Transcript Highlights:

• To put it plainly, the bill consolidates the authority, personnel, and oversight of the KentuckyWired
• All KCNA responsibilities, including maintenance, oversight, network management, contract compliance,
• ,</c><00:17:28.720><c> network</c> maintenance, oversight, network maintenance, oversight, network management
• I encourage you, if you care about education, you come and listen to the budget. Thank you.
• Members take note to budget. Thank you.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> only get to vote on the whole budget. only get to vote on the whole budget.
• It'll be part of both the default budget and the regular budget in following years.
• It'll be part of both the default budget and the regular budget in following years.
• </c> have a budget committee in that case. have a budget committee in that case.
• Christina. budget. It just it just the existing budget.

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Perpetrators walk away... ...turn to our communities without oversight.
• Again, all you have to do is meet with victims... ...oversight.
• We need stronger oversight. We need stronger accountability. I urge an aye vote on SB 995.
• Under committee announcements for all the budget subcommittees, Senator Pérez.
• For all the budget subcommittees, Senator Pérez: Budget Subcommittee 1 will be meeting in Room 2100.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, offered prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then moved through motions, appointments, and third-reading bills. Senator McNerney moved SB 1011 to the inactive file. The chamber confirmed Preston Prince to the California Housing Finance Agency Board and Stephanie Landrugin to the State Mining and Geology Board, both by recorded vote. The Senate also adopted a large consent calendar and later announced budget subcommittee meetings before adjourning House of Origin work for the year. Several policy bills passed unanimously or with broad support. SB 1050 by Senator Ashby requires disclosure when advertisements use synthetic performers created by AI. SB 1393 by Senator McGuire updates fisheries management, including Dungeness crab rules and steelhead trout provisions. SB 995 by Senator Pérez creates stronger oversight for involuntary residential facilities, including immigration detention and secure youth treatment facilities. SB 1025 by Senator Hurtado establishes an Office of Food Security and Affordability to improve coordination of food assistance programs. SB 1266 by Senator Stern changes how copper wire theft damages are valued, SB 1211 by Senator González clarifies authority for conviction integrity units, and SB 1302 by Senator Wahab reauthorizes the Board of Registered Nursing. The most debated measure was SB 1373 by Senator Grove, which would narrow mental health diversion eligibility and exclude certain serious offenses, especially crimes against children and other violent conduct. Supporters, including Senator Rubio and the Senate Public Safety chair, argued it preserves treatment access while restoring public safety guardrails; the bill passed 32-0. SB 1181 by Senator Hurtado, aimed at youth safety and coordination on threats such as trafficking and online exploitation, drew discussion over the removal of fusion centers from the bill; several senators supported the amended approach while others wanted more detail, and it passed 33-0. The Senate concluded by noting it had dispensed with 341 bills during the month and announced the next floor session for June 1.

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on State Administration.
• We want to welcome our new member to this budget subcommittee, which would be Assembly Member Jessica
• Just wanted to thank you for your leadership and thank you again to the staff on your budgets for all
• That includes the proposed budget year allocation.
• Last year, as part of the budget deliberations, our office recommended a series of heightened oversight

Transcript Highlights:

• Roaso with Cornerstone, who worked on our budget.
• But anyway, I'm going to let y'all go on with your budget. This is a relatively small budget.
• And hopefully the shutdown won't budget.
• Um, so is there anything else that oversight to now very aggressive oversight to now very aggressive
• And uh and I was so proud I oversight.

Committee: Joint Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• So, when we're talking about the budgets, we're not talking about the whole agency budget.
• So let's get into the agency's budget request.
• You've got your prior year operating budget, which is your FY 26 budget at $1.3 billion.
• , but this isn't increasing their budget.
• You know, it's something that we're meeting with agencies on budgets right now, discussing their budget

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Everyone throughout the departments that has a title of program budget analyst—without which this budget
• </c><00:56:31.520><c> is</c> federal federal level um this budget is federal federal level um this budget
• Moving on to Budget and Finance.
• CIP budget includes about $1.9 billion CIP budget includes about $1.9 billion in<01:38:55.920><c> general
• </c> as a CIP budget for the CIP budget as a CIP budget for the CIP budget please<01:39:30.960><c> note

Committee: House Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill is not a bill that weakens oversight. It is a bill that insists on smarter oversight.
• This bill is not a bill that weakens oversight. It is a bill that insists on smarter oversight.
• It is a bill that weakens oversight.
• Right now, insists on smarter oversight.
• <00:21:25.440><c> growing</c> budget growing budget growing and<00:21:27.080><c> again,</c><00:21:27.640

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the Deputy Budget Director of the State Budget Division at DFA.
• State-level budget controls are intertwined with budget oversight, monitoring, and maintenance by central
• oversight entities.
• You also may wish to strengthen DFA's Financial Control and Budget Divisions and their oversight regarding
• I told him that I'm trying to budget and lay out a sound budget.

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• of limited our budget, I don't see how we can.
• I can speak to our program budget.
• We operate on a $1.2 million budget per year. $1.2 million budget? Yes.
• I can speak to our program budget.
• So we operate on a $1.2 million budget per year. 1.2 million dollar budget? Yes.

Bills: SB1095 , SB1114 , SB1116 , SB1162 , SB1164 , SB1178 , SB1179 , SB1249 , SB1253 , SB1346 , SB1347 , SB1446 , SB1561 , SB1813

Committees: House Health & Human Services , House House Health & Human Services Committee of Reference

Keywords: gender transition, minors, irreversible surgery, health professionals, puberty-blocking drugs, medical procedures, prohibition, Arizona Revised Statutes, behavioral health, patient brokering, appropriation, state funds, Maricopa County, claims review, medical necessity, American Indian health program, healthcare regulations, healthcare compliance, behavioral health technicians, licensing

Transcript Highlights:

• Many jurisdictions have pursued a variety of strategies to address budget constraints, including holding
• But despite these belt-tightening measures, our structural budget deficit remains.
• But despite these belt-tightening measures, our structural budget deficit remains.
• And do you have any idea what number is coming out of the county and sheriff budget?
• So they are not under the oversight of any law enforcement agency.

Summary: The Assembly Local Government Committee heard a long agenda of local government, housing, transportation, and public safety bills. Early items included SB 762, which would give certain local governments a voter-approved path to seek additional local sales tax authority to address fiscal pressures; SB 1400, which would modernize Alameda Health System governance and give Alameda County more flexibility and oversight; and SB 1408, which would authorize Contra Costa County to place a renewal of its transportation sales tax on the ballot. Supporters for those bills included local officials, county representatives, labor groups, fire and police organizations, and transit advocates, while no organized opposition was presented on those measures in committee. The committee also heard SB 1272, which would give homeowners more time to correct certain inherited code violations and allow an affidavit process for buyers who did not know about the violation at purchase. The bill drew support from the California Apartment Association and opposition from code enforcement and county groups, who argued it would reduce local enforcement discretion and create health and safety risks. After questions about disclosure and enforcement, the committee approved SB 1272 as amended and re-referred it to Appropriations. SB 1055, dealing with procurement flexibility for Pajaro flood control and levee repairs, also passed as amended and was sent to Appropriations. Later, the committee approved SB 1379, which would separate the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner and create an independent medical examiner system. The author and supporters argued the change was needed for transparency and independence in in-custody death investigations, while opponents raised labor, cost, and governance concerns; some opposition was softened after the author agreed to employee-protection amendments. The committee also passed SB 1172, limiting consultant compensation and adding transparency rules for local tax-sharing agreements, and several housing bills from Senator Grayson: SB 1003 on pro-housing infrastructure financing districts, SB 1014 on early disclosure of infrastructure requirements for housing projects, and SB 1169 on extending tentative vesting map validity. The committee took votes on consent items and later add-ons, with most measures passing on bipartisan or unanimous votes and several being re-referred to Appropriations or Housing and Community Development as appropriate.

Transcript Highlights:

• Many jurisdictions have pursued a variety of strategies to address budget constraints, including holding
• But despite these belt-tightening measures, our structural budget deficit remains.
• We're really struggling with climate change, sea level rise, and we've been cutting our budget for years
• And do you have any idea what number is coming out of the county and sheriff budget?
• So they are not under the oversight of any law enforcement agency.

Committee: House Local Government

Transcript Highlights:

• We run a balanced budget. We have billions of dollars in reserves.
• Obviously, the executive branch does a lot of oversight and how spending is done, but what we're trying
• to do... ...does a lot of oversight and how spending is done.
• You know, we all have a seat at the table in terms of creating a budget and formulating the operation
• some projects that are being implemented, better oversight over the money management there, better oversight

Summary: The Government Operations Subcommittee heard several measures focused on government structure, oversight, and public policy designations. The most debated bill was HJR 1325, which proposed a constitutional amendment to create a statewide Commissioner of Government Efficiency, abolish the lieutenant governor office and the Government Efficiency Task Force, and eliminate the constitutional requirement for an Auditor General appointment. Sponsors said the new commissioner would be a watchdog over waste, fraud, and abuse across state and local government, while opponents raised concerns about cost, single-subject issues, lack of implementation details, and whether existing oversight structures were sufficient. After extensive debate, the resolution was reported favorably by a recorded vote. The committee also approved HB 575, which redesignates the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America in Florida statute, and HB 1445, which requires certain state officials and agency heads to have stronger ties to Florida and, for some positions, to live in the county where their agency headquarters is located. HB 1445 drew questions about practicality and whether a proximity standard would be better than a strict county requirement, but the sponsor said he would continue working on that issue. Both bills were reported favorably, with HB 1445 passing unanimously. In addition, the committee unanimously approved HB 259, designating August 21 as Fentanyl Awareness and Education Day, with supporters emphasizing the need for public education about fentanyl overdoses. The committee also passed CS/HB 29, the public records and meetings bill linked to the social work licensure compact, which creates confidentiality and meeting exemptions needed for the compact to operate. Public testimony on that measure was supportive, and it too was reported favorably without opposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• with Budget Subcommittee No. 3.
• the budget?”
• So the way the budget is working is that the budget of the Maritime Academy...
• And that's what this oversight hearing is about and what the budget hearings will be about in this...
• ...oversight hearing is about and what the budget hearings will be about in this late winter and springtime

Summary: The joint Assembly Higher Education and Budget Subcommittee hearing focused on the California State University system’s enrollment trends, fiscal pressures, and how state funding should be allocated across campuses. Chairs and members emphasized CSU’s importance to California’s workforce and economy, but also raised concerns about declining enrollment at some campuses, unmet enrollment targets, and whether funding is aligned with student demand. The hearing was framed as preparation for the 2026 budget, with particular attention to campuses such as Humboldt, Sonoma, San Francisco, Channel Islands, and others that have received significant state support or are below target enrollment. In the first panel, CSU Academic Senate Chair Dr. Elizabeth Boyd urged the Legislature to protect academic freedom, strengthen faculty governance, provide stable ongoing funding, end unfunded mandates, support student food and housing security, expand flexible scheduling, improve transfer systems, and maintain regional access rather than over-centralizing programs. Cal State Student Association Vice President Katie Karam said students are feeling the effects of budget shortfalls through fewer course sections, reduced advising and services, longer time to degree, and rising tuition, and she called for transparency, meaningful student involvement in budget decisions, and sustained state investment rather than one-time fixes. In the enrollment panel, CSU Chancellor’s Office and campus administrators described a systemwide strategic enrollment plan under CSU Forward, with efforts to expand access, improve recruitment, and better align programs with workforce needs. Dr. Delcy Perez said systemwide resident enrollment and applications are up, and highlighted direct admissions and outreach partnerships. Campus representatives from Chico State, Cal State L.A., and San Diego State described local recruitment, transfer partnerships, and retention strategies. Members pressed CSU officials on discrepancies between reported enrollment growth and public data, the per-student funding formula, and the use of reserves and reallocation to shift money from lower-enrollment campuses to high-demand campuses. CSU officials said they are reviewing all campuses’ fiscal health, developing turnaround plans, and expect to provide reports to the Legislature in the spring, while also acknowledging the need for longer-term changes to enrollment management and academic program alignment.

Transcript Highlights:

• I want to welcome all of you to the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Accountability and Oversight.
• Prison closure, decarceration, and budget oversight are all choices, ones that California has made, and
• I'm here today to urge this committee Prison closure, decarceration, and budget oversight are all choices
• General Fund budget.
• The budget appropriate budget committee in last year's process.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Accountability and Oversight held a hearing on the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) budget, with a focus on prison population trends, spending, facility closures, and efforts to find savings. The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) presented data showing the prison and parole populations have fallen sharply over the past 20 years while CDCR spending has remained high, driven largely by security, health care, litigation-related requirements, and aging infrastructure. The LAO also said the state is likely to have several thousand empty beds by 2030 and recommended closing another prison, identifying the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad as the strongest candidate, while also urging more transparency around facility deactivations and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) efficiency contract. CDCR Secretary Jeff McCumber said the department faces structural budget pressures from retirement payouts, workers’ compensation, overtime, medical transport, aging facilities, and violence in prisons, but emphasized declining recidivism, expanding reentry beds, and the need for more single-celling and rehabilitation. Department of Finance representative Anthony Franzoa said the administration is not proposing another prison closure at this time, opposed new reporting requirements on deactivations, and said the BCG contract is intended to produce long-term savings even if near-term estimates are being revised downward. Amber Rose Howard of California United for Responsible Budget argued the state should close more prisons, redirect funds to community services, and stop spending on excess prison capacity. Members questioned why CDCR still relies on vacancy savings, why rehabilitation is only a small share of the budget, and whether the department should be more transparent about capacity reductions and legal liabilities. Several members criticized the $20 million BCG contract and the lack of competitive bidding, while others pressed CDCR on staffing levels, single-celling, suicide prevention, and health care costs for older incarcerated people. The hearing did not take a formal vote, but it ended with clear committee concern about CDCR’s budget transparency, the pace of prison closures, and the need to align spending more closely with the declining prison population and the department’s stated rehabilitation mission.

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome, this is the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Human Services.
• Set of budget and policy proposals for the legislature to consider.
• . oversight will be important moving forward.
• And the first investment came in the budget in 2020.
• on time and within budget.

Transcript Highlights:

• In addition, in order to make the budget balance, the budget architecture does rely on $20 billion of
• There are options to choose a budget solution, a spending reduction elsewhere in the health budget, for
• EMSA requests $4.3 million General Fund in budget year and $4.4 million General Fund in budget year plus
• budget was a balanced budget.
• So it is correct to say that at the Governor's budget, the budget year was balanced.

Summary: The committee heard opening budget remarks from the Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst’s Office on the May Revision for Health and Human Services. Finance said the proposal significantly reduces projected out-year operating deficits through a mix of revenue increases and program cost reductions, while the LAO warned that even with booming revenues the state still faces a structural deficit and should prioritize reserves and avoid new ongoing commitments. The chair and members echoed concern about cuts to vulnerable populations, but also noted the need to maintain the overall level of budget solutions and add to reserves. The hearing then moved through a series of CalHHS and HCAI proposals, mostly held open after presentation. CalHHS requested additional legal support to respond to federal H.R. 1-related issues and a net-zero transfer of positions for a shared eligibility/data-sharing platform. Other items included ongoing funding for the 988 Behavioral Health Crisis Service Fund and a request for EMSA to fund maintenance of its enterprise data management system. HCAI presented proposals for hospital fair pricing implementation, the data exchange framework, the all-payer claims database, CalRx insulin development, the diaper access initiative, distressed hospital grants, opioid settlement fund reversion, and the Rural Health Transformation Program. Members questioned funding sources, special fund use, contracting exemptions, timelines, and whether some proposals should be more targeted or supported by alternative funding. A major discussion centered on HCAI’s diaper access initiative and the use of a Public Contract Code exemption to continue contracting for free diapers distributed through hospitals. The chair and some members criticized the optics of the selected vendor and questioned the lack of an income threshold, while HCAI said the program was designed to be universal and administratively simple, with future phase-two direct-to-consumer purchasing to be handled by a different vendor. Another extended exchange focused on distressed hospital funding, where HCAI said the May Revision would provide up to $50 million for hospitals at immediate risk of closure, but members argued the repeated annual need shows a structural problem and asked for broader reforms to hospital payment and care transitions. The final major topic was the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission’s budget. The Commission opposed the May Revision’s reduction of the Innovation Partnership Fund from $20 million to $10 million and a $6.7 million cut to community advocacy contracts, arguing both are core Proposition 1 tools for statewide innovation and community engagement. Finance responded that the proposal is within Proposition 1’s allowable maximums and that prior unspent appropriations could be redirected if the Legislature wanted to restore the full amount. No votes were taken; items were generally held open for later action.

Transcript Highlights:

• How much of your budget, I think I probably asked that wrong, please forgive me, how much of your budget
• It's going to be a budget decision.
• On a state budget, it's fairly insignificant.
• On a state budget, it's fairly insignificant.
• Strength and oversight, yes.

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:02:43.360><c> committee</c> reconstitute the oversight committee reconstitute the oversight committee
• the role of the oversight committee is to perform an oversight function.
• </c><00:14:45.760><c> bodies</c> tradition of other oversight bodies tradition of other oversight bodies
• committee. than normal pro process in an oversight than normal pro process in an oversight committee
• </c><00:51:58.880><c> fraud</c> the role of the house oversight fraud the role of the house oversight

Committee: House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> budget for the previous committee. budget for the previous committee.
• </c> the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority.<00:57
• </c> your budget? your budget?
• </c> Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority<01:32:20.480><
• </c> Stewardship and Oversight Authority. Stewardship and Oversight Authority.

Committee: Senate Water, Land, Culture and the Arts

Summary: The committee heard several gubernatorial nominations for confirmation, beginning with GM 788 for Karen Knudsen to the Hawaii Sister State and International Partnerships Commission. DBEDT strongly supported her nomination, describing her decades of Asia-Pacific and East-West Center experience. Senators asked about the new commission structure, confirming that the old committee was abolished and replaced by a five-voting-member commission with two governor appointees before the Senate, other ex officio and legislative appointees, and one OHA vacancy still pending. Knudsen said the commission would help review new sister-state and international partnership proposals, while existing relationships would remain in place. Members also discussed the commission’s lack of a separate budget and its use of DBEDT international relations funding. The committee then moved to GM 789 for Wesley Fong to the same commission; DBEDT supported him based on his military, legal, and international trade background. A concern was raised that he also served on the State Ethics Commission, and Fong stated he had resigned from that post effective the 20th of the month to avoid a conflict. Senators questioned his reasons for leaving ethics, and he explained that his term was ending and he wanted to continue public service in a role aligned with his background in international agreements, education, and Indo-Pacific relations. No votes were taken in the portion provided. The committee next considered GM 769 for Patrick Branco to the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. The foundation and the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters both testified in strong support. Branco appeared by Zoom and said he was currently on temporary military orders on the East Coast, but had prior experience in public diplomacy as cultural attaché in Caracas and had worked on Fulbright and cultural exchange efforts. The committee then took up GM 770 for Makanani Salā to the same board. The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts supported her nomination, and Noe Wong-Wilson testified in person, citing Salā’s work at Windward Community College and her role in organizing the Best Fest festival, saying she would bring Hawaiian cultural perspective to the foundation. Salā said her county experience included arts, culture, and sister-city work, and that she would emphasize public-private partnerships and helping other agencies use the foundation’s expertise. Members briefly discussed FESTPAC and its rotating international location. Finally, the committee heard GM 767 for Miles Miyatso to the Land Use Commission. The Land Use Commission and the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters both supported the nomination, and Avalon Development Company was listed but did not appear on Zoom. The discussion in the provided transcript ended during this item, with no vote or final action shown for the nominations covered.