Video & Transcript Research : 'ABC act'

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TX

Texas 89th Regular

Senate Session (Part I) Sep 3rd, 2025

Texas Senate Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • The violation of this act is increased from $5,000 to $25,000, and the ongoing violation is increased
  • House Bill 7 is called the Woman and Protection Act, but make no mistake this bill does not protect women
  • And I'm glad we talked about Senate Bill 31, the Life of the Mother Act, the legislature... came together
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Trade, Workforce & Economic Development Apr 15th, 2025 at 10:04 am

Trade, Workforce & Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:
  • It's a 1306.205 prohibitive acts. There's just two of them.
  • act or something.
  • act or something.
  • HB 3289 makes the Prompt Pay Act clear, though the one exception allowed in the act does not include
  • HP 3289 makes prompt pay act clear, though one exception allowed in the act does not include a dispute
Summary: The committee heard testimony on several bills related to technology, construction, economic development, and consumer protection. HB 3862 would restrict minors’ access to certain social media apps and limit smartphone use in classrooms; supporters, including Champions for Childhood, argued that smartphones and social media contribute to addiction, distraction, depression, self-harm, and trafficking risks, and the bill was left pending. HB 3712 would change Texas retainage rules so owners could not withhold payment on specially fabricated construction materials once they are delivered, approved, and warranted; subcontractors and suppliers said current retainage practices delay payment for years and create financial risk, and the bill was left pending. HB 2963, the right-to-repair bill, would require manufacturers to provide parts, tools, and information for independent repair of digital devices, with exemptions for medical devices, vehicles under existing agreements, and trade-secret protections; consumer, environmental, business, and repair advocates supported it, while Safelite asked that automotive manufacturers not be excluded from the bill, and it was left pending. HB 4308 would create county industrial development districts to attract major employers and finance infrastructure through local elections and bonds; Fort Bend County supported it as a tool to add jobs and broaden the tax base, and it was left pending. The committee also heard HB 3344, which would create a licensing system for re-roofing contractors, require insurance and bonding, and establish a public database and complaint process. Supporters said it would help curb storm chasers and protect homeowners after storms, while opponents argued it would add burdens on legitimate small roofers, duplicate existing fraud laws, and potentially restrict consumer choice and contractor pricing flexibility. After extensive testimony and questions, the bill was left pending. HB 4196 would create a task force on modernizing manufacturing through digital integration and automation; Schneider Electric and the Texas Workforce Commission supported it as a way to improve competitiveness and create skilled jobs, and it was left pending. HB 3874 would require contractors to receive copies of incorporated contract documents before signing if requested; subcontractors and construction attorneys said it would improve transparency and prevent parties from being bound by unseen terms, and it was left pending. In pending business, the committee voted out several bills. HB 74, creating the Port Verde Port Authority District, was reported favorably to the full House without amendment. HB 112, relating to a science park in certain counties, was reported favorably as substituted. HB 2214, on floodplain notice requirements for leased dwellings, HB 3016, on rental vehicle damage waivers, HB 3133, on explicit deepfake material on social media, HB 3173, on workforce development program planning and evaluation, HB 3807, on child care waiting list priority for children of certain child care workers, HB 463, on unilateral memoranda of contract for residential property, HB 4115, on shareholder proposals to certain domestic corporations, and HB 5008, on use of the Skills Development Fund by certain entities, were all reported favorably, most without amendment and some as substituted. HB 2652, creating a certified caregiver pilot program in the Borderplex workforce area, was also reported favorably and sent to the Committee on Local and Consent Calendars.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Judiciary Committee Jun 16th, 2026

Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:
  • I represent families on the Care Act Working Group, the State Care Act Working Group, and NAMI Conacosta
  • Many acts of bandit towing are already illegal.
  • This is the Accountability Before Custody Act, or the ABC Act.
  • acts attempting to drive out a market rival.
  • acts attempting to drive out a market rival.
Keywords: 988, house, all
Summary: The committee heard SB 911, which would require notification to fire agencies when a home in a high wildfire severity zone is sold with an agreement to complete defensible space work after closing. The author and supporters, including fire chiefs, insurers, and UC experts, said the bill would improve wildfire resilience and help verify compliance. The California Assessors Association opposed the bill unless amended, arguing the preliminary change of ownership report is the wrong document for this purpose and suggesting a separate recorded acknowledgment instead. Members generally supported the bill but raised questions about the 12-month compliance period and the form used; the bill was held for later action. Members then took up SB 1016, which would create a pathway for a court to order a higher-level mental health evaluation when a Care Court petition is dismissed because the person is too ill to participate. Supporters, including psychiatrists, family members, cities, and district attorneys, said Care Court is leaving many severely ill people without treatment and that the bill would connect them to existing LPS evaluation processes. Opponents, including Disability Rights California, county behavioral health directors, counties, and other advocacy groups, argued the bill would make Care Court more coercive, bypass existing pre-petition screening safeguards, and risk unnecessary involuntary detention. After extensive debate over due process, family input, and the role of judges versus clinicians, the committee voted to pass the bill to the Health Committee, with several members supporting it and others expressing serious concerns. The committee also heard SB 1112, which would create a faster court process for vehicle owners to recover cars held by “bandit towing” operators by posting a bond and seeking a release certificate while the tow dispute is litigated. The author and Enterprise Mobility said the bill targets rogue towers that charge excessive fees and leaves consumers stuck without their vehicles for weeks or months. The California Auto Body Association sought an amendment to exclude repair shops regulated by the Bureau of Automotive Repair. The bill was moved forward as amended to Appropriations and placed on call. Finally, the committee heard SB 1119, a child-safety bill regulating AI chatbots. The author described the bill as a response to harms from chatbot companionship and cited the death of Adam Raine, whose mother gave emotional testimony about prolonged interactions with ChatGPT that she said encouraged suicide. Supporters said the bill would require risk assessments, parental controls, crisis-response measures, and oversight. Tech and business groups opposed unless amended, saying the bill overlaps with SB 243, uses vague standards, and is too prescriptive; civil justice advocates also raised concerns about the private right of action and litigation exposure. Members expressed sympathy and support for the goal but urged tighter definitions and continued negotiations; the bill was passed to the Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee and held on call.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Judiciary Committee Jun 16th, 2026

Transcript Highlights:
  • I represent families on the Care Act Working Group, the State Care Act Working Group, and NAMI Contra
  • Many acts of bandit towing are already illegal.
  • This is the Accountability Before Custody Act, or the ABC Act.
  • acts attempting to drive out a market rival.
  • But let me talk about the Cartwright Act first.
Summary: The committee heard several bills. SB 911, by Senator Becker, would require notification and verification of defensible-space compliance when homes in high wildfire severity zones are transferred, using the preliminary change of ownership report; supporters said it would improve wildfire resilience and insurance availability, while county assessors opposed the use of the PCOR and urged a different recorded document. Members generally supported the bill but raised concerns about the 12-month compliance window and the need to keep working with assessors; the bill was held pending a quorum and later placed on call. SB 1016, by Senator Blakespear, would create a pathway for a higher-level mental health evaluation when a Care Court petition is dismissed because the person is too ill to participate or otherwise needs more intensive care. Supporters, including psychiatrists, family members, and local officials, said Care Court is leaving many severely ill people untreated and that the bill would connect them to existing LPS processes. Opponents, including Disability Rights California, county behavioral health directors, counties, and other advocacy groups, argued it would expand involuntary detention, bypass existing pre-petition screening safeguards, and undermine Care Court’s voluntary nature. The bill passed the committee on a roll call vote and was placed on call. SB 1112, by Senator Archuleta, would create a faster court process for victims of illegal or excessive “bandit towing” to recover their vehicles by posting a bond and obtaining a release certificate. Support came from Enterprise Mobility and the author, who said the bill targets bad actors and helps equalize leverage for vehicle owners; the California Auto Body Association sought an amendment to exclude auto repair shops. The committee passed the bill as amended to Appropriations and placed it on call. SB 1119, by Senator Padilla, would impose child-safety requirements on AI chatbots, including risk assessments, crisis-response protocols, parental controls, limits on time and data use, reporting, audits, and a private right of action. The bill was driven by testimony from the mother of a teenager who died by suicide after prolonged chatbot interactions; industry and business groups opposed or sought amendments, citing overlap with recent law, vague standards, and prescriptive design mandates. Members expressed strong support for the bill’s goals while urging tighter definitions, and the bill was moved on a roll call vote and placed on call.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Transportation Committee Jul 7th, 2025

Transcript Highlights:
  • I'm here to present SB 661, the Airport Expansion and Regional Optimization Act. SB 661 is simple.
  • We may be able to say, hey, we're looking for a black Ford with license plate ABC 123.
Summary: The Assembly Transportation Committee heard several measures, beginning with SB 86, which would extend and expand the CAEATFA sales and use tax exclusion program through 2031, raise the annual cap from $100 million to $200 million, and add fusion energy. Supporters, including the State Treasurer and industry and labor representatives, cited billions in clean-tech investment, job creation, and environmental benefits; county groups opposed the bill over local revenue losses. The committee approved SB 86 on a 12-0 roll, holding the roll open for additional members. The committee then heard SB 545, which would require Go-Biz to study economic development opportunities along the California high-speed rail corridor, including land value, development incentives, and public-private partnerships. Labor, Fresno’s mayor’s office, and other stakeholders supported the bill as a way to spur corridor development and future funding opportunities, while one business group moved from opposition to neutral after amendments. The bill passed on a 9-1 vote, with the roll held open. Members next considered SB 63, a Bay Area transit funding measure authorizing a regional revenue measure to support transit operations amid looming fiscal shortfalls. The author and witnesses described severe service cuts that could follow without new funding, while committee members raised concerns about the bill’s structure, county participation, polling, and whether other revenue options should be considered. The bill advanced on a 9-3 vote, with the roll held open, and the committee also approved SB 263, directing a state study of tariff impacts on California’s economy and supply chains, on an 11-0 vote. Finally, the committee heard SB 661, which would redirect aviation-related tax revenues back to airports for aviation purposes and bring the state into compliance with federal requirements; testimony focused on airport modernization, rural access, and allocation formulas, but no final vote was taken in the portion provided.
NH

New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session

House Criminal Justice and Public Safety (01/29/2026)

Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:
  • this, it says except as provided if undertaken by a person 21 years of age or older, the following act
  • this, it says except as provided if undertaken by a person 21 years of age or older, the following act
  • this, it says except as provided if undertaken by a person 21 years of age or older, the following act
  • years of age or older the following act years of age or older the following act shall<02:14:41.760
  • person who viers a sub paragraph one ABC person who viers a sub paragraph one ABC D<04:31:58.159
Keywords: 1189, house, all
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

03/25/2026 - House Government

Government

Transcript Highlights:
  • It is necessarily, and by definition, an act of negligence.
  • This act begins to change that.
  • This act begins to change that.
  • I believe she went to the senator, so I'm your acting vice chair.
  • It brings the mobile home landlord tenant act into line with the Arizona landlord tenant act, which explicitly
Keywords: 1182, all
Summary: The committee first took up SB 1167, which would let municipalities and counties satisfy certain public notice requirements by posting notices on their official websites instead of only in newspapers. The sponsor argued the bill is permissive, meant to modernize notice practices, reduce costs, and help governments meet deadlines, while a Blackman amendment added a six-month transition period requiring continued newspaper publication and a notice to the public about the change. Media representatives, tribal advocates, and others opposed the bill, warning that moving away from print could reduce access for rural, tribal, and older residents and weaken transparency; county and local government representatives supported it as a flexible, efficient option. The committee adopted the amendment and then passed SB 1167 as amended on a 4-3 vote. The committee then heard SB 1021, which after a strike-everything amendment would require the Auditor General to refer possible criminal conduct involving health profession regulatory boards to the Attorney General and outline how such investigations should proceed. The sponsor and supporters said the measure would create a mechanism for accountability when audits uncover criminal activity and address conflicts of interest in enforcement. With no opposition testimony, the committee adopted the strike-everything amendment and passed SB 1021 as amended on a 4-3 vote. Next was SB 1011, a bill directing county medical examiners or forensic pathologists to review an infant’s immunization and vaccination history and any countermeasures given in the 90 days before a sudden unexplained infant death. The sponsor said the bill was intended to improve data collection, align Arizona with best practices, and help identify correlations without implying causation. Opponents, including vaccine advocacy groups and a disability advocate, argued the state already collects much of this information, that the bill could fuel misinformation about vaccines, and that it failed to address the main known risk factors for SIDS such as unsafe sleep. The committee passed SB 1011 on a 4-3 vote. The committee also considered SB 1013, an original merit-based public hiring bill that was not amended after a proposed strike-everything was defeated. The sponsor framed it as ensuring public employees are hired based on qualifications rather than identity-based preferences, while opponents from the ACLU and others argued existing law already prohibits discrimination and that the bill could create new liability and hinder outreach to diverse communities. Supporters said it would clarify merit hiring and prevent quota-based practices. The committee passed SB 1013 on a 4-3 vote. Finally, the committee began hearing SB 1015, which the sponsor said would create accountability and data collection around detransition care for minors, while the proposed strike-everything would instead establish a family and medical leave insurance program through Medicaid beginning in 2029; testimony on that bill and the striker was underway when the transcript ended.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Transportation Committee Jun 8th, 2026

Transcript Highlights:
  • So, I think the key is that we want to be able to act quickly on those incidents.
  • You can sing your ABCs for us. Okay, let's see. Is there anything I need to do up here? Okay.
  • I'm also the acting director for Berkeley's Institute of Transportation Studies.
  • DMV's economic analysis is fatally flawed and attempts to skirt California's Administrative Procedure Act
Summary: The Assembly Transportation Committee heard an informational hearing on California’s newly finalized autonomous vehicle regulations, with DMV and CHP officials describing the updated framework and committee members pressing them on safety, enforcement, and first-responder impacts. DMV said the rules, effective April 28, 2026, expand reporting, create a phased permitting system from testing to deployment, add requirements for safety cases, remote operations, and first-responder coordination, and open a path for heavy-duty AV testing and deployment while still prohibiting oversized loads and hazardous materials. CHP said it worked with DMV on enforcement tools, first-responder interaction plans, and training local agencies on the new notice of noncompliance process. Members asked about crash data, immobilizations, freeway and construction-zone safety, weigh-station enforcement, and whether foreign licenses can qualify for remote assistants or drivers; DMV and CHP said the rules are intended to keep AVs accountable and that heavy-duty AVs will be held to the same roadway standards as human-driven commercial vehicles. A second panel focused on data collection and enforcement. Consumer attorneys argued the prior rules were too limited because DMV stopped collecting meaningful data once AVs moved from testing to deployment, making it difficult for the public and litigants to understand incidents; they supported the new regulations but urged that the collected information be made public. The industry association said California now has the nation’s most robust AV oversight, with monthly or quarterly reporting of collisions, system failures, immobilizations, harsh braking, vehicle miles traveled, and notices of noncompliance, plus broad DMV authority to restrict or suspend operations. In response to questions, the industry said it generally supports the new framework, believes the regulations are clear, and does not favor full federal preemption of state AV rules, though it wants federal standards for design, construction, and performance. A third panel addressed first-responder interaction and remote operations. The San Francisco Fire Department described repeated AV interference with emergency scenes and said AVs have generated hundreds of “sleeper calls,” where passengers fall asleep and trigger 911 responses; the department said these incidents consume significant staff time and it wants better protocols to reduce unnecessary dispatches. Waymo said it has trained thousands of public-safety personnel, maintains a 24/7 emergency line, uses geofencing/avoid-the-area messages, and can allow first responders to manually override or move vehicles when needed. Committee members asked about sleeper-call prevention, remote assistant licensing and drug testing, communication redundancies during outages, and how manual overrides work for vehicles without traditional controls; Waymo said it is collaborating with responders and that its vehicles are designed to reach a safe stop if connectivity is lost. The final panel began with testimony on heavy-duty autonomous vehicles. A transportation researcher said freight is essential to California’s economy and that heavy-duty AVs pose distinct safety risks because of their weight, stopping distance, and the potentially severe consequences of crashes or immobilizations on highways. He said the new regulations are important because they create a regulated pathway for heavy-duty AV deployment, require a safety case, set mileage thresholds, and add reporting categories that can serve as leading safety indicators. The hearing was still in progress when the transcript ended, with additional testimony expected from labor and industry witnesses on heavy-duty AV deployment.
MS

Mississippi 2026 Regular Session

MS House Floor - 15 January, 2026; 10:00 AM

Mississippi House Floor Meeting

Transcript Highlights:
  • <00:37:30.640> districts, change, but within many ABC districts, change, but within many ABC
  • based promotion act? based promotion act?
  • >> And then the ACT. >> And then the ACT.
  • to just do ACT and and ACT. to just do ACT and and ACT.
  • He can't make a high ACT education.
Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, a quorum present, and approval to dispense with the reading of the journal. Members introduced guests from Humphreys County and South Haven, then moved to the calendar and took up House Bill 2, a broad education-related measure. The bill was called up, the rules were suspended, and a committee substitute was adopted. An initial amendment correcting drafting errors in the charter school section and subsection numbering was then adopted without objection. Members then gave extended explanations of HB 2, describing it as a comprehensive school choice and education reform package. Supporters said the bill would create Magnolia student accounts/education savings accounts funded from existing per-pupil dollars, prioritize lower-income families, require testing and financial audits, expand special needs ESAs, and allow public-to-public transfers without a sending district veto. The bill also would expand charter schools into districts with D or F schools, create an accountability dashboard for public and private school reporting, expand the Tim Tebow Act for homeschool extracurricular participation, extend literacy and math requirements through eighth grade, adjust teacher and assistant teacher pay and retirement-related provisions, create a specialized school option program, and require a federal testing waiver. Supporters framed the measure as empowering parents while preserving public schools. During questions, members raised concerns about charter schools, the cost of the program, accountability, and whether the bill would help or harm public education. One member asked whether failing charter schools were addressed; the response was that the bill was aimed at reconstituting the system rather than directly fixing those schools. Another questioned why a child accepted for transfer could still be denied by a receiving district; the bill sponsor said districts would set and publish acceptance policies and could deny students for lack of room. The discussion remained focused on the bill’s scope and policy rationale, and the transcript does not show a final vote on passage of HB 2 in the excerpt provided.
NH

New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session

House Ways and Means (01/27/2025)

Transcript Highlights:
  • So the rest really is turned to the general fund, actually, in the act.
  • We administer and analyze the Affordable Care Act, as the federal government has asked us to do, and
  • <03:15:54.439> as<03:15:54.720> the analyze the Affordable Care Act as the analyze
  • the Affordable Care Act as the federal<03:15:55.359> government<03:15:55.720> has<03:15
  • quickly to be able to better detect act quickly to be able to better detect trends<03:16:52.399>
Keywords: 1189, house, all
Summary: The meeting featured presentations from the Department of Administrative Services and the Treasury Department on state revenue reporting and unclaimed property. State Comptroller Dana Call explained DAS’s role in compiling statewide revenue reports, including the annual revenue plan set through the budget process and the monthly revenue focus reports that track cash receipts. She noted that unrestricted general fund revenue is about $2 billion annually, while miscellaneous other revenue is a much smaller and less predictable category, averaging roughly $30 million to $32 million a year. She also described two more material internal revenue lines: statewide indirect cost recoveries and post-retirement benefit recoveries, which are billed to agencies and often tied to federal reimbursement rules. Members asked about the interest line in the revenue charts and about how the figures were presented, and Call clarified that the totals were in millions and that the interest item would be explained by the Treasurer. She also explained that the indirect cost and post-retirement recoveries are internal cost allocations that flow back into the unrestricted revenue pool and are reflected in agency budgets as interagency costs. Treasurer Monica Meissner then outlined Treasury Department functions, including bank deposits, statewide disbursements, banking relationships, investments, debt management, compliance, the FONA College Savings Program, the ABLE Plan, scholarship programs, and the abandoned property program. In discussing unclaimed property, she said holders report property after a five-year dormancy period, the state uses automated systems and outreach to locate owners, and claim activity has increased. In fiscal year 2024, the state returned about $12.2 million to citizens through roughly 12,000 claims; over the last 10 years, about $72.6 million has been returned. She also said the state escheated $19.9 million to the general fund and $1.8 million to counties last year, and explained that securities-related proceeds are harder to estimate because they depend on market conditions. No votes or formal actions were taken.
CA

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

Assembly Judiciary Committee May 6th, 2025

Transcript Highlights:
  • There are building inspectors, fire marshals, health inspectors, ABC agents, and others.
  • Today I'm proud to present AB 412, the AI Copyright Transparency Act.
  • Copyright Transparency Act.
  • Today I'm proud to present AB412, the AI Copyright Transparency Act.
  • Copyright Transparency Act.
Summary: The committee heard testimony on several bills. AB 416 would allow emergency room physicians to initiate 5150 mental health holds, with supporters saying it would reduce emergency room bottlenecks and speed care for patients in crisis. County and behavioral health representatives opposed the bill, and some members raised broader concerns about the 5150 system and juvenile placements. The bill was ultimately approved on a do-pass as amended vote. AB 446, the Surveillance Pricing Act, drew extensive testimony. The author and supporters argued it would prohibit businesses from using personal data to charge different prices for the same product or service, describing the practice as discriminatory and exploitative. Business and industry groups opposed the bill, warning that its language was too broad, could affect discounts and loyalty programs, and would create litigation risk through a private right of action. After discussion about enforcement and possible amendments, the bill passed on a do-pass motion. AB 632 would give local governments a faster way to collect penalties for serious code violations, including unsafe housing, fire hazards, and illegal cannabis activity, by allowing certain fines to become money judgments and clarifying lien authority. It had support from county and city groups and no opposition was voiced in the hearing; the bill passed as amended. ACA 7, a constitutional amendment intended to clarify and limit misuse of Section 31A, also moved forward after brief support testimony. The committee then took up AB 649, which would extend protections for businesses that proactively obtain certified access specialist inspections and fix accessibility violations; the author, a small business owner, and others testified in support, while disability rights groups moved to neutral after amendments. Members discussed the balance between access enforcement and reducing predatory litigation, and the bill was still under consideration as the transcript ended.
NH

New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session

House Education Policy and Administration (01/12/2026)

Education Policy and Administration

Transcript Highlights:
  • > education<01:08:13.359> act appropriate public education act appropriate public education
  • act required<01:08:14.240> that<01:08:14.640> um,<01:08:14.799> districts<01:08
  • Um Roman numeral 2 ABC. schools. Um Roman numeral 2 ABC.
  • education act is that students<03:22:29.200> are<03:22:29.439> entitled<03:22:29.840><
  • Tangentially related also you have the Rehab Act of '73, Section 504, which prohibits discrimination
Keywords: 1189, house, all
CA
Transcript Highlights:
  • "So pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act and the requirements, we do..."
  • "So pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act and the requirements, we do an economic analysis.
  • Which is probably not how we should be acting.
  • And so I think that we just need to go back to, you know, ABC and look at just the very basics.
  • So I think we've got to act with urgency.
Summary: The Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy held its annual oversight hearing on the transportation fuels sector, focused on California’s fuel transition, the announced refinery closures by Phillips 66 and Valero, and the potential effects on supply, prices, and the broader fuel system. Committee leadership said the state needs a system-wide transition plan rather than a piecemeal approach, and state witnesses from CARB, the CEC, and DPMO described the fuel market as a complex, interconnected ecosystem involving crude production, refining, storage, imports, and delivery. They emphasized that declining gasoline demand from EV adoption is occurring alongside shrinking in-state refining capacity, which could increase volatility and price spikes if not managed carefully. CARB Chair Liane Randolph reviewed the state’s climate and air-quality programs, including AB 32, SB 32, the 2022 scoping plan, the low-carbon fuel standard, and vehicle emissions rules. She said these policies have reduced emissions substantially but that California still faces major ozone and PM2.5 problems, especially in disadvantaged communities. Randolph also said federal actions challenging California waivers could complicate the state’s clean-air efforts, and she noted that while liquid fuels will still be needed in some sectors, the state must continue reducing fossil fuel dependence while protecting public health. CEC Vice Chair Siva Gunda and DPMO Director Ty Milder presented data on gasoline demand, refinery throughput, crude imports, and price differentials. Gunda said the Legislature’s special-session laws gave the agencies transparency and planning tools, and that the CEC is developing a fuels transition plan while evaluating whether any regulatory tools should be used. Milder previewed DPMO findings that Californians have paid a long-running “mystery gasoline surcharge” averaging 41 cents per gallon since 2015, with higher margins concentrated in branded gasoline and among vertically integrated firms. He said the data show a concentrated market with some refiners doing well and others struggling, and that DPMO will continue investigating price behavior, competition, and supply risks. Members pressed the witnesses on whether state regulations contributed to refinery exits or higher prices, and on whether the agencies had adequately analyzed consumer costs. Witnesses said they had not yet implemented the new permissive tools from SB X1-2 and AB X2-1 because they were still assessing risks and benefits, and they stressed that refinery closures and capital decisions are driven by broader market conditions as well as regulation. No vote was taken; the hearing was informational, with the committee seeking updates and urging the agencies to develop a practical transition strategy that balances affordability, reliability, climate goals, and worker/community protections.