Transcript Highlights:

• And so that will be important when we look at the market rate survey.
• , if we're investing in the workforce versus investing in direct services.
• They just got access to services.
• They just got access to services. So those are the things that I think about.
• They just got access to services. So those are the things that I think about.

Committee: All EDUCATION- HOUSE EARLY CHILDHOOD SUBCOMMITTEE

Summary: The committee received an extensive update from the Office of Early Childhood on Arkansas child care and early learning funding streams, including CCDF/School Readiness Assistance (SRA), Arkansas Better Chance (ABC), Head Start/Early Head Start, EIDT, PDG B-5, and local school district funding. Staff explained how each stream is funded and administered, noted that federal SRA funding follows the family while ABC funds go to agencies, and reviewed current enrollment, provider counts, spending, and compliance data. They also reported that co-pays and tighter enrollment verification have stabilized SRA spending, that ABC allocations are now based more on demonstrated community need, and that a market rate survey and cost analysis are underway to inform future reimbursement decisions. Members asked about provider closures, wait lists, utilization rates, infant-toddler shortages, suspended licenses, workforce pay, and whether the state tracks outcomes for children who attend different early childhood settings. Staff said there are about 1,800 licensed providers, with recent net capacity gains but ongoing closures for reasons including financial strain, ownership changes, retirement, and relocation. The SRA wait list was reported at 2,364 families covering 3,428 children, with priority given to federally defined categories such as homelessness, foster care, special needs, teens, and TANF families. Officials also said they do not currently track average tuition, workforce turnover, or long-term child outcomes across all providers, though they do have some ABC readiness data and are exploring better data systems. The committee also heard from Forward Arkansas’s Center for Early Learning Solutions, which described a new statewide effort focused on early childhood systems improvement. The presentation highlighted a landscape analysis showing families’ difficulty finding infant-toddler care, providers’ administrative burden, and interest in shared services, better data systems, and quality supports. The center outlined projects on local lead networking, governance and finance analysis, tech-enabled child care management systems, and an open-source HQIM pilot. Members discussed the need for more funding, better coordination across agencies, and stronger data on child care access, affordability, and outcomes. No votes were taken beyond the initial motion to approve the minutes, and the meeting adjourned after the presentations and questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• WE ALSO SURVEYED LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO GATHER INFORMATION ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING POLICIES IMPLEMENTED AND
• THEIR EFFECTIVENESS. 44 COUNTIES AND 170 MUNICIPALITIES RESPONDED TO OUR SURVEY.
• MOST SURVEY RESPONDENTS REPORTED ENCOURAGING MIXED INCOME PROJECTS UTILIZING EXPEDITED PERMITTING AND
• SURVEY RESPONDENTS AND OPPAGA IDENTIFY BEST PRACTICES IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR THOSE POLICIES IDENTIFIED
• MOST SURVEY RESPONDENTS REPORTED INTERLOCAL COOPERATION WAS EFFECTIVE.

Transcript Highlights:

• State Library Services is committed to supporting a wide array of library services for all 5.7 million
• </c> um and upcoming and a youth services um and upcoming and a youth services early<00:05:03.039><c>
• We saw that a lot in the survey.
• We saw that a lot in the survey.
• We saw that a lot in the survey.

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• In a 2024 Common Sense Media survey conducted alongside our partners at Hope Lab, we surveyed over 1,200
• services.
• This happens across all surveys.
• This happens across all surveys.
• Well, in the context of the services that they provide, so many of those services, one service, for example

Summary: The Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee held an informational hearing on the impact of social media on LGBTQ+ youth, focusing on benefits, risks, and possible safeguards. Chair members framed the discussion around the tension between protecting young people from addictive design, harassment, hate speech, exploitation, and mental health harms while preserving access to affirming resources, community, and crisis support that many LGBTQ+ youth rely on online. Members emphasized that the hearing was meant to inform future policy rather than relitigate prior bills, and several members of the LGBTQ+ Caucus attended or participated. The first panel featured lived experience and advocacy testimony from Madi Roby of Alliance for Trans Youth Rights, Shea Gardner of LGBT Tech, and Casey Pick of the Trevor Project. Roby described social media as essential to exploring identity, finding trans language and safety information, and connecting to Trevor Project resources during a family crisis, while also acknowledging online hate and bullying. Gardner argued that lawmakers should regulate harms more precisely rather than impose broad age-based exclusions, warning that account bans and age-gating could cut off access to community, privacy-protective pseudonymity, and crisis resources. Pick testified that LGBTQ+ youth are more likely than peers to attempt suicide, that social media can be both a lifeline and a risk, and that Trevor Space and other moderated online spaces can improve mental health and reduce isolation; she also cautioned against policies that would push youth into less visible, less moderated spaces. Committee members questioned the witnesses about algorithmic feeds, addictive design, age verification, and whether platforms should be required to do more to protect youth. Several lawmakers distinguished between personalized feeds and addictive features such as infinite scroll and autoplay, and asked for more targeted prescriptions. Witnesses generally supported stronger privacy protections, limits on data collection and use, better reporting and moderation tools, digital literacy, and design changes that reduce harmful engagement patterns without eliminating access to community. The discussion also touched on the loss of LGBTQ-specific 988 services at the national level and the importance of maintaining alternative support pathways. The second panel presented research from Common Sense Media, UC Irvine, Hope Lab, and LGBTQ+ Health Australia. Researchers reported that LGBTQ+ youth often arrive online with higher depressive symptoms and limited in-person support, encounter homophobic and transphobic content at high rates, and may self-censor because of fear of harassment. At the same time, many said social media helps them feel less alone and find affirmation. Dr. Sean Young emphasized a harm-reduction approach, noting that online environments can be designed to support health and that policymakers should measure whether restrictions actually reduce harm or simply displace it. Dr. Amy Green echoed that social media is both harmful and supportive for LGBTQ+ youth, underscoring that the policy goal should be to make youth safer rather than less visible online.

Transcript Highlights:

• and services system.
• These include caseload, available services, utilization of those services, and the rates paid for services
• So even independent living services, residential services, day services, and employment providers, they
• , we have engaged service providers through surveys and work groups to evaluate whether adjustments to
• And the surveys? Yes. And the surveys are ongoing? The QIP surveys? Yes. Yes, those will modify.

Summary: The subcommittee heard an overview of the governor’s IHSS budget proposals and extensive testimony from the Department of Social Services, Department of Finance, the Legislative Analyst’s Office, county representatives, labor, consumer advocates, and advocates for older adults and people with disabilities. The administration described IHSS as a large and growing program serving more than 900,000 recipients, and outlined three proposals: shifting the cost of growth in authorized hours per case to counties, eliminating the backup provider system, and aligning IHSS terminations with Medi-Cal terminations. The LAO said the overall budget estimates appeared reasonable but raised concerns about the hours-per-case proposal, including the lack of a comprehensive root-cause analysis, the limited control counties have over statewide cost growth, and uncertainty about how the baseline and savings would work. CWDA, SEIU, and consumer advocates strongly opposed the hours cost shift, arguing that counties use state-designed tools, that demographic changes and rising need explain much of the growth, and that the proposal would pressure counties to cut services and destabilize care. The chair and members repeatedly questioned the administration about the proposed baseline, the claimed savings, and whether the measure effectively circumvents the county maintenance-of-effort agreement. On the backup provider system, the administration said the statewide program is underutilized and administratively expensive, and proposed eliminating it to save about $3.5 million. The LAO suggested the Legislature consider whether administrative costs could be reduced while preserving some version of the program. County and consumer advocates opposed the cut, saying the system is a critical safety net when regular providers are unavailable, especially in rural areas and for people with complex needs. They argued that low utilization reflects the difficulty of finding emergency backup care, not lack of need, and that many counties already rely on local backup systems or other models. Committee members also pressed for better data on requests, fulfillment, and administrative costs, and discussed whether the state could support local alternatives instead of eliminating the program. The final topic was the proposal to align IHSS terminations with Medi-Cal terminations by automating the process when recipients fail to complete Medi-Cal redeterminations. The administration said this would reduce General Fund costs by about $86 million by preventing payment of IHSS in the residual program when recipients are no longer eligible for Medi-Cal, while also automating reinstatement when Medi-Cal is restored. The LAO noted the proposal has been rejected in prior years and suggested improved notice and communication to recipients as an alternative. CWDA and advocates warned that the change could create gaps in care, especially for people who lose Medi-Cal for procedural reasons, and urged additional safeguards such as better notices, faster reprocessing, and automatic reinstatement. Members questioned how many people would be affected, how the residual program currently works, and whether providers could go unpaid during the gap; the department said the automation is already built and would be activated if the proposal is approved. No votes were taken during the discussion, and the committee moved through public comment and questioning without final action on the proposals in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Additionally, the Department of Career Services also promotes career services resources online at mass.gov
• Kiami Mahania, Secretary of Health and Human Services.
• that was... if I can just finish this thought on the wealth survey.
• Just to say, there is a new survey coming. We have actually already collected the data.
• and human services that the federal government has abandoned on purpose?

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion

Summary: The Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion held a hearing on the impact of federal policy on the racial wealth gap in Massachusetts, the fourth in a series on federal impacts on racial equity. Chair Bud Williams and Chair Miranda opened by emphasizing that no bills were being heard and that the committee would instead take testimony from invited witnesses; public written testimony was also accepted. The chairs and witnesses repeatedly cited long-standing wealth disparities affecting Black and brown communities, including homeownership, wages, business ownership, and access to capital, and linked those disparities to federal policy changes, housing, education, health care, and workforce development. Administration officials testified first. Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones described persistent labor market disparities, including higher unemployment for Black and Latino residents, lower median hourly wages, and underemployment among degree holders, and highlighted state efforts such as ESOL-for-work funding, workforce training grants, MassHire career centers, skills-based hiring, and the state equity dashboards. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kiami Mahania argued that poverty drives poor health, not the reverse, and said wealth gaps contribute to chronic disease, maternal health inequities, medical debt, and shorter life expectancy; she pointed to the Advancing Health Equity Massachusetts initiative, a health care affordability working group, and the governor’s push to bar medical debt from credit reporting. Assistant Secretary Juan Vega of EOED focused on entrepreneurship and procurement, citing technical assistance grants, founder support programs, place-based investment, the Business Front Door, and the need to broaden access to contracts, capital, and business growth opportunities. Committee members pressed the panel on the effects of the federal “big beautiful bill” on households, especially single-parent and Black women-led households, and on whether the state could develop more timely data systems instead of relying on federal numbers. Officials said the impacts were still being monitored, but warned that Medicaid and SNAP changes would likely hit lower-income households and community institutions hard. Members also asked about unions and apprenticeships, microbusiness definitions, supplier diversity, pay equity, and degree inflation; the administration said registered apprenticeships and skills-based hiring are key tools, and noted that wage equity reporting is still in its early stages. Later testimony from BECMA’s Nicole O’Bean stressed that tariffs, DEI rollbacks, immigration enforcement, capital gaps, and federal funding cuts are constraining Black-owned businesses and inclusive procurement, while Gastón Institute researchers described severe Latino homeownership and rent burdens, educational inequities, and the need for housing, labor, and education policy changes to close the wealth gap.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Department of Health and Human Services Department of Health and Human Services is<00:26:47.200>
• There was a survey that went out.
• There was a survey that events held. There was a survey that went<01:07:46.640><c> out.
• Those are um services that and services.
• They have done some um Services.

Summary: The committee first handled routine business, including roll call and approval of the prior meeting minutes, with one member abstaining because of absence and one member opposing. The main informational items were a Department of Health and Human Services update on the rural health transformation grant and a public health briefing on vaccines, followed by a quarterly budget and staffing update and an annual report from the Permanent Subcommittee on Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Related Dementias. Commissioner Lori Weaver reported that the department submitted the rural health transformation grant application on November 4, described it as reflecting input from communities and providers statewide, and said CMS review and budget negotiations would follow before final approval on December 31. She said the grant could support hiring as long as administrative costs stay within the 10% cap, and that the governor’s office will oversee administration with HHS. Ian Watt then testified that New Hampshire remains committed to vaccine access, including through the universal purchase program and annual respiratory virus guidance for flu, RSV, and COVID-19. He said the state continues to use evidence-based review for vaccine policy, noted the CDC’s change regarding the combined MMRV vaccine for the first dose in young children, and said New Hampshire’s school vaccine mandates remain at nine for schoolchildren and 10 for child care, with statutory exemptions still in place. Department staff also said there have been no supply or funding problems affecting childhood vaccine access. Nathan White, the department’s CFO, reviewed the DHHS budget and vacancy trends. He said DHHS makes up a large share of the state budget, that about 31% of its budget is general funds subject to lapse, and that lapse projections are difficult because much of the budget is driven by utilization rather than personnel. He reported current projected general fund lapse of just under $20 million, compared with about $39 million in the statewide surplus statement, and explained that only about a third of DHHS general funds can actually lapse because of statutory restrictions. He also said the department has about 400 unfunded positions, contributing to roughly a $30 million general fund reduction across the biennium, and that the hiring freeze has pushed vacancy trends upward while critical direct-care positions are being prioritized. The Alzheimer’s subcommittee reported six meetings this year, presentations on state services, silver alerts, brain health awareness, and palliative/hospice care, and work toward a new state Alzheimer’s plan. The subcommittee is developing a needs-assessment survey for people living with dementia, caregivers, and service providers, with the goal of using the results and other data sources to inform the plan. Its recommendations focus on integrating Alzheimer’s and dementia materials into chronic disease and aging outreach, embedding brain health into systems of care, adding cognitive health measures to BRFSS, and continuing partnerships with statewide organizations. Members also discussed recent research and prevention efforts, and the committee noted that a separate bill is being pursued to include Alzheimer’s and dementia in existing public health awareness campaigns.

Transcript Highlights:

• , which has occurred in every cycle since 2006; site visits; the teacher surveys; and the principal surveys
• So we already did the educator surveys for this adequacy study.
• whenever we send out all those educator surveys, we can certainly do that.
• You decide what reports we present, what topics are covered, everything, what surveys, if we do surveys
• , who we survey.

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the prior minutes and then shifted to an update from Department of Education Secretary Jacob Oliva and Deputy Commissioner Stacey Smith on early childhood education, especially the state-funded Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) program. They said Arkansas had received a federal Preschool Development Grant and described ABC as a large state program with about 23,800 funded slots and roughly $114 million in annual appropriations. Department officials said they are reviewing slot allocations because about 1,000 seats are funded but unfilled, while more than 2,000 families are on waiting lists, and they plan to reduce or reallocate slots from providers that have not filled them over several years. They also said they are examining whether income thresholds, curriculum expectations, daily rates, and summer programming should be updated, and members raised concerns about access, local control, transportation, and whether the program should better align with K-12 choice and school readiness goals. The committee agreed to form an early childhood subcommittee and asked the Bureau of Legislative Research to help gather historical data and other information for future discussion. The committee then received a legal presentation from BLR attorney Taylor Lloyd on the constitutional and statutory framework for education adequacy in Arkansas. She reviewed the Dupree and Lake View cases, explaining that the state must maintain a general, suitable, and efficient system of free public schools, and that adequacy and equity are distinct but related concepts. She emphasized that the General Assembly is responsible for defining adequacy, studying whether the system meets that standard, and reacting to the evidence, while the courts ultimately decide constitutional compliance. Lloyd also explained the current adequacy definition, the role of the matrix as a funding tool rather than a spending mandate, and the distinction between unrestricted foundation funding and restricted categorical funding. BLR’s Elizabeth Bynum followed with a historical overview of how Arkansas responded to the court cases and developed the current adequacy process. She traced major legislative actions from the 1980s through the Lake View litigation, including the creation of funding formulas, categorical aid, isolated funding, declining enrollment funding, and the 2003-2004 adequacy study that led to the Continuing Adequacy Evaluation Act and the matrix used to set foundation funding. She also described later changes to the adequacy statute, the financial reporting requirements for districts, and the ongoing use of surveys, stakeholder testimony, and consultant studies in the biennial adequacy process. Members asked questions about whether private or homeschool programs could use public funds for expenses like utilities, whether stakeholders should include those groups, the difference between average daily membership and attendance, and whether school board members are surveyed; staff said those issues would need further research or were outside the scope of the presenters’ role.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you all for being here and for your years of service.
• It's not just one of those surveys no one looks at.
• One of those surveys no one looks at.
• typically if you see a child in need of services there’s a family in need of services, right?
• Managing service consulting is professional services provided in order to assist management in board

Transcript Highlights:

• surveys.
• or the the newspaper here that surveys or the the newspaper here that<00:20:19.440><c> surveys.
• </c><00:20:22.559><c> I</c> that surveys. Um it's got more people. I that surveys.
• </c> out to ask them to to answer the survey. out to ask them to to answer the survey.
• </c><00:21:28.320><c> Um,</c> pressure in their survey. Um, pressure in their survey.

Bills: HB0117 , HB0126

Committee: House Labor, Health & Social Services

Transcript Highlights:

• So we're not doing the Department of Human Services one?
• The first survey in 1987 shows the lines running straight up the mountain, but the survey of 1941 changes
• How are they getting these lands purchased if we can't even get a surveyor to survey what we need surveyed
• Forest Service was able to acquire.
• The Forest Service now manages that land.

Committee: House House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• In 2025, the cycle is modified to every two years, with the next survey due June 2026.
• The provider response rate has fluctuated between surveys.
• The response rate was 42% in 2018, 40% in 2021, and 24% in the 2024 survey.
• The market rate survey must achieve a 65% response rate for each child care subsidy rate region.
• The market rate survey must achieve a 65% response rate for each child care subsidy rate region.

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee held its last scheduled public hearing of the year on March 9, 2026, taking testimony on House Bill 2487, Substitute House Bill 2689, and Engrossed House Bill 2681. For HB 2487, staff and the Department of Revenue explained that the bill would narrow a B&O tax exemption for insurance-related businesses after a 2024 Supreme Court decision, make several related changes including annuity and assigned risk plan exemptions, adjust the advanced computing surcharge threshold for certain affiliated groups, and allow a penalties-and-interest waiver with a repayment plan. DOR supported the bill as clarifying the original intent and preventing double taxation, while insurers and health plan groups opposed it, arguing it would create higher costs, retroactive tax liability, and uncertainty; consumer and policy groups testified in support, saying it closes a loophole and restores the intended tax structure. Committee members questioned the retroactivity, the number of affected businesses, and the fiscal estimates, and the chair reminded members that amendment requests were due by noon for the next day’s executive session. For Substitute HB 2689, staff described changes to the Working Connections Child Care program that would keep income eligibility at 60% of state median income, reduce future rate-setting from the 85th to the 75th percentile, block enhanced rates for certain cross-region providers, cancel the planned move to enrollment-based prospective payments, revise attendance-based reimbursement to a full month for absences of 10 days or fewer and half-month for longer absences, and require a 65% market survey response rate for validity. The fiscal note projected substantial savings, offset by implementation and staffing costs. SEIU 925 and Head Start representatives supported the simpler House approach to attendance billing but raised concerns about the new survey threshold and the risk of increased audits and provider burden; they also noted an amendment under discussion to address the 2026 survey issue. Committee questions focused on how a full month is defined under the attendance rules. For HB 2681, staff said the bill would raise annual issuance and renewal fees for cannabis producer, processor, and retail licenses by $400, generating about $866,000 per year for the dedicated cannabis account with minimal administrative cost. No one signed up to testify, and the chair closed the hearing without a vote on any of the bills. The chair also thanked committee staff for their work and reiterated that amendments for the heard bills were due by noon that day.

Transcript Highlights:

• Forest Service. The area is a mixture of private land and land managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
• Forest Service through their Section 106 consultation process.
• Lahara Mesa is a combination of private and Forest Service land.
• The sampling and analysis plan is the operator's plan to conduct wildlife surveys, soil surveys, air
• They give us the plan to do those archaeological surveys.

Committee: House Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• This is an annual survey of state agencies about their privacy practices.
• OPDP, JLARC surveyed state employees who had interacted with the office.
• We found that surveyed agency staff reported satisfaction with OPDP.
• Yes, we had open-ended survey responses as well.
• The last thing I'll touch on is the results of our nationwide survey.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee met on September 17, 2025, in hybrid format. After roll call, the committee initially lacked a quorum and deferred approval of the July 15 minutes until Representative Berg arrived; the minutes were then adopted. Members also discussed the proposed 2026 JLARC meeting schedule, including possible changes to address crowded July meetings and the annual tax exemption review workload. Staff presented the annual lodging tax expenditures report, noting that 213 municipalities received distributions in 2024, with 91% reporting compliance, $114 million awarded for more than 1,700 activities, and no independent verification of the self-reported data. Several members questioned the value and usefulness of the report, and the executive committee indicated it may recommend removing the statutory reporting requirement. The committee then heard the preliminary performance audit of the Office of Privacy and Data Protection, which found the office meets its statutory responsibilities and has high user satisfaction, but recommended updating the statute to better match the office’s current capacity and focus and improving performance measures to reflect long-term privacy outcomes rather than outputs. Members asked about FERPA and other federal privacy laws, and OPDP staff said they provide general privacy training and consultation but not law-specific training unless requested. The committee adopted the final report on Washington State recreational boating programs without recommendation, after staff reported that boating revenues support both general government and boating activities and that no participating agencies submitted formal comments. Members asked about boater safety education and possible overlap among the six agencies involved; Parks staff said education has reached more than 500,000 boaters and that fatalities and incidents have declined. The committee also reviewed planned study questions for a JLARC review of Labor and Industries’ enforcement of farm worker laws, with members raising scope questions about the term “farm worker” versus “agricultural worker,” and for DNR’s Eastern Washington sustainable harvest calculation, which JLARC will review as DNR completes its recalculation. Finally, staff outlined the 2026 tax preference performance reviews covering seven preferences, and members asked about racial equity, environmental impacts, disclosure of beneficiary savings, and how the reviews will measure effectiveness; the meeting adjourned before noon.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> department of administrative Services department of administrative Services just<00:27:28.640><c
• It's a great survey.
• </c> division of Public Health Services division of Public Health Services um<00:53:53.680><c> you</c
• behavior survey which is youth um the behavior survey which is youth um the data<00:59:20.640><c> um<
• </c> participate make the the survey participate make the the survey available<01:00:47.359><c> to</c

Summary: The Finance Division III work session focused on the Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public Health Services budget. Department staff said Public Health has a relatively small budget compared with other DHHS divisions, is supported mostly by federal and other non-General funds, and contains nearly 100 accounting units and more than 50 federal grants. They emphasized that the governor’s budget did not include significant cuts, but that federal funding uncertainty and the winding down of pandemic-era resources were major factors affecting the division. The division also explained that some apparent budget growth reflects reorganizations, including moving the Bureau of Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery and some programs from other DHHS divisions into Public Health. The presentation described Public Health’s mission as serving the entire state through food and water safety, disease surveillance, emergency response, maternal and child health, chronic disease prevention, WIC, community health center support, and public health data collection. Members asked about bird flu, and staff explained that human-health response would involve Public Health’s lab, infectious disease, and emergency preparedness units, while animal-health issues are handled with the Department of Agriculture; they also noted ongoing milk testing requested by FDA and USDA. The division said its organizational structure includes bureaus for Family Health and Nutrition, Infectious Disease Control, Public Health Protection, Emergency Preparedness, Prevention and Wellness, Statistics and Informatics, and Public Health Laboratories, with about a 15% vacancy rate. Committee members questioned whether the division’s budget and staffing had really grown since pre-COVID, and staff responded that full-time authorized staffing is about the same as in 2018, with the increase largely due to federal pandemic funding that has since receded and to program transfers between divisions. They said Public Health’s General Fund share is about $24 million out of roughly $1.1 billion in DHHS General Fund spending, or about 2.2% of the department total. Members also asked about the 3,000-position cap and unfunded positions; staff explained that the cap remains in chapter law through June 30, 2025, that 394 positions were unfunded in the governor’s budget, and that the division expects flexibility to move money from personnel lines and fill unfunded positions to manage changing needs. No votes or formal actions were taken in this portion of the work session.

Transcript Highlights:

• It doesn’t provide for some of our services.
• The California Health Interview Survey, known as CHIS, is an annual health survey administered by UCLA's
• The California Health Interview Survey is a unique California asset: respondents in every county, surveyed
• No existing survey matches that reach.
• To the Senate Human Services Committee.

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Um and the service that service bartenders provide is critical to... part in uh in a lot of your uh part
• </c> And in our particular case, uh, service And in our particular case, uh, service bartenders<00:04
• the contribution that these service bartenders have on service and so with regard to Kentucky state
• the contribution that these service bartenders have on service and so with regard to Kentucky state
• </c> engineering societies, and the surveying engineering societies, and the surveying society,<00:13

Committee: Senate Licensing & Occupations

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:16:13.760><c> plan</c><01:16:14.080><c> service</c> service.
• So, any general plan service service.
• The past service benefit is based only on past service as of the effective date.
• between non-probation service and probation service.
• between non-probation service service between non-probation service and<01:32:46.480><c> probation</

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, it also wraps in the higher-up employees just for that organization of surveys.
• Um and the organization of surveys.
• So, that just wraps them into the survey part of it. Yeah. It just wraps them into surveys.
• I think it does wrap them into surveys. I just re-read it. Yes, just surveys. Okay.
• That’s why I left the shall in... into just the survey section. into just the survey section.

Summary: The committee of conference first resolved House Bill 158, which concerns public inspection of absentee ballot lists. The Senate explained a revised approach that removed the broader bill language and instead directed the Secretary of State to review absentee ballot data after each general election for patterns such as common addresses and to report findings to the committees of jurisdiction. The House agreed to the Senate position, and the conference committee voted unanimously to concur. The committee then took up House Bill 281, dealing with a sortable electronic voter checklist. Members debated the Senate’s removal of language that would have included the absentee ballot mailing address when different from the voter’s registration address. Concerns were raised that releasing mailing addresses could expose where voters are not home and could affect overseas and military voters. The committee also discussed a related form for election officials who personally know a voter, including how long the form would be retained and whether it would be subject to public records law. After further discussion, the House agreed to the Senate changes with an additional requirement that the form be signed, and the committee voted to proceed with the amended Senate position. House Bill 317, concerning verification of a person’s identity by a supervisor of the checklist without identification, was also discussed at length. The Senate’s version preserved the ability for election officials to identify people they know, but required a signed form under penalty of perjury and added a nursing home-related provision. Members described the measure as balancing community-based identification with tighter documentation, and a House witness described local problems with inconsistent ID checks and concerns about voting in nursing homes. The House sought one additional change requiring the nursing home verification form to be signed, and the Senate accepted that addition; the committee then voted to move the bill forward on the consent calendar. The conference committee next considered House Bill 340 on electioneering by public employees. The chair presented a replace-all amendment that tied the definition of electioneering to existing law, added a prohibition on expressly or primarily political surveys, and created a civil penalty of up to $1,000 alongside the misdemeanor penalty. Members discussed clarifying when the misdemeanor versus civil penalty would apply and which categories of public employees were covered. After caucus, the Senate agreed to the House’s replace-all approach with the clarifying changes, and the bill was closed. The committee also resolved House Bill 1062 by agreeing to strike a sunset clause from the Senate version authorizing random audits of citizenship qualifications, and it began discussion of House Bill 1187 on the filing window for special-election candidates, where the House proposed requiring local election officials to arrange a filing time on the same day or next business day after being contacted.

Transcript Highlights:

• We started with Children and Family Services. We did county operations.
• through fee-for-service.
• We're surveying our members.
• We're surveying our members.
• How many of the service providers have closed in the last year?

Committee: All ALC-HOSPITAL, MEDICAID, & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES STUDY SUBCOMMITTEE