Transcript Highlights:

• Um and that be investigated by the BCA.
• Um particularly those investigation.
• 29.199><c> upon</c><00:04:29.600><c> that</c> legislation seeks to build upon that legislation seeks
• </c> military personnel are investigated military personnel are investigated uniformly,<00:04:36.880>
• </c> investigative integrity and due process. investigative integrity and due process.

Committee: House Veterans and Military Affairs Division

Transcript Highlights:

• And I watched the legislative body last year pass a law that was going to, And I watched the legislative
• My name is Ashley Burkine with the legislative auditor's office.
• also had several matters for legislative consideration.
• Could legislation give you the ability to find it? Yes, ma'am.
• September 20th, 2004, I launched the investigation to investigate this.

Summary: The committee held its inaugural meeting and heard opening remarks from the chair and vice chair about the committee’s purpose: studying issues affecting women and children in Louisiana, including health, education, economic opportunity, safety, and criminal justice. After roll call, the committee proceeded with informational presentations rather than taking any formal votes. Members emphasized the committee’s role in gathering testimony and identifying policy solutions. The first major presentation came from the Governor’s Office of Human Trafficking Prevention. The director reviewed 2025 data showing 2,963 identified victims, 15,437 service instances, and trafficking reports in 62 of 64 parishes. She explained Louisiana’s coordinated response system, including screening tools, child advocacy center referrals, and the DCFS hotline option for trafficking reports. She also described familial trafficking, new victim outreach and identification tools, and two priority bills: HB 321, which would create immunity from prostitution offenses for child victims under Safe Harbor principles, and SB 83, which would require school board trafficking policies and expand victim advocacy services to labor trafficking victims and survivors up to age 21. Committee members asked about reporting procedures, school use of the tools, service gaps, and whether the data showed increases due to better identification. The committee then heard from the Attorney General’s office on online child exploitation and child sexual abuse material. The presenter said the Louisiana ICAC Task Force received 31,203 tips in 2025, made 545 arrests, identified or rescued more than 80 child victims, and executed over 1,500 search warrants. He described rapid tip-to-arrest responses in recent cases, the expansion of partner agencies statewide, and the creation of an Orleans Metro ICAC task force. Members asked about community presentations, the role of social media in exploitation, the use of geolocation, the prosecution of out-of-state offenders, and the need for more analysts and outreach staff. The discussion also covered sadistic online enticement, sextortion, live-streamed abuse, and the need for parents and schools to monitor children’s online activity. At the end of the meeting, the committee began receiving a legislative auditor’s presentation on the treatment and care of incarcerated women, focusing on jail policies, health care, restraint use, and reentry, but the transcript cuts off before that presentation is completed. No committee votes or formal actions were recorded in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Investigations Division, and also...
• On that location, we currently do some fire investigator burns and fire investigator classes that are
• On that location, we currently do some fire investigator burns and fire investigator classes that are
• At the same time that we're doing that investigation, we're going to investigate and determine whether
• and the funding to properly investigate complaints?

Summary: The subcommittee heard presentations from the Department of Financial Services and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, then returned to its ongoing budget workshop with the Department of Management Services. DFS’s Division of Risk Management described its role as the state self-insurance fund, covering about 200,000 employees and 27,000 vehicles, paying roughly $150 million in claims last year, and managing a pilot ETS treatment program for veterans and first responders that had 49 patients and 804 treatments as of the latest report. The Division of State Fire Marshal outlined its fire prevention, training, emergency response, and grant programs, including hurricane deployments, the Florida State Fire College, and several capital and grant requests for roof, courtyard, memorial, and equipment needs. The Division of Rehabilitation and Liquidation explained how it handles insolvent insurers under Chapter 631, currently administering 14 estates with $1.2 billion in assets and $3.7 billion in liabilities, and said no new receiverships had been opened since February 2023. Members asked about grant backlogs, fire truck procurement delays, memorial repairs, and whether affiliate transfers were occurring in insurer liquidations. Secretary Griffin then updated the committee on DBPR’s implementation of House Bill 1021 on community associations. He said the department had used the new authority to expand education, complaint handling, and ombudsman services, including 10 free standardized courses, a new condo website, and a four-hour board certification course that had already drawn more than 12,000 attendees. He reported that outreach to condominium communities had increased by more than 60%, that complaint filings were up 39% while jurisdictional dismissals dropped to 11%, and that about 81% to 82% of the 65 new positions had been filled. Members pressed him on whether the department had enough authority and funding, how condominium counts are determined, how self-reported structural integrity reserve study data is verified, and whether more public-facing complaint tracking and better reporting from local governments or developers would improve the system. The committee then resumed questioning Secretary Allende of DMS about outstanding budget and operations issues. Members focused on the delayed People First contract extension required by statute, with the secretary saying the delay involved technical and contractual complexity in moving a legacy hard-coded system to the cloud. They also revisited the state data team and data catalog project, asking why a statutory 2022 deadline had not been met, how the four-person team and broader data staff were organized, how many applicants were considered for key positions, and what each role was doing. The secretary said the catalog work was being simplified into six metadata fields and supported by a broader community of practice, but no firm completion date was given during the exchange.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Over the past three legislative Over the past three legislative sessions,<00:04:53.520><c> this<
• DHS's IG for investigation for fraud? DHS's IG for investigation for fraud?
• </c> claims that need further investigation. claims that need further investigation.
• And Legislative Auditor Randall knows that I am willing to provide her with the full details of our investigation
• Legislative Auditor Randall knows that I am willing to provide her with the full details of our investigation

Committee: Senate Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• So, yes, we have a criminal investigation group that works hand in hand with law enforcement.
• We also have... ...criminal investigation group that works hand in hand with law enforcement.
• So when we are reviewing the investigations of the deaths, those reviews will be public.
• That's part of the transparency that is part of the legislation.
• something that you feel needs a secondary level of investigation...

Committee: Senate Rules

Transcript Highlights:

• We're waiting potentially a year. here to do an investigation?
• So these investigators you have are investigators along the line, the classification, state classification
• Thank you, my name is Amit Patel, Legislative Budget Board.
• Child Protective Investigations conducts those investigations of abuse and neglect. in residential settings
• So going into to the next legislative session.

Bills: SB1 , SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• And I think that was on that pre-sentencing investigation. Fair enough.
• </p><p>That's the pre-sentence investigation.
• these pre-sentence investigations.
• That could come out in a pre-sentence investigation, and that could be helpful.
• I think right now, you can already request a pre-sentence investigation.

Bills: HB75 , SB134 , SB201 , SB258 , SB288 , SB313 , SB320 , SB321 , SB325 , SB339 , SB345 , SB393 , SB422 , SB440 , SB470 , SB487 , SB523

Committee: House Administration of Criminal Justice

Keywords: child sexual abuse materials, sexting, minors, indecent visual depiction, underage, internet safety, juvenile justice, parole eligibility, resentencing, court hearings, criminal procedure, juvenile, traffic violations, child, emancipated minor, law enforcement, traffic safety, background checks, criminal history, employment

Transcript Highlights:

• And this legislation came as a result.
• And this legislation came as a result.
• If you look at the legislation, page one, the legislative intent was to strengthen the child custody
• Now, this legislation does not prohibit people from wearing masks during lawful protests, The legislation
• This amendment will allow investigators to use subpoenas to investigate AI-generated child sexual abuse

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Rules

Transcript Highlights:

• Most states will investigate more calls that come into the agency than Washington.
• Certainly, you as legislators should be examining and understanding.
• Every call alleging child abuse or neglect does not result in an investigation.
• So our current practice isn't to investigate families just because somebody made a call.
• legislative component of that.

Summary: The committee heard a lengthy update on Washington child welfare from Casey Family Programs and DCYF. Dr. David Sanders said Washington has sharply reduced out-of-home care and increased kinship placements, but he flagged concerns about low screening-in rates, long stays in foster care for many children, and a recent rise in repeat maltreatment and child fatalities, especially among infants. He urged more focus on infants and young children, better coordination among child protection, health care, and law enforcement, and more proactive review and investigation practices. Members asked for disaggregated data on children lingering in care, fatalities, and causes such as fentanyl exposure. DCYF said it has increased relative placements and guardianships, but also reported a concerning rise in 2025 critical incidents, mostly near-fatalities involving children age three and under, many opioid-related. The department described responses including safe child consults for opioid cases, more training, hotspot analysis, and proposed investments in peer support, public health nurses, community referrals, and an updated safety framework. Members also discussed whether a broader commission on child abuse prevention would be useful, and DCYF said it was open to that idea. The committee then received a DSHS reorganization update from Secretary Angela Ramirez, who described the “Reimagined” plan to consolidate four administrations into three new ones, with the stated goals of reducing silos, improving customer experience, and making transitions between services smoother. She said the agency is seeking statutory changes and CMS approval to align the new structure, and members asked about preparing for federal HR1 impacts, especially SNAP. Ramirez said DSHS is monitoring those impacts closely and emphasized the need for accurate data and cross-agency coordination. Finally, DSHS’s Behavioral Health and Habilitation Administration updated the committee on residential habilitation centers and implementation of Substitute Senate Bill 5393, which phases out Rainier School by June 30, 2027 and limits new admissions. Officials reported current census and staffing levels at the state’s RHCs, said Rainier has had some residents transition to supported living or adult family homes, and explained that emergency and permanent rulemaking was needed to implement the law. They also said Rainier was recently cited by federal surveyors for not meeting the active treatment requirement for two residents, and that the facility has 90 days to return to compliance before possible payment penalties or further remedies. Members pressed for details on the citation, the meaning of active treatment, the assessment process for admissions, and whether Rainier could be repurposed for other services; DSHS said it is working on corrective action and will follow up in writing.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I did check with the bureau, and they had investigated, and that is not the case.
• And I did check with the bureau, and they had investigated, and that is not the case.
• . investigations. investigations.
• ,</c><00:04:22.160><c> and</c> bureau, and they had investigated, and bureau, and they had investigated
• </c><00:07:41.200><c> that's</c> the legislation that's that's that's the legislation that's that's that's

Committee: Joint Corrections

Transcript Highlights:

• And what we do is we investigate. On the other side of Missouri.
• DEA, which seems to be the only people that are investigating.
• The Bridgetton Police Department said we don't investigate drug dust.
• And what we do is we investigate. on the other side of Missouri.
• DEA, which seems to be the only people that are investigating.

Committee: House Crime and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• We also now have a team of investigators.
• We have several comments and issues for legislative consideration.
• during our park maintenance inspections or complaint investigations.
• So it's a broad... ...or complaint investigations.
• discrimination, and redlining investigations.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know that you've said that this legislative, Mr. Chair, to briefly inquire.
• You know, the legislation is problematic itself.
• The investigator is only going to be investigating a single complaint.
• I’ve been through the investigative process, the Department of Labor.
• Department of Labor does not have enough wage and hour investigators currently to investigate nefarious

Committees: House Commerce , House Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, as you important legislative issues.
• So, a legislative ask would be at 1.5.
• </c><00:35:31.680><c> into</c> for us to do an investigation into for us to do an investigation into
• 00:44:08.560><c> the</c> those investigations are completed the those investigations are completed the
• Um, but we are investigations.

Summary: The Interim Joint Committee on Families and Children opened its first meeting with roll call and a reminder about the number of children in out-of-home care with active placements, which the chair said was 8,641 as of June 1, 2025. The committee then heard a presentation from the Center for Courageous Kids, a donor-funded camp in Scottville that serves children with lifelong illnesses and disabilities at no charge. Representatives described the camp’s year-round family retreats and summer sessions, its medically safe and inclusive model, and examples of campers gaining confidence and independence. They said the camp has served more than 43,000 campers from Kentucky, other states, and other countries, and that it is seeking legislative support for two capital projects: a new art barn and a medical lodge, with a combined request of $3.2 million. Members praised the program and asked about awareness, staffing, volunteer recruitment, accreditation, and how the projects would expand capacity; the camp said the medical lodge would help increase volunteer housing and allow future growth beyond its current summer cap of 128 campers per session. The committee then moved to adult protective services and state guardianship programs. Jessica Wayne, director of the Division of Guardianship, and Cliff Bryant of DCBS explained the legal framework for guardianship and conservatorship, including state guardianship as a last-resort option when no family member or private entity is available or appropriate. They outlined the court petition process, emergency appointments, and the distinction between full and limited guardianship or conservatorship. They emphasized that guardianship is based on legal incapacity to make decisions, not simply on a medical disability diagnosis, and noted that state guardianship can be arranged for some 17-year-olds aging out of youth services. The presenters said the state currently serves 4,645 individuals under guardianship, with most cases involving developmental intellectual disabilities, supported community living waiver participants, and people in nursing homes or long-term care facilities. They also described the division’s three branches: field services, which handles visits and day-to-day decisions in all 120 counties; a benefits branch that applies for public benefits; and a fiduciary branch that manages funds and pays bills. They reported 89 field workers statewide, an average caseload of 52, and said the agency is hiring to reduce that load. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• We were asked to help, but we did not draft the legislation or bring the legislation to him. Okay.
• We were a co-sponsor of legislation in California, which allows organizations to co-sponsor legislation
• We were a co-sponsor of legislation in California, which allows organizations to co-sponsor legislation
• want to investigate that crime.
• to investigate that crime?

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes and then took up House Bill 4852, a strike-and-insert bill revising West Virginia’s food additive restrictions. Counsel explained that it moved the existing additive list into a new code section, kept the 2028 effective date, added exceptions for dietary supplements, alcoholic liquor, non-intoxicating beer, and small sellers under $5,000 per month, and created civil penalties for knowing violations. Testimony split between industry witnesses, who argued the bill and last year’s law would raise costs, burden interstate commerce, and conflict with federal regulation, and advocates who said the law is already prompting companies to reformulate and that the bill clarifies vague language tied to a federal injunction. Several amendments were offered to tie the law to FDA action or exempt soda, pepperoni rolls, frozen confections, and snack foods; some were adopted and others failed. The committee then adopted the strike-and-insert amendment as amended and reported HB 4852 to the full Senate with a do-pass recommendation. The committee next considered House Bill 5484, which creates felony offenses for interfering with a victim’s access to medical treatment or forensic care related to a sexual offense, or for forcing a victim of a sexual offense who becomes pregnant to have an illegal abortion, along with a conspiracy offense. Counsel said the strike-and-insert added clarifying language and definitions. Members raised concerns that the conspiracy language could be read to include the victim herself, and the bill sponsor said the intent was to target traffickers and abusers who keep victims from medical care and force abortions outside medical facilities. An amendment was adopted clarifying that nothing in the subsection imposes criminal liability on the victim of the sexual offense. The committee then adopted the strike-and-insert amendment, reported HB 5484 to the full Senate with a do-pass recommendation, and adopted a title amendment. The final bill discussed in the excerpt was House Bill 4468, which narrows confidentiality protections for victims in criminal complaints by limiting redaction to names and addresses, while still allowing disclosure to other governmental entities and permitting victims to request redaction of addresses from appellate decisions after July 1, 2026. Counsel said the bill would replace broader existing confidentiality language and remove provisions allowing disclosure upon a showing of justice or by subpoena. Members questioned whether the change would weaken victim privacy protections, noting that identifying information can include much more than names and addresses. The committee then began hearing testimony from a county prosecutor on the bill, but the excerpt ends before any vote or final action on HB 4468.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> to school shootings while legislators to school shootings while legislators with<00:21:26.720><c
• </c> over any new legislation. over any new legislation.
• </c> homicide investigations. homicide investigations.
• </c><01:41:30.639><c> They're</c> for homicide investigators. They're for homicide investigators.
• investigators.

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• We welcome the legislator from the 22nd. Good to see you. Thank you, Chair Goodman.
• I represent the 22nd Legislative District.
• We know of at least five cases of sexual abuse that never got investigated in 2024.
• We know about five abuses sexual in investigation in 2012.
• an investigation because the guard told the dispatcher not to send the police in.

Summary: The committee heard staff briefings and sponsor testimony on four bills. House Bill 2310 would elevate fourth-degree assault with a finding of sexual motivation to a Class C felony after two prior qualifying convictions within 10 years, with discussion focused on when sex-offender registration would apply and whether the bill would capture repeat conduct that is often pled down. The sponsor said the bill responds to a constituent’s experience and is intended to increase accountability for repeat offenders. Testimony was split: prosecutors and law enforcement supported the bill as a practical way to address repetitive sexual-motivation assaults, while defense advocates warned it would trigger major sex-offense consequences, including registration, prison time, immigration consequences, and possible sentencing disproportionality. No vote was taken and the hearing was held open. House Bill 1239, the reentry readiness bill, would increase earned release time to up to 33.33% for eligible offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026, make certain enhancements eligible for earned release time, create a two-year peer-support pilot for incarcerated survivors of sexual violence and intimate partner violence at the Washington Corrections Center for Women, and require victim-notification materials about sentencing changes. The sponsor and supporters said it would improve reentry, reduce recidivism, and better prepare people for release, while the Sentencing Guidelines Commission said it aligns with prior recommendations for consistency in earned release. Prosecutors opposed the bill, arguing it mainly shortens sentences rather than improving reentry and could reduce accountability. The hearing remained open. House Bill 1228 would allow blood and breath toxicology testing to be considered valid if performed by a lab certified under ISO/IEC 17025, in addition to current state toxicologist methods. The sponsor and several local officials said Washington’s toxicology backlog is causing long delays, sometimes over 300 days, which slows charging decisions and can allow repeat DUI behavior before cases are filed. Supporters said private accredited labs could provide a local option and speed results, while defense advocates asked for discovery protections if outside labs are used. County and law enforcement representatives supported the concept but cautioned against shifting costs to counties and creating unequal access based on local resources. The sponsor indicated an amendment would remove out-of-state labs and add a five-year report-back. House Bill 2464 would require private detention facilities to report serious incidents such as abuse, neglect, deaths, suicides, injuries requiring hospitalization, and service disruptions to the Department of Health and local law enforcement within one business day, and would require annual reporting by law enforcement on calls and follow-up actions. The sponsor said the bill is aimed at transparency and ensuring that incidents in private detention facilities are not hidden. Testimony from advocates, journalists, and researchers described alleged abuse, suicides, hunger strikes, fires, and barriers to reporting at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, and said the bill would improve public access to information. Law enforcement representatives said the bill affects only two agencies and urged the committee to consider the cumulative burden of reporting mandates and the public-trust implications of involving local agencies in federal detention issues. The hearing on this bill was also held open.

Transcript Highlights:

• I respectfully urge you to support this legislation.
• In one of the cases I've investigated, we seized 60 fighting dogs.
• Myself and the Texas Humane Legislation Network.
• I'm a board member of the Texas Humane Legislation Network.
• Legislation filed by Representative Johnson.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're not trying to re-legislate that.
• We're not trying to re-legislate that.
• I just want to let you know this legislation is on the cusp of becoming model legislation for the United
• This is good legislation.
• Part of that is that they're investigating things that could be investigated outside of their purview

Bills: HB2072 , HB2251 , HB2279 , HB2308 , HB2323 , HB2342 , HB2400 , HB2408 , HB2456 , HB2660 , HB2697 , HB2868 , HB2873 , HB2877 , HB2910 , HB2946 , HB2955 , HB2991 , HB4001 , HB4010

Committee: Senate Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency

Keywords: Cesar Chavez, public holiday, state law, holiday repeal, Arizona Revised Statutes, dental practice, business registration, registration fees, ownership interests, dental insurers, dental record management, motor vehicle warranty, warranty law, leased vehicles, lease-end buyout, lessee, lessor, used motor vehicle dealer, consumer protection, A.R.S. 44-1261

Transcript Highlights:

• And I know there's been bills and there's been legislation and lots of talks.
• There should be legislation that limits packaging to one serving.
• So it’s just like a typical investigation, you know, we develop surveillance, investigate it, develop
• Does that advance our investigation further?
• And so it’s just kind of the normal investigative work that you would do.

Committee: Senate Rules