Transcript Highlights:

• Compounding the problem is that there are almost no alternative placement options available in the state
• </c><00:48:30.559><c> Compounding</c><00:48:31.119><c> the</c><00:48:31.440><c> problem</c><00:48:31.760
• Compounding the problem is can serve.
• Compounding the problem is that<00:48:32.319><c> there</c><00:48:32.640><c> are</c><00:48:32.800><c>

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call- 00:00:00 Approve Minutes from November 13, 2025- 00:00:55 RiverLink Tolling Operations for Louisville Bridges-Quarterhill Testimony- 00:01:48 Staff Report on Veterans’ Centers- 00:26:45 Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs Response to Staff Report- 0:58:53 Adjournment- 1:18:00, 958, all

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from the November 13, 2025 meeting and then heard testimony from Quarter Hill, the tolling subcontractor for RiverLink on the Indiana-Kentucky bridge system. Quarter Hill described its role in back-office support and call center operations for the Lincoln, Kennedy, and Lewis and Clark bridges, and said the contract began in 2021 with go-live in September 2023. The company reported that revenue has increased since it took over, customer service response times have improved, and it has been operating at a loss because the contract was based on outdated transaction estimates and did not account for higher-than-expected volume and added support costs. Members questioned Quarter Hill about the role of consultants, the low reported collection rate, and why the company was leaving the contract. Quarter Hill said a single large consulting engineering firm had been hired to help shape the RFP and contract, but argued that consultants and overly detailed requirements can create disputes and hinder efficient service. On collection rates, the company said the reported 85% rate reflects the absence of registration holds and other enforcement tools, and that the remaining unpaid tolls are the hardest to collect. The company also said it had lost significant money on the contract and had reached a change order and termination agreement, while emphasizing that the system itself was functioning well. The committee then received a staff report on Kentucky veterans centers. Staff said quality of care is generally high and staffing has improved, but reported occupancy figures are misleading because they are based on certified beds rather than functional capacity after conversions to single-occupancy rooms and capital projects. The report said actual occupancy is closer to 85% than the commonly reported 56%, and that increasing occupancy would not necessarily increase revenue because the state’s cost of care exceeds reimbursement and private-pay revenue. Recommendations included adopting functional occupancy reporting, continuing the move to single-occupancy rooms, reviewing modernization needs at Thompson Hood, including Eastern Kentucky in planning, and referring the Radcliffe HVAC procurement and installation to the Auditor of Public Accounts and Attorney General for review.

Transcript Highlights:

• And you know that's compounded by things such as the insufficient characterization contamination. that
• So, you know, compounding, the beauty of compounding.
• Those come with a hazardous emission Which, in most cases, is volatile organic matter compounds which

Transcript Highlights:

• last, a question: when you showed that slide with all of the yellow and the red, were those organic compounds
• Were those volatile organic compounds?
• Was that yellow and orange volatile organic compounds derived from oil?
• And I think if you want... volatile organic compounds are not particulate matter. Right.

Summary: The joint informational hearing of the Assembly Committees on Utilities and Energy, Transportation, and Natural Resources focused on California’s transportation fuels sector, especially the state’s response to refinery closures and the broader transition away from fossil fuels. Opening remarks emphasized the tension between climate and air-quality goals, fuel affordability, refinery jobs and local tax bases, and the need to avoid crisis-driven responses as Phillips 66 and Valero consider shutting refineries in Wilmington and Benicia. Professor Emily Grubert framed the issue as a long-term managed transition in which the public already bears much of the risk and should also capture benefits from a well-planned shift. CARB Chair Leanne Randolph reviewed the state’s emissions and fuel policies, including AB 32, the low-carbon fuel standard, clean vehicle programs, and the at-berth regulation for ocean-going vessels. She said California’s transportation sector remains the largest source of greenhouse gases and a major source of smog-forming pollution, but that the state has made substantial progress and still needs to reduce demand for fossil fuels while maintaining compliance with federal air-quality standards. Randolph also said CARB’s recent LCFS amendments had not caused the predicted spike in gas prices and explained that compliance pathways for the at-berth rule include emissions-reduction technologies or payments into a remediation fund. CEC Vice Chair Gunda described declining gasoline demand, shrinking in-state refining capacity, and growing dependence on imports, arguing that the state is in a “mid-transition” period that requires both support for legacy infrastructure and continued investment in cleaner alternatives. He outlined the administration’s petroleum market stabilization proposal, which aims to return California crude production to 125 million barrels a year through four components: codifying the ban on fracking, validating the Kern County oil-and-gas permitting ordinance, creating a temporary CEQA exemption paired with a two-for-one plug-and-drill framework, and strengthening pipeline and spill-safety requirements. Department of Conservation Director Jennifer Lucasey said the proposal is intended to stabilize crude supply and pipeline throughput while preserving health and environmental protections, and noted that CalGEM would still review permits and enforce other requirements. Mayor Steve Young of Benicia testified that a Valero closure would significantly reduce city revenue and leave the community facing years of cleanup and redevelopment challenges. He said the city supports environmental protection but is worried about the economic hit, the possibility that Benicia becomes a fuel-import terminal, and the lack of local influence over refinery decisions. Members pressed the panel on the CEQA exemption, tribal and habitat review, disclosure of closure liabilities, fuel-demand projections, and whether the proposal should include more demand-side measures. No formal votes were taken; the hearing was informational, and officials said some proposals, including a margin-cap pause and further transition planning, would be taken up later in the process.

Transcript Highlights:

• Let's not compound the error.
• Let's not compound<00:47:02.720><c> the</c><00:47:03.119><c> error.
• </c> compound the error. compound the error.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• benefits that aren't fully funded at the time of retirement, which limits their ability to invest and compound

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement heard three bills. SB 939 by Senator Laird, sponsored by CalPERS, would end new enrollment in the actuarial equivalent reduction option for service credit purchases starting in 2028 and require any unpaid balance at retirement to be paid within 90 days. The author said the change would reduce unintended consequences for members, employers, and CalPERS administration. There was no opposition, and the bill was approved on a unanimous vote and sent to Appropriations. SB 1038, also by Senator Laird and sponsored by CSEA, would expand CalPERS audit notification procedures so bargaining units receive notice when an employer is audited and receive relevant member information from final audit reports. Supporters said this would help unions protect members from benefit reductions or repayment demands caused by payroll or compensation errors, citing a Kern High School District audit example. Teamsters, the California Labor Federation, and AFSCME testified in support, with no opposition. The committee passed the bill unanimously and sent it to Appropriations. SB 1227 by Senator Drozdoff/Dorazo (as referenced in the transcript) would require the Department of Industrial Relations to work with unions on apprenticeship pathways into enforcement jobs, such as Cal/OSHA and Labor Commissioner classifications, to address staffing shortages and backlogs. The author and supporters from United Steelworkers, SEIU Local 1000, CSEA, the California Labor Federation, and others argued apprenticeship would create a pipeline of trained workers and improve labor law enforcement. The committee accepted amendments, voted the bill out on a unanimous vote, and re-referred it to the Committee on Labor and Employment.

Transcript Highlights:

• a period of time and then they start having this decline; it just keeps from uprooting them and compounding

Bills: SB169, SB1991, SB1992, SB1204, SB1339, SB182, SB1847, SB1360, SB1346

Keywords: longevity pay, state employees, Oklahoma government, salary increase, emergency declaration, capital planning, funding allocation, state budget, infrastructure, emergency measures, income tax credit, qualified project, economic development, infrastructure funding, small population areas, school employees, teachers, support personnel, support employees, public schools

Summary: The Senate Appropriations Committee met with a quorum and considered a series of bills, most of them receiving unanimous or near-unanimous support. Senate Bill 169 would increase the annual longevity payment award for state employees by 50% across all service years and passed 17-1. Senate Bill 1991, described as a cleanup bill for the Ocamp Fund, passed 19-0. Senate Bill 1992, which defines “strategic financing partner” under the SIDE Act for Department of Commerce projects, passed 20-0. The committee also approved Senate Bill 1204, as amended, to provide Oklahoma teachers and school employees three days of bereavement leave after the death of a spouse or child, including a miscarriage; the amendment specified funding from the public school paid maternity leave revolving fund. Senate Bill 1339 passed to codify continued funding for off-the-formula schools and allow the State Department of Education to access funds to cover the 2023 teacher pay raise for those schools. Senate Bill 182 passed to allow certain CLEET-certified law enforcement officers and resident care specialists to join the OPERS hazardous duty retirement plan. Additional measures approved included Senate Bill 1847, allowing certain Advantage Waiver Medicaid recipients diagnosed with cognitive impairment to remain in assisted living and age in place; Senate Bill 1360, creating a three-year pilot program placing math instructional teams in the lowest-performing districts; and Senate Bill 1346, as amended, directing the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to establish a water and wastewater infrastructure investment program after removing an appropriation section. Several questions focused on funding sources, eligibility, and population-based allocation formulas, but no bills were rejected. Senate Bills 1427 and 1566 were laid over to go directly to the floor with no fiscal impact, and the committee adjourned after announcing it would meet again the following Wednesday.

Transcript Highlights:

• That looks to me like you're compounding allotments, like the CTE allotment, and then we add this ROTC

Bills: HB 1079, HB3651, HB4980

Keywords: Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, Leadership Officer Training Corps, public school, career education, military readiness, public school accountability, funding allotments, healthcare, insurance, cost control, patient access, regulation, affordability, public health, JROTC, automobile maintenance, high school education, elective course, student skills, practical knowledge

Transcript Highlights:

• We cannot abandon our communities suffering a compounding crisis of cruelty by choices that the Texas

Keywords: Texas, healthcare, reproductive health, Care No Matter What Act, Planned Parenthood, maternal mortality, teen pregnancy, funding cuts, community health

Summary: The meeting addressed critical health care concerns in Texas, highlighting the consequences of funding cuts on access to reproductive health services. Key speakers emphasized the urgent need for the Care No Matter What Act, which aims to restore funding to healthcare providers like Planned Parenthood. They underscored the alarming statistics of maternal mortality and the rising rates of teen pregnancies, particularly in Black and Latina communities. Testimonies shared during the meeting illustrated the real-life impacts of healthcare access issues on individuals and families across the state, illustrating the necessity for legislative action to ensure comprehensive reproductive health services.

Transcript Highlights:

• We cannot abandon our communities suffering a compounding crisis of cruelty by choices that the Texas

Transcript Highlights:

• as we all know, that pressure that comes on, you know, residential homestead owners, it kind of compounds
• as we all know, that pressure that comes on, you know, residential homestead owners, it kind of compounds
• as we all know, that pressure that comes on, you know, residential homestead owners, it kind of compounds
• :56.800><c> know,</c><01:29:56.960><c> so</c><01:29:57.560><c> as</c><01:29:57.720><c> we're</c> compounds
• and um you know, so as we're compounds and um you know, so as we're talking<01:29:58.200><c> about</

Bills: HF4343

Keywords: sales tax, use tax, advertising tax, taxable services, digital advertising, online marketing, marketing services, search engine marketing, lead generation, internet advertising, ad agency, media buying, campaign planning, Minnesota tax law, service tax, broadening tax base, web advertising, promotional services, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• disruption in financial supports like 340B, and recent and ongoing federal changes under HR1 are compounding
• disruption in financial supports like 340B, and recent and ongoing federal changes under HR1 are compounding
• Compounding the problem is the provider service area law that strips local government from control.
• Compounding<00:39:24.880><c> the</c><00:39:25.119><c> problem</c><00:39:25.280><c> is</c><00:39:25.520
• ><c> the</c><00:39:25.680><c> provider</c> Compounding the problem is the provider Compounding the problem

Bills: HF1925

Keywords: nurse licensure, multistate license, healthcare, public safety, interstate compact, nursing regulation, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• this is, in other words, you don't just pay the sales tax, but the sales tax will continue to not compound
• this is, in other words, you don't just pay the sales tax, but the sales tax will continue to not compound
• this is, in other words, you don't just pay the sales tax, but the sales tax will continue to not compound
• </c><00:48:04.559><c> uh</c><00:48:04.680><c> in</c><00:48:04.880><c> the</c> continue to not compound
• uh in the continue to not compound uh in the account<00:48:05.480><c> because</c><00:48:05.720><c> it's

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 2437, the governor’s proposed tax bill, and first adopted the A25-Z42 amendment to put the bill in the desired shape. Commissioner Paul Marquardt of the Department of Revenue then presented the bill as part of Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan’s budget, describing it as a response to budget pressures that would make the tax system more fair and stable while supporting economic development and jobs. Marquardt walked through the bill’s major provisions. These included sustainable aviation fuel policy, repeal of K-12 education credit assignment, elimination of the political contribution refund, expansion of the research and development credit, short-line railroad infrastructure modernization, changes to the state airport fund levy, replacement of attachments and appearances with distribution systems, a narrow personal property tax exception for low-income housing tenants, reduced aquatic invasive species aid, and a 34% reduction in PILT payments. He then focused on the sales tax article, saying it would lower the statewide rate by 0.75% while expanding the base to selected professional services such as accounting, banking, brokerage, and legal services, with business-to-business transactions exempt. He said the proposal would be effective for sales and purchases after September 30, 2025, and estimated a first-year rate-cut impact of about $99 million versus $215 million from the service expansion, while arguing that most households would see a net tax cut. He also noted other changes such as landlord penalty adjustments, a 30% reduction in sustainable aviation fuel incentive payments, repeal of local government cannabis aid, and repeal of the tax filing modernization account. Public testimony began with Kyle Playford of the Financial Planning Association of Minnesota, who strongly opposed the proposed sales tax on professional services, especially financial planning. He argued that financial planning is an essential service for retirement, investment, and long-term financial security, and said the tax would raise costs for consumers, reduce access for middle-class families, small business owners, and retirees, and put Minnesota firms at a competitive disadvantage. The chair then indicated that additional public testimony would continue before member questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• sale of cleaning products containing triclosan, triclocarban, or derivatives of such antibacterial compounds

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Environmental Conservation Committee, chaired by Senator Pete Harckham, met with a quorum and took up a 19-bill agenda, largely consisting of repassed environmental measures. Bills discussed included standards for ambient lead in soil, restrictions on false recyclability claims and plastic labeling, environmental restoration projects, commercial fishing and marine licenses, bans on unencapsulated foam flotation on docks and floating structures, indirect source review for warehouse operations, nuisance wildlife operator disclosure requirements, waterfront revitalization for Doodle Town Brook, a ban on fuel oil grade No. 4, renewable energy development rights on reforestation areas, fee exemptions for veterans and active-duty service members, a ban on mercury-added lamps, designation of water development representatives, bans on cleaning products containing triclosan or triclocarban, a composting symbol, bans on paper receipts for certain purchases, climate corporate data accountability, PFAS product restrictions, and prohibitions on tampering with emissions control devices. Members raised several policy concerns during the meeting. Senator Palumbo questioned the PFAS bill’s inclusion of cookware and suggested an incremental approach, while the sponsor defended keeping cookware in the bill because heating PFAS can increase exposure through food and inhalation. On the renewable energy/reforestation bill, Senator Stec noted implementation concerns about allowing solar development in reforestation areas, and Senator May responded that the bill is intended mainly to facilitate transmission lines across state forest lands. There were also questions about the climate corporate data accountability bill’s scope, including revenue thresholds, overlap with existing DEC greenhouse gas regulations, and the source of fee revenue, with staff explaining it would apply to large companies doing business in New York and use registration fees to cover program costs. Most bills were advanced either to the calendar or to finance. Bills including the lead standards, marine license changes, foam flotation ban, mercury lamp ban, water development representatives, composting symbol, and emissions tampering restrictions were advanced to the calendar. Several measures, including the recyclability labeling bill, environmental restoration projects, warehouse indirect source review, veterans’ fee exemption, and climate corporate data accountability bill, were referred to finance. The paper receipt bill was advanced to commerce, and the committee concluded after voting to move the final bills, including the PFAS restrictions and emissions tampering measure, with technical date fixes noted for the climate accountability and PFAS bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• comprehensively regulate hemp-derived products, including limiting potency, restricting synthetically modified compounds

Transcript Highlights:

• That looks to me like you're compounding allotments, like the CTE allotment, and then we add this ROTC

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:28:57.520><c> with</c><01:28:57.760><c> efficacy</c><01:28:58.239><c> of</c> organic compounds
• with efficacy of organic compounds with efficacy of treatments<01:28:58.800><c> being</c><01:28:58.960
• So, we have V volatile<01:29:47.280><c> compound</c><01:29:47.679><c> K9</c><01:29:48.080><c> detection
• </c><01:29:48.400><c> How</c><01:29:48.560><c> do</c> volatile compound K9 detection.
• How do volatile compound K9 detection.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• great member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and a leader in this effort with the FDA, with pharmaceuticals
• 06.640><c> FDA,</c><02:56:07.120><c> with</c> effort with the FDA, with effort with the FDA, with pharmaceuticals
• ,<02:56:08.560><c> just</c><02:56:08.720><c> about</c><02:56:08.960><c> anything</c> pharmaceuticals,
• just about anything pharmaceuticals, just about anything that's<02:56:09.760><c> very</c><02:56:10.000
• For example, during this committee's oversight of the opioid crisis, we learned about corrupt compounding

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Monday, July 20, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• She is on spring break from UC Irvine, where she is studying to become a biochemist, possibly a pharmaceutical

Summary: The Assembly met, established a quorum after a roll call, and handled a series of procedural motions, guest introductions, and floor items. Members recognized several guests and student groups, then moved through the daily file, including second-reading items, Senate amendments, and the consent calendar, which was adopted 54-0. The chamber also adopted ACR 151 recognizing March 25 as Greek Independence Day, with 59 co-authors added, and ACR 146 designating March 2026 as Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month, with 61 co-authors added; both resolutions were adopted by voice vote. ACR 140, proclaiming March 21 as Women in STEM Day, also passed with 56 co-authors added and was adopted by voice vote. The most substantial debate centered on AB 2156, which renames Cesar Chavez Day as Farm Workers’ Day and declares an urgency clause. Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry and several members spoke in support, emphasizing recognition of farm workers’ collective contributions and, in light of recent revelations about Cesar Chavez, the need to honor the broader movement rather than one individual. Other members echoed support while discussing farmworker history, accountability, and the importance of acknowledging survivors. Assembly Member DeMaio supported the bill but criticized state policies affecting agriculture and argued for broader recognition of Latino Californians and farmworker policy reforms. The bill passed with 67 votes and was transmitted immediately to the Senate. Later, the Assembly recessed for the Joint Convention and heard the 26th State of the Judiciary address from Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero. She focused on judicial independence, threats to judges, remote proceedings, CARE Act implementation, trial court funding and judgeship shortages, AI use in courts, immigration-related courthouse concerns, State Bar reforms after the February 2025 bar exam problems, and judicial salaries. She also highlighted the judiciary’s centennial, the importance of collaboration with the Legislature and Governor Newsom, and the need to preserve equal access to justice. After the address was ordered printed in the Journal, the joint convention adjourned and the Assembly later adjourned until Thursday, March 26 at 9 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• She is on spring break from UC Irvine, where she is studying to become a biochemist, possibly a pharmaceutical

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The medical industrial complex needs customers, the pharmaceutical corporations, the customers, If you