Transcript Highlights:

• working closer together to...
• But that design only works if transfer works.
• doesn't fully work.
• wanting to work with you on.
• wanting to work with you on.

Summary: The committee held an oversight hearing on a state audit examining California’s community college transfer process and whether streamlining it could improve access to bachelor’s degrees. Opening remarks from legislators emphasized that California’s transfer system is central to equity and workforce development, but that only about one in five transfer-intending community college students complete a transfer within four years. Members highlighted disparities by race, region, campus, and major, and pointed to confusion created by differing requirements across the UC, CSU, and community college systems, including limits and inconsistencies in the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT), TAG, and major-specific prerequisites. State Auditor’s staff said the audit found that while UC and CSU systemwide enroll more transfer students than the Master Plan target, individual campuses and high-demand STEM programs often do not. The audit identified barriers including unclear and varying course requirements, limited counseling and education plans, insufficient counselor staffing at some campuses, and weak equity plans. It also found that many students never even apply because they do not accumulate enough units or cannot navigate the process. The auditor described examples where transfer students with strong preparation were denied at selective campuses and noted that articulation alignment across systems remains limited. Representatives from UC, CSU, and the Community Colleges responded that transfer remains a top priority and described ongoing reforms. UC cited a new public dashboard, data-sharing agreements, new transfer pathways, and an ADT pilot at UCLA, while saying campus-level capacity and program differences limit how much can be standardized from the system office. CSU said it admits more than 90% of eligible transfer applicants, is expanding transfer planning tools and direct outreach, and is implementing SB 640’s Transfer Success Pathway Program. Community Colleges said transfer reform must focus on clearer credit mobility, more consistent articulation, and broader ADT adoption. Members pressed the systems on inconsistent major requirements, the need for better coordination, and whether campuses are fully prioritizing transfer students; no votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is that work? Okay.
• It was also more routine work. More routine work, yeah. That's more predictable.
• And here’s our work group. We worked very closely with our work group members.
• We worked very closely with our work group members.
• have additional staffing to work that is embedded within NMFS and works with NMFS and works with NMFS

Committee: Joint Joint Transportation Committee

Summary: The meeting began with introductions from members of the Joint Transportation Committee and a presentation from the Association of Washington Cities and the public works directors of Richland, Kennewick, Pasco, and West Richland. The cities described the Quad Cities region as one of the fastest-growing in the state and outlined shared transportation priorities that align with the committee’s focus on safety, multimodal access, climate resilience, and economic development. They emphasized Vision Zero efforts, complete streets, ADA accessibility, regional trail and bike/pedestrian planning, and coordinated long-range transportation and land-use planning to manage growth. The city officials also discussed major funding and delivery challenges, including rising construction costs, project phasing, pavement preservation, right-of-way acquisition, and delays caused by state and federal permitting and review processes. They highlighted regional cooperation through the Benton-Franklin Council of Governments, Good Roads, and local funding tools such as impact fees, transportation benefit districts, REET, tax increment financing, and state and federal grants. Specific projects discussed included Richland’s SR 240/Aaron Drive complete streets project and downtown connectivity work, Kennewick’s Columbia Center Boulevard improvements and rail study, Pasco’s Court/Road 68, Sylvester Street corridor, I-182 bridge/interchange work, and a new north-south bridge study, and West Richland’s SR 224 Red Mountain corridor project, which officials said was awarded under budget and is scheduled to begin construction. Committee members asked questions about sidewalk connections to schools, state-agency right-of-way timelines, apprenticeship utilization, contractor selection, and whether complete streets requirements add burdens to pavement preservation projects. The city officials said new development is generally meeting sidewalk standards, but older infill areas remain a gap; that state right-of-way transactions can take much longer than expected; that apprenticeship requirements are common but harder for smaller contractors and local labor markets; and that low-bid contracting leaves little room to screen for performance history. They also said complete streets requirements are usually manageable on major projects but can be difficult to absorb in smaller preservation work. The committee then shifted to a JTC-funded study on transit-oriented development, presented by Urban Institute researcher Yona Freemark. The study examined TOD conditions in 33 cities in Snohomish, King, Pierce, Clark, and Spokane counties near rail and bus rapid transit stations. Freemark said Washington’s housing affordability crisis is severe, especially near transit, and found that high-cost cities have seen more development near stations but also signs of gentrification and loss of affordable housing, while lower-cost cities have had less development and worsening affordability relative to income. He identified barriers including high debt costs, land costs, infrastructure costs, zoning and parking rules, and limited subsidies for affordable housing. He recommended more neighborhood infrastructure funding near stations, stronger affordable housing investment, and better use of public land, noting that HB 1491 and related legislation are already changing some local requirements.

Transcript Highlights:

• didn't work very well.
• So they can still work up to 1,352 hours doing street patrol, doing, uh, desk work, whatever it is.
• </c><03:15:27.000><c> and</c> work more the way our rules work and work more the way our rules work and
• a</c> pay if he's working or she's working a pay if he's working or she's working a patrol<03:38:34.600
• That was something that worked.

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 180, which concerns critical incident stress management teams. Representative Mark PR, the bill sponsor, proposed an amendment to add a definition of “team leader” and to clarify that teams may or may not be affiliated with a municipality. He argued that a certification test offered by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation is unnecessary and too expensive at $400, since team members are volunteers who already receive training and continuing education. Committee members asked about the training structure and certification language, and the sponsor explained that the teams are self-certified and that the amendment was intended to clean up the bill’s language. The committee then voted on HB 180 in executive session. Amendment 0261H was adopted 11-0, and the bill was then moved as amended and passed 11-0. The committee placed the bill on consent. Later, the committee heard House Bill 438, sponsored by Representative Timothy Horan, dealing with immigration detention and related state policy. Horan described the bill as an update to earlier legislation and said it would codify best practices, prohibit state cooperation with mass deportation efforts, bar for-profit operation of immigration detention facilities, and require Executive Council approval before the governor could deploy the National Guard for immigration deportation activities. Committee members questioned whether the bill could be read as authorizing detention facilities and discussed the relationship between the state and Strafford County Jail. An amendment presented on behalf of Representative Patrick Long was described as a technical rewrite that removed several sections and changed language, but the hearing ended before any vote was taken on HB 438.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I do feel it's pertinent to our work.
• So stay-at-work, return-to-work policies may help employees remain connected to work, States can also
• So stay-at-work, return-to-work policies may help employees remain connected to work, So stay-at-work
• , return-to-work policies may help employees remain connected to work, reduce long-term disability, and
• There is a team working on the initiative.

Summary: The Disability Employment Subcommittee met with SEED (the State Exchange on Employment and Disability) staff for a presentation on state disability employment policy options and possible collaboration with Massachusetts. After roll call, the committee approved prior meeting minutes and heard an inspirational quote from Jane Goodall emphasizing that every individual matters and can make a difference. Members then introduced themselves and described their roles in disability employment, accessibility, state government, and advocacy. SEED staff Katya Alpanis and Dina Klumkina explained that SEED provides technical assistance, research, peer-state examples, and policy resources to help states advance disability employment. They outlined seven policy areas, including career readiness and work-based learning, behavioral health and retention, stay-at-work/return-to-work supports, employer recruitment and accommodation tools, disability-owned business development, interagency coordination, and state-as-model-employer strategies. They shared examples from other states such as Kentucky, Virginia, Alaska, Washington, Minnesota, New Jersey, Illinois, Colorado, New York, and others. In response to questions, they clarified that PEAT has been refunded and is expected to return online, and that SEED’s role is policy support rather than implementation of accessibility requirements. Committee members discussed Massachusetts-specific interests, including digital accessibility, existing state efforts, and prior SEED engagement with Massachusetts agencies and legislators. Members raised concerns about upcoming Medicaid work requirements and the risk that people with disabilities could fall through the cracks, and asked whether SEED could help inform state policy responses. The group identified two likely project areas: a Massachusetts state-as-model-employer roadmap and a youth/young adult employment and volunteer pipeline, potentially linked to transition supports and civic engagement. SEED agreed to follow up with briefs and a questionnaire, and the committee planned an offline follow-up discussion to narrow priorities and develop a scope of work. No formal votes beyond approving the minutes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we had CETA in the '70s, and that didn't work. So we tried JTPA in the '80s. That didn't work.
• We did not get people back to work when we needed to get people back to work, and we really struggled
• How do people better work together?
• We are working with the Federal Office of Management and Budget, OMB, who have invited us to work with
• and I know how well it works.

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

Transcript Highlights:

• There is work already underway and a lot more work to be done."
• "There is work already underway and a lot more work to be done in this space. Jane.
• , what works.
• and what doesn't work.
• And then we have quality improvement work, as well as some technology work underway.

Summary: The committee met for its final session before the report is delivered to the governor and legislature, with introductions and reminders that the meeting was public and recorded. Facilitators explained that the group was reviewing the final draft of the committee’s strategic priorities and recommendations for a five-year behavioral health plan focused on prevention, early intervention, and community-based services. They also noted that the recommendations were drawn from subcommittee work, a survey, and prior committee discussion, and that similar work is occurring in other groups such as Washington Thriving and the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group. Most of the discussion centered on the first two overarching priorities and how to frame them. Members raised concerns that the draft did not sufficiently center people with lived experience, families, and communities, and suggested revising the vision language to reflect that. Several participants also emphasized the need for an executive-level role to coordinate behavioral health across state agencies and improve accountability. The group discussed the timing of related planning efforts, including Washington Thriving and the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group, and agreed the report should acknowledge those efforts without duplicating them. The committee then turned to the high-priority recommendations and the structure of the report. Members asked for more specific action steps under the broader recommendations, rather than leaving them as aspirational statements, and suggested moving some of the lower-priority recommendations into the main sections as examples or sub-actions. There was also substantial discussion about terminology: participants recommended using language such as evidence-informed, promising practices, best practices, and practice-based evidence, especially to better reflect tribal and community-based approaches. Other edits included clarifying early intervention language, adding flexibility, addressing credentialing and carrier/MCO requirements in phases, and considering mentorship as a workforce retention strategy. The committee also discussed accountability and public engagement, with members suggesting the report include stronger references to community voice and oversight. Facilitators said they would revise the draft, circulate it by May 22, and seek comments by May 27 so the report can be finalized and submitted by the June 1 deadline. Several members offered to help with the final drafting and reorganization of the report.

Transcript Highlights:

• They want to be out working and earning money.
• So the work that my team is doing right now, I have had to redirect staff to complete this work.
• They're scratching the surface on this work.
• We will work with the Department of Admin, Division of Purchasing, on the most... ...work with the Department
• So to do this work, the additional staff... ...of Medicaid work requirements.

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• It now is in good working order, so I know there's a model that works that we can get this work done.
• It now is in good working order, so I know there's a model that works that we can get this work done.
• that we can get this work that works that we can get this work done. done. done.
• </c> have been working on this. Thank you. have been working on this. Thank you.
• </c> mother want to come back to work?" mother want to come back to work?"

Transcript Highlights:

• working, can you still sue?
• or negligent work.
• or negligent work.
• They don't go to work until May.
• Work comp needs... Work comp needs...

Committees: House Transportation , House Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight

Summary: The Transportation Committee heard testimony on House Bill 2926, which would extend sovereign immunity and a $500,000 liability cap to private contractors and subcontractors working on Missouri Department of Transportation projects under certain conditions. The sponsor and supporters said the bill is intended to protect contractors from being named in lawsuits before they begin work, or when they have followed MoDOT plans and specifications and are being sued as “deep pockets” despite no negligence. Several members repeatedly questioned the bill’s language and whether immunity would apply before work starts, during construction, and after project completion, with witnesses offering differing readings and acknowledging the draft may need clarification. Supporters, including representatives from asphalt, construction, insurance, and engineering groups, argued that contractors are routinely sued in work-zone crashes even when they did nothing wrong, driving up insurance premiums and legal costs that ultimately affect taxpayers and project delivery. They cited examples of lawsuits filed before contractors had even set foot on a site, and said the bill would align Missouri with other states that extend similar protections. Opponents, including trial attorneys, a public advocate, and individuals who described serious injuries or family deaths in MoDOT-related incidents, argued the bill would reduce accountability, limit recovery for injured people, and improperly extend government immunity to private businesses. They said existing tort rules already allow dismissal of claims against parties with no duty or negligence, and warned the bill could make it harder for injured people to find attorneys or recover full damages. The committee did not take a vote during the portion provided. The chair limited testimony as the hearing ran long, and the bill remained under public testimony with additional witnesses still to come.

Transcript Highlights:

• . work. work.
• work.
• ><c> long</c><02:27:31.160><c> work</c> I've worked with sacrifices, long work I've worked with sacrifices
• </c> work that you do. work that you do.
• </c> she works. she works.

Summary: The House convened with 58 members present and seven excused, establishing a quorum, and approved the April 15, 2026 journal as corrected. The chamber then moved through announcements recognizing visiting railroad workers, LIUNA Local 720, Colorado West Christian Schools, Religious Freedom Day, and several school and community groups, along with birthday acknowledgments and committee schedule notices. The House also adopted a motion to remove House Bill 1245 from special orders and returned it to the general orders second reading calendar, and set House Bills 1290, 1312, and 1321 as special orders. The House adopted Senate Joint Resolution 18, recognizing Nowruz and expressing support for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Iranian people, including the Women, Life, Freedom movement. Supporters described Nowruz as a holiday of renewal and resilience and tied the resolution to solidarity with Iranian communities. Representative Zokaie also spoke at length about the personal impact of war on Iranian families and urged a vote. The resolution passed 59-2 with four excused. The chamber then considered several bills in committee report. House Bill 1290, concerning assault and clarifying sentencing, was amended in Judiciary to remove the medical professional provision and passed after testimony emphasizing strangulation as a serious warning sign in domestic violence cases; it then passed the House. House Bill 1312, dealing with peace officer participation, POST Board composition, academy training, and related grants, was amended for clarity and passed the Judiciary report and then the bill. House Bill 1321, modifying the School Security Disbursement Program, had the Education Committee report defeated, but amendments were adopted to broaden eligible service providers and adjust funding language; the bill then passed as amended.

Transcript Highlights:

• of the work.
• that work.
• We're working on it.
• Okay, so how does this work?
• Well, it worked, so we work on your live time. Thank you. Any questions? Speller?

Summary: The Senate Judiciary Committee and Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee held an informational hearing at Stanford on the intersection of artificial intelligence, copyright, transparency, and California’s creative economy. Chairs and members emphasized that the hearing was not on a specific bill and would not include a vote, but was intended to gather information ahead of the next legislative session. Opening remarks stressed the tension between protecting artists’ intellectual property and allowing AI innovation to continue in California, with several members noting the state’s outsized role in both the tech and entertainment sectors. The first panel featured Professor Pamela Samuelson and Stanford researcher Rishi Bommasani. Samuelson reviewed the current copyright litigation landscape, including dozens of lawsuits against generative AI companies, and explained that fair use will likely be central, especially the market-effects factor. She said state action is constrained by federal copyright preemption, but transparency, privacy, and deepfake-related regulation may still be possible. Bommasani described widespread opacity around training data among major California AI companies, discussed AB 2013 and the EU AI Act as transparency models, and warned that disclosure rules face enforcement and design challenges. Members asked about market dilution theories, open-source models, user data, machine unlearning, and what California can do without conflicting with federal law. The second panel included SAG-AFTRA board member Jason George, Animation Guild president Danny Lynn, and OpenAI copyright counsel Mark Gray. George and Lynn argued that AI training on performers’ and artists’ work without consent or compensation is already harming careers, devaluing creative labor, and enabling digital replicas and style imitation; both supported stronger transparency so rights holders can identify when their work is used and negotiate licenses. Gray said AI is increasingly being used as a productivity tool and pointed to growing partnerships between AI companies and publishers, studios, and record labels, while acknowledging concerns about deepfakes and specific harmful uses. Committee members pressed him on labeling AI-generated content, training-data disclosure, and how to protect creators while still encouraging innovation. No formal action or vote was taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• of this work.
• And so we need to really work.
• They work 24-7, 365 days a year. They can work with individuals...
• We work... We work in a variety of different places in Spokane.
• We're able to kind of work to... ...work together.

Summary: The Community Safety Committee held an interim work session on crisis response, with members and witnesses discussing how Washington can better integrate 911, 988, mobile crisis, co-response, and alternative response models for behavioral health crises in public spaces. Travis Parker opened with an overview of the Sequential Intercept Model and the crisis care continuum, emphasizing early intervention, 988 access, regional coordination, navigators and peer support, and the need for sustainable braided funding. Several Washington witnesses then described current programs and system gaps, including the growth of co-response teams, the importance of integrating 911 and 988 rather than treating them as competing systems, and the need to reduce unnecessary emergency room use and improve first responder wellness and training. City, fire, and crisis-system representatives described local challenges and reforms. Kim Hendrickson of Poulsbo said most crisis calls still come through 911 and urged better coordination among field-based teams, more behavioral health training for fire/EMS, and more alternatives to ER transport. Laura Pippen, a designated crisis responder, described a strained involuntary treatment system, fewer DCRs statewide, difficulty getting law enforcement support for transports, and limited facility capacity, especially for substance use disorder. Jennifer Stuber and South County Fire’s Keith Sharp highlighted workforce training, a crisis responder certificate program, and first responder wellness efforts. Research witnesses Evan Lauder and James Pine said the evidence is still developing but generally supports on-scene resolution, reduced ED transport and detention in some models, and the importance of clear dispatch protocols, coordination, and ongoing evaluation. Dispatch and program operators then gave examples of how systems are working in practice. Katie Myers of Washington APCO/NENA said 911 remains essential, but needs evidence-based triage protocols, liability protections, and additional funding if it is expected to take on more crisis-response responsibilities. Whatcom County described embedding a “community connector” in the 911 center to coordinate alternative response, while ValleyCom reported that its 988 diversion pilot transferred 2,165 calls with 98% resolved through 988/211 without returning to 911. National examples included Denver’s STAR program, Albuquerque’s Community Safety Department, and Atlanta’s PAD initiative, each showing different ways to route low-acuity or behavioral-health-related calls away from police and toward clinicians, peers, or civilian responders. The session ended with Washington examples continuing, including Whatcom County’s alternative response team, underscoring the committee’s interest in refining and expanding integrated crisis response systems in the next session.

Transcript Highlights:

• My goal is to work in a police crime lab doing forensic work, Children in mind.
• All that work took a lot of work, I would say, personally, and from the president of the college, working
• It was the work that we were doing together. And so I'm proud of that work.
• These students simply want to work. Fair? These students simply want to work.
• Legally work on campus.

Committee: House Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:

• And I'm not talking about caregivers that are working for institutions or working for assisted living
• I really appreciate the work you do.
• They have jobs, they are working in New Mexico organizations, and they are required to work by state
• beyond what is working here?
• You work on the distance from the base; you work on how you go down, which leg to use.

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:05:01.360><c> to</c> think you'll even have enough work to think you'll even have enough work
• </c> leave at the expense of doing that work. leave at the expense of doing that work.
• , so that work can begin.
• Uh, but uh they are working on those and trying to work hard and come to an agreement.
• </c> work things out and put things together. work things out and put things together.

Transcript Highlights:

• But for right now, it's working well. But for right now, it's working well.
• With the siting work that has been going on, we have been working on cumulative impact analysis.
• So we are working very closely with them to put the Mass Leads Act money to work in conjunction.
• So we are working very closely with them to put the Mass Leads Act money to work in conjunction.
• The work we've done with contractors also works, and some work with MWRA is addressing the invasive species

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Ways and Means

Summary: The Joint Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing at UMass Amherst on Governor Healey’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal, focusing on energy/environment-related transportation issues and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The hearing opened with welcomes from the co-chairs and local legislators, followed by remarks from UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes, who highlighted the university’s research, sustainability, transportation, and workforce contributions and thanked the administration and legislature for support of public higher education. MassDOT Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phil Eng, along with agency leaders, presented the administration’s transportation budget package. They described a combined funding plan through House 2, a Fair Share supplemental budget, and a Chapter 90 bill, emphasizing investments in MassDOT operations, snow and ice response, regional transit authorities, the MBTA, bridge and pavement repair, housing-related transportation improvements, sustainable aviation fuel, microtransit, and local road programs. Officials also highlighted record highway construction activity, safety initiatives such as work zone speed cameras and pedestrian protections, RMV service and equity improvements, airport and drone technology programs, and MBTA gains in reliability, accessibility, ridership, and service expansion. Committee members asked about Western Massachusetts priorities, especially Chapter 90 funding for rural road mileage, bridge repairs, and the Compass Rail/West-East Rail program. MassDOT officials said pending federal grants were moving forward, with some awards recently obligated and others expected as federal processes advance, and they said Palmer Station remains part of the long-term rail plan. Members also raised the Cape Cod bridges and the need for multi-year Chapter 90 funding. Officials said the Sagamore Bridge procurement would begin soon, with construction targeted for 2027, and reiterated that transportation investments support jobs, local economies, and municipal infrastructure statewide.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we had CETA in the '70s, and that didn't work. So we tried JTPA in the '80s. That didn't work.
• We did not get people back to work when we needed to get people back to work, and we really struggled
• How do people better work together?
• How do people better work together?
• We are working with the Federal Office of Management and Budget, OMB, who have invited us to work with

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

Summary: The committee met to hear consultants Mason Bishop and Cameron Christie discuss Arkansas’s “one door/no wrong door” workforce and social services modernization effort. Bishop argued that the current system is fragmented across multiple agencies, offices, and portals, making it hard for job seekers and employers to access services efficiently. He said the goal is to create a more integrated system that promotes upward mobility, longer labor force attachment, better employer access to talent, greater efficiency, and faster adaptation to changes such as AI and other economic disruptions. Bishop repeatedly pointed to Utah as a model, describing how that state combined workforce and public assistance functions into a single agency, used statewide cost allocation to blend funding streams, and improved customer service and outcomes after reform. He said Arkansas should consider integrating governance, service delivery, and financing, including possible waivers, a statewide cost allocation plan, and a benefits-cliff pilot. He also said Arkansas’s current local workforce board structure creates duplication and weak coordination, and that Launch is a useful tool but not a full service-delivery system. Committee members asked how the proposal would work in practice, including whether TANF could be used to cross-train DHS workers, how federal waivers might be obtained, how local boards would be affected, and how disabled clients would be handled. Bishop said TANF should be treated as part of a workforce strategy, that federal pilot authority for workforce reform nearly passed but did not, and that waivers are now the practical path. He also said Arkansas could either merge functions more fully or at minimum co-locate workforce staff in DHS offices statewide. No votes were taken; the meeting ended with plans to continue the discussion in August, including a focus on case management and whether the state is managing programs or people.

Transcript Highlights:

• And of course, really did great work.
• But the product is uh something I work.
• do some incredible work able to do some incredible work especially<00:03:07.120><c> with</c><00:03:07.360
• </c> I'm just really grateful for working I'm just really grateful for working with<00:03:25.840><c>
• </c><00:08:51.440><c> on</c> commission to to continue to work on commission to to continue to work on

Bills: SF2884 , HF1889

Committee: House Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> We have stressed many times in working We have stressed many times in working with<00:03:48.600>
• </c> governance for us to work with. governance for us to work with.
• </c> with one another and are going to work with one another and are going to work to<00:04:35.280><c
• or what didn't work.
• </c> know what worked or what didn't work. know what worked or what didn't work.

Committee: House Primary and Secondary Education

Transcript Highlights:

• I work for a Filipino Worker Center. I work with caregivers, and I am a caregiver myself.
• Our work is very isolated.
• I work for a state fund.
• I work for a state fund.
• I've worked for the state for 24 years. I've been working for the state for 24 years.

Summary: The subcommittee heard an informational update on the state’s generative AI implementation and related oversight. Administration officials said several proof-of-concept projects have moved into minimum viable product phases, including work at CDTFA and Caltrans, and that CDPH has a May Revision request for up to $8 million to scale up its healthcare facilities inspections project. The Legislative Analyst’s Office urged the administration to publish a report on lessons learned from each POC and recommended limiting the new generative AI approval process to a pilot through the first two rounds of projects, with continued monthly meetings and stronger legislative oversight. Members pressed for more transparency and questioned why the CDPH request was not included in January; the administration said the cost estimate was not available then and that only one project is seeking additional resources beyond existing departmental budgets. The committee then reviewed a proposed $400 million loan from the Labor and Workforce Development Fund to the General Fund. Finance and the Labor Agency said the fund has grown because civil penalty revenues have risen sharply, and the loan would be repaid in 2029-30 with provisional language allowing earlier repayment if needed. The LAO agreed the fund could support the loan but warned that recent PAGA reforms may reduce future revenues. Public commenters, including labor and community groups, argued the money should instead support labor-law enforcement and outreach programs such as CWOP, and urged rejection of the loan. Members also heard a Department of Industrial Relations request for $19.1 million for phase two of Public Works Information Technology System Enhancements, which officials said will support labor-law enforcement and apprenticeship registration. The department said the project was delayed because a prior procurement did not result in a contract award and that completion is now expected in October 2026. The committee then took up an EDD Next reappropriation technical adjustment to extend UI fund spending authority through June 30, 2026; the LAO said the request was fine but again raised concerns about oversight of the larger modernization effort, which EDD said now totals more than $660 million and is expected to continue through 2029. Finally, the committee discussed DGS’s request for new parking facilities near the May Lee Building and a trailer bill shifting statewide telework policy language from DGS to CalHR while also expanding NDI eligibility for certain CEA employees. The LAO said the telework trailer bill should likely go through the policy committee process instead of budget, and union and employee witnesses strongly opposed it, arguing it would undermine bargaining rights and could be used to narrow telework. In a separate item on the governor’s return-to-office order, administration officials said departments are being directed to move to a four-day in-office expectation starting July 1, 2025, but they had no statewide cost estimate yet because departments are still assessing vacancies, exemptions, and space needs. Members criticized the lack of analysis and said the state should have clearer numbers before moving forward.