Transcript Highlights:

• So it applies the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act to student employees enrolled in an academic
• sets of state bargaining laws for civil service employees.
• So it applies the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act to student employees enrolled in an academic
• bargaining laws for civil service employees.
• Act to also cover student employees in addition to academic employees.

Bills: HB1170 , HB1570 , HB1834

Committee: House Appropriations

Keywords: artificial intelligence, AI, generative AI, AI-generated content, deepfake, synthetic media, content provenance, provenance data, metadata, watermarking, disclosure, transparency, consumer protection, unfair or deceptive acts, unfair competition, Washington RCW, Title 19 RCW, platform regulation, AI detection tool, media authenticity

Transcript Highlights:

• Employee cost sharing on the plan is about 20% of plan costs.
• We don't send it out per person or per employee.
• And do we know how many employees in each district do not, I mean, that are not... ...many employees
• And so the lower 20% employee cost share...”
• employees.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The committee received a broad budget overview from Legislative Services staff on the state’s fiscal position, focusing on the general fund, structural balance, cash reconciliation, and the governor’s budget recommendations for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. Staff explained that projected revenues are below the current budgeted level, creating a need for either budget reductions or the use of cash balances and reserve funds to maintain balance. They reviewed major drivers of spending growth over recent years, including Medicaid expansion, public schools, the State Public Defender, IT services, and water resources, and noted that these statutory and ongoing obligations are crowding out other spending. Members also discussed the governor’s proposed use of interest earnings and reserve balances from several funds, the Budget Stabilization Fund cap, and the policy question of whether changes to fund interest allocations would require legislation or could be handled through appropriation language. The committee also reviewed current-year adjustments, including supplementals, rescissions, deficiency warrants, and the governor’s proposed holdbacks. Specific items discussed included public school enrollment adjustments, the proposed rescission of Empowering Parents funding, Medicaid growth and provider rate changes, Department of Corrections costs tied to inmate placement and medical services, invasive species treatment funding, and a possible tax conformity impact tied to federal law changes. Members asked about fire suppression deficiency funding, the use of reserve balances, and the difference between current-law and governor-recommended spending levels. Staff emphasized that the governor’s budget relies on short-term money and reserve transfers to smooth the current deficit, while the legislature must decide whether to follow that approach or make deeper structural changes. Later, staff provided an overview of the budget hearing process and the Legislative Budget Book, explaining the standard reports, agency organization charts, fund analyses, performance measures, and five-year snapshots that committees will use during hearings. Another presentation clarified the difference between deficiency warrants and supplemental appropriations, noting that deficiency warrants cover certain last-year expenses authorized by statute, while supplementals adjust the current-year appropriation and can apply to general, dedicated, or federal funds. The committee then heard a detailed presentation on state health insurance costs, including rising medical claims, reserve balances, the 80/20 employee-employer cost split, and projected FY 2027 premium increases. Members asked about school district participation in the state plan, the role of the insurance carrier contract, and whether broader participation could lower costs. No votes were taken during the meeting, and the committee adjourned after the presentations and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• The number of state employees paid for by New Hampshire taxpayers: 10,500 public sector employees that
• are part of the plan. 10,500 public sector employees are part of the plan, 244 private employees and
• <01:08:58.480><c> to</c><01:08:58.719><c> sign</c> employees to sign employees to sign up<01:09:01.319
• </c> affordable for both employers employees affordable for both employers employees and<01:30:13.760
• our organization and employees.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first heard testimony on House Bill 437, which would change New Hampshire law on undischarged mortgages by creating a shorter period after which certain old mortgages would be treated as unenforceable. Prime sponsor Representative Bill Boyd said the bill was developed with input from bankers, lawyers, realtors, the Attorney General’s office, and the Banking Department, and he noted a drafting correction needed on line 18. He explained that the proposal would replace current law with a new framework modeled partly on Massachusetts, including a five-year expiration after a stated maturity date and a 35-year period for mortgages without an expiration date. Supporters said the bill would help clear obsolete title defects, reduce costly quiet-title litigation, and make real estate transactions easier for consumers, attorneys, and conveyancers. Representative Mary Hakken-Phillips, Susan Cole of the New Hampshire Association of Realtors, and Michelle Coffin all testified in support, describing the bill as a consumer protection measure. They said undischarged or improperly discharged mortgages often surface during title searches, causing delays, legal expenses, and failed or delayed closings. Coffin and Hakken-Phillips emphasized that many of these cases involve old, effectively obsolete mortgages and that the current process often requires expensive court action even when no one contests the title. Cole described a recent transaction in which a title defect caused a buyer to walk away and later restart the financing process, creating costs for both buyer and seller. A committee member asked about notice to mortgage holders; the response was that the lender bears responsibility for recording and extending the mortgage, and that due process rights would remain if a lender later contested the discharge. Ryan Hill of the New Hampshire Bankers Association said the banking industry had reviewed the bill and was generally comfortable with it, while requesting a delayed effective date so members would have time to adjust their recording practices. He said the bill’s January 1, 2028 effective date reflected that request. After closing the hearing on HB 437, the committee opened a hearing on House Bill 721, the Gold and Silver Legal Tender Act. Representative Juliet Harvey-Bolia introduced it as a bipartisan economic justice bill intended to recognize gold and silver as legal tender, protect against inflation, and address concerns about trust, taxes, and government taking. She argued that gold is a stable store of value and discussed tax treatment in neighboring states, federal history, and digital gold platforms. The hearing on HB 721 was still in progress when the transcript ended, with the chair limiting questions because of time.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c> include federal government employees, include federal government employees, railroad<00:04:48.400
• So the employees 44% under the law.
• </c> coverage to employees themselves. coverage to employees themselves.
• This employee is our one and only operator that can do the specific job that this employee does.
• This employee is our one and only operator that can do the specific job that this employee does.

Committee: House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So for employee reimbursements, we found So for employee reimbursements, we found that 14 of 40 employee
• </c> overpaid um employees. overpaid um employees.
• Um uh employee paper goods for example. Um uh employee uh<01:03:49.599><c> reimbursements.
• </c> do with employee expense reimbursements. do with employee expense reimbursements.
• Um and so for employee business.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Employees already undergo harassment prevention training.
• And of course, those things can capture employees, right?
• So having employee input is critical.
• The technology to surveil the employees didn't tell the employees what was happening, and when one of
• So had they talked to the employees first, they might have known that.

Committee: House Labor and Employment

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Are there any other kinds of union organizations for public employees?
• And actually, it applies to all public employees, state employees, county employees.
• Of course, we want to take care of our employees.
• It eroded trust between employees and city leadership.
• They look at the plaintiff as the employees, and they get upset with the employees.

Committee: House Local Government

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 1570 applies the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act to...
• So it applies the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act to student employees enrolled in an academic
• be covered by one of several sets of state bargaining laws for civil service employees.
• the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act, or PECPA.
• Act to also cover student employees in addition to academic employees.

Summary: The House Appropriations Committee held public hearings on several bills related to artificial intelligence, student employee bargaining, and online safety. For HB 1170, staff explained that the bill would require certain large generative AI providers to offer provenance detection tools and include latent or optional manifest disclosures in AI-generated audio, image, and video content, with enforcement by the Attorney General under the Consumer Protection Act. Committee discussion focused on whether the bill would apply to AI-generated text code, and staff clarified that it would not. Testimony from the Washington Technology Industry Association opposed the bill as written, citing enforcement ambiguity, definition changes, and interoperability concerns, while noting support for continued work on the issue. For HB 1570, staff described the underlying bill as extending collective bargaining rights under the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act to student employees at several state higher education institutions, with a striking amendment narrowing the bill to non-academic student employees at Western Washington University and listing covered job classifications. Staff estimated the original bill’s fiscal impact at about $1.5 million per biennium, reduced to roughly $200,000 per biennium under the striking amendment. Testimony from labor and student representatives supported the narrowed bill, emphasizing student worker safety, organizing support, and the need to move forward after prior union votes. The committee also heard substitute HB 1833, which would create the Spark Act grant program in the Department of Commerce to support innovative uses of AI, with grants requiring a state benefit and shared technology, and with Commerce consulting the Attorney General’s AI Task Force. Staff estimated administrative costs of about $160,000 per year plus grant funding that could bring total annual program costs to roughly $660,000 to $1.6 million. Representative Keaton said an amendment would update dates and incorporate changes. Testimony was generally supportive from industry and retail representatives, who framed the bill as a pro-innovation public-private partnership. Finally, the committee heard a proposed third substitute for HB 1834, which would prohibit addictive feeds for minor users and restrict push notifications during evening and school hours unless parents consent, while allowing all users to limit feeds and privacy settings. Supporters, including the Attorney General’s Office, Children’s Alliance, and a parent who lost a child to social media harms, argued the bill would protect children and reduce behavioral health costs. Opponents from technology, civil liberties, and industry groups raised constitutional, privacy, and vagueness concerns, warning that age determination could function like age verification and that the bill could restrict access to beneficial content. No votes or executive action were taken; the committee concluded public hearings and announced amendment deadlines for upcoming executive sessions.

Transcript Highlights:

• What's the number of employees we have?
• employees working at Kojak.
• to Kojak employees.
• And you have that listed as 261,0677 if we count 33 employees. That's about $8,000 per employee.
• or adding additional employees?

Committee: House A&B Human Services Subcommittee

Keywords: 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is the same as all state employees, legislative employees, and actually is very similar to the forms
• elected, that employee resigned their legislative staff position.
• If we put those in here, legislative employees are all your employees, correct?
• And that is that our previous policy impacted legislative employees, temporary legislative employees,
• Current employees will receive a 4% increase.

Committee: House Legislative Council

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, this shows you how many employees we have in the state of Washington.
• Things like that all around the communities where we have employees, you know, with almost 70,000 employees
• Yeah, and that's funded by Boeing employees.
• It allows us as employees and former employees to put skin in the game on the community things that matter
• it allows us as employee former employees to put skin in the game on the community things that matter

Summary: The meeting was an Aviation Caucus gathering hosted at Paine Field and Boeing, with introductions from legislators, aviation organizations, airport officials, and industry representatives. Speakers emphasized the importance of aviation and aerospace to Washington’s economy and the need to better educate lawmakers and the public about the sector’s value. Several participants also highlighted the role of airports in business activity, emergency response, wildfire support, and medical services, and urged attendees to build relationships with legislators to protect and expand aviation funding. A major topic was opposition to the aviation-related tax provisions in Senate Bill 5801, described by speakers as a luxury and privilege tax on aircraft. Legislators and industry advocates argued the tax would discourage aircraft ownership and use in Washington, drive aircraft and business operations out of the state, and harm jobs and tax revenue. They said the caucus would continue working toward repeal of the aircraft tax provisions and broader solutions for aviation infrastructure funding, though they acknowledged the state budget situation makes new funding difficult this year. John Dobson presented data estimating aviation’s large share of state GDP, jobs, wages, and tax revenue, and also raised concerns about aviation fuel tax revenues being diverted away from aviation purposes. The meeting also featured updates on mental health efforts in aviation, with Brian Baumoff of the Pilot Mental Health Campaign describing federal legislation to improve access to treatment and transparency around medications, and a prior state bill aimed at helping pilots navigate medical leave and treatment costs. Haley Coffey of the Aerospace Futures Alliance encouraged participation in its upcoming Hill Day to strengthen aerospace advocacy in Olympia. Boeing representatives gave an overview of company safety and culture changes after recent incidents, workforce and supplier numbers in Washington, production plans including a permanent Moses Lake site and a future Everett narrow-body line, and workforce development programs such as Core Plus Aerospace and tuition support. The caucus also adopted a House resolution honoring Harry R. Anderson for becoming the first person to fly and sail solo to all seven continents, and attendees toured the Boeing facility after the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Nursing mothers and lactating employees: that law basically gives that group of employees the ability
• </c> any adverse action when an employee any adverse action when an employee asserts<00:46:10.640><c>
• c><00:46:28.560><c> care,</c><00:46:28.960><c> any</c> employees uh for prenatal care, any employees
• c> law</c><00:46:48.880><c> basically</c> lactating employees that law basically lactating employees
• The employee notice provision.

Bills: HF3707 , HF3732 , HF2581 , HF3731

Committee: House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Keywords: unemployment insurance, judicial officials, paid leave, economic development, worker protections, workforce development, unemployment benefits, youth training, grants, job creation, grant funding, revolving loan, underserved communities, disadvantaged groups, electrical licensing, installation, Class A installer, regulations, labor and industry, 1183

Summary: The committee first adopted the minutes from February 26 and then heard House File 2581, authored by Representative Frazier, which sought $1 million for Fortis Capital, a nonprofit economic development lender. Frazier and Fortis CEO Brian Smith described Fortis as a gap-financing lender that helps underserved entrepreneurs who cannot meet traditional bank underwriting standards. They said the organization has made 37 loans totaling more than $4 million since 2021, leveraged another $29.5 million, and created 314 jobs. Smith said Fortis typically charges around 6.5% interest, has had two defaults, and uses a revolving loan fund model that recycles repayments; members discussed how the proposal fits with other state economic development programs and whether Fortis should instead be part of a competitive grant process. The chair laid HF 2581 over for possible inclusion in a budget bill. The committee then heard House File 3707, brought by Representative Berg, which would extend confidentiality protections to unemployment insurance and paid leave judges and related staff by adding them to the definition of judges for purposes of protecting personal information. Berg and testifiers from the Department of Economic Development and MAPE said the bill responds to harassment and safety concerns, including threats, doxxing, and an attack near an office, and is intended to protect people making sensitive determinations. MAPE supported the bill as an update to existing protections for similar workers. Members raised concerns that the bill’s language was too broad, especially the reference to the paid leave division, and questioned whether it should cover only judges or also call-center and other staff. Department and committee members agreed the language likely needed narrowing and discussed possible amendments and whether to move the bill to Judiciary and then revisit it. No final vote was taken on HF 3707 during the discussion, and the bill remained under consideration for further language work.

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 1818 eliminates the antiquated code section in the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act
• The section in the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act, HEERA, is no longer used for its
• Doug Subers, on behalf of the California State University Employees Union, in support. Thank you.
• There is no evidence that PERB is not protecting employee interests in this regard.
• Second, by preventing not protecting employee interests in this regard.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement heard several labor and retirement bills. AB 1582 by Assembly Member Ortega would make it an unfair labor practice for a higher education employer to disregard or delay arbitration decisions involving contracting out, with make-whole relief including attorney fees and costs. Supporters from AFSCME and other labor groups said UC has repeatedly ignored arbitration outcomes on outsourcing disputes, while UC opposed the bill as an overbroad change that could create systemwide operational and financial risk. The committee passed the bill on a do-pass basis to Appropriations. AB 1818 by Assembly Member Ortega would repeal an outdated HEERA provision that CSU has used to reopen bargaining when it claims state funding is insufficient. Teamsters and other labor supporters argued CSU has used the provision to avoid honoring negotiated raises, while CSU said the bill would limit its ability to manage compensation responsibly when state funding is uncertain. The committee also passed AB 1818 to Appropriations. AB 1564 by Assembly Member Arreguín would make communications between an employee and union representative confidential in public employment matters. Labor supporters said the measure would protect trust in the representational relationship and codify existing PERB case law, while school, local government, county, city, and business groups warned it could hinder workplace investigations, including those involving student safety and harassment. The bill passed 7-0 to Appropriations. AB 1844 by Assembly Member Pacheco, placed on the consent calendar, would update Judges’ Retirement System 2 to allow non-spouse beneficiaries for survivor benefits and to extend access to survivor options for vested judges; it was approved unanimously, 7-0. After all items were taken up, the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 1818 eliminates the antiquated code section in the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act
• The section in the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act, HEERA, is no longer used for its
• Doug Subers, on behalf of the California State University Employees Union, in support. Thank you.
• There is no evidence that PERB is not protecting employee interests in this regard.
• Second, by preventing... ...not protecting employee interests in this regard.

Committee: House Public Employment and Retirement

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> electioneering for a public employee electioneering for a public employee which<00:03:57.120><c>
• Um so public employees can do shirt.
• The public employees, every public employee should be held to the same standard. I believe that.
• The public employees, every public employee should be held to the same standard. I believe that.
• . employee. employee.

Committee: House Election Law

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Employees already undergo harassment prevention training.
• And of course, those things can capture employees, right?
• So having employee input is critical. ...on it to make management decisions.
• . ...technology to surveil the employees and didn't tell the employees what was happening.
• So had they talked to the employees first, they might have known that.

Summary: The Assembly Labor and Employment Committee heard several workplace-related bills. AB 1803 would require anti-hate speech training as part of existing harassment prevention training for employers with five or more employees; supporters said it would help workers recognize and report workplace hate, while opponents raised First Amendment and definitional concerns. The bill passed on a do pass motion and was re-referred to Judiciary, with the roll left open for absent members. AB 1940 would add perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause to FEHA’s sex protections and clarify related workplace protections; supporters emphasized workplace equity and retention, while business groups said existing accommodation laws already cover many issues and raised concerns about expanding protected classifications. It also passed and was re-referred to Judiciary with the roll open. AB 1838 would require bidders on public works projects to disclose recent wage-and-hour violations and how they were addressed; labor groups supported the transparency measure, while contractors and business groups questioned definitions and disclosure scope. It passed and was re-referred to Judiciary. AB 1859 would give joint labor-management committees access to public works job sites to help identify labor-law violations; supporters said it would improve enforcement of wage theft laws, while opponents raised due process, property access, and constitutional concerns. It passed and was re-referred to Judiciary. The committee also considered two workplace AI and surveillance bills. AB 1883 would prohibit certain invasive surveillance technologies in the workplace, including facial, gait, and emotion recognition, while placing limits on some facial recognition uses; supporters argued these tools are discriminatory and unreliable, and opponents said a ban was too broad and could eliminate useful safety and operational tools. The bill passed and was re-referred to Privacy and Consumer Protection. AB 1898 would require employers to give workers advance notice before using AI tools to surveil or manage workers, including disclosure of the tool’s purpose, data collected, and affected decisions; supporters framed it as a basic transparency measure, while opponents objected to the breadth of notice requirements, possible veto power over deployment, and enforcement language. It also passed and was re-referred to Privacy and Consumer Protection. The committee additionally took up AB 1707, which passed and was re-referred to Appropriations with a consent-calendar recommendation, though the transcript does not provide the bill’s subject matter.

Transcript Highlights:

• State employees, as well as we have rank-and-file employees across the board.
• Did you adjust pay rates for existing employees?
• you're going to pay for the employees.
• Employees, so those are the only ones.
• Of what we compensate our employees with.

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• And having done so, they and employees.
• </c><00:06:12.560><c> who</c> Hampshire employers and employees who Hampshire employers and employees
• </c><00:06:54.560><c> and</c><00:06:54.960><c> private</c> private employees and private private employees
• </c> there's no risk to the state employee there's no risk to the state employee program<00:09:23.200
• I think Metife is their employees.

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're talking about teachers, state workers, county employees.
• We're talking about teachers, state workers, county employees.
• So this particular statute that we are amending applies to government employees, any employee of this
• Most modern companies are paying their employees for this.
• [Speaker continues] "Employees.

Committee: House Veterans and Armed Forces

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We currently employ over 900 full-time employees.
• Now, these 30 employees that we have, 10 of those are hearing officers.
• Those involve appeals by employees, state-level employees, who have Career Service rights.
• The Commission currently has 75 employees, sorry, FTE positions.
• The Commission currently has 75 employees, sorry, FTE positions.

Summary: The State Administration Budget Subcommittee met for an introductory overview of the agencies under its jurisdiction and their current-year budgets. Chair Vicki Lopez welcomed members and staff, and each member briefly introduced themselves and identified areas of interest, with recurring themes including fiscal restraint, insurance regulation, revenue administration, condominium issues, and government efficiency. The chair then outlined the subcommittee’s overall budget, about $3.1 billion, and noted major recent policy areas affecting the budget such as condominium legislation and emergency communications funding. Agency heads then presented high-level summaries of their missions and budgets. The Department of Revenue described property tax oversight, tax administration, and child support enforcement; the Department of Management Services reviewed state purchasing, telecommunications, fleet, state insurance, retirement, and digital services; DBPR highlighted licensing, enforcement, condominiums, and building code work; DFS covered insurance consumer services, risk management, unclaimed property, fire marshal functions, and criminal investigations; the Gaming Control Commission discussed pari-mutuel and tribal gaming oversight and enforcement; OIR explained insurer solvency and rate review; the Lottery emphasized education funding and record sales; OFR described regulation of banking, securities, lending, and money services; DOAH outlined administrative and workers’ compensation adjudication; PSC covered utility rate regulation and consumer complaints; PERC described labor relations and career service appeals; and FCHR summarized discrimination complaint investigations and outreach. Several members asked questions about utility returns, insurance regulation staffing, DMS’s state employee health plan deficit and prescription drug formulary management, agency recommendations for reducing regulatory burden, and state facilities usage. Responses generally emphasized that utility rates and insurer filings are determined through evidentiary and actuarial processes, that OIR has reduced vacancies but still seeks specialized staff and a Tampa office expansion, and that DMS acknowledged rising health plan costs and said the issue likely requires broader budget-level discussion. The chair also pressed multiple presenters to stay focused on agency operations and budgets rather than broader policy issues. No votes or formal actions were taken in the meeting.