Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for allowing us to share our non-profit stories with you this morning.
• This is a dramatic amount to fill once federal funds continue to be lost.
• That's about half the national average.
• amounts.
• I now write them as broad as I can just to allow for that.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our coal thickness averages about 17 feet thick.
• We're going to give them the right amount of time.
• I mentioned the amount of topsoil and subsoil. They drill.
• On average, it's about $62 on a residential customer's bill.
• And then it allows those to run up to the point where It allows those to run up to the point where the

Summary: The committee met at the Coteau Freedom Mine in Mercer County, approved the June 2 minutes, and heard an overview of the mine from Coteau Properties president Andrew Hawbaker. He described the Freedom Mine’s production history, customer mix, safety record, reclamation practices, workforce, community involvement, and economic impact. Members asked about how long land stays in production before reclamation, how quickly it returns to agriculture, labor shortages, groundwater impacts, and which skilled trades are hardest to fill. Hawbaker said the mine typically disturbs land for three to five years, reclamation returns much of the land to agricultural use, and the biggest hiring challenges are electricians, welders, mechanics, operators, engineers, and accountants. The committee then heard from Public Service Commission Chairman Randy Christman on coal mining reclamation. He reviewed the history of North Dakota and federal reclamation laws, the PSC’s permitting and inspection authority, bonding requirements, contemporaneous reclamation standards, and how the state handles topsoil, subsoil, drainage, and revegetation. He emphasized that North Dakota’s program is well regarded, with frequent inspections and no corrective-action issues in recent federal reviews. Christman also discussed problems caused by federal coal ownership that can delay mine plans, and he answered questions about reclamation timing, wildlife easements, wind and pipeline reclamation, and whether similar bonding concepts could apply to data centers. In the afternoon, the committee received an update from Lignite Energy Council President and CEO Jonathan Fortner on the lignite industry. He highlighted the industry’s long-term role in providing reliable electricity, jobs, and tax revenue, along with North Dakota’s low electricity rates and strong grid reliability. Fortner discussed severance and conversion tax revenues, federal regulatory changes, litigation over EPA rules, carbon capture, critical minerals, and the potential for large-load customers such as data centers to support new coal generation. He said the industry sees a window of opportunity for growth and expressed support for new large-load development, while noting that diversified energy companies are also pursuing natural gas and other resources. No formal votes or legislative actions were taken beyond approving the minutes and adjourning for the tour.

Transcript Highlights:

• We do, so we do allow remote work. We require just to cover.
• And The individual doesn't actually get that amount.
• You mean pro-rata based on the amount that they are already losing?
• It demonstrates that gap between the amount of requests that we receive and in the amount that we're
• What is the range of grant amounts that you're giving?

Committee: House Appropriations - S/C on Articles I, IV, & V

Transcript Highlights:

• That's a daunting amount of different funding sources.
• In fact, on average, SANDAG is subject to 14 audits each year.
• That's a daunting amount of different funding sources.
• In fact, in the average, Sandak is subject to 14 audits each year.
• Objective 3 focuses on CalHR's approach to determining acceptable benefit amounts.

Committee: Senate Joint Legislative Audit

Transcript Highlights:

• We try to keep it around 8,000 because that’s the amount.
• So really close to the national average.
• So a little higher than the national average.
• So substantially above the national average.
• So substantially above the national average.

Committee: Joint Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on the Department of Child Safety

Summary: The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on the Department of Child Safety met to review child welfare reforms developed after prior oversight hearings on the deaths of Emily Pike, Zariah Dodd, and Rebecca Baptiste. Committee members and the chair described a series of stakeholder meetings with tribes, DCS, law enforcement, county attorneys, schools, and other advocates that produced several bills aimed at improving communication, reporting, investigations, and court decision-making. The chair said SB 1125, creating a tribal-DCS memorandum of understanding, had already been signed, and highlighted HB 1126 on school records access, HB 1127 on mandatory reporting by people with direct knowledge, HB 1174 on hotline case history and review of prior reports, HB 1175 on photo documentation of children in care, HB 1496 on allowing attorneys to share more safety information with judges, and HB 1631 requiring advanced forensic interviews within 72 hours in sexual abuse cases, with some exceptions. DCS Director Catherine Patak presented agency data showing nearly 160,000 hotline calls in 2025, about 43,000 investigations, and a relatively steady out-of-home care population that ended the year at 7,077 children. She said about 3,000 children were reunified, 1,300 adopted, and 800 entered guardianship, while 1,100 young adults received transition services. She also reported 534 new foster homes licensed, a 50% reimbursement increase for older youth caregivers, a 40% decrease in youth missing from care since September 2024, and a 30% reduction in fatalities of children in care since 2024. Patak discussed the annual fatality review process, noting that 52 of 123 alleged fatality or near-fatality reports had prior DCS involvement, and described agency responses such as health plans for children with complex medical needs, a diabetes training app, expanded LifeSet services, fentanyl and safe-sleep prevention campaigns, staffing realignment, retention efforts, and improved coordination with law enforcement and tribes. Members asked about group home notification rules, the distinction between “missing” and “runaway,” behavioral health needs driving children back into care, training under Jacob’s Law, and whether best practices exist for placing sexually abused youth with appropriate staff. Patak said DCS is updating rules to remove “runaway” and “AWOL” in favor of “missing,” and that the agency is considering whether the statute’s immediate-or-24-hour reporting language should be clarified. She also said DCS does not currently have a specific staffing requirement tied to a child’s sex in group homes, but would look into practices in other states. The committee then heard from Malcolm Hightower of Casey Family Programs, who said Arizona is generally in the middle of the pack nationally: slightly higher than average in foster care entries and congregate care use, but near the national average on screening, substantiation, recurrence, re-entry, and maltreatment fatalities. He praised Arizona’s kin placement rate, said congregate care remains a challenge, and noted that neglect definitions and poverty-related removals remain an area of policy discussion. Finally, K.C. Melsick of Collaborative Safety described the organization’s safety-science approach to systemic critical incident reviews, arguing that child welfare systems should move away from blame and toward learning from near-misses and system failures. Members discussed applying similar methods across state agencies, and the committee adjourned after members and witnesses emphasized continued collaboration and further reforms in the interim and next session.

Transcript Highlights:

• On average, it's very difficult to come up with an average because it depends.
• On average, it's very difficult to come up with an average because it depends.
• On average, it's very difficult to come up with an average because it depends.
• On average, it's very difficult to come up with an average because it depends.
• <01:36:44.840><c> amount</c><01:36:45.119><c> of</c> average amount of average amount of time<01:36:47.239

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• However, the city or town is required to reduce its actual levy amount dollar for dollar by the amount
• Voters will see up-front levy amounts.
• This is relating to allowing payments to be made based on allowable costs for services provided by any
• This is relating to allowing payments to be made based on allowable costs for services provided by any
• It allows payments to be made based on allowable costs for services provided by any rural hospital located

Bills: SB6194 , SB5963 , SB5909 , SB5826 , SB5988 , SB5872 , SB5879 , SB5834 , SB5835 , SB5905 , SB5832 , SB6177 , SB5970 , SB5994 , SB6047 , SB5647

Committee: Senate Ways & Means

Keywords: SB 6194, Washington Medicaid, medical assistance, fee-for-service, managed care, rural hospital, Indian reservation, tribal hospital, federally recognized Indian reservation, Indian Health, hospital reimbursement, Medicaid payments, inpatient services, outpatient services, psychiatric unit, health care access, rural health, tribal health, safety-net hospital, RCW 74.09

Transcript Highlights:

• So, this allows yesterday on that.
• allow this this would allow this would allow that<00:28:36.720><c> to</c><00:28:36.880><c> occur.
• Thank you. allowing us to be here today. This is a allowing us to be here today.
• Our average GPA is a 3.3.
• The average G in this environment.

Summary: The meeting focused on Kentucky school choice and innovation, with discussion of the state constitution’s “common schools” requirement and how that has been interpreted alongside newer education models. Chairman Tipton described model laboratory schools, Gatton and Craft Academies, magnet and virtual programs, and said these options show that Kentucky has long expanded opportunity through innovation. He then turned the discussion to Senate Bill 207, which he said was designed to support schools of innovation. Senator Steve West reviewed the history of Kentucky charter schools and explained that SB 207 was modeled on a South Carolina approach. He said the bill allows a local school board to contract with a third-party entity to manage an existing school, seek waivers from certain state rules, and receive SEEK funding while also allowing outside private investment. He emphasized that the district initiates the process, that the school remains public, and that the bill includes accountability through a time-limited contract that can be ended if the school is not performing. Members asked about the difference between SB 207 and the earlier charter school law, whether schools could cherry-pick students, and whether teachers would remain district employees. West and Tipton said the new model is tied to an existing school rather than a new charter, cannot cherry-pick students, and keeps teachers as district employees. Representative Brown raised concerns that charters and exceptions could leave some children out, especially lower-income students, while West responded that the proposal is intended to expand choice for families who may not otherwise have it and cited examples from other states where similar models improved low-performing schools. No vote or formal action was taken during the discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:51:41.400><c> wage</c> before the 23 session the average wage before the 23 session the average
• Senator, that’d be cool—amount of effort? Yeah, yeah, no, don’t... yeah, I get it.
• </c> federal and state funding 54% on average federal and state funding 54% on average federal<01:07:
• still much higher than the amount of spending on waivers or home care per person.
• This first day, it doesn't allow us to have those insights.

Committee: Senate Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, but I think in the long run, this allows parents a greater voice and their child being allowed to
• if people have a question, this is allow if people have a question, this is allowing<00:25:41.200><c
• to charge a minimal amount or um um<00:25:50.559><c> whatever</c><00:25:50.960><c> amount</c><00:25:
• </c> set the amount that they would charge. set the amount that they would charge.
• If they don't want to allow it within their district, they don't need to allow it.

Committee: Joint Education

Transcript Highlights:

• , point to the effectiveness of spay and neuter, and I believe it would be a horrifying mistake to allow
• So allowing SB 57 to expire would undo progress and deepen instability in an already strained system.
• Madam Chair, Senator, the average cost is around $200.
• Madam Chair, thank you for allowing me this one thing.
• Thank you for allowing me to speak. My name's Ken Hughes.

Bills: SB38 , SB46 , SB18

Committee: Senate Senate Conservation

Keywords: SB38, pet food, registered pet food, registration fee, fees, sunset repeal, repeal of repeal, revenue, state fee, business regulation, animal feed, pet food registration, New Mexico, SB46, organic waste, solid waste, waste diversion, composting, compost feedstock, waste characterization study

Transcript Highlights:

• So if you were to fit a line of average growth, you'd be right at the zero line there since 2023.
• And what you see there is the average, funding and granting agencies in the world.
• Everything will be resolved, hopefully, within a reasonable amount of time.
• Amounts of time.
• The Great Recession unfolded gradually, allowing time to scale.

Committee: Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement

Summary: The Senate Labor and Public Employment Committee held an oversight hearing on federal policy impacts on California’s labor market. In opening remarks, the chair argued that federal actions, including immigration enforcement, tariffs, and cuts to safety-net programs, are harming workers, employers, and communities, and said the committee wanted to document impacts and identify state responses. The first panel featured economist Enrique Lopez Lira of UC Berkeley, who described slow job growth, wage pressures, high housing and care costs, and the large share of California workers in low-wage jobs. He said federal cuts to Medi-Cal and SNAP/CalFresh and increased immigration enforcement would worsen insecurity, especially in health care, retail, hospitality, agriculture, and care work. The chair asked about recession indicators, middle-wage stagnation, and which sectors rely most on safety-net programs, and Lopez Lira said worker organizing and unions were a source of hope. A second panel focused on federal immigration enforcement. UC Merced’s Edward Orozco Flores presented research finding that private-sector employment in enforcement-targeted states fell during escalated enforcement periods, with California experiencing unprecedented declines in 2025. He urged policymakers to consider wage-replacement or stimulus-style support for affected workers, including excluded workers who cannot access unemployment insurance. Shannon Sedgwick of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation said undocumented workers are deeply embedded in the county economy, generating substantial economic activity and supporting over a million jobs. She reported that intensified enforcement in Los Angeles County was associated with business disruptions, reduced sales and customer traffic, workforce instability, lower transit ridership in vulnerable areas, and losses from the downtown curfew. Committee members asked about impacts on small businesses, tax revenue, and recovery, and witnesses pointed to local resiliency funds, business toolkits, and know-your-rights efforts as partial responses. The hearing then heard from worker representatives. Flore Melendres of the Clean Car Wash Worker Center said car washes have been heavily targeted by federal agents, with hundreds of workers taken from workplaces, many businesses disrupted or closed, and workers living in fear; she urged support for AB 2271 to provide financial benefits to families who lost income because of DHS activity. California Nurses Association president Michelle Gutierrez-Vos said H.R. 1’s Medi-Cal and Covered California cuts threaten hospital finances, jobs, and patient care, and she backed CalCare (AB 1900), a hospital closure moratorium, and more support for nursing education. UAW 4811 president Rafael Jaime said federal research cuts are putting UC research funding and postdoctoral jobs at risk and endorsed SB 895, a proposed bond measure for health and scientific research. AFGE representatives Wallace Wade and Kendrick Roberson described the strain on federal workers during shutdowns, unpaid work, staffing losses, and the effects on TSA, Social Security, VA services, and worker housing stability; they supported SB 1155 to protect federal workers from eviction. Committee members thanked the witnesses and said the testimony showed both the human and economic consequences of federal policy. In the final panel, employer groups began responding to the same federal pressures. California Retailers Association president Rachel Michelin said retail is a major private-sector employer and a key entry point for young workers, and that retailers are seeing the effects of rising costs, supply-chain shifts, and consumer pressure at the checkout counter. The hearing continued with additional employer testimony beyond the provided excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• This amendment would allow MMCDC to retain funds recaptured at the end of three years after they first
• This amendment would allow MMCDC to retain funds recaptured at the end of three years after they first
• This amendment would allow MMCDC to retain funds recaptured at the end of three years after they first
• It costs an average of $25,000 state.
• We've averaged over 20,000 history.

Committee: House Housing Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• and it's just there for a small amount of time.
• Allow them to develop to their full potential.
• We need 120% average Does that make sense?
• And so that's an average of $164,000 a year for their salaries.
• And that there's a dollar amount listed in that. It is what is the dollar amount per child?

Committee: House A&B Human Services Subcommittee

Transcript Highlights:

• amount amount um<01:14:17.960><c> so</c><01:14:18.159><c> that's</c><01:14:18.360><c> kind</c><01:14
• <01:19:19.199><c> for</c><01:19:19.400><c> Children's</c> amount for Children's amount for Children's
• </c> heritage um again the requested amount heritage um again the requested amount far<01:19:56.120><
• </c> slide there 47,000 in that total amount slide there 47,000 in that total amount for<01:21:45.400
• sort of what the overall average across sort of what the overall average across all<01:33:50.080><c>

Committee: Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Transcript Highlights:

• This amount is one-third of what I owe for my house.
• High unemployment is based on a measure—sort of the national unemployment average, and then some amount
• It is that amount that is nearly doubling.
• It is that amount that is nearly doubling.
• Yeah, thank you for allowing me.

Committee: House Health

Transcript Highlights:

• It is my understanding that the amount being offered, the increased amount for public school districts
• And what was the last amount? Senator Brodeur: We will find it.
• It's keeping that additional amount in the FEFP, allowing districts to use that with more flexibility
• **Senator Berman:** You said this is an average; what happens if we go much higher than average?
• Get $8,000 or only get the amount of their expenses?

Transcript Highlights:

• But private match ultimately amounted to $163 million.
• NTIA is actively considering how they will allow states to use that funding.
• Of the things that this bill does, one of them is that it allows...
• Enterprises, or it allows a group to add to disadvantaged individuals.
• Iraqi who's making well below the average, and that amounts to about $35,000 a year.

Summary: The committee first heard an update from the Department of Commerce’s new state broadband director on Washington’s BEAD broadband program and permitting process. Jordan Arnold said Washington’s final BEAD proposal has been submitted to NTIA but remains unapproved after months of back-and-forth over federal rule changes, technology choices, cost, and tribal sovereignty. He said the program is expected to bring about $1 billion in broadband investment, connecting roughly 166,000 homes and small businesses, with a mix of fiber, fixed wireless, and low-earth-orbit satellite. He also outlined permitting challenges, including rights-of-way and environmental/historic reviews, and said the office is working on permitting roundtables, federal coordination, and NEPA expertise to speed reviews. Members asked about the interaction of NEPA and SEPA, the reduction in deployable federal BEAD dollars, the long-term value of fiber versus other technologies, and possible coordination with other infrastructure permitting efforts. The committee then took executive action on House Bill 2684, which would add Middle Eastern and North African groups to the Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises’ socially disadvantaged certification framework. Four proposed amendments were considered and all failed: an amendment narrowing the rebuttable presumption to groups with specific current discrimination, an amendment requiring disaggregated subgroup data and limiting use of aggregated data, an amendment tying the rules to the state constitution, and two amendments requiring consistency with federal law and Attorney General review. After debate over whether the bill was too broad or needed more specificity, the committee voted 7-4 to report HB 2684 out with a do pass recommendation. Finally, the committee unanimously approved House Joint Memorial 4012, which urges Congress to address the 20-year rule affecting certain combat-injured veterans and seeks parity in recognition and benefits. The memorial was reported out with a do pass recommendation by an 11-0 vote, with two members excused.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I would say that there's a fair amount of overlap with our findings with the J-LARC report as well
• So in that amount of time, it's a significant increase, but I would also point out...
• So it was basically an average.
• Steve, we don’t—we aren’t allowed to use it. It’s 18 miles from Carbonado to Mowich Lake.
• allow for use for utility relocation.

Bills: SJM8016 , SB6230 , SB5234 , SB6081 , SB6265 , SB6170 , SB6131 , SB6155 , SB6176 , SB6238 , SB6253 , SB6311 , SB6032 , SB6262

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: bridge repair, infrastructure, emergency funding, transportation, public safety, cash transactions, pennies, currency, economic efficiency, financial regulation, snowmobile, snowmobile registration, vehicle registration fees, registration fee, Department of Licensing, DOL, recreational vehicles, winter recreation, vintage snowmobile, parks and recreation

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:14:12.880><c> the</c><00:14:13.040><c> average</c> cents per gallon allows the average cents
• per gallon allows the average driver<00:14:13.680><c> to</c><00:14:13.920><c> realize</c><00:14:14.320
• The law does not allow drones.
• The law does not allow drones.
• The law does not allow drones.

Committee: Joint Transportation