Transcript Highlights:

• You can use that in cash. that in CIP. You can use that in cash.
• <00:49:09.040><c> when</c><00:49:09.280><c> we</c><00:49:09.520><c> can</c> cash when we can cash when
• >> Cash. >> No, no, no. The cash was all swept, and the CIP, I think. >> Yeah.
• bunch of cash all at once,<02:48:17.359><c> right?
• payments payments &gt;&gt; not<03:38:15.680><c> for</c><03:38:15.920><c> direct</c><03:38:16.319><c>

Transcript Highlights:

• to the Medicaid base payment.
• to the Medicaid base payment.
• and directed payments is that DSH payments are for uncompensated care of the uninsured and Medicaid.
• > is</c> payments and directed payments is payments and directed payments is through<00:43:56.480><c>
• </c><00:43:58.000><c> are</c> through dish you it dish payments are through dish you it dish payments

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• uh bof Fields infrastructure payments uh bof Fields infrastructure which<00:15:23.000><c> we</c><00:
• Clause C is for cost-share payments for the cost of organic certification.
• Within this appropriation there are specific carve-outs for incentive payments.
• Clause Q is for down payment assistance grants with the updated 2024 writer language.
• Thank you as well for the increased funding for wolf and elk depredation payments.

Bills: HF1704

Committee: House Agriculture Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 2124, concerning the threshold for payment of a lump sum retirement allowance.
• And what kind of range are their payments in?
• And the suit is stupid... ...necessary, and the city is liable for any payment.
• Current and former employees would be required to make retroactive payments.
• It's a cash savings not only for the general public, but it seems to benefit the very people.

Summary: The committee took up executive action on the capital budget, Proposed Substitute Senate Bill 6003, and several policy bills. Staff described amendments to the capital budget that shifted funding among behavioral health, local/community projects, irrigation projects, and juvenile rehabilitation capacity, plus a technical fix to the water pollution control revolving program. The committee adopted Senator Dozier’s budget-neutral amendment and a technical amendment, then advanced the amended capital budget to the Rules Committee. It also moved House Bills 2441, 2124, 2471, 2133, 2610, and 2338 forward with due-pass recommendations, and advanced Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 2251 on Climate Commitment Act accounts to the Transportation Committee after adopting two amendments and withdrawing three others. A major public hearing focused on Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 2034, which would terminate and restate LEOFF Plan 1 in 2029, transfer surplus assets, and direct portions to the Climate Commitment Account and the pension funding stabilization account. Staff said the plan is currently about 160% funded and explained the bill’s IRS-review process, statute of limitations, and estimated implementation costs. Testimony was sharply divided: some retirees, firefighters, counties, and cities opposed the bill as an improper use of pension assets and urged benefit enhancements or protection of local medical obligations, while others supported using the surplus for broader public purposes. No vote was taken on the bill during the hearing. The committee also heard House Bill 2179 on PERS coverage for certain port workers, with ports and the Washington Public Ports Association supporting clarification for railroad employees covered by the federal railroad retirement system. House Bill 1069, allowing Department of Corrections employees to bargain over supplemental retirement benefits, drew support from Teamsters and corrections workers, while House Bill 2091, expanding employee-information sharing with bargaining representatives, drew union support and privacy objections from Washington Policy Center. Finally, Second Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1210 on targeted urban area tax preferences drew support from labor, local governments, and project proponents, and opposition from contractor groups and environmental advocates over project labor agreement requirements and nuclear-related concerns; Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1408 on community preservation and development authorities and Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1974 on land bank authorities for affordable housing were also heard, with both receiving supportive testimony from community and housing advocates.

Transcript Highlights:

• But there's no payment plans for funerals and because we didn't want to put her in a box in a plot, we
• In Jocelyn's case, everybody was out when a cash bond was given. How could that happen?
• He had to grant a cash bond.

Bills: SJR2 , SB4 , SJR36 , SJR2 , SB4 , SR42 , SR74 , SR76 , HCR5 , SB710 , SB710

Transcript Highlights:

• And so they had to delay a payment to a police officer by $16,000.
• ’s why they’re asking for more appropriation rights, to be able to make sure they can make those payments
• That cash transfer is about $8.5 million.
• account that we don't see here is our legal defense fund, which was established in code in 2017, and cash
• And that cash transfer is about $8.5 million. And that cash transfer is about $8.5 million.

Transcript Highlights:

• We did not cash it. We received the check, but we did not accept it. We did not cash it. Why not?
• “Please withhold payment to EEC until they respond with a comprehensive report.
• AOC will be withholding payment for them until we see substantive work.”
• “Just withhold payment until we find out what’s going on with the project.”
• But we don’t hold payment on most of our contracts, I would say.”

Summary: The hearing concerned a Legislative Ethics Board complaint against Representative Tara Simmons in Washington State OAH Docket 401-645. The judge outlined the process, the two issues on appeal—whether Simmons violated RCW 42.52.020 and RCW 42.52.070, and, if so, what penalty should apply—and admitted a number of exhibits by stipulation or prior ruling, while taking one exhibit under advisement pending an offer of proof. The board also moved to sequester witnesses, which was granted, and the judge deferred ruling on a motion to exclude three defense witnesses until after hearing the board staff’s case. Opening statements followed, with staff alleging Simmons used her position to benefit an outside organization and to secure special privileges, and the defense arguing the conduct was lawful, technical in nature, and consistent with prior ethics guidance. Board staff then called Kimberly Gordon, an attorney and founding board member/treasurer of American Equity and Justice Group (AEJG), as its first witness. Gordon testified that AEJG used data dashboards to make justice-system data more accessible, received state proviso funding sponsored by Simmons, and also received two donations from Simmons—$10,000 and $40,000. She said the first donation was intended to help hire Antoine Coleman, whom Simmons had recommended and who was later identified as Simmons’s romantic partner, and that AEJG returned the $10,000 and declined the $40,000 after concluding there was a potential conflict of interest. Gordon also testified that AEJG believed Simmons’s involvement in the organization and her communications about Coleman created ethical concerns. Gordon further testified about a second proviso intended to expand AEJG’s work into education data and its subcontract with Equity in Education Coalition (EEC). She said EEC did not perform the expected deliverables, prompting repeated communications with the Administrative Office of the Courts and a meeting involving Chris Stanley, where AEJG raised concerns that EEC was not complying and that Simmons had intervened in the dispute. According to Gordon, Stanley ultimately directed the parties to rewrite the subcontract and continue, but AEJG later moved forward largely without EEC’s assistance. The board staff introduced AEJG’s complaint and related timeline exhibits during her testimony. After direct examination, the hearing recessed for lunch, and cross-examination by Simmons’s counsel began when the hearing resumed.

Transcript Highlights:

• So you see here is what the cash balance is.
• can see that the vast majority of their monies, again, are being expended for trustee and benefit payments
• They highlight the different funds, their beginning cash balances, exactly what project, how much is
• expenditures, you can see that the majority of their funds go out the door as trustee and benefit payments
• , and the primary recipients for those trustee and benefit payments are the soil and water conservation

Summary: The committee first reviewed the Department of Water Resources budget. Analysts and Director Matthew Weaver explained the agency’s staffing, continuously appropriated funds, and the effect of ARPA and other one-time infrastructure dollars on the budget. Members asked about efforts to stabilize the Snake River Plain aquifer, the impact of budget holdbacks, groundwater monitoring, and the status of major recharge and conversion projects. Weaver and Water Resource Board Chairman Jeff Raybould said the state is working to reduce groundwater pumping, expand recharge, and build infrastructure to reach a long-term managed recharge goal of 350,000 acre-feet annually, with current recharge averaging about 251,000 acre-feet and capacity potentially exceeding 500,000 acre-feet in good water years. They also discussed project delays caused by permitting, federal land access, and coordination with multiple landowners, and said the $30 million infrastructure appropriation was fully obligated and largely spent. The committee also discussed water projects in other basins, including the Palouse Basin, Mountain Home, Elmore County, and the Bear River. Raybould said the board is considering a Bear River study to identify storage, recharge, and irrigation opportunities under the Bear River compact, and estimated that some future projects, such as a Moscow-area pump station and pipeline, could be very expensive. Members raised concerns about data centers, water quality in the Snake River Plain aquifer, and the role of private and local matching funds in water infrastructure. Weaver said data center water use is a public-interest issue that depends on scale and location, and that groundwater contamination issues are generally handled by the Department of Environmental Quality. The committee then heard the Soil and Water Conservation Commission presentation, which focused on the proposed merger/affiliation with the Department of Water Resources and on funding for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Weaver, serving as interim administrator, said a stakeholder review recommended moving the commission’s affiliation from Agriculture to Water Resources while preserving its current duties, nonregulatory mission, and resources. He said related legislation and a concurrent resolution would support that transition and allow time for further code review and a combined budget in 2027. Analysts also explained a supplemental and FY 2027 enhancement for CREP funding, noting that rising land values increased the state match needed for enrolled acres. Weaver said CREP can help reduce groundwater pumping, that about 11,000 of the 50,000-acre statewide cap are currently enrolled, and that full enrollment could significantly aid aquifer conservation. The committee adjourned after thanking the agencies and noting the next day’s agenda.

Transcript Highlights:

• Council adopted a resolution asking the legislature to modernize wage exemptions to establish a minimum cash
• retroactively, subsection F was adopted in... 1989 and was designed to protect wages, among other payments
• Some of it goes as a down payment, and then we get them to move on with their lives with that installment
• payment arrangement.
• There is a payday lender at Speedy Cash.

Bills: HB2242 , HB2446 , HB2799 , HB4502 , HB2920 , HB2790 , HB5620 , HB5060 , HB5076 , HB5080 , HB5081 , HB5128 , HB5130 , HB3847 , HB5116 , HB2969 , HB4546 , HB4202 , HB5624 , HB3964 , HB4803 , HB872 , HB4775 , HB4777 , HB4961 , HB5570 , HB2988 , HB4260 , HB1375 , HB5009 , HB5411 , HB5134 , HB4388 , HB3095 , HB1387

Committee: House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Transcript Highlights:

• The toll rates for cash Turnpike system.
• This increase would apply to cash users.
• This increase would apply to cash users.
• They with cash in the 80s and the '9s.
• method, um, credit card payment, etc.

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> failed to make tax payment failed to make tax payment did<00:53:14.960><c> not</c><00:53:15.200>
• I'm not quite sure how I would visualize the cash flow on that.
• </c> the uh cash flow on that. the uh cash flow on that.
• that this<02:10:59.920><c> would</c><02:11:00.040><c> be</c><02:11:00.200><c> a</c><02:11:00.280><c> cash-on-payment
• </c> this would be a cash-on-payment this would be a cash-on-payment type<02:11:02.800><c> arrangement

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• for language access providers working with some of the state agencies have provisions to address payments
• Under House Bill 2190, payments for missed or canceled appointments are part of economic compensation
• Not only will it increase liability, it allows upper tier contractors to withhold payment for alleged
• documentation noncompliance, threatening subcontractor cash flow and insolvency.
• Even a short delay in payment caused by record-keeping disputes can lead to missed payroll, layoffs,

Summary: The Labor and Workplace Standards Committee heard testimony on several bills. HB 2303 would prohibit employers from requesting, requiring, or coercing employees to receive subcutaneous microchip implants, with enforcement through L&I complaints, civil penalties, and private lawsuits; the sponsor said it was a preventive labor standard and noted there was no opposition. HB 2144 would require employers to give written notice before using electronic monitoring for employee performance evaluations, and testimony split between labor supporters, who said workers should know how they are monitored, and business, local government, trucking, retail, construction, and law enforcement representatives, who raised concerns about broad definitions, safety uses, and litigation exposure. HB 2190 would expand collective bargaining rights for language access providers so missed or canceled appointments could be bargained as compensation; interpreters and union representatives supported it, saying they lose income when clients no-show, while the sponsor said the bill would clarify bargaining rights without changing employment status. The committee also heard HB 2345, a technical change to the state paid family and medical leave premium split in response to IRS guidance. Staff explained the proposed substitute would shift the employer contribution from the medical share to the family share so benefits would not be treated as taxable wages, while keeping the overall premium burden roughly the same; supporters called it a common-sense fix, and some business and school district witnesses said they wanted to avoid additional taxes and preserve program stability. The most extensive debate was over HB 2191, which would make property owners and direct contractors liable for unpaid wages and benefits in construction projects, with exceptions for government and small residential properties. Workers, unions, the Attorney General’s office, and some contractors supported the bill as a way to combat wage theft and level the playing field, while industry groups and subcontractors argued it would impose broad liability on responsible contractors, raise costs, hurt small businesses and minority-owned firms, and should be narrowed with safe harbors or right-to-cure provisions. No votes were taken; the committee held hearings on the bills and adjourned after testimony.

Transcript Highlights:

• Ways that have made it so that they're not looking at improper payments. All right.
• And the checks were cashed—obviously fraud.
• We spent $350 billion in interest payments the last year that I was there.
• We're now up to about $900 billion in interest payments beyond what we spent in defense.
• We know that there are improper payments in Medicaid.

Committee: Senate Senate Budget

Transcript Highlights:

• flow to meet payment obligations.
• And if we do, for example, have to make an early payment to make a... ...to make those payments.
• And if we do, for example, have to make an early payment to make sure that Cost of Care Plus payments
• care providers have enough cash on hand to make sure that they are making timely payments, and we are
• So that first payment is for June.

Summary: The committee first heard May Revision child care and human services items. The Department of Child Support Services described two technical adjustments, which the analyst supported. The Department of Social Services then walked through child care proposals, including a reduction in federal and Proposition 64 funding absorbed through a shift from General Child Care to the Alternative Payment program, a 2.01% child care COLA, disaster-related infrastructure grants, a new administrative support cost structure for Alternative Payment agencies, the removal of prospective pay funding after a federal rule change, a reappropriation for existing infrastructure grants, and estimates of unspent child care funds. The Legislative Analyst’s Office recommended asking for more justification for shifting reductions to CAP, supported the COLA reduction but wanted consistency across programs, recommended removing prospective pay funding, opposed the administrative cost shift, and suggested further review of disaster grant alignment. Members pressed the administration on why more slots would be cut for the same savings, why the COLA was reduced, and whether the administrative percentage would grow over time. The administration said the changes were intended to avoid disrupting currently enrolled families, reflect point-in-time relinquishments and unspent funds, and stabilize contractor operations. Public commenters, including providers, advocates, and county representatives, urged full COLA funding, rejection of child care slot reductions, preservation of prospective pay, and continued investment in child care infrastructure and access. The subcommittee then recessed before moving to health items. In Part B, the Department of State Hospitals presented its May Revision proposals, including a central utility plant replacement project at Metropolitan State Hospital, funding for a continuum electronic health record system, reduced county bed billing authority to reflect phase-in of additional LPS beds, limited contract exemption authority for online clinical subscription services, reversion of prior-year unspent operating funds, and a workforce development proposal to use Behavioral Health Services Act funds instead of General Fund for training programs. The department said the EHR would modernize records and improve continuity of care, and that the contract exemption would prevent delays in essential clinical information services. No votes were taken in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• flow to meet payment obligations.
• And if we do, for example, have to make an early payment to make a, To make those payments.
• And if we do, for example, have to make an early payment to make sure that Cost of Care Plus payments
• care providers, have enough cash on hand to make sure that they are making timely payments, and we are
• So that first payment is for June.

Transcript Highlights:

• Towns already strapped for cash are left footing the bill for emergency housing and services, and as
• are left footing the bill for cash are left footing the bill for emergency<01:14:21.440><c> housing<
• In New Hampshire, a third of home sales in 2023 were purchased in cash.
• are paying in cash they can often<01:38:00.760><c> easily</c><01:38:01.080><c> beat</c><01:38:01.320
• </c><01:38:08.480><c> on</c> sales in 2023 were purchased in cash on sales in 2023 were purchased in

Transcript Highlights:

• She said she made cash payments. I tried to get proof from her that the payments were made.”
• Respondent filed an answer recommending payment in that amount.
• Respondent filed an answer recommending payment in that amount.
• this will So this is coming from the teachers' payment?
• I have the ledger here that shows that they made payments, each payment. No further questions.

Committee: All ALC-CLAIMS REVIEW/LITIGATION REPORTS OVERSIGHT

Summary: The committee first reviewed several wage-claim and labor-related litigation reports from the Department of Labor and Licensing. Members questioned the department’s authority and jurisdiction, whether it was acting like a court, and why it sought attorney’s fees and costs. Department staff explained that the claims arose under the Arkansas Minimum Wage Act and related labor statutes, that the department investigates small wage claims and can file suit when informal resolution fails, and that filing fees are waived by statute though service costs may be incurred. The committee reviewed individual cases, including one where the employer had not proven cash payments, another that had already been paid and dismissed, and a third where service could not yet be completed. The committee then voted to review or batch-file the labor items. The University of Arkansas System then reported on three pending lawsuits under the litigation-notification statute. One case involving a tenured professor alleging age and race discrimination had already been resolved and dismissed after the university re-engaged in discussions about a position. A second case involving a former employee alleging ADA and FMLA retaliation was moving forward after partial dismissal and an answer denying liability. A third case involved a former vendor employee alleging retaliation tied to a parking ticket; members asked about individual-capacity exposure for a university police sergeant, and counsel explained that punitive damages could potentially create personal exposure. The committee reviewed each report. The Department of Finance and Administration presented a proposed tax settlement reducing a sales-and-use tax assessment from about $48,000 to $20,000, with interest and penalties waived, and the committee approved it. The Claims Commission then presented several claims and settlements, including an unpaid salary differential for the Department of Health, reissued warrants, unpaid bills for DHS, and multiple negotiated settlements involving UAMS, Arkansas State Police, and ARDOT; these were generally approved or batched for approval. The most extensive discussion involved a settlement between the Teacher Retirement System and Tetronics International Limited in liquidation, arising from losses tied to the failed Blue Oak project; members questioned the company’s liquidation status, the prior investment loss, and why the matter was settling for $65,000, and the committee ultimately affirmed the settlement. The committee also heard a disputed tax-sale claim involving the Commissioner of State Lands, where a claimant argued that excess proceeds from a 2009 tax sale should have gone to her family rather than escheating to the county. After testimony from the claimant and counsel, members debated sovereign immunity, heirship, and whether the committee could or should award the $4,200 overage. The motion was amended and then replaced with a motion to hold the matter over for further review in a future joint session, which passed. Finally, the committee considered an appeal by Andrew Simpson challenging dismissal of his claim against the Arkansas Court of Appeals; after Simpson and court staff explained the underlying dispute, the committee reviewed the dismissal and the matter was held over for further consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• So from a cash flow perspective, we do not recalculate the aids and recalculate the payments.
• So from a cash flow perspective, we do not recalculate the aids and recalculate the payments.
• So from a cash flow perspective, we do not recalculate the aids and recalculate the payments.
• So from a cash flow perspective, we do not recalculate the aids and recalculate the payments.
• So from a cash flow perspective, we do not recalculate the aids and recalculate the payments.

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• It's actually—if you look through this whole statute, there is no guarantee of payment, there is no pooling
• The company itself would be facilitating between different folks on that payment, but there's no pooling
• Do I give you cash? You give me cash? What are we doing here?
• Under current statute, a Florida-chartered financial institution has 30 days to remit payment for OFR's

Committee: Senate Banking and Insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• They shall not accept payment of outstanding proceeds by using other credits, specifically a credit or
• The section next lays out how they could seek to have payment if, again, that account was shut down,
• all the fees they paid, these one-time fees over how many Times and how much they received in early payment
• It is our job to help consumers address short-term cash needs.
• Drucker, Madam Chair—this is a cash cow for these people making these loans.

Committee: House House Commerce & Economic Development Committee