, not take over their role
• But I completely understand that in public safety, we want to have every deterrent.

Committee: Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• As an example of assurances without penalty deterrence, how many times in states that were working to
• And please, don't bother passing anything that doesn't have anti-commandeering language or strong deterrence
• And please, don't bother passing anything that doesn't have anti-commodering language or strong deterrence

Committee: House General Laws

Transcript Highlights:

• authorizes the agencies to carry out crosscutting and collaborative R&D activities and identifies nuclear
• This includes R&D and critical technology areas like nuclear thermal propulsion systems, astrophysics
• </c><03:35:33.800><c> power</c> activities and identifies nuclear power activities and identifies nuclear
• 37:53.080><c> technology</c><03:37:53.760><c> areas</c><03:37:54.359><c> like</c><03:37:54.840><c> nuclear
• </c> critical technology areas like nuclear critical technology areas like nuclear thermal<03:37:55.880

Bills: HR240 , HR198 , HR1326 , HR359 , HB1534 , HR1368 , HR1350 , HR1325 , HR1318 , HR730

Keywords: resolution, death of a representative, honor, adjournment, Raul Grijalva, Raúl M. Grijalva, Arizona, House resolution, memorial resolution, condolence resolution, death of a member, adjournment in memory, tribute, obituary, congressional memorial, House of Representatives, committee funding, budget allocation, government expenditures, Congress

Transcript Highlights:

• :29:25.199><c> for</c><01:29:25.600><c> those</c><01:29:25.840><c> kinds</c> &gt;&gt; as far as deterrence
• for for those kinds &gt;&gt; as far as deterrence for for those kinds of<01:29:26.719><c> actions?
• </c> actually has a deterrent effect. actually has a deterrent effect.
• </c> public if we are hoping to be deterrent public if we are hoping to be deterrent um<01:30:25.679>
• So I think it comes from our perspective educating the public if we are hoping to be deterrent um is

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 1790 HD1, which would require law enforcement and oversight agencies to collect and report data on stops, use of force, and complaints to the Hawaii Crime Lab, which would publish incident-level information and annual reports. Supporters, including the Office of the Public Defender, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the ACLU of Hawaii, Hawaii Justice Rising, and the Policing Project, said the bill would improve transparency, help identify disparities, and support better policy and accountability. OHA requested amendments to ensure Hawaiians are identified as a distinct category in the data, and the University of Hawaii’s Ashley Rubin said the Crime Lab would work with agencies to make implementation as seamless as possible. The Department of Law Enforcement supported the bill’s intent but asked for a longer timeline and culturally appropriate methodology, while HPD opposed the bill as written, saying it would require too many new data points, create a significant administrative burden, and rely on subjective perceptions of race and ethnicity; HPD also noted it is piloting an e-citation system that could help with data collection. Committee members questioned HPD about current manual processes and technology options. The chair reported 18 testimonies total: 15 in support, one in opposition, and two with comments, and no vote was taken in the excerpt. The committee then heard HB 1611 HD1, which would phase down the general excise tax on groceries and nonprescription drugs until a full exemption takes effect in 2034. The Department of Taxation offered technical recommendations, including clearer definitions for groceries and nonprescription drugs and a technical change regarding the county surcharge exemption. Supporters, including the Hawaii Public Health Institute and the Hawaii Food Industry Association, argued the GET on groceries is regressive and worsens food insecurity, especially for low-income households, and said the bill would provide needed relief. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii offered technical concerns, including a possible wholesale-tax enforcement issue once the exemption is fully phased in. The excerpt ends during testimony on HB 1611, with no final committee action shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Who wants to destroy the nuclear family?
• But it's not hard to find people who destroy the nuclear family.
• family but it's not destroy the nuclear family but it's not hard<08:25:28.760><c> to</c><08:25:28.878
• nuclear nuclear family<08:25:31.840><c> we</c> family we family we have have have um<08:25:36.760><c
• The Democrat Party has supported programs which overwhelmingly favor and encourage an end to the nuclear

Bills: HR77

Keywords: Fred Korematsu, civil liberties, constitutional rights, Japanese internment, historical education, national reflection, personal justice

Transcript Highlights:

• whether or not any amount of regulation provides adequate protections for Vermont consumers and deterrence
• 18:42.400><c> and</c> protections for Vermont consumers and protections for Vermont consumers and deterrent
• </c> deterrent unlawful criminal activity. deterrent unlawful criminal activity.