Transcript Highlights:

• building and plumbing codes, and also provide standards for maintenance of walls, floors, ceilings, windows
• The application window must be at least 90 days long, and the application materials must be made available
• a minimum of 30 days prior to the opening of that window.
• added additional language to Section 3, subsection 1, subdivision A, to clarify that the application window
• that the application materials have to be available at least 30 days prior to the opening of the window

Summary: The committee first approved the December 3 minutes, then heard a request from the Board of Clinical Laboratory Practice to amend its proposed rule on exempt test methods to add certain closed-system DNA/RNA tests, including rhinovirus. After testimony explaining that the board had considered late comments from BioMérieux and wanted the rule record to reflect that review, the committee agreed to a limited amendment and passed the motion unanimously. The Department of Agriculture then outlined broad rule updates affecting dairy, eggs, poultry, pesticides, animal health, environmental mitigation, and the Egg Product Utilization Commission. The commissioner said the changes mostly clarified existing requirements, updated references, and reduced some burdens, such as easing dairy hauler training/licensing timing and clarifying out-of-state grade A milk language. Members asked about dairy industry decline, the APUC scoring system, and the rationale for the milk-hauler and out-of-state milk provisions. The State Board of Dental Examiners presented extensive rule changes tied to recent legislation and workforce issues, including a new professional health program for dentists, expanded duties for assistants and hygienists, broader local anesthetic authority for hygienists, and fee increases to fund the program and cover administrative costs. Testimony from Dr. Edward May strongly supported the professional health program based on his own recovery experience. The committee also heard from Game and Fish on rules easing some guide/outfitter experience requirements, allowing electronic exams, and modifying boating safety equipment rules, with no public comment and no fiscal impact. Later, Health and Human Services received approval for an extension to update tattoo/body art rules and a separate motion to repeal an obsolete nurse aide training chapter. HHS also described nursing facility rule updates, lodging sanitation revisions, and related clarifications on licensing, safety, pest control, and fire requirements. The Department of Environmental Quality received an extension for septic-system installer rules, and also presented rules for above-ground storage tanks and water/wastewater operator certification, including new fees and third-party testing options. The Industrial Commission’s oil and gas division described multiple rule changes, some withdrawn after comments, including drilling unit flexibility, site stability, wildfire authority, and streamlined transport/reporting procedures. Finally, DPI began presenting several rule packages, including school construction loan limits, school bus standards, cooperative agreements, special education rules for public charter schools, and new math curriculum and intervention requirements.

Transcript Highlights:

• Services, there is $87.7 million for Florida facilities, which completes funding for... ...capital windows
• I've likened it to an open enrollment idea in the healthcare space, where we are having windows of time
• The bill further provides for and spring application windows for scholarship programs.
• We have to make sure we have a fall and spring application window so that we know, so that private schools
• I HAD MY NEIGHBORS TWO DOORS DOWN IN THEIR LATE 70s AND EARLY 80s HAVE TO SWIM OUT OF THEIR WINDOW BECAUSE

Bills: SJR4 , SJR40 , SJR81 , SCR37 , SCR39 , SB22 , SB32 , SB33 , SB36 , SB38 , SB95 , SB209 , SB249 , SB311 , SB326 , SB365 , SB458 , SB609 , SB660 , SB664 , SB693 , SB732 , SB745 , SB760 , SB762 , SB779 , SB783 , SB785 , SB868 , SB871 , SB883 , SB921 , SB955 , SB993 , SB996 , SB1008 , SB1057 , SB1067 , SB1151 , SB1171 , SB1210 , SB1255 , SB1265 , SB1267 , SB1271 , SB1307 , SB1313 , SB1316 , SB1318 , SB1321 , SB1332 , SB1365 , SB1426 , SB1470 , SB1484 , SB1494 , SB1559 , SB1592 , SB1596 , SB1598 , SB1637 , SB1677 , SB1706 , SB1758 , SB1762 , SB1786 , SB1809 , SB1818 , SB1822 , SB1841 , SB1871 , SB1967 , SB2064 , SB2077 , SB2112 , SB2148 , SB2320 , SB2406 , SB2407 , SJR36 , SJR81 , SJR50 , SJR4 , SJR40 , SJR27 , SCR22 , SCR12 , SCR39 , SCR38 , SCR37 , SB921 , SB609 , SB660 , SB765 , SB62 , SB666 , SB888 , SB687 , SB847 , SB1248 , SB504 , SB305 , SB296 , SB284 , SB304 , SB1023 , SB204 , SB670 , SB850 , SB854 , SB413 , SB1346 , SB1033 , SB1220 , SB1073 , SB810 , SB1539 , SB447 , SB1119 , SB1505 , SB1215 , SB1302 , SB583 , SB673 , SB681 , SB1172 , SB955 , SB957 , SB541 , SB266 , SB1415 , SB53 , SB1352 , SB785 , SB1450 , SB1502 , SB1566 , SB1062 , SB711 , SB746 , SB1404 , SB1448 , SB507 , SB1026 , SB1349 , SB1355 , SB1433 , SB1434 , SB1596 , SB1403 , SB667 , SB1059 , SB1567 , SB310 , SB311 , SB505 , SB1210 , SB1470 , SB264 , SB1358 , SB1364 , SB1569 , SB1376 , SB1228 , SB519 , SB1350 , SB462 , SB827 , SB1585 , SB1484 , SB1273 , SB927 , SB1227 , SB1229 , SB1353 , SB1464 , SB1709 , SB1729 , SB1733 , SB1744 , SB1772 , SB1841 , SB1008 , SB2016 , SB1173 , SB1163 , SB996 , SB1370 , SB1321 , SB1101 , SB860 , SB993 , SB693 , SB1537 , SB1332 , SB1307 , SB963 , SB493 , SB984 , SB619 , SB1122 , SB455 , SB522 , SB1057 , SB1239 , SB1254 , SB1255 , SB1259 , SB1341 , SB1877 , SB1277 , SB32 , SB732 , SB731 , SB268 , SB1822 , SB1589 , SB397 , SB1058 , SB1267 , SB2112 , SB1930 , SB532 , SB508 , SB292 , SB291 , SB901 , SB1333 , SB1436 , SB1494 , SB964 , SB779 , SB1378 , SB2312 , SB1719 , SB287 , SB2143 , SB1245 , SB261 , SB1247 , SB2406 , SB2407 , SB1882 , SB618 , SB38 , SB393 , SB1371 , SB1365 , SB2243 , SB2226 , SB2039 , SB1919 , SB1895 , SB1598 , SB1493 , SB1810 , SB1791 , SB1706 , SB1644 , SB1238 , SB783 , SB458 , SB22 , SB651 , SB897 , SB1809 , SB1080 , SB745 , SB826 , SB989 , SB1320 , SB1437 , SB2320 , SB2289 , SB1171 , SB664 , SB1637 , SB2064 , SB868 , SB1079 , SB1243 , SB1504 , SB1851 , SB1879 , SB2237 , SB1257 , SB2034 , SB1522 , SB883 , SB249 , SB1318 , SB1151 , SB596 , SB1191 , SB226 , SB570 , SB870 , SB991 , SB60 , SB365 , SB1067 , SB1786 , SB326 , SB1401 , SB1592 , SB1728 , SB1265 , SB586 , SB529 , SB217 , SB209 , SB1923 , SB1559 , SB1839 , SB387 , SB1874 , SB1872 , SB1873 , SB1921 , SB1883 , SB1677 , SB95 , SB1620 , SB1838 , SB2024 , SB2429 , SB1999 , SB511 , SB2309 , SB2166 , SB871 , SB510 , SB33 , SB2420 , SB1860 , SB1541 , SB1316 , SB1314 , SB1313 , SB1426 , SB1398 , SB1869 , SB1750 , SB1871 , SB36 , SB855 , SB1233 , SB760 , SB2425 , SB2037 , SB1758 , SB1759 , SB2365 , SB1924 , SB762 , SB1271 , SB1818 , SB605 , SB1405 , SB1762 , SB1968 , SB1977 , SB2077 , SB2148 , SB2321 , SB1967 , SB1662 , SB1663 , SB2124 , SB2204 , SB1855 , SB863 , SB37 , SJR39 , SCR1 , SCR27 , SCR32 , SCR42 , SCR6 , SB2232 , SB819 , SB2078 , SB2252 , SB1962 , SB2253 , SB825 , SB1577 , SB1184 , SB2018 , SB2206 , SB1901 , SB1030 , SB2368 , SB1963 , SB1960 , SB1643 , SB1625 , SB1299 , SB841 , SB668 , SB584 , SB231 , SB2411 , SB1085 , SB2431 , SB2231 , SB1490 , SB530 , SB34 , SB1261 , SJR81 , SB32 , SB458 , SB664 , SB693 , SB868 , SB1008 , SB1267 , SB1307 , SB1321 , SB1484 , SB1637 , SB1809 , SB1822 , SB2064 , SB2112 , SB2320 , SB2406 , SB2407 , SB609 , SB660 , SB921 , SB779 , SB1470 , SR388 , SB3042 , SB440 , SB2876 , SB3042 , SB440 , SB2876

Transcript Highlights:

• legislative process about their daughter, who was a teacher, who told him about a closet without windows
• legislative process about their daughter, who was a teacher, who told him about a closet without windows
• I understand what you’re saying when you mentioned the no windows, the no circulation.
• I understand what you’re saying when you mentioned the no windows, the no circulation.
• </c> the no windows, the new no circulation. the no windows, the new no circulation.

Committee: House Education Policy and Administration

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 1331, which would allow the town of Derry to incorporate the Derry Cooperative School District as a department of the town through a charter amendment. The prime sponsor and several supporters argued the change would increase local control, streamline overlapping town and school functions, and potentially help align school spending with Derry’s tax cap. Supporters also said Derry is large enough to warrant a structure more like Manchester or Nashua, and one witness cited a 2018 nonbinding Derry ballot question that passed 597 to 547 in favor of seeking authorization for this change. Opposition came from NEA New Hampshire President Megan Tuttle, who said the association and the Derry Education Association opposed the bill because schools are not simply another municipal department and because Derry voters had already rejected merging the district into town government. She argued the state should respect local control and the community’s prior decision. Committee members asked about the scope of the proposed charter change, the role of the school board, and the reported prior vote, and the sponsor clarified that the amendment would be limited to this specific purpose rather than opening the entire charter. The hearing then moved to House Bill 1374, which would change the procedures for withdrawing from a cooperative school district. Representative Mary Murphy said current law gives other cooperative towns too much control over a withdrawing town’s decision, and her bill would remove the requirement for approval by the other towns while raising the withdrawing town’s approval threshold to a supermajority. She pointed to Francis Town’s 2024 withdrawal vote and said the bill was intended to protect students and local decision-making. The sponsor asked for an ought to pass recommendation, and committee members asked follow-up questions about the prior withdrawal vote and the number of voters involved.

Transcript Highlights:

• That legislation would sunset Section 230 after two years, creating a window for Congress to enact targeted
• That legislation would sunset Section 230 after two years, creating a window for Congress to enact targeted
• Manufacturers with long support windows often cannot identify an end-of-life date that far in advance
• Manufacturers with long support windows often cannot identify an end-of-life date that far in advance

Summary: The committee began as a subcommittee due to the lack of a quorum and heard several privacy- and technology-related measures. The first item was H.R. 117, a resolution urging Congress to reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The author and supporters argued the law is outdated and shields platforms from accountability for harms such as harassment, exploitation, scams, and other online abuse. Witnesses, including a survivor parent and a gender justice advocate, described harms to children, women, and LGBTQ people and urged a two-year sunset to force federal reform. Some members supported the resolution as a call for federal action, while one member said he could not support it because the resolution was too general and lacked specificity about the reforms being sought. No vote was taken because the committee lacked a quorum. The committee then heard SB 898, which would require manufacturers of connected consumer products to disclose how long they will support the software and to notify consumers when products approach end of life. The author said consumers deserve transparency about security updates and continued functionality, and supporters from Consumer Reports and PIRG emphasized cybersecurity risks, consumer confusion, and electronic waste from unsupported devices. Opponents, including business and industry groups, raised concerns about enforcement through the unfair competition law, notice burdens, labeling issues, and compliance challenges, especially for products with long support windows or third-party dependencies. One member expressed support, noting the cybersecurity risks of end-of-life devices, but again no vote was taken because there was no quorum. The committee also heard SB 435, which would narrow the CCPA definition of publicly available information to limit how businesses classify data as public. The author and supporters said the bill would close a loophole that allows data brokers and others to monetize personal information without meaningful consent and could help prevent surveillance and misuse of data, including by government agencies. Opponents argued the bill would upset the balance between privacy and the free flow of information, create compliance uncertainty, and retroactively reclassify information that businesses reasonably believed was public. Some members said they supported the goal of stronger privacy protections, while others said the bill was too broad. The committee again could not vote due to the lack of a quorum. Later, the committee heard SB 923, which would expand Californians’ right to delete personal information to cover data obtained from third parties and require online businesses to offer a web form or similar method for deletion requests. Supporters, including the California Privacy Protection Agency and consumer advocates, said the bill would make deletion rights meaningful and better address data broker practices. Opponents sought an opt-out-of-processing alternative and raised operational and legal concerns, but supporters said deletion is not the same as retention or processing limits. Members largely spoke in favor of the bill’s privacy goals, but no action was taken. The committee also heard SB 947, the “No Robo Bosses Act,” which would require human review for certain automated employment decisions and limit predictive analysis in workplace discipline and termination. Labor groups supported the bill as a safeguard against biased or erroneous AI-driven decisions, while business, public employer, and local government groups opposed it as overbroad and burdensome. Members voiced support for human oversight in employment decisions, but the item was not voted on because the committee still lacked a quorum. Finally, the committee began hearing SB 1114, the SOGI Data Privacy Act, which would restrict disclosure of sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex data to federal agencies absent a court order or legal requirement; the author and witness framed it as a response to federal efforts to obtain sensitive LGBTQ-related data.

Transcript Highlights:

• The time that it takes to remediate the issue, it's sounding like it's a relatively short window if we're
• The purpose of this bill is really to allow Nantucket a limited window of about two years' time to make
• And again, the purpose of this bill is really just to give us a window to make some simple amendments
• the committee today, and I am speaking in support of the bill that we hope will give us a two-year window

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries

Summary: The Joint Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries held a public hearing on 19 legislative proposals, with testimony limited to three minutes per speaker and seven minutes per panel. The hearing opened with testimony on bills promoting urban agriculture and vacant-lot conversion, including H.121/S.61, which Green Roots staff and community members supported as a way to turn vacant lots in environmental justice communities into urban farms and gardens that improve food access, health, community cohesion, and climate resilience. Rep. James Arena-DeRosa also spoke in support of H.109/S.56, the PFAS bill, describing it as a measure to protect soil and farms from contamination and to create relief for affected farmers. A major portion of the hearing focused on H.109/S.56, which would ban land application of sewage sludge/biosolids, provide liability protection and relief funds for farmers, and address PFAS contamination in soil, water, crops, and animals. Testimony came from environmental groups, farm organizations, and individual farmers, including the Mass Food System Collaborative, Conservation Law Foundation, Clean Water Action, CEMAP, NOFA, Sierra Club, and several farmers who described contamination in Maine and Massachusetts and urged the committee to act. Witnesses emphasized that PFAS poses serious health risks, that farmers should not bear responsibility for legacy contamination, and that the bill should be paired with funding for testing, remediation, and assistance. Committee members asked questions about farm liability, the scope of the bill, contamination in different ownership situations, and the costs and timelines of remediation, with Senator Comerford and others clarifying that the bill is intended to protect farms and farmers rather than non-agricultural landholders. The committee also heard strong support for H.416, a farm-to-institution pilot program, from Rep. Lee Davis, Berkshire Agricultural Ventures, and Berkshire Bounty. They said the pilot would connect Massachusetts farms to schools, hospitals, correctional facilities, and other institutions, creating new markets, strengthening local supply chains, and supporting food-is-medicine efforts. Members discussed whether the model could be statewide and referenced existing programs such as Island Grown Initiative and local hospital and insurance partnerships. Another agricultural bill, H.1058, was supported by Rep. Mark Sylvia and the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association as a way to allow unused cranberry water rights to be transferred within the same watershed for municipal mitigation while helping growers retire or consolidate bogs. The hearing also included testimony on the broader farm omnibus bill H.112/S.55 and related measures, with the Massachusetts Farm Bureau and others praising the committee’s work on agricultural resilience, food security, agritourism, workforce development, and farmland access, while suggesting additional transportation-related fixes for farmers. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, at the Governor's Budget, we were looking in the budget window that the projected fund balance
• That’s just baked into the system when the clock starts with the filing, but you have that window where
• .the Appeals Board, every case, every party on both sides of the case knows that there’s a 60-day window
• Subsequent to this acceptance of our proposal, the CPUC opened its first application window, and since

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee 5 on State Administration held a May Revise hearing focused on state administration proposals, with the chair noting no actions would be taken and all items would remain open. The committee heard presentations on a range of budget proposals, including technical adjustments for the Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement and the California Workforce Development Board, security and election-related funding for the Secretary of State, modernization and loan-backfill requests for the Department of Consumer Affairs, and multiple Employment Development Department updates covering EDD Next, UI and DI/PFL benefit estimates, workforce funding, and an EMT training reappropriation. Several items drew discussion from the LAO and committee members. The LAO generally supported technical or modernization items such as PERB’s implementation requests, GoServe’s College Corps adjustment, the Secretary of State’s security and HAVA grant items, and the Board of Pharmacy modernization proposal, but raised concerns about the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education’s proposed $10 million General Fund backfill and interest-free loan language. For EDD, the LAO flagged the size of the DI/PFL benefit adjustment and the unusual structure of the document management system proposal within EDD Next, while EDD said the changes reflected higher participation and benefit levels after SB 951 and ongoing modernization needs. The Department of Industrial Relations drew the most extensive questioning. It proposed funding for legal unit reclassifications, EAMS and Cal/OSHA data modernization, a new Cal/OSHA emerging technologies unit, a COYA reappropriation, and trailer bill changes requiring electronic payment of employer assessments and adjusting the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board timeline. Members pressed DIR on high vacancy rates, long wage theft and workers’ compensation backlogs, low collection rates for fines, and the need for clearer workload and outcome measures. DIR said the requests were intended to improve efficiency, support audits and corrective action plans, and better address emerging workplace risks, while the LAO said the workload drivers behind delays remain unclear. The hearing also included support for CalHR’s employee assistance program consolidation and CDT’s proposal to expand “Poppy,” a statewide generative AI assistant for state employees.

Transcript Highlights:

• 29, which on line 100 demonstrates that this proposal is budget neutral over the budget forecast window
• over the proposal is budget neutral over the budget<00:04:37.240><c> forecast</c><00:04:37.760><c> window
• c><00:04:38.280><c> And</c><00:04:38.440><c> that,</c><00:04:38.840><c> Madam</c> budget forecast window
• And that, Madam budget forecast window.

Summary: The conference committee on House File 1141, the Omnibus Housing Finance and Policy Bill, reviewed the fiscal spreadsheet and policy language for the agreement. Staff explained the major funding items, including appropriations for greater Minnesota workforce housing, manufactured home park infrastructure grants, family homelessness prevention, supportive housing, a tenant hotline, and housing infrastructure bonds, along with a cancellation of unused Tyler settlement funds and a reallocation of Housing Development Fund earnings. Staff said the package was budget neutral over the forecast window. The policy walk-through also covered provisions on livestreaming Housing Finance Agency board meetings, limits on administrative retentions for new grant programs, restrictions and reporting on Housing Development Fund transfers and earnings, clarifying language for local public housing, an exemption related to lived-experience engagement, and access for legislative fiscal staff to agency accounting information. Members then considered several amendments. The A12 amendment, allowing certain local governments to invest long-term funds in housing-related investments, was adopted after a roll call showed support from all three caucuses. The A16 manufactured housing bill of rights amendment, which would have addressed park-owner practices, purchase opportunities, enforcement, and rent increases, was not adopted. The A18 amendment to allow additional flags in HOAs and other areas was also not adopted. The A17 amendment to limit private equity ownership of single-family homes to 100 units was not adopted. The A13 amendment to preempt local rent control was not adopted. Members on both sides said some of the rejected issues warranted further discussion in future sessions, while supporters argued they were needed to address housing affordability and ownership pressures. In closing discussion on the bill as a whole, members from both chambers praised the bipartisan process, the staff work, and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency’s collaboration. Supporters said the agreement would help build thousands of homes across the state, assist vulnerable Minnesotans, and improve transparency and accountability in housing programs. They also noted the bill’s mix of single-family, multifamily, manufactured housing, homelessness prevention, and policy reforms. The committee expressed intent to move the agreement forward to the House floor and ultimately to the governor.

Transcript Highlights:

• It ensures survivors have a meaningful window to seek justice.”
• Sky Inararity concluded: “It ensures survivors have a meaningful window to seek justice and hold providers
• Creating this window of opportunity provides the time necessary for park residents to secure funding
• This destabilization creates a large window of vulnerability that companies with opaque and confusing

Summary: The committee first took up SB 934 by Senator Wiener, which would extend the time for survivors of conversion therapy to bring malpractice claims and clarify how expert testimony and scientific evidence may be used in those cases. Senator Wiener and supporters, including a survivor and a licensed therapist, described conversion therapy as harmful and argued that survivors often cannot come forward within current limitation periods. Opponents, including attorneys and advocacy groups, argued the bill was an unconstitutional workaround to California’s existing ban and could chill legitimate therapy or expand liability. Committee members pressed both sides on the bill’s scope, with the author emphasizing it does not bar exploratory therapy or medical treatment, only attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill was moved on a 7-2-1 vote to the Senate Appropriations Committee, with the item placed on call; the consent calendar was also adopted 6-0 and placed on call. The committee then heard SB 1092 by Senator Allen, as amended, concerning manufactured home parks. The bill would require park owners who intend to sell to give residents or their designated representatives notice and an opportunity to submit a competitive bid, with timelines intended to allow residents to organize financing and complete due diligence. Supporters said the measure would help preserve naturally occurring affordable housing and give residents a fair chance to buy the land under their homes, especially after fire-related losses and increasing investor ownership of parks. Opponents from park-owner and realtor groups argued the bill would burden private property rights, devalue parks, and create an unconstitutional taking by imposing long timelines and restrictions that could deter buyers. Several senators questioned the 240-day process and whether the bill should include clearer good-faith or reciprocity provisions; the author said he was open to further adjustments. The transcript ends during committee discussion of SB 1092, with no final vote shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• deadlines on the bill and allow the Secretary of State's Office and the election authorities a 10-day window
• deadlines on the bill and allow the Secretary of State's Office and the election authorities a 10-day window
• Office, once they receive their list from the Department of Health and Senior Services, a 10-day window
• Once they receive their list from the Department of Health and Senior Services, a 10-day window to compile

Summary: The House first established a quorum after several member introductions and announcements, including recognition of guests from foster care, a Bayless High School Scholar Bowl team, public utility representatives, and family members. The chamber then moved into House Bills for Perfection, beginning with HB 1812, a voter-roll maintenance measure that requires the Department of Health and Senior Services to send deceased-voter lists to the Secretary of State every 30 days for distribution to election authorities. An amendment added a 10-day processing deadline, and the bill was supported as an election-integrity measure before being ordered perfected and printed. Members also advanced HCS for HB 3308, a sales-tax exemption for materials used to construct facilities or improvements for public use that will be deeded to a political subdivision, such as parks. Supporters said it would help public-good projects while limiting the exemption to public-use construction; questions focused on fiscal impact and ensuring there is a formal agreement to transfer the property. The substitute was adopted and ordered perfected and printed. The House then took up HCS for HB 3010, a prior-authorization reform bill for health care providers. Supporters said it would reduce administrative burden, add an API-based tracking component, and create a gold-carding process for providers with high approval rates; members from both parties emphasized the strain prior authorization places on physicians and patients. The committee substitute and bill were adopted and ordered perfected and printed. The chamber next considered HCS for HB 2872, a major literacy bill centered on the science of reading. The bill requires phonics-based instruction, early screening in grades 1-3, teacher training, and retention for students who are not reading on grade level by the end of third grade, subject to exemptions for students with disabilities, English learners, IEPs, 504 plans, prior retention, and other good-cause cases. Amendments clarified that three-cueing cannot be the primary instructional strategy and added parent involvement and earlier intervention language; the most contentious debate focused on retention and parental rights, but the amendment passed 103-27-1 and the bill was then adopted and ordered perfected and printed. Finally, the House advanced HCS for HB 1826 and related bills to expand authorized epinephrine products beyond EpiPens to include nasal spray and other approved forms for use in schools, child care centers, nursing homes, and by first responders; supporters cited allergy emergencies and needle fear, and the substitute was adopted and ordered perfected and printed. The chamber also began debate on HCS for HB 2069/2208, a bill to authorize autonomous vehicles in Missouri, with the sponsor describing safety and economic benefits and the first amendment adding liability, jurisdiction, and U.S.-based operator requirements; a second amendment removed commercial vehicles and made technical changes. Debate on the underlying autonomous-vehicle bill continued, with supporters emphasizing modernization and opponents raising concerns about local control, surveillance, and the lack of independent safety data.

Transcript Highlights:

• ICE broke the windows in his car.
• ICE broke<00:20:39.280><c> the</c><00:20:39.440><c> windows</c><00:20:40.080><c> in</c><00:20:40.400>
• </c><00:20:42.240><c> uh</c><00:20:42.320><c> they</c> broke the windows in his uh car. uh they broke
• the windows in his uh car. uh they dragged<00:20:42.960><c> him</c><00:20:43.120><c> out,</c><00:20:

Transcript Highlights:

• still be able to submit for unclaimed property throughout the year, or would that be limiting the window
• would that be throughout the year or would that be limiting<00:28:41.760><c> the</c><00:28:42.000><c> window
• > to</c><00:28:42.799><c> that</c><00:28:43.039><c> week</c><00:28:43.200><c> in</c> limiting the window
• only to that week in limiting the window only to that week in September?

Committee: House State Government

Transcript Highlights:

• certain minimum amount of time outdoors, but given the way that it's drafted, it actually has a narrow window
• 24.000><c> narrow</c> it's drafted, it actually has a narrow it's drafted, it actually has a narrow window
• 25.040><c> would</c><01:51:25.200><c> prohibit</c><01:51:25.600><c> less</c><01:51:25.840><c> than</c> window
• So, it would prohibit less than window. So, it would prohibit less than 45<01:51:26.479><c> minutes.

Committee: House Education Policy and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• My preference myself is to have a shorter 5-day window to get people to go ahead and pay and get it done
• preference myself is to have a 5day<00:34:14.159><c> a</c><00:34:14.320><c> shorter</c><00:34:14.639><c> window
• to</c><00:34:15.359><c> get</c><00:34:15.520><c> people</c><00:34:15.760><c> to</c> 5day a shorter window
• to get people to 5day a shorter window to get people to go<00:34:16.480><c> ahead</c><00:34:16.639><

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes and then adopted the consent calendar without objection. On the regular calendar, it took up a Health and Human Services Medicaid rule on laboratory services. Committee members questioned why an expired rule was still needed and whether any fees, fines, or appeals had occurred during the lapse. DHHS staff said there were no fees or fines, the service remains in the state Medicaid plan, providers continued to be reimbursed under the billing manual, and there had been no known appeals. The committee then approved the rule. The next item was a Natural Resources rule package covering wood processing mills, wood concentration yards, forestry health, forest fire, and administrative fines. Representative Leon pulled the item from consent and objected to the rule’s repeated 5-inch diameter limit for burnable material, arguing that the statute authorizes permits for camp or cooking fires but does not clearly authorize a diameter limit, and that larger wood can be responsibly burned or otherwise managed in forested properties. DNCR’s forest protection chief responded that the 5-inch limit is intended to reduce smoldering and wildfire risk, align with DEES air rules defining brush as 5 inches or less, and keep backyard burning consistent with air-quality regulations. He said larger material can be handled through other permitting processes and that the rule is meant to educate the public and prevent unsafe burning. Members continued to debate whether the rule exceeded statutory authority and whether it was practical for landowners managing larger wooded parcels. One member suggested narrowing the 5-inch restriction in the category 4 permit language, while another noted the statute appears to speak in terms of small or large amounts of material rather than a specific diameter. The discussion ended without a final resolution in the excerpt, with the committee still considering possible amendments to the Natural Resources rules.

Transcript Highlights:

• There's, you know, you don't often see neon signs in the windows with short-term rental companies' logos
• There's, you know, you don't often see like neon signs at the windows with, you know, short-term rental
• So in terms of privacy, that goes out the window because the third party has access to it, right?
• So in terms of privacy, that goes out the window because the third party has access to it, right?

Summary: The committee heard multiple bills, with extensive discussion focused on short-term rental regulation, street vending, park/public safety financing, transit-oriented housing fees, and demographic data collection. SB 346 would require short-term rental platforms to provide local governments with listing addresses and related information to help collect transient occupancy taxes and enforce local ordinances; supporters argued cities and counties need the data to identify unlicensed operators and recover taxes, while opposition from platforms raised privacy and due process concerns and said administrative subpoenas already exist. The bill was amended and passed 7-0 to the Judiciary Committee. SB 635, the Street Vendor Business Protection Act, sought to protect street vendors’ personal information from being shared in ways that could expose them to federal immigration enforcement; supporters described raids and fear in vendor communities, and the bill passed 6-1 to Public Safety. SB 499 would clarify that certain park and recreation facilities designated in local safety or hazard mitigation plans can qualify for fee deferral exemptions when they serve emergency or public safety functions; supporters said parks can serve as fire buffers, evacuation sites, and recovery hubs, while some housing advocates sought a clearer nexus to development impacts. The bill passed as amended 6-0 to Appropriations. SB 358, which would modernize traffic impact fee rules to better reflect lower automobile trip generation for walkable, transit-oriented housing, drew support from housing and transportation advocates and passed 8-0 to Appropriations. SB 515, aimed at improving demographic data collection and reporting by local governments and state entities, passed to Appropriations on a 4-0 vote. The committee also took up SB 276, presented by Assembly Member Stefani on behalf of Senator Wiener, which would allow San Francisco to create a permit-and-enforcement system for the sale of commonly stolen goods on sidewalks. Supporters said the measure is needed to address fencing operations and protect legitimate vendors, while emphasizing it is narrowly targeted and not aimed at food vendors or permitted sellers. The transcript ends during testimony on SB 276, with supporters from the Mission street vendor community and San Francisco Public Works describing enforcement problems and the need for clearer rules and city resources.

Transcript Highlights:

• conversations about how to make it better, or in this case, at this stage of the lifespan of resolutions, the window
• 00:11:29.959><c> resolutions</c><00:11:30.959><c> uh</c><00:11:31.120><c> the</c><00:11:31.200><c> window
• </c><00:11:31.560><c> has</c> house resolutions uh the window has house resolutions uh the window has

Committee: House Public Safety

Summary: The Committee on Public Safety met on Wednesday, April 2 at 11:05 a.m. and began with housekeeping instructions for Zoom testimony and meeting conduct. The first major item was House Resolution 43, HD1, which urged the City and County of Honolulu to work with stakeholders on an emergency access road on the West Coast. The acting chair proposed a substantial HD2 amendment to add Makakilo language, expanding the resolution to call for two emergency access roads—one on the Ewa coast and one in Makakilo—and to request community meetings and a timeline for an alternative Makakilo access road by early 2026. Testimony on the resolution was strongly supportive overall, with 14 written testimonies in favor and none opposed. The committee then debated whether the proposed HD2 was appropriate without prior concurrence from the original introducer or prior committee chair. Several members objected to the amendment process and said they would vote no because the amendment had not been posted in advance and lacked concurrence, while the acting chair argued the rules did not require concurrence for resolutions and that the amendment was needed to address Makakilo residents’ safety concerns. The discussion also included references to prior conversations with leadership and the Speaker about whether resolution titles could be amended. After debate, the committee first voted on the amended version of HR 43, but the recommendation was not adopted. The acting chair then moved to pass HR 43 HD1 as originally presented, without the new Makakilo amendments. That motion was adopted, with the committee voting to pass the resolution as is. The record notes that members supporting the original measure cited the written testimony and the need for a second access point on the West Coast, while others voted no because they viewed the Makakilo language as duplicative or preferred a separate measure. After HR 43, the committee moved on to HCR 9, and the acting chair indicated that the committee would need to take a reconsideration vote before proceeding to a final vote on that resolution.

Transcript Highlights:

• there's $94 million for the Florida facilities pool, which completes the funding for the capital windows
• level, and we're trying to better capture those individuals as they move and require only certain windows
• The bill creates fall and spring application windows for scholarship programs.
• And if they're finishing up their education where they started out there, we want to give them that window

Summary: The Appropriations Committee met for Budget Day and heard presentations on the Senate’s proposed 2025-2026 budget, SPB 25-200, totaling $117.4 billion. Chair Hooper said the plan reduces overall spending from the prior year, keeps strong reserves, includes a 4% pay raise for state employees, maintains employee health care contributions, and makes major investments in water quality, transportation, and education infrastructure. Committee chairs then summarized their budget silos, including K-12 education, higher education, health and human services, criminal and civil justice, transportation/tourism/economic development, and agriculture/environment/general government. Members asked questions mainly about school funding, AP and dual enrollment support, voucher and scholarship impacts, and the My Safe Florida Home program. The committee adopted a large consent package of amendments and then approved three late-file amendments: funding virtual college tours for high school students, funding the FSU Sunshine Genetics program, and providing money for the Port of Fernandina customs facility. The committee then voted to report SPB 2500, the General Appropriations Bill, as a committee bill. It also favorably reported SPB 2502 (implementing bill), SPB 2504 (state employees placeholder), SB 7022 (Florida Retirement System contribution rates and DROP changes), CS/SB 1320 (recreating the Resilient Florida Trust Fund), SPB 2506 (gaming compact revenue distributions, including water projects and rural lands), SPB 2508 (29 new judgeships), SB 7014 (ending the court mediation and arbitration trust fund), SPB 2510 (K-12 conforming bill), SPB 2512 (higher education conforming bill), and SPB 2514 (health and human services conforming bill). The committee also took up several policy bills. It approved SB 7028 on cancer research, creating grant parameters, reporting requirements, a five-year pediatric cancer research incubator, and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute VisionGen Initiative. It approved CS/CS/SB 170 on nursing home quality, adding resident satisfaction surveys, medical director standards, safety culture reviews, electronic health record requirements, financial reporting penalties, and a study of best practices. It approved CS/CS/SB 168, the Tristan Murphy Act, which expands mental health diversion options, adds Hillsborough County to a forensic hospital diversion pilot, expands grant uses, and creates a behavioral health data repository. It also approved SB 114 creating the Florida Center for Excellence in Insurance and Risk Management at FSU and moving the public hurricane loss model there. The committee then began considering SB 180 on emergency preparedness and response, including a late-file amendment, but the transcript cuts off before final action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• there's $94 million for the Florida facilities pool, which completes the funding for the capital windows
• And we're trying to better capture those individuals as they move and require only certain windows of
• The bill creates fall and spring application windows for scholarship programs.
• And if they're finishing up their education where they started out there, we want to give them that window

Committee: Senate Appropriations

Summary: The Appropriations Committee heard presentations on the Senate’s proposed 2025-2026 budget, SPB 25-200, totaling $117.4 billion. Chair Hooper and committee chairs highlighted major spending priorities including a 4% raise for state employees, continued health insurance contributions, investments in water quality, transportation, education infrastructure, and workforce development, along with reductions tied to long-vacant positions. Education funding was a major focus, with increases for K-12 public schools and scholarships, higher education workforce programs, nursing initiatives, tutoring, and university performance funding. Health and human services, criminal and civil justice, transportation/economic development, and agriculture/environment budgets were also outlined, including Medicaid, mental health, corrections staffing, affordable housing, beach restoration, citrus recovery, and water projects. Members then questioned several budget choices, especially K-12 funding. Senators Polsky and Smith raised concerns that the Senate’s AP and dual enrollment funding changes could disadvantage public schools, while Burgess argued the budget preserves the money in the FEFP and gives districts more flexibility rather than reducing support. Questions also addressed voucher availability, school stabilization funding, and the My Safe Florida Home program. The committee adopted 171 consent amendments and three late-file amendments, then approved SPB 2500 as a committee bill. It also favorably reported implementing and conforming bills for state employees, retirement, natural resources, judgeships, K-12 education, higher education, and health and human services, along with SB 7022 on Florida Retirement System contribution rates and elected-officer DROP options, CS/SB 1320 on the Resilient Florida Trust Fund, SB 7014 ending the Mediation and Arbitration Trust Fund, SB 7028 on cancer research, CS/CS/SB 170 on nursing home quality and oversight, CS/SB 168 on mental health diversion and behavioral health data, SB 114 creating an insurance and risk management research center at FSU, and SB 180 on emergency preparedness and post-storm recovery. Most bills were reported favorably with little or no opposition, though SB 180 drew discussion about local-government authority after storms and the need to balance recovery speed with local safety and planning concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• and an annual appearance for you, and a permit appeal process with a published form and a filing window
• , and an annual appearance for you, and a permit appeal process with a published form in a filing window
• Groups like mine spend real time discovering what a resource was available only after the window closed

Summary: The joint oversight hearing focused on the Board of Environmental Safety (BES), created by SB 158 in 2021, and on broader DTSC reform efforts, including permitting, community engagement, fee setting, and the hazardous waste management plan. Chair Connolly opened by noting the board’s original goals of improving transparency, accountability, and fiscal stability, and raised concerns about a recent board appointee later becoming a lobbyist with DTSC-regulated clients. Witnesses and members also discussed the long-delayed SB 673 regulations on facility permitting and community vulnerability protections, as well as the board’s role in approving the hazardous waste management plan and reviewing permit appeals. Community and environmental justice witnesses argued that the board has improved access by creating a public forum, ombudsperson, and appeal process, but said it remains too passive and lacks authority over budgets, staffing, and implementation. They urged more statutory direction, stronger community participation, better transparency on how comments are used, and more meaningful authority in permit and plan decisions. One witness suggested the Legislature consider a separate oversight body or stronger legislative engagement, while another called for youth representation and paid fellowships on advisory bodies. Business and regulated-community testimony was more supportive of the board’s structure, emphasizing that SB 158 was a negotiated compromise that improved transparency and accountability while avoiding politicization, and calling for faster fee analysis and clearer budget information. Board Chair Andrew Rakestra and DTSC Director Barbara Butler reported that reform has produced measurable gains: more public engagement, stronger enforcement, fewer continued permits, improved compliance, increased revenues from the generation-and-handling fee, and progress on Exide cleanup, safer consumer products, and community revitalization grants. They acknowledged, however, that the board’s authority is limited, permit appeals can be slow, SB 673 regulations remain unfinished, and public trust still needs work. Both said the board is most effective when involved early and when DTSC shares information proactively. Members asked about fee stability, the hazardous waste management plan, and whether the Legislature should give the board a more formal role in budget change proposals, regulatory processes, and implementation oversight. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational and ended with public comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• imagine a gas station that sells cigarettes, obviously, and the signage would be proportionate to the window
• And the signage would be proportionate to the window and the availability.
• And the signage would be proportionate to the window and the availability.

Summary: The Assembly Health Committee heard a series of bills focused on behavioral health, cancer screening, provider reimbursement, research funding, workforce licensing, and tobacco regulation. SB 16 would require counties to maintain procedures for designating and training professionals authorized to perform 5150 evaluations and initiate involuntary holds; supporters said it would expand the pool of qualified clinicians and reduce reliance on law enforcement, while opponents raised concerns about local control and implementation. SB 1124 would require CDPH to create and post lung cancer screening eligibility signage at tobacco point-of-sale locations; supporters emphasized low screening awareness and early detection, and the bill was advanced with amendments. SB 28, a CARE Court cleanup bill, proposed an ombudsperson, reporting, electronic petitions, remote participation, and other changes to improve accountability and access; it drew both strong support and significant opposition over concerns about coercion, scope, and whether the program is working as intended, but it passed the committee as amended to Judiciary. The committee also heard SB 874, which would strengthen oversight of Medi-Cal behavioral health treatment services, including background checks for providers and a stakeholder workgroup to develop standards; it passed to Public Safety. SB 1049 would let providers resubmit corrected claims within 90 days after a plan’s denial or recoupment action when the original claim had a correctable technical defect; supporters described delayed and withheld payments harming practices, while insurers argued the bill could duplicate existing dispute processes. The bill passed to Appropriations on call. SB 1224 would create a state framework to compete for federal ARPA-H funding for emerging therapies research, with testimony from a UC Davis psychiatrist and veterans’ advocates supporting expanded research into treatments for PTSD, depression, and other conditions; it passed to Military and Veterans Affairs. Later, SB 1057 would change how the Department of Public Health evaluates conviction history for certified nurse assistants and home health aides, shifting from automatic denial toward individualized assessment based on the offense, time elapsed, and rehabilitation; it passed to Appropriations with some no votes. Finally, SB 1314, a tobacco-related bill, sought to create a 600-foot buffer around schools and day care centers for certain tobacco retailers and address related issues such as cigar lounge definitions and nitrous oxide sales; several local government and public safety groups supported it, while health organizations and business groups opposed it unless amended. The chair announced that committee amendments were being set aside for now and the bill would move forward to Business and Professions with a commitment to continue working on the language; it passed out of committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• Because grants are a limited window, limited amounts of money. Is that...
• Because grants are a limited window, limited amounts of money. is that Because grants are a limited window

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on the rising cost and long delivery times for fire apparatus and related equipment, with opening remarks stressing that aging fleets, supply chain problems, and delayed replacements are affecting emergency readiness across California. Cal OES and Cal Fire described statewide procurement challenges, including higher prices, multi-year delivery timelines, two-year encumbrance limits, and the strain on mutual aid when engines remain in service beyond their intended replacement cycles. Cal Fire said it operates 537 engines, with 300 meeting replacement criteria and 243 at least 16 years old, and explained the difference between mandatory contracts and one-time acquisitions. The Department of General Services said vendors have cited labor costs, chassis pricing, and the need for longer production timelines, while also noting that statewide contracts can include nominal price increases but not open-ended price hikes. Local fire chiefs from Santa Barbara County, Los Angeles County, Napa, and Fullerton testified that apparatus prices have risen sharply while delivery times have stretched from under a year to three to five years or more. They described specific examples of engines and ladder trucks costing far more than prior purchases and arriving years later, forcing departments to keep older reserve apparatus in service, spend more on maintenance, and defer other budget priorities. Several witnesses said industry consolidation has reduced competition and contributed to delays and price increases, with Los Angeles County and Fullerton noting they have pursued antitrust complaints and litigation against major manufacturers. Napa also described proprietary parts and software limiting in-house repairs, and Santa Barbara County said a vendor’s unfulfilled delivery promise caused the department to lose its place in line. Members asked about possible solutions, including whether the state should consider manufacturing apparatus itself, whether procurement rules or prototype requirements could be streamlined, whether DGS staffing or contract processes could be accelerated, and whether more stable long-term purchasing commitments would help manufacturers plan production. Witnesses said safety-driven specification changes are necessary but can add time, and that the main bottlenecks are industry capacity, consolidation, and vendor performance. The vice chair raised concerns about how grant funding windows and local matching requirements are affected by multi-year delays, especially for small and rural departments that rely on grants and on used apparatus passed down from larger agencies. No votes were taken; the hearing concluded with committee members indicating interest in possible legislative, regulatory, and antitrust follow-up.