Transcript Highlights:

• The forces... identify priority actions, which we'll hear about from Danielle in a moment.
• High school students each year.
• I learned them as a high school student as part of a workforce investment program at Oakland Public School
• And Doherty, we have the School of the Arts, which is... ...and Doherty, we have the School of the Arts
• I think they had the first school; this is the second.

Summary: The Joint Committee on the Arts held an informational hearing on California’s first sector-specific creative economy strategic plan, “California’s Future Is Creative,” developed under AB 127 and related legislation. Chair Allen framed the plan as a response to California’s large but vulnerable creative economy, citing workforce losses, federal funding headwinds, and the need to support artists, cultural organizations, public media, museums, cultural districts, and film/TV production. He also highlighted budget asks including support for California Humanities, museums, public media, cultural districts, a post-production incentive proposal (AB 2319), and funding to implement the strategic plan. California Arts Council Director Danielle Brazel, Institute for the Future’s Rachel Hatch, CDE’s Allison Frenzel, and CWDB’s Michael Weoff described the planning process, which included a 30-plus-member work group, interagency coordination, and a phased approach from framework development to implementation and evaluation. They identified major forces shaping the sector over the next decade, including AI, climate disruption, affordability, access to capital, and social cohesion, and outlined six action areas: workforce preparation, business stabilization, cultural identity/tourism, cross-sector incentives, ROI/data tracking, and state capacity/infrastructure. Members and panelists repeatedly emphasized that the plan must be resourced and integrated across agencies rather than left siloed. A second panel of practitioners and advocates focused on workforce pathways and local implementation. Ricarlo Handy described the Handy Foundation’s registered apprenticeship pipeline into film and TV jobs and argued that current data systems undercount gig, 1099, and LLC-based creative work. Joanna Reynolds discussed Arts for LA’s Creative Jobs Collective, which aims to create 10,000 living-wage creative jobs in Los Angeles County by 2030, while Alejandro Gutierrez Chavez urged embedding artists in health, aging, and behavioral health systems as community problem-solvers. Roxanne Messina Kaptur spoke about the need to normalize arts careers and expand residency and school-based models. Senator Rubio, who joined later, shared her own arts and teaching background, supported arts access in schools and small theaters, and raised concerns about AI, asking how schools and educators can adapt. In the final panel, Rebecca Ratzkin reported on 26 statewide town halls with more than 1,100 attendees, which confirmed support for the plan but also highlighted needs for better information access, new financial models, stronger definitions and data, and more partnerships. Julie Baker of California for the Arts and California Arts Advocates urged sustained public funding, saying the plan is actionable only if the Legislature and administration provide resources, including increased California Arts Council funding and support for implementation. No formal votes were taken; the hearing was informational and concluded with calls for continued legislative and cross-agency collaboration.

Transcript Highlights:

• School is just so much more fun, I guess, than school back home.
• school year, Moundsby High School 2324 school year, Moundsby High School implemented<01:34:50.800>
• the school day. the school day.
• Schools have successfully balanced both priorities, requiring phones to be stored in lockers, backpacks
• > charter<02:07:27.599> schools school districts charter schools school districts charter

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Priority bill.
• It is a women's priority bill.
• charter schools.
• Some attend private schools, some attend charter schools.
• for schools.

Summary: The Assembly convened, established a quorum after a roll call, observed a moment of silence for John Burton, and proceeded with the Pledge of Allegiance and routine procedural motions. Members approved a rule suspension to allow floor amendments on SB 271 and SB 67, and several committee notices and bill referrals were handled. The chamber then moved through a long third-reading file, with many bills passed and a number of items temporarily passed or retained on file. Among the major measures approved were bills on civil rights and public safety (SB 477, SB 19, SB 36, SB 571, SB 580), health care and coverage (SB 257 on pregnancy as a qualifying life event, SB 530 on Medi-Cal access standards, SB 660 on health data exchange, SB 754 on menstrual product contaminant disclosure), housing and disaster recovery (SB 610, SB 655), transportation and climate (SB 533 on EV charging payments, SB 30 on diesel locomotives, SB 71 on CEQA exemptions for transit, SB 263 on tariff impacts), and natural resources/energy (SB 283 on battery storage safety, SB 88 on biomass emissions, SB 427 extending the Habitat Conservation Fund). The Assembly also passed urgency measures including SB 864 on tribal gaming compacts, SB 663 on wildfire-related property tax relief, SB 471 expanding DDS ombudsman authority, and SB 497 on privacy protections for legally protected health services. Several bills drew notable debate. SB 41 on pharmacy benefit managers saw opposition over concerns about moving ahead before broader PBM data and licensing reforms take effect, but it still passed. AB 1340, a concurrence item on gig worker collective bargaining rights, prompted extended debate over labor rights, consumer costs, and union influence. Other concurrence items included AB 671 on restaurant permitting, which passed without opposition. The Assembly also took up SB 640 on direct admission to CSU, SB 702 on demographic reporting for appointees, SB 710 preserving a solar property tax exclusion, and SB 793 on counterfeit lighter safety, all of which passed. The session ended with the Assembly continuing through the file, including concurrence votes and additional bill actions, with most measures approved by substantial margins.

Transcript Highlights:

• Francis grade school and later Xavier High School.
• Discussions of contact tracing, masking, school closures.
• I grew up in Mesa, graduated from Mountain View High School.
• High school and college graduations were in Mesa and Tucson.
• My priorities on this job are the priorities established by the legislature to encourage healthy insurance

Summary: The Committee on Director Nominations met with four members present and approved the prior minutes without objection. Chair Jay Kaufman outlined the committee’s role in reviewing executive nominations and explained the hearing process for three nominees: Mary Foote for the Office of Economic Opportunity, Debbie Johnston for the Department of Health Services, and Chuck Bassett. Foote did not appear for her hearing, and members discussed her absence and alleged omissions in her disclosure materials, including prior service with Planned Parenthood-related organizations. The committee then moved to reject her nomination, and the motion passed 3-2, recommending that the full Senate reject Mary Foote. Debbie Johnston, nominee to lead the Department of Health Services, appeared and gave an opening statement describing her Arizona background, prior Senate staff work, and more than 20 years with the Arizona Hospital and Health Care Association. She said her priorities at ADHS include rebuilding trust in public health licensing, improving stakeholder engagement, standardizing rulemaking communication, addressing alleged religious discrimination and retaliation concerns in licensing, and using technology and AI to improve efficiency. In questioning, senators pressed her on her management style, conflict-of-interest safeguards given her prior industry role, enforcement priorities, budget pressures, behavioral health and assisted living oversight, and the department’s response to COVID-19. Johnston said she would follow statutes, recuse herself from enforcement matters involving former contacts, and resign if directed to carry out an unlawful policy. She also said the department does not regulate therapy itself, only facilities, and that it would rely on legal counsel regarding the governor’s conversion-therapy executive order and related federal civil-rights allegations. Several senators focused on public health trust and the department’s pandemic response, with Johnston acknowledging concerns about closures, data collection, and communication during COVID-19 while saying she would review past after-action materials and be better prepared in the future. Public testimony from stakeholders in aging services and health care strongly supported her confirmation, praising her accessibility, responsiveness, and collaborative approach. After testimony, the vice chair moved to recommend Johnston’s confirmation to the full Senate. The roll call was underway when the transcript ended, with several members voting aye and one member expressing reservations about her not reviewing the pandemic after-action report before another crisis occurs.

Transcript Highlights:

• c><00:59:32.839> to<00:59:32.960> be schools I want our schools to be schools I want our
• and the school district, um, and our priority, when I say our priority, Minnesota's state priority for
• <01:21:10.239> um<01:21:11.400> and school and the school district um and school and
• the school district um and our<01:21:12.880> priority<01:21:13.520> when<01:21:13.679>
• when I say our priority our priority when I say our priority Minnesota's<01:21:16.239> State<

Bills: HF51, HF1161, HF2201, HF2786, HF1053

Keywords: HF51, Sibley County, State-Aid Highway 21, capital investment, bonding bill, general obligation bonds, transportation infrastructure, road improvements, sanitary sewer, water main, storm sewer, local infrastructure, county grant, Minnesota Department of Transportation, bond proceeds fund, public works, utility infrastructure, education finance, school district funding, tax base adjustment

Transcript Highlights:

• We have the privilege of running three charter schools, fully residential, last-chance schools in three
• I mean, these are last-chance schools for a reason.
• 'Show me your money and I'll show you where your priorities are.'
• One other thing is they partner with many of our best schools in California.
• That is a priority.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Military and Veteran Affairs held an informational hearing focused on the effects of federal budget cuts and policy changes on veterans, military readiness, and California’s veteran support systems. The chair and members emphasized that federal reductions to the VA, Medicaid/Medi-Cal, SNAP, and the federal workforce are disproportionately harming veterans by threatening health care, employment, housing, crisis lines, and suicide prevention services. The chair also highlighted California’s progress on veteran homelessness and the importance of preserving state programs that leverage federal dollars. Major General Matthew Beavers of the California Military Department described the department’s structure, its response to the Los Angeles fire emergency, and concerns that federal cuts could reduce readiness through less training, older equipment, and fewer resources. He also discussed state programs such as Work for Warriors, STARBASE, youth and community schools, and the counterdrug task force, saying they are valuable but vulnerable if funding is redirected away from readiness. Members asked about the impact of federal changes on the Guard and how the Legislature could help, and Beavers said the state should advocate for recapitalized equipment and continued support for key programs. A second panel focused on veterans’ benefits and claims support. CalVet, Los Angeles County, and Swords to Plowshares testified that county veteran service officers, legal aid, and community-based partnerships are essential to helping veterans access VA benefits, especially after the PACT Act expanded eligibility and increased claims volume. Witnesses said these services bring substantial federal dollars back to California, but county offices and legal providers are underfunded and overburdened. Members discussed data sharing, staffing shortages, and the need for more resources to reach veterans who are not connected to VA care. In the final panel on mental health and suicide prevention, CalVet and nonprofit providers described state-funded programs such as the Veterans Support Self-Reliance program and the California Veterans Health Initiative, which place services in permanent supportive housing and provide no-cost counseling statewide. Witnesses said these programs are showing measurable improvements in health, medication adherence, and emergency room use, but they depend on sustained funding and are vulnerable to step-down grants and federal instability. Committee members expressed support for the programs and raised questions about access, staffing, and the role of non-veteran family members in Vet Center services.

Transcript Highlights:

• Both programs attend school and stress the importance of family involvement.
• Let's pretend it's not summertime, because I think things do change a bit in the summer with schooling
• The needs of the youth are the first priority across every service line that we have.
• The needs of the youth are our highest priority.
• Currently, the YRTC in Kearney, where our superintendent is housed, oversees all the HHS schools.

Keywords: 956, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Now, the fun thing about this—they are all green in color, just like a color back to old school.
• How far does that go, and do you have specific priorities within that?
• So this is really priority emergency funding for the Minnesota Zoo.
• <00:31:52.880> emergency this is really priority emergency this is really priority emergency
• <01:15:43.120> so who want to identify it as a priority so who want to identify it as a priority

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• and a private school that does not have a specific sport that a public school has, that public school
• <00:28:02.399> is school district providing services is school district providing services
• charter school and a private<00:28:19.360> school<00:28:19.520> that<00:28:19.840>
• our schools about 40 million to go back. our schools about 40 million to go back.
• main priorities. So we can't touch that. main priorities. So we can't touch that.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• priorities that we have for you all. priorities that we have for you all.
• It requires each school programs.
• All right. student at Laramie High School. I student at Laramie High School.
• Wyoming Charter School Authorizing Wyoming Charter School Authorizing Board. Board. Board.
• I I think that's a high<01:27:54.760> priority. high priority. high priority.

Keywords: 916, all

Summary: The committee heard from Superintendent Megan Degenfelder on several interim topics centered on student-centered learning. She highlighted work-based learning and dual/concurrent enrollment, saying the state is updating accountability measures and should examine whether these programs are helping students progress, avoid duplicative costs, and reduce the need for remedial college coursework. She also discussed broader life-skills education, including financial literacy and soft skills, and said districts vary widely in what they offer. On gifted and talented programs, she noted that districts are statutorily required to provide them but the state does not have a clear picture of how consistently they are implemented, and she suggested the committee may want to study that area further. Members asked follow-up questions about whether dual enrollment should be evaluated only by time-to-degree, and Degenfelder said the analysis should also consider additional credentials and remedial coursework. Senator Schuler and others raised the idea of making financial literacy or other life-skills content more common, though Degenfelder said she did not favor a statewide mandate and instead preferred incentives and district-level implementation. The committee also discussed artificial intelligence in schools as an information-sharing topic, with Degenfelder saying the department is beginning a landscape analysis with districts and teachers. She then reviewed NAEP results, noting Wyoming performs strongly in fourth grade but drops sharply by eighth grade, and said the state wants to understand where students are falling off. Members also raised concerns about international comparisons and the need to improve literacy and math outcomes. The committee then moved to member-submitted topics. Representative Strock proposed reviewing the governance structure of state education, arguing that the current split among the Department of Education, State Board of Education, and other boards creates inefficiency and confusion, especially for licensure and programs like CTE. Senator Scott noted that turnover in the superintendent’s office could be a practical issue in any restructuring, and Strock responded that administrative staff could handle day-to-day operations. Representative Williams then introduced a discussion of common core standards and literacy, arguing that standards may be too broad and not specific enough, especially in early grades, and that Wyoming should emphasize phonics, basic reading, math, and civics more directly. Representative Guggenmos agreed that narrowing early-grade focus to math and literacy could improve outcomes. Finally, Representative Williams raised virtual education, saying it is growing quickly and the committee should study funding, accountability, and student support more closely; the chair opened that topic for further discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• He was on the school board at one point in North Forest ISD.
• He served on our school board.
• Is this a priority bill? Mr. Jones: It is a priority bill.
• It's a priority bill of the Speaker of the Texas House. It is.
• Tepper: Speaker, this is that school bus program.

Transcript Highlights:

• AB 917 will ensure that educators and school employees in all school districts and county offices of
• School mapping technology will allow emergency responders to have access to school layout.
• And people will leave schools, it's just another reason why people are going to leave public schools,
• There have been many pilot projects for bringing salads back to schools, letting schools have farm to
• Black Caucus priority.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Do you have a sense of, you know, what is priority?
• priority housing is, and we think that's important.
• housing section on priority housing.
• From the study, we were able to see that during the school year, with youth in school, there was a 48%
• For example, that was at Haley Elementary School in Roxbury, so that's how we saw an impact in schools

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused on the Healey-Driscoll administration’s Mass Ready Act, a $3 billion environmental bond bill. Administration officials said the bill would fund climate resilience, clean water, land conservation, parks, PFAS remediation, food security infrastructure, and coastal and inland flood protection, while also streamlining permitting for housing, restoration, and other resilience projects. They emphasized that the bond authorizes spending but does not itself obligate it, and said the proposal includes deauthorizations as housekeeping. Committee members asked about the new Resilience Revolving Fund, flood and drought management, MVP funding, land acquisition, Chapter 61 right-of-first-refusal changes, salt marsh carbon sequestration, and how the bill would help smaller municipalities and offset expected federal funding losses. Officials said the revolving fund would be managed through EEA and the Clean Water Trust, with criteria aimed at directing aid to communities most in need, and noted that drought issues would continue to be handled through existing DEP and drought commission tools. Several committee members and witnesses discussed specific policy provisions, including flood disclosure requirements for homebuyers and renters, expanded authority for regional planning and small-town access to grants, and permitting reforms that would exempt or expedite certain environmental restoration and priority housing projects from more time-consuming review processes. Administration witnesses defended the reforms as a way to achieve the same environmental outcomes faster and with more certainty, while some advocates argued the bill should go further, especially on Chapter 91 and restoration permitting. The administration also described investments in DCR facilities, water and wastewater systems, open space, agricultural easements, and a new focus on blue carbon and salt marsh restoration. Public testimony largely supported the bill. Mass Audubon, the Trustees of Reservations, the Environmental League of Massachusetts, The Nature Conservancy, MAPC, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, municipal officials, and others praised the bill’s resilience, conservation, and water infrastructure investments. Some witnesses urged additional funding for land protection, coastal resilience, buyouts, and restoration, and several called for stronger or simpler permitting reforms. Municipal witnesses from Boston, Beckett, Beverly, Conway, and regional planning organizations stressed the need for flexible financing, especially for small and rural communities facing costly infrastructure and climate adaptation projects. No votes were taken during the portion of the hearing provided; the committee heard testimony and asked questions before moving on to additional panels.

Transcript Highlights:

• districts and charter schools out there.
• districts and charter schools for federal grant programs.
• districts and charter schools for federal grant programs.
• Little and others as a priority.
• districts or charter schools.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , public charter school, tribal schools, private schools, they are all worth protecting and they're all
• to our schools. to our schools.
• Um you know, safe school funding is one of the top priorities um that I'm hearing about back in my district
• <00:20:56.520> their schools, all schools, um secure their schools, all schools, um secure
• Um you know, safe school funding is one of the top priorities um that I'm hearing about back in my district

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Financial flexibility is really important to our schools.
• It makes good on the commitment to increase the local control funding formula, which allows our school
• Again, schools have been asking for flexibility to use that for different purposes.
• so that our families also have options for their kids after school.
• We need to reflect the priorities and values of the members of the committee as we move forward with

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, going back to my tribe back home, we had one of our elementary schools; it was a BIA school.
• There are some BIE schools that are 638 grants in New Mexico, but Not all the tribal schools are.
• What's the priorities?
• And our schools are now looking to us, Navajo Nation, within the Navajo Nation schools to take over that
• BIE schools that the Pueblos have.

Transcript Highlights:

• But the only way for us to move the priorities of the children and families of the state of Minnesota
• The Republicans have voted down Children and Families priorities twice now.
• priorities twice now. priorities twice now.
• Um, the latest that we're seeing out there is the UI fund will run out for schools this summer.
• is the UI fund will run out for schools is the UI fund will run out for schools this<00:10:31.000

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• keep on campus versus something that is of lesser priority.
• The Santa Rosa School District is consolidating elementary and middle schools.
• The Santa Rosa School District is consolidating elementary and middle schools.
• So. the Santa Rosa school district looking to is consolidating elementary and middle schools so yes that
• of School. program I described in my earlier testimony with the Vista Unified School District with Sweetwater

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance met to review CSU and State Library budget issues, enrollment trends, the Capital Fellows program, and a Title IX update. Chair David Alvarez opened by stressing that CSU faces serious financial pressure, including a systemwide deficit and proposed cuts that he and several members said were too large and likely to harm access, course offerings, and student services. Public comment focused heavily on the Braille Institute Library, with patrons, staff, veterans, and advocates urging restoration of funding and warning that the proposed cut would severely affect blind and visually impaired Californians across Southern California. Several CSU faculty, staff, and union representatives also opposed the proposed reductions and warned of larger class sizes, fewer sections, and layoffs. On the CSU core operations item, the Department of Finance explained the Governor’s proposal to reduce ongoing General Fund support by about $375 million and defer a 5% base increase, while the LAO said CSU core funding would be roughly flat once tuition and targeted augmentations were considered, but warned that rising costs and prior shortfalls would still force campuses to cut spending. CSU’s Chancellor’s Office said the proposed cut would deepen existing problems, citing prior-year budget gaps, job losses, reduced course sections, and student-service reductions. Members pressed Finance and the LAO on whether cuts could be made more surgically, especially at the Chancellor’s Office or in institutional support rather than in instruction, and the LAO said the Legislature has flexibility to target cuts more specifically. CSU also described ongoing consolidation efforts, including shared services among campuses and the planned Cal Maritime/Cal Poly San Luis Obispo integration, while cautioning that savings are not yet fully known. The committee then discussed CSU enrollment. The LAO recommended holding enrollment targets flat because the budget does not add new funding, while CSU reported strong recent growth, including more California residents, record first-year enrollment, and expanded direct admissions and transfer pathways. Members questioned why some campuses with high demand turn away many applicants while others continue to lose enrollment, and CSU said it is shifting resources from campuses with sustained declines to those with demand, using a 10% below-target threshold. The committee also discussed whether enrollment declines mirror local population trends, how to improve marketing and program alignment, and whether lessons from Cal Poly Humboldt’s conversion could inform other campuses such as Sonoma State. The Capital Fellows item drew a Finance proposal for a salary increase and an LAO counterproposal for a smaller raise plus future COLA language; the committee kept the item open. Finally, CSU reported progress on Title IX compliance, saying it has completed most State Auditor recommendations, expanded civil rights staffing, and increased training, prevention, and case-management efforts, though members asked how proposed budget cuts might affect those services.

Transcript Highlights:

• So what are your highest priorities?
• So is that your priority or do you have other priorities?
• there so you can fund your general fund priorities.
• So it is a priority for the administration.
• Our primary. highest priority was the general fund, but there is a priority to finding efficiencies across

Keywords: 988, house, all