Transcript Highlights:

• So this is really creating this high-level planning awareness.
• Maybe slightly less hubris on the individual species level.
• So not only at the state commission level, ma'am, but also at the federal level.
• Many of these units are high-cost homes serving higher-income visitors, often priced at levels comparable
• is significantly lower than our not particularly high income, right?

Summary: The committee heard SB 1393, an omnibus update to the Fish and Game Code covering steelhead trout and Dungeness crab management. Supporters from The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, CalTrout, and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations said the bill would strengthen the steelhead report card program, refine crab fishery rules, and clarify vessel transit through closed crab areas. There was no opposition, and the bill was accepted with amendments and moved on a 4-0 vote to the Appropriations Committee. The committee also heard SB 1250, which would require Caltrans to incorporate wildlife connectivity into transportation planning and asset management, with performance targets and coordination with wildlife agencies. The author and supporters argued it would improve ecosystem connectivity, reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions, and save money by integrating crossings, culverts, and fencing into planned projects. The California Building Industry Association moved to neutral after amendments clarifying the bill would apply to transportation rights-of-way and not create exactions on private property. The bill passed 4-0 to Appropriations. Members then considered SB 1212, which would repeal California’s ban on importing and selling kangaroo products. The author argued kangaroo harvest in Australia is tightly regulated and that California’s ban is outdated, while opponents from Humane World for Animals, Animal Legal Defense Fund, and others said the bill would reopen the market to products from a cruel commercial slaughter industry and undermine long-standing wildlife protections. No motion was taken at that point. The committee also heard SB 1268, codifying the Outdoors for All initiative, which supporters said would protect and expand equitable access to parks and outdoor recreation; it advanced 3-0. Finally, the committee heard three Western Joshua Tree bills from Senator Arreguín: SB 1061, SB 1062, and SB 1063. Supporters from water agencies, local governments, and industry said the bills would reduce fees and streamline permitting for tree relocation, public infrastructure, and basic utility hookups in desert communities. Opponents withdrew or softened opposition on the first two bills after amendments, but objected to SB 1063 as too broad. SB 1061 and SB 1062 each passed 2-0 to Appropriations, while SB 1063 was still under discussion at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• If they're at level three certification, if they lose level three and go down to level two or have never
• </c> for sheriffs, there are three levels. for sheriffs, there are three levels.
• and that would be a level three level and that would be a level three [clears throat]<00:15:36.720><
• </c> lose level three and go down to level lose level three and go down to level two<00:15:40.240><c>
• </c> not having achieved level two or three. not having achieved level two or three.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, that is really hard, especially for that segment of the population on fixed incomes.
• </c><00:04:33.360><c> And</c> of the population on fixed incomes.
• And of the population on fixed incomes.
• Senator, you know, talking about income.
• </c><00:14:06.160><c> living</c> like one level living like one level living housing.<00:14:08.160><c

Transcript Highlights:

• Also, do students who are income eligible at private schools...
• So typically what happens is we ask at a certain level because of midstep.
• So typically what happens is we ask at a certain level because of midstep.
• And because their budget's so small, we kind of ask for the higher level of the range.
• who comes from a low-income background, I personally experienced food insecurity.

Summary: The committee’s first major discussion focused on higher education facilities across UC, CSU, and the community colleges, with Chair Alvarez framing the issue as a final budget hearing before the May Revise. The LAO presented findings that campuses have grown substantially in buildings and square footage, while classroom and lab utilization remains below legislative standards and deferred maintenance backlogs continue to rise. The LAO also emphasized that the state and segments lack comprehensive data on capital renewal spending and recommended better reporting, clearer funding targets, and long-term planning for renewal and maintenance. UC, CSU, and community college representatives each described large five-year capital plans, aging facilities, seismic and deferred maintenance needs, and the role of student housing, while noting that construction costs are rising faster than inflation. Members questioned the segments about debt service, utilization rates, and how projects are prioritized. UC said its debt service tied to state support is about $665 million annually and described a $30 billion five-year capital financial plan, including housing, medical centers, and building renewal. CSU said it has about $31 billion in five-year needs and more than $8 billion in deferred maintenance, with funding coming from a mix of state-related and one-time sources since the state shifted capital responsibility to CSU. Community colleges said their unmet facilities needs total about $33.5 billion and explained their use of a scoring matrix and FUSION system to rank projects. The chair and members pressed all three systems to better distinguish between projects that are truly shovel-ready and those that are long-term needs, and discussed whether facilities condition data, total cost of ownership, and more standardized metrics should guide future bond proposals. The committee then turned to Proposition 2 and the Governor’s proposed community college capital outlay projects. The Department of Finance said Prop. 2 provides $1.5 billion for community colleges and that the Governor’s budget proposes 29 projects, with two continuing Prop. 51 projects also included. The LAO supported the overall use of the funds but raised concerns about the current 65/35 split between modernization and growth, the unusually large share of gymnasium projects, and some scoring metrics that favor larger campuses and certain regions. Community college officials said the scoring system was developed through participatory governance and would take one to two years to revise, but they supported the funding and agreed to follow up on questions about project categories and the rationale for the weighting. Members also suggested giving more weight to modernization, regional access, and intersegmental or collaborative projects. A final item addressed the CalKids program. The Department of Finance proposed $56,000 ongoing General Fund for three positions, while the LAO recommended approving two positions but rejecting a manager position until the current $7.5 million marketing campaign is evaluated. ScholarShare’s executive director said CalKids has enrolled more than 5 million children, with nearly 600,000 claims and over $45 million distributed, and argued that additional staff and outreach are needed to reach a goal of 1 million claimed scholarships by the end of 2025 and to implement AB 2808. Members asked about marketing effectiveness, data sharing, and eligibility rules, and the program said it is expanding partnerships with Cradle to Career and CSAC. No final vote was taken in the hearing, and the chair indicated the facilities item would be held open.

Transcript Highlights:

• For our IHSS workers, we'll first look at their income level to see if that is an automatic exemption
• At the individual level, the system is set up to do a variety of things.
• So we've set up a few individual-level reminders.
• materialized, we will get a clearer sense. ...level, you know, materialized.
• Because, again, they are operating at the local level.

Transcript Highlights:

• and regional level.
• So I will give you that, but income levels haven't risen on that level, right?
• In order to get down to some income or a house price at the level that somebody with a median income
• Do you know what the median house is for someone at that income level where that falls price-wise?
• For somebody that's about the 80 of the area median income, the income for somebody like that would be

Bills: SB48 , SB64 , SB100

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c><01:13:29.360><c> but</c> which has been at various levels, but which has been at various levels
• </c> income tax." Actually, that's not true. income tax." Actually, that's not true.
• </c> sales taxes and no income tax. sales taxes and no income tax.
• </c><01:44:22.159><c> or</c> low property taxes, lack of income or low property taxes, lack of income
• Chairman, at a high level, I am. &gt;&gt; Uh, Mr. Chairman, at a high level, I am.

Committee: Joint Revenue

Transcript Highlights:

• So that is income that otherwise would not be generated.
• But we're now seeing some higher level of subscription.
• If you are a home builder that is going to build entry-level homes, we're trying to incentivize the entry-level
• There's not many builders building entry-level homes.
• The other builders that are maybe not building entry-level homes, still building for low- to moderate-income

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill also codifies the income and asset provisions of the program to maintain Medicaid eligibility
• with developmental disabilities who are employed and enrolled in a Medicaid waiver program to have income
• of 550% of the federal benefit rate for individuals with earned income through paid employment. ...the
• federal benefit rate for individuals with earned income through paid employment, disregard assets of
• Senator Harrell: ...want to make sure that the levels of care, when you're moving from one level to the

Bills: S1002 , S1016 , S1030 , S1594 , S1630

Committee: Senate Children, Families, and Elder Affairs

Summary: The committee considered several bills affecting children, disability services, aging, recovery residences, and foster youth benefits. SB 1016 codified the working people with disabilities program for Medicaid waiver recipients, with amendments removing automatic enrollment and improving information sharing between agencies; advocates testified that the program helps people with developmental disabilities work while keeping needed care, though they raised implementation and training concerns. The bill was reported favorably. SB 1002, as amended, clarified that evidence of acute or chronic parental drug abuse can constitute harm or neglect in child welfare cases and allow court intervention and treatment requirements; it was also reported favorably. SB 1594 would preserve veterans’ benefits for foster youth for postsecondary education or aftercare rather than using them as reimbursement to the agency, and it passed favorably. SB 1630 modernized aging and long-term care statutes, expanded emergency service authority, updated oversight of area agencies on aging and guardianship, and permanently established the Florida Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence; after two amendments, it was reported favorably. SB 1030, on recovery residences/substance abuse services, was amended with a substitute that narrowed transfer definitions, sped licensure for existing providers adding levels of care, and limited credentialing entities’ access to resident records; members noted it remained a work in progress, but it was reported favorably. The committee also held confirmation hearings. Robert Astellos, nominated as Director of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, described efforts to reduce the pre-enrollment list, improve transparency and customer service, expand family involvement, and streamline agency processes; multiple advocacy groups appeared in support, and the committee recommended his confirmation. The committee then unanimously recommended confirmation of the appointees on tabs 7 through 10. The meeting concluded with adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill also codifies the income and asset provisions of the program to maintain Medicaid eligibility
• with developmental disabilities who are employed and enrolled in a Medicaid waiver program to have income
• of 550% of the federal benefit rate for individuals with earned income through paid employment. ...the
• federal benefit rate for individuals with earned income through paid employment, disregard assets of
• level to the next level, that legislation follows it and that you meet the standards that we have set

Committee: Senate Children, Families, and Elder Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• A certain threshold of a family's income.
• for lower incomes.
• By tying the relief to income level, we more narrowly tailor our tax reforms to best serve the people
• level?
• Low income.

Transcript Highlights:

• Rather, at the federal level, NCTI looks at whether the foreign income was taxed sufficiently in that
• tax on its foreign source income.
• SB 151 includes NCTI in the New Mexico corporate income tax base, regardless of whether the foreign income
• The earned income credit.
• They get 50% of the income.

Bills: SB151 , HB8 , SB177

Committee: Senate Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• TEFRA is a program on a federal level that allows for families who don't meet the income standard for
• Under this program, parents pay a fee based on their income as well as the level of services provided
• So this proposal reinstates those fees only for families with incomes of New Hampshire for the Red River
• At that income level, the TEFRA fees are set at 4.5% of adjusted gross income, and then they increase

Transcript Highlights:

• Same amount of costs and that much less income.
• Same amount of costs and that much less income.
• So it's been nice to have an increase in incomes to match those.
• or below these floor levels, which we call forfeiture levels right now.
• And what that means is forfeiture-level pricing at or below these levels equates to on-farm losses, which

Committee: Senate Agricultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• two and level three special education students That would add additional weighting for level two and
• With the additional weighting, level two special education students count as 1.2 students, level three
• The bill also includes definitions for level two and level three education students.
• The bill also includes definitions for level two and level three education students.
• This one only applies to level two and level three special education students.

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee met with a quorum present, approved the prior meeting minutes, and then took up several House bills with strike-and-insert amendments. House Bill 5510 was amended to incorporate provisions from Senate Bills 1065 and 928, modernizing Alcohol Beverage Control licensing and adding rules for low-proof spirit alcohol products, including a $1.25 per gallon tax; the committee adopted the amendment and reported the bill to the full Senate with a do-pass recommendation. The committee then considered House Bill 5453 on school funding. After discussion of a proposed block-grant system and supplemental aid for special education, the committee adopted an amendment replacing much of the bill with weighted funding for level two and level three special education students, exempting those funds from block grant rules and limiting their use to direct instruction. The committee also adopted a clarification to extend the special education funding to charter school students and reported the amended bill to the Senate. House Bill 5412, dealing with multi-year technology licensing contracts for local fiscal bodies and science-of-reading training for K-5 teachers, was amended to clarify contract language, delay implementation dates, change “endorsement” to “training,” and require charter school teachers to participate; it was then reported. The committee next amended and reported House Bill 4006, which creates aerospace development and workforce grant programs, changing the funding mechanism to use Department of Commerce reporting and personal income tax proceeds rather than direct employee withholdings. It also took up House Bill 4009, combining voluntary portable benefits for independent contractors with microcredentialing and an expanded apprenticeship tax credit, adopted the Finance Committee amendment, and reported it. Finally, House Bill 4004 creating the Recharge West Virginia training reimbursement program was amended to raise the annual employer reimbursement cap from $50,000 to $100,000 while keeping the $10,000 per-employee limit, and the committee reported the bill. The meeting ended with adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• seniors and low-income working families.
• Nobody making a million dollars in income, or many millions of dollars, or a billion dollars of income
• So you would be eligible if you paid in income tax.
• Amazon has no income tax liability.
• And so this bill cuts out the very lowest-income Minnesotans.

Transcript Highlights:

• to state median income of 65%.
• It continues to capture the lowest income families first, below 55% of state median income, followed
• to state median income of 65%.
• Continues to capture the lowest income families, first below 55% of state median income, followed by
• families over 55% state median income, but under 65.

Committee: Senate Education Pre-K - 12

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education Pre-K through 12 considered a series of education-related bills, many of them after adopting amendments. SB 1122 on Florida Virtual School was amended to remove virtual preschool provisions and then passed favorably, with the sponsor describing it as a clarifying bill about FLVS operations, revenue sources, reporting, and student access. SB 1374, on school district reporting requirements for educator arrests and misconduct, was also approved; it requires faster district action and reporting when instructional personnel are arrested for certain offenses and clarifies that self-reports are not admissions of guilt. SB 1402, on student enrollment and dropout retrieval programs, was amended and passed to broaden eligibility for dropout retrieval services and allow certain virtual providers to receive a school improvement rating instead of a school grade. SB 364, moving the Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys from the Department of Education to Florida Memorial University, was amended and reported favorably. The committee also approved SB 772 on diabetes management in schools, which would allow districts to obtain and store glucagon for emergency use by trained school staff or nurses, with liability protections included. SB 1102 on school readiness programs for children with disabilities passed after testimony that it would expand identification of disabilities, require more training for providers, and direct special-needs funding toward better-supported classrooms. SB 1382, also on school readiness, was approved and would change the definition of economically disadvantaged families, adjust priority tiers, and update the waitlist and forecasting process for child care assistance. The most debated measure was SB 140, which was substantially rewritten by delete-all amendment to create “job engine charter schools,” allow municipalities to seek charter schools aimed at attracting industry, authorize parent votes for conversion of existing public schools, and set requirements for district five-year property plans and surplus property use, including affordable housing and charter school purposes. Supporters argued it could aid economic development and repurpose underused property, while opponents raised concerns about privatization, reduced stakeholder input, unclear voting procedures, and loss of district control over property. Despite extensive debate and multiple public speakers against it, the bill passed favorably. The committee also approved SB 430, a merged AED and cardiac emergency response bill requiring public schools to have a cardiac emergency plan, trained staff, and an operational AED in a publicized location, with reimbursement provisions and liability protections; it passed after supporters emphasized life-saving benefits and manageable training costs. The committee adjourned after recording additional members’ votes on selected bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• But the level of to group coverage.
• Um, that's a year of potentially not having investment income on that.
• So any investment income you earn on it.
• </c> income if you split it. income if you split it. &gt;&gt; Yes. &gt;&gt; Yes. &gt;&gt; Yes.
• </c> on contributions and on funding levels. on contributions and on funding levels.

Summary: The House Budget Review Subcommittee on Personnel, Public Retirement, and Finance heard testimony from Bo Barnes, deputy executive secretary and general counsel for the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), on the TRS budget request for the upcoming biennium and how it compares with House Bill 500 as introduced. Barnes emphasized that the bill fully funds the system’s additional funding request to pay down TRS’s legacy unfunded pension liability, which he described as critical to the system’s long-term funding plan. He also explained that the pension and health insurance requests are broken into several line items, including legacy benefit items, state shared-responsibility payments for retiree health insurance, and reconciliation items that adjust for prior over- or underpayments. Barnes said the state portion of shared responsibility for retiree health insurance was funded below the request in House Bill 500, but he described the health insurance trust as a success story under the post-2010 shared-responsibility model. He said the trust is projected to be fully funded in about two years if medical inflation and federal subsidies remain stable, and he noted that any shortfall in the current budget would be reconciled later and could reduce investment income. In response to questions, he explained that the legacy benefit items are treated as part of the total actuarially determined employer contribution and that unpaid legacy benefits would have the same impact on the retirement trust as unpaid ADC amounts. Barnes also addressed questions about whether the $47.2 million SEEK-related teacher contribution reconciliation could be split between fiscal years, saying it could be done but would reduce investment income and potentially increase future contribution needs. He said the pension fund is currently about 61% funded and that TRS has received full funding for the pension for 10 straight years, with the state having provided full additional funding and more in recent budgets. He concluded by asking the committee to consider TRS’s original budget request, warning that underfunding now would be reflected in future actuarial calculations and could cost the Commonwealth more over time.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> provisions that govern the low-income provisions that govern the low-income housing<00:03:59.800
• </c><00:04:39.320><c> This</c> low-income housing tax credit. This low-income housing tax credit.
• </c> area median income. area median income. &gt;&gt; Oh. &gt;&gt; Oh. &gt;&gt; Oh.
• </c> low-income housing those 4% low-income low-income housing those 4% low-income housing<00:20:30.720
• </c> these 4% low-income housing tax credits. these 4% low-income housing tax credits.

Committee: Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention

Transcript Highlights:

• Washington's farms finished 2024 with a net negative income of nearly $300 million.
• Washington ranks second to last in net farm income as a result.
• Employers lose all their possible income, if any. Thank you so much for the testimony.
• I see the need for better worker protections on the statewide level.
• This bill, unfortunately, puts another level of scariness on top of that.

Bills: SB6045 , SB6188 , SB6053 , SB5852

Committee: Senate Labor & Commerce

Keywords: agriculture, collective bargaining, labor relations, public employment, agricultural employees, SB 6188, asbestos, asbestos training, asbestos certification, asbestos worker, asbestos supervisor, Department of Labor and Industries, L&I, rulemaking authority, occupational safety, workplace safety, hazardous materials, abatement, encapsulation, removal