Transcript Highlights:

• It facilitates interagency data sharing and supports an enterprise approach to data through shared data
• As the regulated market continues to grow, the amount of transaction data generated by the industry continues
• And within our regulated industry, we just fined Assured Labs $310,000 not long ago for data manipulation
• And within our regulated industry, we just find assured labs $310,000 not long ago because for data manipulation
• On the regulated market.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• to the passage of regulation.
• , they went ahead and did a regulations, they went ahead and did a regulation<00:35:08.160><c> to</c>
• </c> through regulation or any other means. through regulation or any other means.
• As demonstrated by recent data, rabies cases are on the rise in Kentucky.
• House Bill 593, Representative Bray, an act relating to data centers.

Transcript Highlights:

• But is that some type of data point in benchmarking we should be looking at? Sure.
• But is that some type of data point in benchmarking we should be looking at? Sure.
• My point is the variation and is there a benchmark and beginning to collect the data?
• To somehow compile the data or with you, Madam Secretary.
• Can you, Alyssa, would you consider gathering that data from other CCRCs?

Summary: The Joint Committee on Aging and Independence commission meeting focused on continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), with members and presenters discussing how the model works, consumer protections, and areas for future review. After member introductions, Jennifer Fuller summarized survey results showing the top priorities as financial viability and affordability, consumer protections and rights, and regulation/monitoring standards. The commission said those issues would guide its work plan, while also keeping staffing, definitions, and federal support on the radar. Alyssa Sherman of LeadingAge Massachusetts and Jim Freiling of Brookhaven at Lexington gave a detailed overview of CCRCs, explaining that they combine housing with health-related services under long-term contracts and typically require entrance fees plus monthly fees. They described the three common contract types: Type A/life care, where costs stay relatively stable if residents need more care; Type B, which offers some included or discounted care with higher costs later; and Type C, fee-for-service, with lower entrance fees but higher costs if care needs increase. They also discussed nonprofit governance, resident involvement, and the role of state and Attorney General disclosure requirements. Several members raised concerns about affordability, refund timing, and the need to distinguish true CCRCs from other senior housing marketed similarly; presenters said refunds are often tied to reoccupancy and that their organizations are collecting data on refund timelines and contract terms. The discussion also covered resident rights and governance, including whether residents should have seats on nonprofit boards. Christine Griffin said her community lacks resident board representation and urged the commission to consider a state requirement, while others said resident associations and direct engagement with boards can be more effective than mandatory board seats. Members also discussed transparency around monthly fee increases, financial screening before admission, and the importance of clear marketing so consumers understand what they are buying. No votes were taken. The meeting ended with logistical updates, including a tentative public hearing date of June 3, 2025, a note that the next meeting would focus on regulation and monitoring standards, and a reminder that the commission would continue refining its work plan based on survey feedback.

Transcript Highlights:

• Or any other local regulation? Are there any local regulations that would still apply regardless?
• They have those types of data for us.
• This bill revises Florida law regarding the regulation of large-scale data centers and certain other
• This is a very strong step in the right direction of regulating data centers.
• on... ...to put the necessary guardrails and regulations on data centers.

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, opening prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, several introductions, and an announcement that there would be no weekend conference. The chamber then took up a long special-order calendar of bills, generally moving each measure through third reading and final passage, often by substituting House companion bills. Early measures included trust law modernization (SB 786/HB 895), military affairs changes and Guard retirement corrections (SB 474), rounding rules for cash transactions as pennies phase out (SB 1074), podiatric medicine regulation and informed-consent requirements (SB 1092), veterans court expansion (SB 50/HB 199), RV park special assessment clarification (SB 118), concurrent jurisdiction for juvenile offenses on military installations (SB 502/HB 351), alcoholic beverage loss deductions (SB 678/HB 1137), and bail bond/pretrial release revisions (SB 600). Most passed unanimously or near-unanimously; SB 600 passed 36-1 after questions about charitable bail bonds and an amendment aligning with the House version and prosecutors’ concerns. The Senate also considered bills on portable electronics and eyewear insurance (SB 772), the linking industry to nursing education fund and health science workforce programs (SB 1246), recovery residences and behavioral health licensing (SB 1030, with a technical amendment on background checks and probationary licenses), felony battery enhancements for repeat offenders and offenses against law enforcement (SB 436), and child welfare changes including foster-home visitor screening, a permanent statewide Step Into Success program, and a best-practices repository (SB 1718). These measures were explained by sponsors as efforts to streamline regulation, improve workforce and health-care training, strengthen public safety, and reduce administrative burdens while preserving safeguards. Votes on these bills were overwhelmingly favorable, with final tallies typically 36-0 or 37-0. A major portion of the meeting was devoted to a farewell tribute to Senator Lori Berman. Members from both parties praised her leadership, collegiality, policy work, and advocacy on issues including voting rights, women’s rights, Israel and antisemitism, school safety, breast cancer, and family law. Berman delivered a lengthy farewell reflecting on her 16 years in the Legislature, her caucus leadership, and the importance of dignity, respect, and public service. The Senate adopted a motion to spread her remarks upon the journal and then recessed before returning to continue the calendar.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is some data from the Pew Research Center.
• that data of cost to— California businesses?
• So I don't have that data here for you.
• We cannot share any data with you.'
• She's a data scientist.

Committee: House Privacy and Consumer Protection

Summary: The hearing was an informational session of the Consumer Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee on AI risks and mitigation, with the chair framing the discussion around two areas: automated decision systems used in high-stakes settings and frontier models with broader capabilities. The chair emphasized that California has already passed some targeted AI measures, but broader regulation has stalled, and criticized a proposed federal moratorium on state AI laws as a threat to public safety and state innovation. The hearing was organized into two panels, and members repeatedly returned to the balance between innovation, trust, and guardrails. The first panel focused on automated decision systems and algorithmic discrimination. Princeton professor Arvin Narayanan described predictive AI as often only modestly accurate and prone to reproducing historical bias, citing examples such as welfare fraud, criminal risk tools, hospital discharge predictions, and opaque hiring systems. Alondra Nelson, former White House OSTP official, outlined a spectrum of algorithmic discrimination—allocative harms, surveillance and privacy harms, targeting and profiling, and misrepresentation—using examples from IRS audits, Life360 data sharing, facial recognition misidentification, ad targeting, and health care. Cathy O’Neil described her auditing work as building a “cockpit” for AI systems to identify who could be harmed, measure disparities, and set thresholds; she argued that audits, impact assessments, and transparency can improve systems and reward better actors. Members asked about costs, whether AI is more biased than humans, the availability of auditors, and whether state regulation would drive business away; witnesses responded that compliance costs can be managed, that many harms are already occurring, and that companies often need outside pressure and access for meaningful audits. The second panel turned to frontier models. Joshua Bengio warned that frontier AI capabilities are improving rapidly, with planning and reasoning benchmarks advancing at an exponential pace, while alignment and honesty problems remain unresolved. He cited recent research showing models that appear to deceive trainers, preserve their own goals, or even blackmail in simulated settings, and said these behaviors are especially concerning as systems become more agentic and able to act over time without human oversight. The overall discussion ended with bipartisan remarks from members about the need for California to lead on AI safety, protect consumers, and support innovation in lower-risk uses such as agriculture while imposing stronger oversight in consequential domains like employment, housing, health care, and elections.

Transcript Highlights:

• What this bill doesn't do is it doesn't regulate prices.
• What this bill doesn't do is it doesn't regulate prices.
• This bill doesn't regulate prices. It regulates honesty.
• I appreciate that input.” “Okay. I appreciate that input. Rep. Cox, any further questions? No.
• Amendment 11 amends the definition of surveillance data.

Committee: House Commerce, Consumer Protection, and International Affairs

Summary: The House Committee on Commerce met on Wednesday, April 22, with a quorum present and heard several bills. HB 1195, relating to the Louisiana State Athletic Commission, was amended with technical changes and a fee-related amendment tied to student athlete agents, then reported favorably. Members asked about criminal penalties and whether the bill would affect prison athletic events; the author said he would follow up on those questions. HB 798, the Broadband and Cable Price Notice Act, was amended to clarify definitions, federal compliance, notice requirements, and severability, then reported favorably after extensive debate over whether providers already give adequate notice, whether a separate notice is necessary, and whether the bill would be preempted by federal law. Charter Communications testified in opposition, saying the bill was duplicative and would add costs, while the author argued it was needed to ensure clear, conspicuous notice of price increases and cancellation rights.

Transcript Highlights:

• The city of Bend allowed ADUs, but put onerous regulations and process on them, creating an effective
• HOAs still get regulation on what these things are going to look like.
• Cities can still have some regulation and involvement with this process.
• Today, recent market data places the average Idaho home value at over $456,000.
• It is deregulating what some cities have decided to regulate; it's deregulating preemptively.

Committee: House Business

Transcript Highlights:

• No citizen input whatsoever.
• No citizen input whatsoever.
• The goal of our group is to put a pause on hyperscale data centers in Minnesota until regulations are
• until data centers in Minnesota until regulations<00:20:44.080><c> to</c><00:20:44.160><c> provide</
• c><00:20:44.480><c> the</c><00:20:44.560><c> necessary</c> regulations to provide the necessary regulations

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you for joining us on Tuesday and for all of your input into this bill and continued input as it
• into this bill and all of your input into this bill and continued<00:03:36.879><c> input</c><00:03:37.239
• </c><01:04:58.160><c> sharing</c> difficult for some of the data sharing difficult for some of the data
• </c> Department I used to upload all the data Department I used to upload all the data that<01:05:10.799
• </c> committees and getting different input committees and getting different input from<01:29:39.119>

Bills: HF1 , HF98

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• It should just see is the keeper of the data claims data or the.
• We've always had great data sharing in place on regulated providers.
• So, I think the data, the reviewing the data and the quality of the data is also underway.
• On publicly available data, looking at both federal and state regulations, there are over 3,000 HHS-related
• Some themes here are data, data analysis, and the bones per se.

Committee: Senate Health & Human Services

Summary: The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services convened to discuss interim charges regarding fraud, waste, and abuse in Texas human services, particularly focusing on Medicaid and childcare programs. The meeting highlighted the importance of preventing misuse of taxpayer funds, with testimony from various stakeholders emphasizing the need for increased oversight and accountability in these programs. Key points included the alarming rise in healthcare fraud in other states, the necessity for Texas to enhance its fraud prevention measures, and the potential financial repercussions of failing to meet federal compliance standards. Several committee members expressed concerns about the impact of fraud on vulnerable populations, particularly those relying on Medicaid services. Testimonies from experts underscored the effectiveness of Texas's Office of Inspector General (OIG) in combating fraud, yet pointed out existing vulnerabilities, such as inconsistent enforcement and the need for better data sharing among agencies. The discussion also touched on the challenges faced by hospice care providers, with a significant increase in the number of hospices in Texas raising concerns about quality and oversight. The committee heard from various witnesses, including representatives from health plans and advocacy organizations, who provided insights into the complexities of managing Medicaid and the importance of maintaining program integrity. The meeting concluded with a commitment to further explore legislative solutions to enhance oversight and ensure that resources are directed to those in genuine need.

Transcript Highlights:

• if we over-regulate...
• We need some regulations on that.
• But when we regulate ourselves... out of business or we regulate ourselves to a point where we can't
• We don't have that data. We don't have exemption data.
• Those are regulated by the federal government, and any state law cannot regulate the payment structure

Committee: House Revenue Stabilization & Tax Policy Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• and the best regulations to ensure... ...effective and efficient regulator and the best regulations
• Lastly, this bill in the House version did include language that looked at the regulation of illicit
• Thank you to our ranking member for your input. Thank you to the staff.
• It was done with considerable input from parents, teachers, students, and the administration.
• This model reduces classroom distraction while helping students build self-regulation and...

Summary: The House opened with ceremonial activities, including the Pledge of Allegiance and recognition of several student athletic teams and guests, then took up a series of routine matters. Members adopted a resolution congratulating the William Diamond Jr. Fife and Drum Corps on its 25th anniversary, suspended Joint Rule 12 for a petition concerning lease authorization for Eastern Mountain State Forests, and enacted several bills, including measures related to the Sandwich town charter and Springfield tax relief. The House also passed a bill authorizing charity alcohol auctions after adopting a substitute amendment, and passed a bill directing the Boston Police Department to waive the maximum age requirement for a specific applicant. The main policy debate centered on Senate Bill 2581, amended and retitled as an act promoting safe technology use and distraction-free education for youth. Supporters described the bill as a response to classroom distraction, bullying, and mental health harms associated with cell phones and social media, and said it would require bell-to-bell restrictions on personal devices in schools, provide guidance and a model policy for districts, and limit social media access for children under 14 while requiring parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds. Several members cited educator testimony, school district practices, and concerns about anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, and online predators. Opponents and amendment sponsors argued for more local flexibility and warned about implementation costs, but amendments seeking to preserve district-specific policies or prohibit unfunded mandates were rejected. The House adopted a consolidated amendment to the bill by roll call, then passed the bill to be engrossed by a vote of 129-25. Earlier, the House also accepted a conference committee report on legislation modernizing cannabis laws by a vote of 155-0, after debate focused on restructuring the Cannabis Control Commission, expanding licensing and ownership rules, and addressing equity and social justice provisions. The chamber recessed several times, briefly lost quorum during proceedings, and adjourned to meet again in informal session the following day.

Transcript Highlights:

• Those regulations went into effect earlier this year.
• “The regulators, they back down.
• They do not incorporate independent data, peer-reviewed data, federally funded data.
• They don't even incorporate sister agency data. So... ...funded data.
• They don't even incorporate sister agency data.

Summary: The joint oversight hearing focused on DTSC’s implementation of SB 158 reforms, including enforcement, community engagement, fiscal stability, the hazardous waste management plan, permitting backlogs, and the Safer Consumer Products Program. Director Katie Butler said DTSC is now more transparent and proactive, citing stronger enforcement actions, an online inspections map, community open houses, the Environmental Justice Advisory Council, wildfire hazardous waste removal in Los Angeles, and progress on cleanup and permit decisions. She said the department is fiscally stable after fee changes, has released a draft hazardous waste management plan, and is revising it in response to public and board comments, including removing a proposal to send certain contaminated soil to municipal landfills. Board Chair Andrew Rakestraw described the board’s oversight role on fees, transparency, appeals, and performance metrics, and said the board is working toward revised metrics, a revised plan, and future fee votes. Members pressed DTSC on several issues. Senator Blakespear raised extended producer responsibility programs and asked how DTSC could reduce the cost and complexity of launching them; Butler said enforcement and partnerships with local authorities are essential, and Rakestraw suggested closer coordination with CalRecycle. Chair Connolly asked about wildfire cleanup, fee stability, Safer Consumer Products progress, and permit lengths; Butler said residential fire cleanup is largely complete, the fee system is now stable, the consumer products program has many technical projects underway and is expected to reach more listings over time, and some permits are set for five years to hold facilities accountable sooner. Senator Menjivar questioned how DTSC balances hazardous waste capacity with community impacts from facilities with violation histories, and Butler said permits are reviewed through engineering controls, health risk assessments, public comment, and, where needed, stricter conditions. Senator Reyes emphasized the need for stronger protections for overburdened communities and asked about landfill leachate and goal-setting in the hazardous waste plan; Butler said DTSC is using its hazardous waste authority where municipal landfill leachate shows hazardous characteristics and is looking at broader statewide responses. Panelists from the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance and Earthjustice offered contrasting views. CCEB’s Don Krepke supported SB 158’s reforms but urged risk-based decision-making, broader use of alternative management standards, alignment with federal and other state hazardous waste classifications, less duplication across agencies, and caution about added costs from permitting and cumulative impacts rules; he also warned that the generation-and-handling fee remains structurally weak and suggested more General Fund support for statewide planning work. Earthjustice’s Angela Johnson-Mazares argued DTSC remains too slow and too cautious, saying communities continue to face delayed permits, weak enforcement, and ongoing harm, and that the agency should prioritize source reduction, strong permit protections, and more decisive action to prevent emissions and protect frontline communities.

Transcript Highlights:

• While the PSC has regulations regarding integrated resource plans, those regulations are weak and do
• Input from some former members of the Public Service Commission who had very good input, that they still
• So, I do appreciate your input.
• So, I do appreciate your input.
• So, I do appreciate your input.

Committee: Senate Natural Resources & Energy

Transcript Highlights:

• Data came from? Senator Schwartzkopf.
• ...have the input of the people they're trying to say, yes, we welcome your vote, not just your input
• I mean, I think we need to regulate data centers.
• We don't own any data centers. No, you're—Senator.
• They're begging to be regulated, but right now, until we work toward regulation... ...what this bill

Summary: The Senate received communications from the House on numerous measures, including several bills and resolutions passed with amendments, committee reports on bills such as large energy use facilities, campaign finance, voting rights, and appropriations, and a list of pre-file legislation. The chamber then moved through a long floor session with confirmations, bill readings, and roll-call votes, ultimately confirming the nomination of Morgan T. Zern to the Delaware Supreme Court by a 21-0 vote. Among the major policy items considered were property tax and school tax measures tied to the statewide reassessment. The Senate passed House Bill 460, clarifying monthly municipal permit-data reporting to New Castle County; House Bill 461, granting temporary authority for New Castle County school districts to reset school tax rates for one cycle; and House Bill 462, making the split school tax rate permanent with a lower nonresidential cap. Members discussed the fiscal effects at length, including testimony from a school district finance officer that HB 461 would allow revenue-neutral rate setting and offset the fiscal note on HB 462. The Senate also passed House Bill 365 creating a Delaware Indigenous Affairs Commission, House Bill 458 on backflow requirements for low-hazard buildings, Senate Bill 27 establishing the Office of New Americans with a sunset and interagency coordination, and Senate Bill 315 on the Delaware Technical Innovation Program. The chamber also approved Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 300, a firearms dealer regulation bill, after extensive debate over amendments, confidentiality, background checks, and the balance between public safety and burdens on lawful dealers. Several members raised constitutional and practical objections, while supporters argued the bill would reduce trafficking, straw purchases, and theft from dealers. In addition, the Senate passed House Bill 305 creating a diabetes wellness pilot program, with supporters emphasizing the state’s diabetes burden and the program’s federal funding, and House Concurrent Resolution 157, which asks the State Lottery Office to report on iLottery’s impact on small businesses. Senate Bill 325, a fire prevention/background-check bill, was laid on the table after concerns about a late House amendment and requests for more time to consult stakeholders.

Transcript Highlights:

• We regulate taxis. We regulate buses. We regulate airlines.
• </c><01:54:16.320><c> We</c> We regulate taxis. We regulate buses. We We regulate taxis.
• We regulate buses. We regulate<01:54:17.040><c> airlines.
• </c> put a little bit of data through a GPU. put a little bit of data through a GPU.
• </c> things like asbestos regulation. things like asbestos regulation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Inputting the data required following a stop would not meaningfully prolong the encounter.
• Inputting the data required following a stop would not meaningfully prolong the encounter.
• Inputting the data required following a stop would not meaningfully prolong the encounter.
• Inputting the data required following a stop would not meaningfully prolong the encounter.
• I do like data. And I think more data. I do like data.

Committee: House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 1790 HD1, which would require law enforcement and oversight agencies to collect and report data on stops, use of force, and complaints to the Hawaii Crime Lab, which would publish incident-level information and annual reports. Supporters, including the Office of the Public Defender, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the ACLU of Hawaii, Hawaii Justice Rising, and the Policing Project, said the bill would improve transparency, help identify disparities, and support better policy and accountability. OHA requested amendments to ensure Hawaiians are identified as a distinct category in the data, and the University of Hawaii’s Ashley Rubin said the Crime Lab would work with agencies to make implementation as seamless as possible. The Department of Law Enforcement supported the bill’s intent but asked for a longer timeline and culturally appropriate methodology, while HPD opposed the bill as written, saying it would require too many new data points, create a significant administrative burden, and rely on subjective perceptions of race and ethnicity; HPD also noted it is piloting an e-citation system that could help with data collection. Committee members questioned HPD about current manual processes and technology options. The chair reported 18 testimonies total: 15 in support, one in opposition, and two with comments, and no vote was taken in the excerpt. The committee then heard HB 1611 HD1, which would phase down the general excise tax on groceries and nonprescription drugs until a full exemption takes effect in 2034. The Department of Taxation offered technical recommendations, including clearer definitions for groceries and nonprescription drugs and a technical change regarding the county surcharge exemption. Supporters, including the Hawaii Public Health Institute and the Hawaii Food Industry Association, argued the GET on groceries is regressive and worsens food insecurity, especially for low-income households, and said the bill would provide needed relief. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii offered technical concerns, including a possible wholesale-tax enforcement issue once the exemption is fully phased in. The excerpt ends during testimony on HB 1611, with no final committee action shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• front of you today are three rules dockets, all brought forward through the governor's zero-based regulation
• Today are three rules dockets, all brought forward through the governor's zero-based regulation, or ZBR
• There are a lot of things that the data cannot tell us.
• So the public's input was heavily gathered. We all went out. We did what we could on the ground.
• I don't support this, but I do support technology and its regulations for ungulates.

Committee: Senate Resources and Environment

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you. ...and most, I won't repeat what she said about the federal regulations.
• I mean... ...costs, inputs, labor costs.
• As data has shown, repeat offenders continue to drive illegally.
• There's lots of data out there.
• And if we're going to do something like this, I think we need to look at the data.

Committee: House Governmental Organization

Transcript Highlights:

• Both safety data and efficacy data now, we can debate appropriately whether that was sufficient data,
• both safety data and efficacy data<01:31:53.639><c> now</c> data now data now we<01:31:54.639><c> can
• </c> of that data changed the efficacy data of that data changed the efficacy data changed<01:32:18.000
• </c><01:33:07.639><c> and</c> immunizations uh the the the data and immunizations uh the the the data
• a review of global data.

Committee: House Health, Human Services & Elderly Affairs