Transcript Highlights:

• That is calculated on an average, somewhere between $68 and $84, depending on how you use the system.
• So one of them is that the amount of funding that that revenue source brings in are really dependent
• So one of them is that the amount of funding that that revenue source brings in are really dependent
• Yeah, so, again, it depends on the scope that you're assuming.
• No, with 198 specifically, I think it depends on what the Legislature's priorities are.

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee held an informational hearing on the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s 2026 draft business plan and next steps for the project. Chair Cortese opened by noting major changes since the 2024 plan, including new leadership, a bottoms-up review, scope changes in the Central Valley, loss of federal funds, and renewed interest in private investment and value capture. The Authority’s CEO, Ian Chaudhary, presented the project as moving into a construction and track-laying phase, citing progress on Central Valley structures, right-of-way acquisition, utility relocations, and a new procurement for track and systems. He said the plan reflects a more disciplined, optimized approach, with the Merced-to-Bakersfield segment targeted for revenue service around 2033 and the broader Phase 1 corridor envisioned as commercially viable through ancillary revenues, public-private partnerships, and future private financing. Committee members questioned the Authority about station relocations, single-tracking, tax increment financing, utility relocation authority, transparency, and the feasibility of private financing. Chaudhary said the Merced and Bakersfield station locations were still under discussion with local governments and that no contracts had been finalized. He defended the reduced scope and single-track approach as a just-in-time strategy to avoid overbuilding, while maintaining high-speed standards. He also said the Authority was exploring land value capture, broadband, energy, and other corridor-based revenue sources, but acknowledged that some tools would require legislative action and that private financing options were still being evaluated. Several senators expressed support for the project but raised concerns about permitting delays, local opposition, constitutional and statutory limits, and the need for stronger accountability. The Legislative Analyst’s Office and the High-Speed Rail Inspector General then gave critical assessments of the draft plan. LAO staff said the plan assumes major statutory changes, understates risk, lacks transparency about scope changes, and may not fully fund even the smaller Merced-to-Bakersfield segment once borrowing costs and other uncertainties are considered. Inspector General Ben Belknap said the draft plan does not comply with newer statutory requirements in SB 198 and AB 377, citing three main deficiencies: unauthorized scope changes to the Merced-to-Bakersfield segment, an inadequate funding plan that omits financing costs, and missing procurement milestone dates. He said the Authority’s presentation obscures the true cost and schedule impacts of the project changes, and that incomplete reporting limits legislative oversight. The Authority responded that it would address the OIG’s findings in the final business plan, and committee members indicated they expected a written response on compliance issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• That is calculated on an average, somewhere between $68 and $84, depending on how you use the system.
• So one of them is that the amount of funding that that revenue source brings in are really dependent
• And so, again, there's a lot of uncertainty depending on what that is, but we think it's important to
• Yeah, so again, it depends on the scope that you're assuming.
• No, with SB 198 specifically, I think it depends on what the Legislature's priorities are.

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee held an informational hearing on the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s 2026 draft business plan, with testimony from the authority, the Legislative Analyst’s Office, and the High-Speed Rail Inspector General. Chair Cortese framed the hearing around the project’s recent changes: a new CEO, revised delivery strategy, proposed station and scope changes in the Merced-to-Bakersfield segment, the loss of major federal funds, and the authority’s push for private investment and ancillary revenue. He also raised concerns about financing risks, the proposed changes to the initial operating segment, and the Inspector General’s finding that the draft plan may be missing required statutory elements. Authority CEO Ian Chaudhry said the project is now in a more disciplined phase, citing major construction progress in the Central Valley, near-completion of right-of-way and utility work, and plans to begin track and systems procurement. He said the authority expects the Merced-to-Bakersfield segment to be completed around 2032-33, with broader Phase 1 service later, and argued that design optimization, direct procurement, and public-private partnerships could reduce costs and attract private capital. He also described plans for ancillary revenue from real estate, broadband, energy, and logistics, and said the authority is discussing station locations and value-capture tools with local governments rather than locking them in yet. Several senators questioned the legality and practicality of tax increment financing, utility relocation authority, transparency, and whether the project’s revised scope still meets high-speed rail standards and public expectations. The Legislative Analyst’s Office said the draft plan assumes major statutory changes, including changes to station locations and scope, and warned that the plan’s cost and schedule estimates depend on assumptions that may not materialize. LAO said the plan lacks transparency because it does not clearly disclose the assumed station changes, and it questioned whether even the shorter segment can be delivered within existing funding once borrowing costs and other risks are included. The office also noted uncertainty around future greenhouse gas reduction fund revenues and said ancillary revenues are not yet credit-worthy for financing. The Inspector General’s office said the draft business plan does not appear to meet several statutory requirements, including requirements added in AB 377, and reiterated that the final plan must address those omissions. Chaudhry said the authority would respond to the OIG’s findings in the final business plan and committed to resolving the compliance issues before final adoption.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think the rent and keep my classrooms open for the families that depend on me.
• The rent and keep my classrooms open for the families that depend on me.
• Access to care for working families and the broader labor force that depends on reliable child care.
• Depending on state funding levels, will districts be able to maintain access to current programs?
• I speak today as a first-generation, low-income student whose education depends on support.

Bills: SB5808, HB2254, HB2385, SB6006, SB6351, SB6198, SB6260, SB6353, SB5949, SB6129, SB6228, SB6231, SB6229, SB6173

Keywords: health insurance, premium assistance, funding, healthcare access, state budget, HB 2254, Washington, Health Care Authority, partnership access line, psychiatric consultation line, first approach skills training, behavioral health, mental health, assessment, administrative costs, health carriers, self-funded plans, multiple employer welfare arrangement, MEWA, employers

Transcript Highlights:

• So all of that information, depending on which program that they're enrolled in, we do track.
• We might move that up a little bit depending on the needs of committee members today.
• K-16 collaborative because that requires a vote, depending on time, because I know I definitely need
• It depends ultimately on how much is drawn down based on administrative funds for both the Office of
• It depends ultimately on how much is drawn down based on administrative funds for both on how much is

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance heard an overview of the governor’s new Career Education Master Plan and related budget items. Labor Secretary Knox described the plan as an effort to reduce fragmentation across K-12, community colleges, workforce boards, and other systems by improving statewide and regional coordination, data sharing, skills-based hiring, career pathways, and wraparound supports such as child care, housing, food, and transportation. Members asked how success would be measured, how the plan would serve disconnected youth and adults, and whether the proposed data integration would rely on Cradle to Career; the secretary said it would. The Department of Finance said it was available to answer questions on the education side. The committee then reviewed existing CTE funding and oversight. The LAO, CDE, and Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office described the major ongoing programs, including CTIG, Perkins, K-12 Strong Workforce, and Community College Strong Workforce, and noted that many programs overlap in purpose and administration. Members repeatedly raised concerns about duplication, annual applications and reporting burdens, lack of clear outcome metrics, and whether funding incentives should be better aligned to regional collaboration. CDE and the Chancellor’s Office said they support alignment and dual enrollment, and Finance and CDE said LCFF/local match dollars are part of the funding structure. The committee also discussed child care as a barrier to participation and the need for better tracking of enrollment, completion, and job outcomes. On the consolidated application proposal, Finance proposed a study directing CDE to examine whether three long-standing CTE grant programs—Specialized Secondary Programs, CTIG, and California Partnership Academies—could be streamlined into a single application and reporting process. The LAO supported reducing administrative burden but noted that the largest programs, CTIG and K-12 Strong Workforce, were excluded from the proposal even though districts most often cite them as burdensome. CDE said it did not oppose the study but warned that statutory differences may limit consolidation. Members said the proposal should better address regional coordination, multi-year funding stability, and outcome measures rather than only simplifying paperwork. Finally, the committee heard a proposal for a $5 million ongoing California Education Interagency Council. GovOps said the council would provide a neutral venue for statewide coordination across education and workforce systems. The LAO opposed the proposal, arguing that existing bodies already provide coordination, the proposal does not change agency incentives, and the council would lack authority to implement decisions. Members expressed mixed views, with some supporting a coordinating body and others questioning whether it would differ from past efforts. No votes were taken during the portions summarized here, and the committee indicated it would hold some items open for further discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• Without them, we have a system that depends on individual people being superheroes.
• Without them, we have a system that depends on individual people being superheroes.
• Without them, we have a system that depends on individual people being superheroes.
• Without them, we have a system that depends on individual people being superheroes.
• Without them, we have a system that depends on individual people being superheroes.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• For the office of the governor, what is currently in the base budget is depending on which side of the
• Yeah, area median income, so it depends on.
• If they're lucky, if it's a rural area, and depending on the maybe there's gonna be a corporate income
• It's dependent, but all the inspectors are very well trained in this area in which they operate.
• Counties are dependent on property taxes. to meet their responsibilities.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• /c> their eligible spouses and their their eligible spouses and their eligible<00:09:08.160><c> dependence
• </c><00:09:08.959><c> that</c><00:09:09.120><c> was</c><00:09:09.399><c> pre</c> eligible dependence
• that was pre eligible dependence that was pre previously<00:09:11.120><c> not</c><00:09:11.839><c> granted
• He is no longer considered a dependent of that veteran, so it is not allowed.
• on the veteran for the rest be dependent on the veteran for the rest of<00:12:30.720><c> their</c> of

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Senate VMAP Committee met with a quorum and heard three bills. Senate Bill 144, sponsored by Senator Danny Carroll, would require destruction of firearms used in homicides and allow destruction of certain defaced, hazardous, unsafe, or owner-requested firearms, while prohibiting agencies from intentionally damaging firearms before transfer and requiring written agency policies. Senator Tichenor asked about lost auction revenue; KSP said it could not track homicide weapons separately, that auctions bring in about $1.2 million annually, and that most proceeds support Kentucky Homeland Security. Senators Boswell and others said they generally oppose destroying firearms but supported moving the bill forward; the bill passed favorably with no nays. House Bill 191, sponsored by Representative Aaron Thompson and presented with state and veterans’ officials, would align Kentucky law with federal changes to allow additional burials in state veteran cemeteries for certain National Guard and Reserve veterans, their spouses, and dependents who were not previously eligible. Testimony explained the bill would cover veterans who served in reserve components without Title 10 activation, including those who assisted during floods, fires, and tornadoes, and clarified eligibility rules for spouses and children. Senators asked about minimum service and dependent eligibility, and the committee passed the bill favorably and unanimously. Senate Bill 198, sponsored by Senator David Yates, addressed protection of veterans’ benefits by regulating third-party claims consultants. The committee adopted a substitute adding definitions and accreditation-related provisions, and Yates said the bill was intended to curb abusive fee practices and direct penalties to the special license plate fund for veterans. He explained the bill’s fee limits, including a cap tied to three times the monthly increase in benefits and an overall ceiling, while senators questioned whether the cap might discourage good actors and how the dollar limits would work. A veteran witness, Bob Casher, supported the bill and urged more public information on free claims assistance; the committee held further action while allowing guest comments, and the discussion focused on balancing consumer protection with access to legitimate consultants.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I heard a lot of talk about the Southwest line, but this line is not dependent on anything regarding
• And I heard a lot of talk about the Southwest line, but this line is not dependent on anything regarding
• And I heard a lot of talk about the Southwest line, but this line is not dependent on anything regarding
• And I heard a lot of talk about the Southwest line, but this line is not dependent on anything regarding
• on transit to meet their daily dependent on transit to meet their daily needs<00:16:02.600><c> the</

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We are still working through all those outstanding donations that were out there, depending on where
• The most often given reason for a course not transferring, well, the top two, depending on the year,
• The most often given reason for a course not transferring, well, the top two—and depending on the year
• Each eligible student may receive a different amount depending on several factors, including financial
• It depends on the level of education.

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What we learned very quickly, however, was that the experience level varies dramatically depending upon
• What we learned very quickly, however, was that the experience level varies dramatically depending upon
• dependent.
• 46:05.199><c> on</c> When enforcement depends primarily on When enforcement depends primarily on court
• I offer these observations as dependent.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So, a 16-year-old, a 17-year-old is no longer considered a dependent.
• </c> it is also changing the dependent it is also changing the dependent definition.<01:19:43.200><c>
• So, the dependent definition definition.
• So, a dependent a 16-year-old, a 14.
• . dependent. dependent.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from its September 24 meeting after a motion and second. It then heard a presentation from New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Secretary Elizabeth Gragensky on that state’s early childhood system and planned universal child care rollout. She described how New Mexico consolidated multiple prenatal-to-age-five programs into a cabinet-level department, expanded pre-K to a longer day, and uses a cost model to set reimbursement rates intended to cover true provider costs, including wages, benefits, occupancy, food, and reserves. She also said the state created an Early Childhood Trust Fund and secured a constitutional amendment to dedicate 0.60% of the land grant permanent fund to early care and education, with the department’s budget growing from about $400 million in 2021 to just under $1 billion this year. Gragensky said families can begin applying for universal child care on November 1, with participation voluntary for both families and providers. She reported that New Mexico is aiming to expand capacity by adding 1,000 registered home providers, 120 group homes, and about 55 more centers, supported in part by a $13 million low-interest loan fund and a request for an additional $20 million. She said the state has seen growth in early childhood professionals, including a 64% increase over the last three to four years, and pointed to reported outcomes such as a 21% increase in literacy and a 75% kindergarten readiness rate, while noting that some measures are new and baseline comparisons are still being developed. Members asked about the funding sources, provider profitability, workforce development, and measurable outcomes. Gragensky said the program is designed to support provider sustainability through rates tied to true cost and includes allowances for sick leave, vacation, benefits, and reserves. She also said maternal labor force participation is 10% higher than the national rate and attributed that in part to child care access. The committee then moved to a separate presentation by Department for Community Based Services Commissioner Lisa Dennis and Division of Family Support Director Roger McCann on anticipated cuts to TANF and SNAP, beginning with an overview of TANF as a federal block grant with a fixed annual Kentucky allocation of about $180.7 million.

Transcript Highlights:

• An additional increase from a wage floor of $20.50 an hour to $28.50 an hour, again depending on the
• Obviously, depending on the business model, that's not an option for all providers.
• Obviously, depending on the business model, that's not an option for all providers.
• on these Services need most dependent on these Services probably<01:29:41.760><c> the</c><01:29:41.880
• Um, we're kind of waiting for more finite details around that because it really depends on the data that

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Julia Hannigan, policy director with Dependency Legal Services, in support.
• So depending on what it was, you know, if there's, and it's based on what the current fear or safety
• and responsibilities so we can protect ourselves, the children in our care, and the families who depend
• And I refuse to let it fail the children who depend on us. So I urge you to support AB 1981.
• But we can no longer depend on federal funding and support to continue this work.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think your rights don't depend on your zip code.
• I think your rights don't depend on your zip code.
• This bill risks replacing that with a fragmented system where a child's services depend on their zip
• This bill risks replacing that with a fragmented system where a child's services depend on their zip
• But I think that vote would largely be dependent on the school district's ability to meet the needs of

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• These activities would happen across fiscal year 2026-27, with specific dates and times dependent on
• As I was earlier referencing in my testimony, it would be about 24 months, we estimate, depending on.
• .. ...was earlier referencing in my testimony, it would be about 24 months, we estimate, depending on
• , I don't think none of our rates are really the way we need them to be, but some are even worse depending
• I'm here on behalf of CCPU, our providers, and the families who depend on us.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• if the taxpayer agrees to swap donations with another taxpayer to benefit either taxpayer's own dependent
• on the subtractions that taxpayers can take, depending on the action the legislature takes.
• Okay, but those forms could be changed depending on what the legislature and/or governor agreed to?
• The extent to which there will be amended returns and administrative costs depends on the same.
• The extent to which there will be amended returns and administrative costs depends on the scale of how

Bills: SB1042, SB1043, SB1044, SB1135, SB1136, SB1142, SB1180, SB1221, SB1252, SB1254, SCR1003

Keywords: public funds, virtual currency, bitcoin, investment, Arizona Strategic Digital Asset Reserve Act, state treasurer, retirement system, state payments, cryptocurrency, Arizona law, payment methods, government transactions, property tax, tax exemption, Arizona Revised Statutes, digital currency, workers' compensation, death benefits, burial costs, spousal compensation

Transcript Highlights:

• But there are great federal programs at times of disaster that we depend heavily on, so we certainly
• Ten would put her in good position, depending on the vendor she picks, to move quickly.
• There's a perceived and then there's a real, depending on the product that you're buying.
• And we also have a lot of critical schools in the Acadiana area that depended on the voucher.
• And we also have a lot of critical schools in the Acadiana area that depended on the voucher.

Keywords: 965, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up the fiscal status statement, certification of the state surplus, and the five-year baseline budget. Officials from the Office of Planning and Budget and the Division of Administration said the January fiscal status statement had no changes, and the commissioner certified a surplus of $577,073,871. They also reviewed the baseline outlook, noting projected imbalances in later years driven by declining revenue, including the redirection of motor vehicle sales tax, and rising costs such as inflation and Medicaid-related expenses. The fiscal status statement was approved without objection. The governor’s executive budget was then presented as a third consecutive standstill budget, with administration officials emphasizing efficiency savings, no reduction in services, and no reduction in state workforce. They said the budget relies on prior savings efforts and incorporates agency-level cuts and reorganization, while also addressing higher costs in corrections, DCFS, and health care. Major items highlighted included funding for LA GATOR, the high-impact jobs program, DCFS modernization, corrections population and overtime needs, nursing home and managed care adjustments at LDH, and additional support for the MJ Foster Scholarship Program. Members asked about the impact of inflation, the use of federal versus state funds, the future of voucher and GATOR funding, and whether more support should go to DCFS and the Hero Fund. The committee also received the calculation of the FY27 expenditure limit, set at $20.1 billion, and the annual comprehensive financial report for FY2025, which received a clean audit opinion. Members approved a BA-7 increasing federal funds for an executive office transportation grant, approved additions to the Act 751 higher education deferred maintenance project list and a Baton Rouge Community College project combination, and approved contract amendments for CPRA with Coastal Estuary Services and Access Sciences. The committee also corrected a legislative intent item naming the New Orleans Recreational Development Foundation. Finally, the judiciary presented a weighted caseload study for district and appellate courts, explaining it as an updated tool to assess judicial workload and potential judgeship needs; members discussed its limits, the role of specialty courts and commissioners, and the need for further legislative-judicial collaboration before any changes are made.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we are working on trying to get uptake higher, and that'll depend on Taxpayer activity.
• Chairman, And every $107 million equals about a 1% increase or decrease, depending on the way it goes
• So I guess one way to think about it is, because it's dependent on price.
• For that matter, other funds may or may not, depending, be available to you all, whether or not they
• Each program has a different completion timeline depending on family need and interest.

Transcript Highlights:

• of that farm passed away tomorrow, the value of that estate would be $5 million to $6.5 million, depending
• > on</c><00:07:52.199><c> your</c><00:07:52.400><c> per</c><00:07:52.599><c> acre</c> million um depending
• on your per acre million um depending on your per acre price<00:07:54.520><c> uh</c><00:07:54.639><c
• I might have land that does equal money depending upon if I sell it, but that doesn't mean that I have
• upon if I sell equal money depending upon if I sell it<00:25:51.640><c> but</c><00:25:51.760><c> that

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We increased the existing child dependent tax credit, and this saved Hawaii families about $88 million
• We increased the existing child dependent tax credit, and this saved Hawaii families about $88 million
• It reduces taxes from between 10% to 71% for working families, depending on household income.
• tax credit and existing child dependent tax credit and this<00:19:01.000><c> saved</c><00:19:01.520>
• on household income Families depending on household income it<00:19:44.679><c> moves</c><00:19:44.919

Keywords: House Agenda:, 910, house, all