Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:01:10.960><c> crisis</c> Um it also would fund mobile crisis Um it also would fund mobile crisis
• </c> It would increase capacity of mobile It would increase capacity of mobile crisis<00:02:08.119><c
• In terms of mobile crisis grants, mobile crisis units play a really important role in de-escalation of
• Mobile crisis units do just that.
• </c><00:13:26.760><c> crisis</c> And there were times the mobile crisis And there were times the mobile

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But we have approved the amendment, and we wanted to make sure that job was done.
• So if we have 15,000 mobile home users and, you know, all of the property tax owners...
• We have 15,000 mobile home users, and, you know, all of that on the low end there will be paying 25%
• The mobile home fix is fine with you, all the dates and the transition here.
• Chair Weber, members of the committee, yeah, mobile homes are fine with us.

Bills: SB2397

Keywords: oil and gas, tax exemption, development incentive wells, gross production tax, flaring, 908, all

Summary: The Senate Finance and Tax Committee met and first took up House Bill 1382, the gas tax bill. Members explained an amendment to ensure that the proposed three-cent gas tax distribution would include all counties and townships in oil-producing counties, rather than excluding non-oil-producing counties as in the original draft. The committee adopted the amendment unanimously, but then held the bill for the time being because of related work on the Department of Transportation budget in the House. The committee then turned to House Bill 1168, a large hoghouse amendment that combined the bill with the contents of House Bill 1176 and added technical corrections. The proposal would raise the primary residence property tax credit maximum from $1,250 to $1,650, keep the 75% cap with a $500 floor, and extend the credit to voter-approved levies while excluding special assessments. Other changes discussed included aligning the disabled veterans property tax credit with the $200,000 exemption level, adjusting budget and distribution dates so taxing districts are made whole sooner, exempting townships from a general-election vote requirement for levy increases, and modifying school funding formulas so schools are not shortchanged if mill levies are reduced under the cap. Testimony from the Association of Counties and the State Supervisor of Assessments was generally supportive of the technical cleanup and implementation changes, but they raised concerns about the June 1 distribution date, application timing, and the practicality of some programming and administrative changes. Committee members also discussed the policy and messaging implications of the 75%/floor structure and the difficulty of applying the credit to certain voter-approved levies. No final action was taken on House Bill 1168; the committee agreed to continue working on amendments and recessed until later in the day.

Transcript Highlights:

• parking authorities with the ability to provide out so they're charging jurisdiction within special mobile
• It allows cranes to apply for special blanka permits to transport oversize mobile cranes and their accessory
• Read leaves congestion and ultimately will cost taxpayers less money as jobs move more efficiently.
• Senators Florida is home to hundreds of thousands of residents who live in mobile home parks and communities
• Partnership program must include a strategy for providing program funds to mobile home owners including

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• as part of a guard or reserve mobilization.
• military spouses when they are coming to Alabama, as it enables them to quickly get going on their jobs
• we have the dedication of the Korean War Memorial in... dedication of the Korean War Memorial in Mobile
• That's General Gary Cooper from Mobile and his daughter, seeing her TR... and his daughter serving in
• On the right, that's at the Coast Guard Station, with a Mobile radio operator. Next slide.

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So being able to have a mobile phone, a marvelous device, I have three with me today.
• If the household is one person and they don't want anything but that mobile device, that's great.
• If the household is one person and they don't want anything but that mobile device, that's great.
• We led the mobilization, Get Connected California, under the umbrella of the California Broadband Council
• Yes, I then paid that access line fee as a voice over Internet protocol user, as a mobile user.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee held an informational hearing on broadband affordability in California. Chair Tasha Boerner said the hearing was intended to examine rising broadband costs, the end of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, and possible state policy responses. She also referenced her prior AB 353, which would have required affordable home internet as a condition of doing business in California, and said it had been held because of federal policy concerns. The committee heard two panels: industry representatives from U.S. Telecom and CTIA, and consumer/public-interest witnesses from the California Emerging Technology Fund and the CPUC Public Advocates Office. Industry witnesses argued that broadband and wireless prices have fallen in real terms over time, citing competition and capital investment as the main drivers of lower prices and faster speeds. They said California’s higher costs are tied to permitting, taxes, copper-theft, and rules such as collocation obligations that require providers to maintain older networks. They also warned against new surcharges or fees on wireless consumers, saying those charges disproportionately affect low-income households, and urged policies that preserve competition and reduce regulatory burdens. Committee members questioned them about small-cell siting, infrastructure costs, BEAD funding, and whether more capital would actually be reinvested if certain obligations were relaxed. Consumer advocates presented a different picture, saying affordability remains a major barrier even as adoption has increased. CETF said California’s online household rate has risen to 93%, but that many low-income households still pay more than the affordability benchmark and that outreach is difficult without direct assistance. The CPUC Public Advocates Office said California’s market is losing its competitive edge, with prices higher than in other states and meaningful price reductions coming mainly when fiber competition enters gigabit markets. They recommended more transparency in pricing, stronger competition policy, continued low-income subsidies, and extending the CPUC broadband Lifeline pilot. Public commenters, including nonprofit and community broadband groups, largely supported SB 716 and urged a permanent broadband affordability solution, expanded Lifeline support, and removal of a cap on the program. No formal vote or committee action was taken; the hearing was informational and adjourned after public comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• they're on the job, maybe they shouldn't be.
• We learned recently that ICE has a mobile app called Mobile Fortify that it’s encouraging local police
• People have said, how can something be necessary to do the job if ICE agents did their jobs for decades
• We’ve done a great job.
• You want the court proceedings and the judicial system to do its job.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on responding to federal immigration enforcement in Massachusetts, with opening remarks from Sen. Liz Miranda and Rep. Bud Williams emphasizing fear in immigrant communities, recent ICE operations, and the need to learn from advocates and affected residents rather than debate individual bills. The hearing was organized around three topics: detention, arrests, and surveillance, with members repeatedly asking what the legislature can do to improve transparency, legal access, and oversight. On detention, Leah Hastings of Prisoners’ Legal Services said most people end up in ICE custody through contact with the criminal legal system and argued that state carceral systems are deeply intertwined with immigration enforcement. She described conditions at Plymouth County House of Correction and Burlington ICE holding as concerning, citing limited medical care, disability accommodations, solitary confinement, retaliatory transfers, and poor attorney access. Hastings said Massachusetts should reduce funding for sheriffs and the Department of Corrections, ban intergovernmental service agreements and 287(g) agreements, and invest instead in housing, treatment, and other community supports. Members also discussed ICE reimbursement, the immigrant legal defense fund, and the need for more immigration attorneys. On arrests and enforcement tactics, David Albright of JALSA said federal immigration enforcement has been expanded by major new funding and incentives, including higher payments for 287(g) and bed contracts, and he noted that most ICE detainees nationally do not have criminal records. He said Massachusetts has one 287(g) agreement with the Department of Corrections and one IGSA with Plymouth County, and that ICE also uses Burlington, Hanscom, and informal local collaboration in places such as Milford and Auburn. Danny Tampona of Neighbor to Neighbor and the LUCE Rapid Response Network described more than 10,000 hotline calls from 46 cities and towns, with arrests often involving masked agents, surveillance of workers and families, traffic stops, broken windows, and arrests at check-ins or schools; he said the network is concentrated in places including Everett, Chelsea, Lynn, New Bedford, Milford, Marlboro, Framingham, and Springfield. He urged legislation requiring clear identification for law enforcement, limits on surveillance technologies, and stronger legal defense resources. On surveillance, Joshua Dancoff of Citizens for Juvenile Justice argued that current state policies allow broad sharing of fingerprints and surveillance data with ICE, including through BRIC, the Massachusetts Fusion Center, and municipal police policies. He cited cases in Chelsea and Everett where children were taken from police custody into ICE custody and said many departments automatically share arrest fingerprints and other information with federal authorities. He recommended limiting fingerprint sharing, restricting surveillance databases and task-force participation, and curbing police and sheriff collaboration with ICE even where no formal 287(g) exists. Members and witnesses also discussed the need for more immigration lawyers, possible bar advocate-style funding for immigration defense, and legislative action to prevent further collaboration and deportation infrastructure.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we're good at our jobs.
• And we're good at our jobs.
• This loss of cargo translates directly into a loss of jobs.
• That is job erosion and far fewer families raising their kids on solid union wage jobs and benefits.
• Those jobs range from clean energy to manufacturing, all good family-wage jobs.

Summary: The committee heard four bills. On kit homes (ESSB 5552), staff explained the bill would direct the State Building Code Council to adopt rules for residential kit homes of 800 square feet or less by March 31, 2027. Prime sponsor Sen. Jeff Wilson said the bill would add housing options and asked that kit homes be treated as a distinct category from modular or factory-built structures; members asked whether current rules exist and whether the bill would cover 3D-printed homes. The public hearing was postponed, and later one supporter testified that the bill would help create clearer statewide standards without changing local zoning or safety requirements. On SB 5467, staff said the bill raises the thresholds for water-sewer districts to sell surplus property without notice or by private sale, increasing the personal property threshold to $5,400 and the real property threshold to $7,500. Sen. Keith Goehner said the change simply updates outdated limits to reflect inflation and improve efficiency. A representative of the Washington Association of Sewer and Water Districts supported the bill, noting the thresholds had not been updated since 2011 for real property and 1993 for surplus property. The committee closed the public hearing without action. The committee also heard SB 5820, which would repeal Clark County’s authority to apply a freight rail-dependent use overlay to certain lands under prior law. Sen. Adrian Cortes argued the existing exemption has harmed agricultural and forest lands, led to environmental violations, and cost taxpayers money, while local supporters said the overlay has not produced promised economic benefits and should be removed. Opponents, including a railroad operator, the Association of Washington Business, and others, said the rail line supports economic development, rail-served industrial demand, and existing contractual and public investments, and warned repeal could strand investments and limit future freight and climate-friendly transportation options. The hearing was closed with no vote. Finally, the committee heard SB 5995, which would remove the 2031 sunset from the existing prohibition on using public port funds to buy fully automated marine cargo container handling equipment, while continuing to allow zero- and near-zero-emission equipment purchases. The sponsor and labor witnesses said the bill protects family-wage jobs, keeps taxpayer money from subsidizing automation, and preserves human oversight for safety and efficiency. Port and shipping industry opponents argued the bill is premature, could reduce port competitiveness, and should remain subject to the current sunset so the policy can be revisited later. The public hearing was closed with no action taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• To force someone to choose between their job and caring for a newborn, a dying parent, or their own serious
• A few years later, her husband accepted a job in Minnesota, so they packed up their house in Illinois
• I provide great jobs with good benefits, and many of my younger employees would like to keep working
• Over the past two years, we have mobilized thousands of parents and caregivers in support of policies
• It's important to employers across the state because we shouldn't have to choose between our job and

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• out to those job centers, and local<01:14:53.280><c> mobility,</c><01:14:54.000><c> especially</c><01
• :14:54.400><c> for</c><01:14:54.560><c> our</c> local mobility, especially for our local mobility, especially
• </c> job in my community. job in my community.
• I used to use it to commute to Minneapolis for my job.
• Students use it regularly to commute to the colleges and to jobs.

Bills: HF3676, HF3593, HF3785, HF3774, HF4111, HF3513

Keywords: Safe at Home, address confidentiality, domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, harassment, victim privacy, survivor protection, confidential address, protected address, secret address, identity protection, residential confidentiality, program participant, nondiscrimination, court disclosure, protective order, service of process, driver's license, state ID

Transcript Highlights:

• research has shown that mobility negatively impacts student performance.
• I mean, that's a tough, tough job, but we should be asking those questions.
• need to do their job well.
• You know, we have a job, and with that there's a responsibility and accountability.
• I just want to compliment the staff; they did an excellent job in preparing this.

Transcript Highlights:

• La Cooperativa and its members provide education, training, job placement, housing, energy, and other
• While farmworkers have become more mobile, many times they do not have transportation to travel long
• distances to do their jobs.
• distances to do their jobs.
• Or if you have mobility impairments.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We become the best engine of social and economic mobility that we know of.
• We become the best engine of social and economic mobility that we know of.
• As you know, the CSU is California and the nation's greatest engine of socioeconomic mobility.
• Mobility Index.
• The CSU supports more than 210,000 jobs.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education held its first 2026 hearing on higher education, focusing on UC and CSU system updates, student housing, enrollment, and core operations. In opening remarks, the chair noted recent state fiscal stress, the prior rejection of proposed UC/CSU cuts, and the Governor’s proposed 5% ongoing compact increases. UC President James B. Milliken and CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia described the systems’ public value, research and workforce roles, and the impact of federal actions on grants, financial aid, and campus operations. Both also emphasized Title IX and civil rights efforts; CSU said it had implemented nearly all state auditor recommendations and was on track to finish the remaining one, while UC highlighted its systemwide civil rights and Title IX offices. Both leaders said federal investigations, grant cancellations, and litigation demands were consuming staff time and money, with UC reporting more than 200 grants lost or affected and CSU citing more than $161 million in lost grants and more than 1,600 grants affected overall. The committee then heard on student housing. Finance and LAO staff said the Governor’s budget made no major new housing proposal but continued support for the Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program. CSU reported 12 supported projects that will add about 5,047 beds, most below market rate, with four already open and seven more expected this year; it also said it has about 68,000 beds systemwide, a 92% occupancy rate, and ongoing emergency housing support. UC said the program has supported seven UC projects and two joint community college projects, adding more than 7,000 beds total, but nearly 10,000 UC students were on housing waitlists at the start of fall 2025. UC asked for additional state support, including possible bond funding and a statutory change to allow UC participation in public-private partnership housing projects. Members discussed rapid rehousing, student homelessness, faculty and staff housing, and community college housing partnerships, with both systems describing existing emergency beds and support services. On enrollment, LAO recommended maintaining UC’s 2026-27 resident undergraduate target, funding enrollment growth separately from base increases, pausing the nonresident reduction plan, and holding UC flat in 2027-28. For CSU, LAO recommended revising the 2026-27 target downward to reflect current projections, funding growth separately, and holding 2027-28 flat. CSU said it had rebounded from COVID declines, now exceeds its funded target by about 3,000 FTE, and is shifting about $89 million and 10,000 FTE spots from lower-demand campuses to higher-demand ones while developing turnaround plans for seven campuses with sustained enrollment declines, including Sonoma State. CSU also described direct admissions, transfer success pathways, and new degree programs aimed at workforce needs. UC said it had surpassed its compact enrollment goals, planned to add 2,721 California undergraduates in 2026-27, and was seeking $5.5 million for health professional programs. Members raised concerns about underprepared freshmen, K-12 alignment, nonresident caps at UC San Diego, deferred maintenance, ROTC access, and the need for stronger turnaround plans and teacher preparation pipelines. The final item on core operations addressed the Governor’s proposal to defer 3% base funding again, moving the one-time deferral to 2027-28 and allowing short-term zero-interest loans to cover it.

Transcript Highlights:

• City of &gt;&gt; Mobile. &gt;&gt; Mobile. &gt;&gt; Mobile.
• I can only speak to my area, and Charlina did a great job actually explaining it.
• I thought Representative Lee and Trey did a great job.
• </c><01:01:00.640><c> I</c><01:01:00.799><c> really</c> and Trey did a great job.
• I really and Trey did a great job.

Bills: SB222, HB560, HB475, HB484, HB583, HB542, HB566

Keywords: medical clinic board, clinic board, hospital bankruptcy, Chapter 11, bankruptcy, debt restructuring, municipal indebtedness, municipal bankruptcy, health care provider, acute care hospital, lease property, board immunity, director liability, civil liability, healthcare finance, insolvency, debt readjustment, federal bankruptcy law, Alabama Code 11-58-5.2, library materials

Transcript Highlights:

• have been created in Alabama 20,000 jobs have been created in Alabama 20,000 jobs have been created
• in Alabama including including including 8,100 jobs since 8,100 jobs since 8,100 jobs since 2018 by investment
• sakado mobile sakado mobile ichihara monal ichien and Birmingham my abesi the Japanese Garden in the
• J failed to do our job J failed to do our job J Duty I have a problem with removing and saying they
• Che recognize the lady from Mobile Che recognize the lady from Mobile representative Drummond thank

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So think along the lines of mobile medical units, mobile dental, telehealth.
• They wanted it to be a place that had public transportation, education opportunities, job opportunities
• You guys did a great job at the tribal consultation part.
• So whether that's expansion of telehealth, mobile clinic services, those...
• Mobile clinic services, those types of things, then yes, we probably could.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Joint Policy Committee met to hear an overview of North Dakota’s Rural Health Transformation Program before taking up the related policy bills. Department of Health and Human Services staff explained that the state received a $198.9 million CMS award, with funding focused on four pillars: strengthening rural workforce, bringing care closer to home, connecting technology and data, and improving population health through prevention. They emphasized that the program is intended to benefit rural and frontier residents statewide, including areas near urban centers when the project serves rural patients, and that CMS approval, provider readiness, and sustainability will drive what can be funded. Committee members asked about how the program would treat border communities, frontier counties, urban providers serving rural patients, multilingual outreach, tribal consultation, and whether there would be information sessions for applicants. HHS said the website will include sign-up and translation features, more listening sessions and training will be offered, and a rural health tribal liaison will work alongside the existing Medicaid tribal liaison. Members also raised concerns about reimbursement timing, cash flow for providers, and whether projects in urban areas could qualify; HHS responded that urban projects may be eligible if they clearly benefit rural residents. The department then outlined the four policy bills tied to the grant scoring: nutrition continuing medical education for physicians, the presidential fitness test, the physician assistant compact, and pharmacist scope of practice. HHS said these policy actions were incentivized in the federal funding opportunity and that failure to pass them could reduce future funding. The committee did not take final action on the bills in this portion of the transcript and recessed for lunch before moving on.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh the reason we mobile biochar kilm.
• </c><02:11:11.199><c> on</c> the local staff can mobilize on the local staff can mobilize on different
• And like WY said, we're able<02:13:09.599><c> to</c><02:13:09.760><c> mobilize.
• </c> mobilize faster, get a lot of work done. mobilize faster, get a lot of work done.
• </c><02:37:58.080><c> that</c> It's a it's a whole another job that It's a it's a whole another job that

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council met on May 27, 2026, approved the January 7 minutes and the day’s agenda, and reported no conflicts of interest. The executive director gave staff updates, including introductions of new staff member Cara Castanza and DNR liaison Jason Co., both of whom were welcomed by the council. Members were also informed about three minor easement/conveyance matters in the packet, including a small Bowser easement impact with about $1,600 returned to the Outdoor Heritage Fund, a Minnesota Land Trust easement request involving a DNR trout stream easement, and an access easement revision in Itasca County. The council also noted several upcoming dedication events and a June field tour in southeast Minnesota beginning in Winona on June 16, with visits to Whitewater WMA, bluff prairie and stream sites, and a river segment if a boat is secured. A major agenda item was a legislative session recap on the Outdoor Heritage Fund portion of Senate File 2077, the omnibus Outdoor Heritage Fund, Legacy, and Lands bill. Staff reported that all council recommendations were incorporated into the bill, which passed both chambers on May 17 and was expected to be signed by the governor. The fiscal year 2027 Outdoor Heritage Fund recommendations covered 53 programs totaling about $188.9 million, with the February forecast increasing the appropriation slightly so the final total was about $191.16 million; eligible programs were proportionately increased. Staff also highlighted a few changes made during the legislative process, including adjustments to the Roso Lake rehabilitation phase three project, the conservation partners legacy grant language, and statutory provisions affecting the council. The recap also covered policy changes in the bill: a public member term limit of eight years, with a short vacancy exception and transition rules for current members; a revised executive director hiring process allowing the Legislative Coordinating Commission to provide support while preserving the council’s final hiring authority and permitting closed meetings for candidate discussions; and an extension of the Upper Mississippi River invasive carp deterrent design deadline to June 30, 2027. Members discussed the Roso Lake amendment at length, with Senator Lang and Representative Burkel explaining that the added delay and injunction-related language were intended to address local concerns and preserve the council’s process while litigation proceeds. The meeting ended without any additional formal action beyond receiving the updates and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• In California, the number of private sector jobs remained flat.
• And so the jobs that so many immigrants...
• Nurses are also supporting placing... ...our jobs.
• Union jobs.
• of jobs at the middle, and the extraordinary number of jobs that are created at the high end.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm new to this job.
• </c> repair from FEMA to repair his mobile repair from FEMA to repair his mobile home,<00:19:52.160><
• Um, I've was I'm new to this job.
• I'm a financial adviser as my day job.
• He said they have difficult jobs and that they love their jobs, but there are challenges.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The subcommittee heard presentations from the Legal Aid Network of Kentucky, including Legal Aid of the Bluegrass, Kentucky Legal Aid, AppalRed Legal Aid, and the Legal Aid Society in Louisville. The presenters explained that the four nonprofit programs provide civil legal services in all 120 counties, focusing on low-income clients and matters such as domestic violence, family law, housing, expungement, public benefits, and veterans’ issues. They emphasized that they do not handle criminal defense cases and described statewide efforts such as the kyjustice.org website and Project Renew, which helps people in recovery with legal issues that affect stability, employment, housing, and family reunification. Each organization highlighted regional service challenges and examples of casework. Legal Aid of the Bluegrass described its 33-county service area, its mobile “justice bus,” and expungement work for people in recovery. Kentucky Legal Aid focused on disaster response after the December 2021 tornadoes, including insurance disputes and contractor fraud, and said it has continued to handle repeated FEMA-declared disasters. AppalRed described serving 37 rural counties with limited attorneys, the shortage of lawyers in “rural legal deserts,” and its disaster-response work after flooding and tornadoes, including FEMA appeals clinics and volunteer attorney support. The Legal Aid Society described its Louisville-area veteran services, including Social Security and VA disability cases, veterans treatment court referrals, and homeless outreach. Committee members praised the organizations’ work and noted the importance of their services. In response to questions about funding, the presenters said their support comes from a mix of Legal Services Corporation funds, state appropriations, federal grants such as VOCA, VAWA, and HUD, United Way, and foundation funding. They stressed that many grants are restricted, while state funding is more flexible and useful for emergencies and day-to-day operations. The presenters said current funding does not fully meet demand and requested an increase in the General Assembly’s appropriation from $500,000 per year to $1 million per year, or $2 million over the biennium.

Transcript Highlights:

• Jared did a great job of explaining. It's pretty simple and straightforward.
• Contractors work in real time: emergency calls, short jobs, unpredictable conditions.
• We invoiced about 9,000 jobs a year, so this is right in my wheelhouse.
• I'm here to give you a real-world example of how this is happening on job sites.
• here and then go over and then do a job there.

Summary: The Labor and Commerce Committee held public hearings and later executive action on several bills. Senate Bill 6158, by request of L&I, would update factory-built housing and commercial structure rules to incorporate International Code Council standards and allow qualified third-party inspectors approved by L&I; the sponsor said it would make modular housing inspections more efficient and cost-effective, and L&I supported it with a requested technical amendment and no fiscal impact. Senate Bill 6197 would separate plumbing discipline standards for residential and nonresidential work, allowing suspension after five infractions in five years for nonresidential violations while keeping the current three-in-36-month standard for residential work; supporters from mechanical contractors, union plumbers, and a plumbing advisory board member said it would curb unlicensed work and unsafe practices, while opponents from contractor groups and some plumbing businesses argued it was too punitive, did not adequately distinguish commercial service from construction, and should be refined. L&I said it needed time to implement and asked for a later effective date. During executive session, the committee adopted a proposed substitute and advanced Senate Bill 5437, which voids noncompetition covenants, with a delayed effective date and other conforming changes; some Republicans opposed it as too broad. The committee also advanced Senate Bill 6117, which would extend PERC jurisdiction and state collective-bargaining protections if federal labor law no longer applies, after rejecting an amendment that would have narrowed coverage further. Senate Bill 5852, dealing with immigrant worker protections during federal I-9 inspections, advanced after the committee rejected an amendment to remove the private right of action. Senate Bill 5847, on workers’ compensation medical care and treatment access, advanced with an amendment removing penalty provisions and another adding claims manager positions; the bill was sent to Ways and Means. Senate Bills 6067 and 6136 also advanced, the former changing workers’ compensation health benefit calculations and the latter requiring L&I to publish actuarially indicated industrial insurance rates. The committee then heard Senate Bill 6302, which would address misclassification in finishing trades on public works by limiting contractors and subcontractors to no more than two independent contractors on covered finishing work such as drywall, flooring, tile, painting, and glazier work, with violators treated as employees for prevailing wage and workers’ compensation purposes. Supporters from building trades and pipefitters said the bill would reduce misclassification, protect workers, and level the playing field; opponents from general contractors and contractor associations said it would effectively ban legitimate independent contractors, reduce flexibility on public projects, and hurt small businesses. L&I said it had clarifying questions about how the cap would apply and asked for more specificity.

Transcript Highlights:

• She says the World Cup mobility planning goals have remained consistent.
• And he brought it to me because it took a lot of time to clean off his equipment between jobs.
• It was construction, and I hope you... ...between jobs.
• And we do our best job, and it's noticeable.
• And then when you get to the next job site, because oftentimes you'll go to two or three different jobs

Summary: The committee began with a work session on transportation planning for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Western Washington. April Putney of the Seattle FIFA World Cup 26 Local Organizing Committee described the event as a statewide, 39-day tournament with six Seattle group-stage matches, additional possible matches, fan zones across the state, and major transportation impacts centered in the Seattle area, including street closures, increased I-5 traffic, and heavy use of transit, shuttles, ferries, and active transportation. She said the goal is safe, seamless mobility with 80% of stadium attendees arriving by non-personal vehicle, and noted coordination with federal agencies on border crossings and security. WSDOT’s Travis Phelps outlined roughly $25.65 million in World Cup-related funding for tunnel maintenance, traffic operations, signage and digital messaging, public transit support, ferries, and related staffing and training, emphasizing use of existing staff, overtime, and current fleets rather than new hires or vehicles. Senators asked about border staffing and ferry capacity, and WSDOT said it would follow up on ferry staffing concerns. The committee then held public hearings on several bills. SB 5839 would remove the “passenger only” limitation for county ferry districts, allowing them to support vehicle ferries; supporters from Whatcom County and the Association of Counties said the change would help aging ferry systems, improve funding flexibility, and support essential island access, while some testimony was opposed. SB 6032 would amend the secure-your-load law to allow vehicles with mud, rocks, or debris on them to be covered instead of cleaned before being towed on paved highways; the sponsor and industry witnesses said it would save time and water for construction equipment operators, and the hearing closed with strong support and little opposition. SB 5824 would clarify how fifth-wheel travel trailers are measured, allowing up to 46 feet measured from the kingpin to the rear of the trailer; RV industry, dealer, and business groups supported it as a safety-neutral clarification that would align Washington with other states and improve competitiveness, and the hearing closed with overwhelming support. Finally, SB 5864 would create an online motor vehicle insurance verification system at the Department of Licensing, require insurers to provide policy data, and use the system at registration renewal beginning in 2029 after a pilot period. The sponsor and supporters from insurers and law enforcement said the bill would reduce uninsured driving, improve roadside verification, and lower costs shifted to insured drivers, while county auditors and vehicle subagents supported the policy but warned that implementation must be technically reliable and adequately funded so renewals are not slowed. The public hearing closed with substantial support and some operational concerns raised, and the committee adjourned after the final hearing.