Transcript Highlights:

• , cancer, and other tobacco-related diseases.
• The strong return on investment demonstrates that tobacco prevention is one of the diseases.
• The ESIP program provides an array of services such as developmental services, occupational and physical
• The ESIP program provides an array of services such as developmental services, occupational and physical
• Over the next three years, she received weekly feeding and occupational therapies.

Bills: HB2675 , HB2681 , HB2714 , HB2688 , HB2481 , HB2116 , HB1408

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: accounts, finance, business regulation, transparency, audits, cannabis, license fees, regulatory framework, revenue generation, legalization, HB 2714, caseload forecasting, food assistance, SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, state food assistance, budget forecasting, caseload forecast council, caseload forecast supervisor, Washington State

Transcript Highlights:

• relating to the Texas Agricultural Cultural finance authority and to a study and report on plant disease
• Or retail transactions requiring an occupation registration authorizing fees and providing a civil ministry
• the subcommittee on County and regional government SB 1080 by West really in the revocation and occupational
• license for a certain like Since holders and issuance of a provisional occupations license to certain
• certain military service members, military veterans, and military spouses to engage in business or occupation

Bills: HB14 , HJR31 , HB43 , HB18 , HB 106 , HB36 , HB26 , HB149 , HB 121 , HB206 , HB136 , HB3114 , HB2733 , HB1732 , HB3700 , HB467 , HB 1130 , HB1846 , HB1442 , HB 1147 , HB2176 , HB2701 , HB805 , HB2890 , HB 1154 , HB1644 , HB2118 , HB1718 , HB2488 , HB2596 , HB1971 , HB2468 , HB484 , HB2578 , HB3204 , HB 1041 , HB307 , HB685 , HB1710 , HB538 , HB2525 , HB3125 , HB2027 , HB2894 , HB3077 , HB3684 , HJR99 , HB1399 , HJR5 , HB1330 , HB2110 , HJR2 , HJR6 , HB1587 , HB14 , HJR31 , HB43 , HB18 , HB 106 , HB36 , HB26 , HB149 , HB 121 , HB206 , HB136 , HB3114 , HB2733 , HB1732 , HB3700 , HB467 , HB 1130 , HB1846 , HB1442 , HB 1147 , HB2176 , HB2701 , HB805 , HB2890 , HB 1154 , HB1644 , HB2118 , HB1718 , HB2488 , HB2596 , HB1971 , HB2468 , HB484 , HB2578 , HB3204 , HB 1041 , HB307 , HB685 , HB1710 , HB538 , HB2525 , HB3125 , HB2027 , HB2894 , HB3077 , HB3684

Keywords: nuclear energy, advanced reactors, energy security, grant programs, Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office, farm products, tax exemption, ad valorem taxation, agriculture, Texas Constitution, livestock, producer, finance, young farmers, financial assistance, pest control, rural health, hospital funding, healthcare access, mental health services

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> And the fourth one is regulation of various occupations, House Bill 82.
• He said, "No, it's congenital heart disease day, which is in statute for February 14th, and nobody ever
• He said, "No, it's congenital heart disease day, which is in statute for February 14th, and nobody ever
• He said, "No, it's congenital heart disease day, which is in statute for February 14th, and nobody ever
• day, which is in statute heart disease day, which is in statute for<00:32:16.720><c> February</c><00

Summary: The committee first took up several Senate messages on House bills. It recommended non-concurrence and a committee conference on HB 428 after Representative Pearson raised a constitutional concern about a retroactive provision in the building code bill. It also recommended non-concurrence on HB 156, which had been rewritten by the Senate to create a permanent subcommittee related to food/procurement; members said they did not want to create a permanent subcommittee and preferred to let the issue return next year if needed. On HB 85, concerning temporary student licenses for respiratory therapists, the committee concurred with a Senate rewrite that added restrictions but preserved the bill’s main purpose. On HB 82, a cleanup bill for occupational licensing, the committee concurred with a Senate amendment explicitly allowing the electricians board to create subcommittees, with members noting they did not think the authority was necessary but that it would not do harm. The committee then considered SB 178 on laboratory water testing. Representative Leyon offered amendment 2025-1743H to clarify how fees would be deposited and to direct a portion of certain fees and grants into a non-lapsing lab equipment and replacement fund rather than the general fund. Members said the amendment made the bill’s fiscal flow easier to understand. The amendment passed unanimously, and the committee then voted ought to pass as amended on SB 178, also unanimously, and placed it on consent. For SB 180, dealing with Coos County distressed-area designation, the committee adopted amendment 1748H to remove a provision requiring commissioners to give extra consideration to Coos County and to add a 20-year sunset on the designation. The amendment passed 14-2, and the committee then voted ought to pass as amended 15-1; Representative Schmidt said he would file a minority report because he viewed the provision as unenforceable rather than objectionable. The committee also voted to retain SB 185, which concerned OPLC-related issues, so the agency could continue working on a policy and report back later; that motion passed 16-0. Finally, the committee voted inexpedient to legislate on SB 198, establishing New Hampshire Service Dog Week, after debate over whether the recognition should be statutory or left to a gubernatorial proclamation. Supporters argued the bill would raise awareness and help promote service dogs, while opponents said the effort could continue without a statute and that special-day statutes often lose attention once enacted. The committee also voted inexpedient to legislate on SB 182 after extensive discussion of proposed changes to the maternal mortality review process. Opponents argued the bill would broaden access to personally identifiable information, change panel structure, and affect data comparability; supporters said it was a housekeeping update requested by DHS that would add DCYF and Corrections and improve review of maternal deaths. The ITL motion passed 10-6, and Representative Long said he would file a minority report and explain the committee’s reasoning to the bill’s sponsor.

Bills: SB206 , SB640 , SB667 , SB1344 , SB1380 , SB1423 , SB1425 , SB1436 , SB1484 , SB1500 , SB1502 , SB1503 , SB1557 , SB1562 , SB1572 , SB1644 , SB1645 , SB1794 , SB1796 , SB1806 , SB1849 , SB1984 , SB2007 , SB2074

Committee: House Health and Human Services Oversight

Keywords: SB206, emergency medical services, EMS, ambulance, 911 response, emergency response, essential services, federal funding, grant funding, public health, health care facility, municipality, county, ambulance service district, tribal entity, public entity, contract ambulance service, Oklahoma, 63 O.S. 2021 Section 1-2502, emergency clause

Transcript Highlights:

• already have strong governance, affordability protections, and accountability built into their bylaws, occupancy
• Quick follow-up: Is that standard, or are other LECs of different sorts than a single-family occupant
• This education focuses on medication, diseases, and assessments of patients.

Bills: HB2453 , HB2590 , HB2445 , HB2386 , HB2585

Committee: House Civil Rights & Judiciary

Keywords: psychiatric pharmacists, mental health, pharmacy regulations, healthcare, pharmacological treatments, limited equity cooperatives, common interest ownership, housing, exemption, community ownership, probate, estate administration, inheritance, heir finder, heir locator, beneficiary interest, transfer of inheritance rights, probate for profit, personal representative, executor

Transcript Highlights:

• Last year, the VA's inspector general released a report on several occupational staffing shortages within
• in the 18 to 39 range for different reasons than we see it in the older populations where chronic disease
• Occupations are the ones where we have significant vacancies across the VA.

Committee: Senate Senate Veterans' Affairs

Keywords: veterans, mental health, suicide prevention, Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Grant Program, HOPE Act, BRAVE Act, Every State Counts for Vets Mental Health Act, advocacy, legislation, mental health resources

Summary: The committee meeting focused primarily on the critical issues surrounding veterans' mental health and suicide prevention. Discussions centered on the reauthorization of essential programs aimed at providing non-clinical support services to veterans, particularly the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. Senators emphasized the urgent need for adequate mental health resources as the suicide rate among veterans remains alarmingly high. Key testimonies were provided by various advocates and officials, illustrating both successful implementations of these programs and areas needing improvement.

Transcript Highlights:

• These are things that aid in diagnosis and treatment, risk stratification of patients, disease pattern
• And while it's great that Americans are living longer, they're also accumulating chronic diseases as
• You get it right, you can have a bot that can cure everybody's diseases every day.
• Together, government and universities have won wars, created industries, cured diseases, and health AI
• workforce, one thing I think it's important to note, I can't speak to kind of other professions or occupations

Summary: The joint informational hearing by the Assembly Health and Privacy Committees focused on generative AI in health care, with opening remarks emphasizing both the promise of improved care and the risks around privacy, bias, workforce impacts, reimbursement, and liability. Members and witnesses repeatedly stressed that AI should augment clinicians rather than replace them, and that California has a role in shaping responsible adoption. The first panel featured health systems and developers describing current uses such as ambient scribes for physicians and nurses, imaging triage, maternal-fetal risk prediction, and administrative automation. Speakers from Cedars-Sinai, Kaiser Permanente, Penguin AI, and Google highlighted efficiency gains, reduced clinician burnout, faster treatment, and some reported patient-safety benefits, while also noting the need for human review, governance, and ongoing monitoring. Committee members pressed the panel on bias, especially for multilingual patients, women of color, and Medi-Cal populations, and on whether predictive tools could worsen disparities or drive unnecessary interventions such as C-sections. Witnesses said tools must be tested in real-world settings, with humans in the loop and outcomes tracked by demographic group. They also discussed the legal landscape, with concerns that liability may fall more on hospitals and physicians than on developers, and that clearer rules may be needed for clinical, clinical-adjacent, and administrative uses. Several speakers argued that administrative uses like prior authorization and coding are lower-risk and ripe for automation, while clinical applications require much stronger safeguards. The second panel shifted to broader policy and equity issues. The California Health Care Foundation described early AI adoption in the safety net, including a Los Angeles County homelessness-risk model and AI tools supporting community health workers, and said safety-net providers want guidance on privacy, liability, safety, bias, and workforce impacts. Dr. Ziad Obermeyer described research showing racial bias in widely used risk algorithms and argued for accountability, access to data under strong protections, public-sector leadership, and partnerships to steer AI toward better outcomes. Dr. Michelle Mello said most organizations lack strong governance, that monitoring is difficult and costly, and that states could require AI governance structures as a condition of licensure. The discussion closed with calls for clearer standards, better data access for evaluation, and policy approaches that protect patients while allowing beneficial AI to spread beyond large health systems.

Transcript Highlights:

• loved ones faces an acute medical crisis, whether it be in the form of a cancer diagnosis, heart disease
• , a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, or other life-changing or life-threatening diseases, we are often faced
• So currently, 71.9% of health care occupations in Clark County, 60.7% of health care occupations in Washoe
• County, and 82% of health care occupations in Nevada's rural counties are below the national average
• capita rates in Nevada are below the national average, including radiation oncology, cardiovascular disease

Bills: AB568 , SB90 , SB133 , SB147 , SB229 , SB233 , SB240 , SB245 , SB280 , SB378 , SB393 , SB417 , SB434 , SB494 , SB495

Committee: Assembly Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• And that's then you have all the other infectious disease. and other chronic diseases that we talk about
• to start off actually with a word of appreciation for your work in particular. on the issue of occupational
• and horrified. if I'm honest, to learn that not only does Texas have some of the most onerous occupational
• As in, every single other state has fewer occupational licensure requirements than the state of Texas
• hope that my colleagues in the legislature finally see fit to get rid of those absurdly stupid occupations

Committee: House Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:09:26.800><c> prevention,</c> shift our culture to disease prevention, shift our culture to disease
• If caught in the later stages of disease with metastasis, the 5-year survival rate drops to 8%.
• Sixty percent of the patients being diagnosed with early-stage disease compared to late-stage disease
• early stage disease compared to late<01:04:33.440><c> stage</c><01:04:33.680><c> disease.
• And that's been late stage disease.

Summary: The meeting opened with roll call, approval of the September 17 minutes, and an introduction of Sarah Rome to the committee. The chair also noted that the committee would stay on schedule and then moved to presentations. Representative Amy Neighbors and Taylor Williams of the Kentucky Pharmacists Association presented a refiled “pharmacy parity” proposal, formerly House Bill 3, to require Medicaid reimbursement for pharmacist clinical services already authorized under current scope of practice. They said the bill would not expand Medicaid or pharmacist scope, but would align Medicaid with commercial insurance, improve access and outcomes, and likely save money; they cited a Cabinet report under Senate Joint Resolution 26, which found similar laws in other states were producing savings or trending toward savings and would require only modest administrative updates. No member questions were raised after that presentation. The committee then heard an update on the Kentucky Colon Cancer Screening Program from Senator Stephen Meredith, Dr. Whitney Jones, Melissa Carrier, and Representative Neighbors. They described the program’s goals of increasing screening, reducing deaths through earlier detection, and preventing cancers by finding polyps, saying it has produced substantial savings and improved outcomes. Speakers emphasized Kentucky’s high colorectal cancer burden, especially in younger adults, and said the program helps uninsured and underinsured Kentuckians access stool-based screening and follow-up colonoscopies through a network of partners including the Department for Public Health, Kentucky Cancer Link, and university cancer programs. They requested an increase in funding from $500,000 to $1.25 million annually, or $2.5 million over the biennium, to expand services, fill geographic gaps, and support education and navigation. Members asked whether the colon cancer screening was already covered by Medicaid, and the presenters replied that Medicaid does cover it, but the program serves people who are not on Medicaid or who fall into a separate eligibility category based on income and insurance status. A member also clarified the requested funding increase. The committee then moved on to the next agenda item, an update from the Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky, where board member Sal Santoro and CHNK Behavioral Health leaders began a presentation describing the organization’s broader behavioral health work and its request, but the transcript cuts off before that presentation concludes or any action is taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• that initial form being a place where you could document, say, medical history, a history of rare diseases
• , things that might be significant, even if you were checking the box of... ...history of rare diseases
• So openness on that form. history of rare diseases, things that might be significant, even if you were
• Gonzalez: Violently detained these individuals in front of families and for no other reason than their occupation
• people that we care about — people that are being targeted simply because of their language, their occupation

Summary: The Senate took up a series of third-reading bills covering horse racing, local taxation, consumer financial security, elections, utilities, batteries, sexual health, body-worn cameras, property tax treatment for inherited homes, adoptee birth records, youth housing bonds, workers’ compensation, and civil rights. SB 795 on horse racing, SB 762 allowing Hercules to seek voter approval for a sales tax increase, SB 505 requiring two-factor authentication for money transmitter platforms, SB 46 barring California ballot access for presidential candidates who have already served two terms, SB 73 restricting federal access to voting machines without a court order, SB 327 on utility oversight and ratepayer protections, SB 501 expanding battery producer responsibility, SB 608 on school contraceptive access, SB 691 on EMS-related redaction of body-worn camera footage, SB 288 clarifying Proposition 19 timing for inherited homes in probate, SB 381 giving adoptees access to original birth certificates, SB 492 creating a youth housing bond, SB 555 increasing permanently partially disabled workers’ benefits, and SB 747 creating a civil cause of action for constitutional violations by federal officers were all debated and advanced. Most measures passed on roll call, with SB 505 and SB 288 approved by unanimous roll call, and SB 73 carrying an urgency clause that also passed unanimously. Debate on SB 747 was the most extensive and contentious. Supporters argued the bill was needed to hold federal officers accountable for alleged constitutional violations, especially in immigration enforcement, and described it as a civil-rights remedy for people harmed by federal agents. Opponents said existing federal and state remedies already cover such conduct, warned the bill was politically motivated, and argued it could increase litigation and strain law enforcement resources. The bill nevertheless passed on a 30-10 vote, with the urgency clause also approved. SB 492 on youth housing also drew debate over state bonding and debt, with supporters emphasizing early intervention for homeless and foster youth and opponents arguing the state should avoid borrowing and instead fund projects through the budget; it passed 30-9 on both urgency and the measure. Other bills also drew focused testimony. SB 555 was presented as a long-overdue cost-of-living adjustment for permanently partially disabled workers’ benefits, and SB 381 was supported as a way to give adopted adults access to their original birth certificates for identity and medical-history reasons. SB 691 was framed as a privacy measure for patients receiving medical or psychological treatment, while SB 501 was described as closing a gap in California’s battery recycling and safety rules by adding medium-format batteries used in e-bikes and portable power systems. SB 762 was presented as a local option for Hercules to address revenue shortfalls, and SB 46 and SB 73 both centered on election integrity and constitutional questions, with members split over federal-state authority and ballot access.

Transcript Highlights:

• requirements needed to get a soldier fit so they can return to duty and continue their military occupational
• said the program helps get a soldier fit so they can return to duty and continue their military occupational
• there's a lot of veterans there who have the opportunity for an increase or to be recognized for diseases
• there's a lot of veterans there who have the opportunity for an increase or to be recognized for diseases
• there's a lot of veterans there who have the opportunity for an increase or to be recognized for diseases

Committee: House Veterans and Military Affairs Division

Transcript Highlights:

• pace, allowing us to add more rare diseases to our newborn screening panel, and these new diseases are
• new diseases are going to be complex<00:31:25.039><c> medical</c><00:31:25.679><c> diseases</c> complex
• medical diseases complex medical diseases um<00:31:29.159><c> researchers</c><00:31:29.799><c> right
• the criteria a disease must meet the Minnesota<00:32:20.279><c> rare</c><00:32:20.480><c> disease</c>
• </c> have Celiac in our home celiac disease have Celiac in our home celiac disease is<01:10:01.840><c

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• They'll contract other diseases because of dirty syringes. So, it's a rock and a hard place.
• They'll<01:11:55.480><c> contract</c><01:11:56.560><c> other</c><01:11:56.800><c> diseases</c><01:11:
• 57.480><c> because</c> They'll contract other diseases because They'll contract other diseases because
• who are you are part of Vermont disease who are you are part of the<01:38:19.120><c> program.
• regulated by the Office and occupations regulated by the Office of<01:45:54.840><c> Professional</c>

Transcript Highlights:

• The student enrollment and occupant load cannot be more stringent for a traditional school than it is
• For pediatric rare diseases. [Missing speaker] explains the bill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
• There are as many as 10,000 known rare diseases that affect 30 million people nationally.
• Eighty percent of these diseases are genetic in nature.
• In 2019, the economic burden for rare diseases was $1 trillion nationally.

Bills: SB 2 , HB 2 , HB 2000 , HB 2196 , HB 213 , HB 222 , HB 645 , HB 1458 , HB 1022 , HB 141 , HB 502 , HB 643 , HB 3093 , HB 1700 , HB 117 , SB 503 , SB 2 , HB 120 , HB 20 , HB 150 , HB 6 , HB 100 , HB 210 , HB 215 , HB 1393 , HB 1151 , HB 1268 , HB 142 , HB 451 , HB 124 , HB 2 , HB 2000 , HB 2196 , HB 213 , HB 222 , HB 645 , HB 1458 , HB 1022 , HB 141 , HB 502 , HB 643 , HB 3093 , HB 1700 , HB 117

Transcript Highlights:

• So it will be available for any subsequent property owner or occupants to see whether or not it was a
• This amendment would simply require that prospective owners or occupants on property that was a former
• Thank you, Mr. tenant or occupant of the land.
• Members, what if no one had ever gathered systematic data on cancer or heart disease or infectious disease
• Representative Joseph: ...under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, better known as OSHA

Summary: The House opened with prayer, a moment of silence for fallen Oviedo Officer Jimmy Serrano-Torres, the Pledge of Allegiance, and recognition of Chief Joseph Tuminelli as law enforcement officer of the day. The Rules and Ethics Committee report setting the special order calendar was adopted, and the Speaker announced schedule changes for the following week, including canceling the floor session on Monday and starting Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. The main floor action centered on CS/HB 7033, the House tax package. Sponsor Rep. Duggan described broad tax changes, including reducing the state sales tax rate from 6% to 5.25%, exempting certain bullion sales, repealing the aviation fuel tax, delaying the natural gas fuel tax, changing corporate income tax treatment for charitable trusts, reducing the pari-mutuel tax on card rooms, and major changes to tourist development tax (TDT) use. The bill would redirect most TDT revenue toward property tax relief, dissolve tourist development councils, and include related property tax and local tax administration changes. Several amendments were debated: a Driscoll amendment to preserve local TDT flexibility failed; Duggan’s amendment giving local governments 25% discretion over TDT revenues was adopted; Eskamani’s combined-reporting amendment failed; and a Duggan amendment requiring audit certification of compliance with the TDT/property tax relief provisions was adopted. After debate, CS/HB 7033 passed 78-29. The House then took up CS/CS/HB 1221 on local option taxes, which was presented as a companion-style measure to give local governments more flexibility while redirecting TDT revenues toward property tax relief. Supporters argued the bill would provide immediate relief to property owners and restore accountability in local tax use, while opponents warned it would undermine tourism funding, infrastructure, and local services. An amendment allowing local governments to retain 25% of TDT revenues for general purposes was adopted, and the bill passed 62-45 after floor debate. The final item shown was the reading of CS/CS/HJR 1257, a proposed constitutional amendment related to property tax exemptions and assessment limits, but the transcript cuts off before debate or action on that measure.

Transcript Highlights:

• 1179, school home group home monitoring; SB 1214, stem cells birth tissue; SB 1215, firefighters occupation
• disease; SB 1239, sex offender statute of; SB 1240, probation success; SB 1244, court order; SB 1246
• better adherence and early treatment means fewer expensive hospitalizations, ER visits, and chronic disease

Summary: The House opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the prior journal, and several guest introductions and proclamations, including a proclamation designating March 10 as Cade’s Day in honor of Cade Keller and suicide prevention efforts. Members also welcomed guests from schools, cities, and medical and advocacy groups, and the clerk announced committee assignments and bill referrals. The chamber then moved through committee-of-the-whole action on several bills. HB 2946 and HB 4018 were amended and given do pass recommendations. In a later committee-of-the-whole, HB 2083, HB 2308, HB 2388, and HB 2389 were considered; HB 2083, HB 2308, and HB 2388 received do pass recommendations as amended, while HB 2389 drew debate over environmental review for power plants, with supporters arguing it would lower energy costs and opponents saying it weakened oversight. The House also retained HB 4030 and HCR 2052 on the calendar. The House then took up third-reading votes on a long list of measures. Bills that passed included HB 2047 on forcible entry and detainer, HB 2127 on special license plates, HB 2344 on the local government investment pool, HB 2371 on dissolution of marriage, HB 2140 and HB 2620 on financial institutions and veterans services, HB 2429 on short-term rentals, HB 2434 on the prescription monitoring program, HB 2437 on emergency medical services, HB 2444 on pharmacy-based testing and treatment, HB 2573 on DUI-related psychotherapy treatment, HB 2601 on state highways and routes, HB 2781 on solar energy power plants, HB 2914 on cameras in long-term care rooms, HB 2968 on evidence in child custody proceedings, HB 4043 on public schools, HB 4064 on municipal improvement districts, HB 4130 on local government budgets, and HCM 2016 renaming a stretch of U.S. Route 191 as Chief Barbonsito Highway. HB 2726 on sleep apnea treatment failed, and HB 2123 failed on reconsideration after a close vote. Several votes featured debate over housing, energy, veterans’ services, pharmacy scope, family-court evidence rules, and the balance between local control and state oversight. The session ended with committee announcements for the following week, personal privilege remarks, and a motion to adjourn until 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, which was adopted.

Transcript Highlights:

• exemption; 1179 school home group home monitoring; 1214 stem cells birth tissue; 1215 firefighters occupation
• disease; 1239 sex offender statute of... ...1246 homeowners; 1248 juvenile detention; 1270 correctional
• better adherence and early treatment means fewer expensive hospitalizations, ER visits, and chronic disease

Transcript Highlights:

• these kids in the... ...times I must treat these kids in the hospitals due to the severity of the disease
• Over 150 members in Alabama whose primary occupation is to provide expert benefits insurance advice and

Committee: Senate Banking and Insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• These diseases are cruel.
• These diseases are cruel.
• ..Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, and most recently the National Institute for Occupational
• So for that reason, one critical strategy to closing the wage gap, since occupational segregation is
• equally for the same or substantially similar work, but also trying to combat these issues of occupational

Committee: House Judiciary

Summary: The committee heard several bills, beginning with SB 29, which would extend a sunset on California’s survival-action pain and suffering remedy and require additional reporting on settlements and cases. Senator Laird and supporters, including a family member describing a medical malpractice death and labor/building trades representatives, argued the bill protects victims whose claims would otherwise die with them and that there has been no demonstrated increase in malpractice rates. Opponents from the health care, hospital, and business sectors said the measure would increase costs, create a third category of damages, and could harm access to care, especially for clinics and rural providers. After extensive discussion about the sunset and data collection, the committee passed SB 29 to Appropriations on a divided vote. The committee then approved SB 294, which requires employers to notify workers about rights if they are arrested or detained and directs the Labor Commissioner to create an annual notice template. Supporters said the bill is needed because workers often do not know their rights amid weakened federal enforcement and workplace intimidation; there was no opposition on file after amendments removed prior concerns. SB 697, which updates stream adjudication procedures to allow the State Water Board to use modern technology instead of requiring in-person field investigations, also passed without opposition after stakeholders worked out concerns. Later, the committee took up SB 37 on attorney advertising, which would strengthen rules against misleading ads and allow consumer lawsuits. Consumer attorneys and supporters said the State Bar’s current enforcement is too weak, while joint-advertising businesses said they support the goal but want amendments to protect their model. The bill passed to Appropriations as negotiations continue. SB 645, dealing with peremptory challenges in civil cases and extending anti-bias procedures to certain discrimination-related matters, also advanced after supporters described it as a compromise and opponents said they were still working toward agreement. SB 303, narrowing protections for bias-mitigation trainings so good-faith admissions in those trainings are not treated as FEHA discrimination, passed after several groups moved to neutral. SB 464, requiring specified state workers to be included in annual pay-data reporting to better track racial pay gaps and promotion disparities, was presented as a reparations-related transparency measure and was heard with support from civil rights advocates.