Transcript Highlights:

• When paid family and medical leave was originally negotiated, I was on the negotiation team representing
• colleagues in labor to fine-tune an agreement and make this program one of the things we tightly negotiated
• They're actively negotiating out in the hallway, aren't they? Thank you.

Summary: The Labor and Workplace Standards Committee held public hearings on several labor-related bills. SB 6197 would change plumbing license suspension rules from three infractions in three years to five infractions in five years, remove the advisory board recommendation requirement, and require L&I enforcement updates; the sponsor said the bill was narrowed after stakeholder talks, though one transition-timing issue remained unresolved. SB 6134 would require the Employment Security Department to notify striking workers applying for unemployment benefits that they may later owe overpayments if they receive retroactive wages; the sponsor and a testifier said the bill would prevent workers from being paid twice. SB 5292 would replace the PFML program’s statutory look-back premium formula with a forward-looking actuarial method while keeping the 1.2% cap and adding a four-month reserve requirement; labor, business, and policy witnesses offered support or concerns about the reserve. SB 6106 would exempt tribes and tribally owned businesses from the state WARN-style notice law and protect affected workers’ names and addresses from public disclosure; ESD and business groups supported it, while agricultural witnesses asked for a future fix for seasonal agriculture. The committee then moved into executive session on six bills. It adopted amendments to ESSB 5847, which expands access to medical care in workers’ compensation, including allowing certain outside-network providers and authorizing additional claims managers; the bill was reported out 7-2 as amended. SSB 6014, a cleanup bill correcting a date typo and protecting sensitive L&I records from public disclosure, passed unanimously. SSB 6039, allowing L&I to use electronic communications while offering a non-electronic option first, also passed unanimously. ESSB 6058, giving L&I discretion to prioritize wage complaints, was amended to align with the House companion and then passed unanimously. SB 6136, requiring publication of actuarially indicated workers’ compensation rates and disclosure when rates are set below them, passed unanimously. On SB 6188, which would expand L&I’s asbestos-certification rulemaking authority, the committee rejected an amendment that would have restored current-law limits and instead passed the bill without amendment. Members supporting the bill said it would let Washington strengthen asbestos protections if federal standards weaken, while opponents argued it could create conflicting requirements and unnecessary regulatory expansion. The bill was reported out 6-3. The committee adjourned after announcing the votes and noting it would reconvene the next day.

Transcript Highlights:

• immigrants, sustained by working people, and defended by generations who understand that dignity is not negotiable
• our communities are worth protecting, our children are worth defending, and our dignity is not negotiable
• immigrants, sustained by working people, and defended by generations who understand that dignity is not negotiable
• our communities are worth protecting, our children are worth defending, and our dignity is not negotiable

Summary: The Assembly convened, established a quorum, and opened with a prayer and pledge that reflected on Japanese American incarceration during World War II and recent storm-related losses in California. The chamber then handled routine procedural matters, guest introductions, and several consent and file items before moving to floor debate on a series of resolutions and budget measures. The main policy item was HR 82, declaring February 19, 2026, a day of remembrance for the incarceration of Japanese Americans. Members from both parties and several caucuses spoke in support, emphasizing the injustice of Executive Order 9066, the importance of remembering civil liberties failures, and the need to guard against similar abuses today. The resolution drew some criticism of its rhetoric toward federal law enforcement, but after debate the Assembly added 72 coauthors and adopted HR 82 by voice vote. The chamber also adopted ACR 128, a resolution recognizing solidarity with Ukraine, and later passed ACA 7, a constitutional amendment related to government preferences, after a partisan debate over whether it would restore or prohibit discrimination. The Assembly also took up two budget-related concurrence items. AB 107, described as technical and conforming changes to the 2025 Budget Act and adjustments related to Proposition 4 projects, passed concurrence 59-3 and was sent immediately to the Governor. AB 117 authorized the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to borrow up to $590 million from already awarded transit capital funds to support operating costs for BART, Muni, AC Transit, and Caltrain; supporters called it a bridge loan to stabilize transit, while opponents called it a bailout lacking accountability. The measure passed concurrence 52-16 and was also transmitted to the Governor. The session ended with adjournments in memory of former Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, with members praising his leadership in city government, energy policy, and clean energy development. The Speaker then announced the bill introduction deadline and the next floor session date before adjourning the Assembly until Monday, February 23, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• IDWR published the notice of intent to negotiate the water distribution rules for Water District 34 on
• As part of the rulemaking process, IDWR held two public negotiation meetings last summer.
• During the negotiations, we realized that there was a lot of confusion about which ones we were talking
• What we determined during negotiated rulemaking is that this is all supplementary information.

Committee: Senate Resources and Environment

Transcript Highlights:

• But that does become part of a negotiation with a potential project.
• Is that because one of the things that you do within the IRB is negotiate your pilot, which is the payment
• So that becomes what the local jurisdiction, which is creating the IRB, would negotiate with a particular
• And so those negotiations.

Committee: House House Taxation & Revenue

Transcript Highlights:

• those entities creating those projects to explain why they are unwilling or unable to use freely negotiated
• Our partners have seen that freely negotiated transactions between the state of Texas and local property
• Voluntary and freely negotiated private transactions for conservation easements are the best way to increase
• where public projects do not have to rely predominantly on eminent domain, but rather on freely negotiated

Bills: HB937 , HB2078 , HB2080 , HB3322 , HB3350 , HB4212 , HB4630 , HB4896 , HB4951 , HB5348 , HB5675 , SB565 , SB971 , SB1662 , SB2124

Committee: House Natural Resources

Keywords: special districts, notice requirements, Water Code, government transparency, public meetings, meeting notice, transparency, public engagement, notice, elections, groundwater management, water conservation, joint planning, environmental impact, desired future conditions, groundwater, conservation district, environmental quality, regulatory review, water utility

Transcript Highlights:

• So I began a negotiation with Bill Goodling, who was a Republican from Pennsylvania, to move time.
• Because I had to negotiate with Representative Goodling, who's a Republican, you know, on the other side
• I had a Republican, Carlos Moorhead from Orange County was on my side a Republican. and I had to negotiate
• He was the senator before Jim Risch, so I had to negotiate with him on this.

Committee: Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee

Keywords: daylight saving time, Sunshine Protection Act, health impacts, clock change, legislative discussion

Summary: The committee meeting was dedicated to discussing significant legislative topics, focusing particularly on the implications of daylight saving time (DST). Senator Scott advocated for the Sunshine Protection Act, which aims to eliminate the twice-yearly clock changes and keep daylight saving time year-round. He emphasized the negative health impacts associated with DST, including increased risks of heart attacks and accidents immediately following the time changes. Various witnesses provided personal testimonies and expert opinions, highlighting the confusion and health disruptions caused by the current time change practices.

Transcript Highlights:

• She then joined my staff to help us negotiate the water division of the Infrastructure and Jobs Act.
• IDA negotiated a liability assumption agreement with the participating PRPs and a prospective purchaser
• EPA already has the tools to address this challenge by negotiating.
• We are negotiating the release or settlement of liens in exchange for completion of an agreed-upon cleanup

Committee: Senate Environment and Public Works Committee

Keywords: presidential nominations, EPA, environmental policy, Fish and Wildlife, committee meeting

Summary: The committee meeting focused on the presidential nominations of Brigadier General Brian Nesvick as Director of Fish and Wildlife and Jess Kramer and Sean Donahue as assistant administrators at the EPA. Each nominee presented their qualifications and experiences in their respective fields, with an emphasis on their commitment to uphold the laws passed by Congress. The discussion highlighted the nominees' dedication to addressing environmental issues and their proactive stances on regulatory matters. After deliberation, votes were held to report the nominations favorably, despite some members voicing concerns regarding their qualifications and potential conflicts with environmental interests.

Transcript Highlights:

• Although it passed both chambers, it was vetoed due to the crossfire dealing with property negotiations
• , property taxes negotiations.
• program, to incentivize enrollment. to shop for the best price, rather than accepting the insurance. negotiated
• going to be paying for, and the insurance company is going to pay whatever that price is they've negotiated

Bills: SB437 , SB528 , SB626 , SB636 , SB884 , SB968 , SB1044 , SB1608 , SB2336

Committee: Senate Health & Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• said repeatedly no new taxes in the new budget, and obviously there will have to be a little more negotiating
• subject<00:14:21.279><c> of</c><00:14:21.360><c> tens</c><00:14:21.600><c> of</c><00:14:21.760><c> negotiations
• </c><00:14:22.320><c> but</c><00:14:22.480><c> I'm</c> subject of tens of negotiations but I'm subject
• of tens of negotiations but I'm wondering<00:14:22.880><c> are</c><00:14:23.040><c> there</c><00:14:

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a negotiation.
• Well, sort of, I mean it's an negotiation in it that our positions tend not to be super negotiable?
• He's currently with our reinsurance partners helping to negotiate our catastrophe funding for this hurricane

Committee: House Insurance

Transcript Highlights:

• The language in this bill has been carefully negotiated and reviewed over two years to improve civil
• Negotiated and reviewed over two years to improve civil procedure in California.

Summary: The Assembly Judiciary Committee met with quorum established and heard AB 540, which the author described as a civil procedure cleanup bill aimed at improving clarity, efficiency, and privacy protections. The bill would clarify that electronically served motions do not receive extra response time, narrow the reach of lawyer referral service enforcement so it does not inadvertently cover ordinary attorney-to-attorney referrals, and create a voluntary template for a “first-look” process to screen sensitive medical records for relevance and privacy before they are produced in litigation. Supporters, including representatives of the California Defense Council and Consumer Attorneys of California, said the bill was the product of extensive negotiation and would help protect sensitive health information while preserving existing referral practices. Committee members praised the balance struck by the measure and the voluntary nature of the first-look procedure, with no opposition voiced during the hearing. The committee then took up a motion to concur and approved the bill on a roll call vote, with members voting aye and the measure passing out of committee. The transcript ends with additional roll calls and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I happened to be not only in the room but actively negotiating maps at the time that this process
• I can tell you, personally, that we had maps that were negotiated close and we were there.
• When we came back from that break, the co-chair read a statement saying that the negotiations had broken
• I can tell you, personally, that we had maps that were negotiated close and we were there.
• We are negotiating a new bill, Senator Ashby? The sponsor yields. We may be.

Summary: The Senate convened, approved the journal, and then moved through a large number of motions to discharge bills from committees and substitute identical Senate bills for third reading. The chamber also received and accepted a Finance Committee report on nominations for Kathleen Mosier as Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Terrence O’Leary as Commissioner of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, and John Kagia as Executive Director of the Office of Cannabis Management. All three nominees were confirmed, with Mosier and O’Leary confirmed unanimously and Kagia confirmed 57-1, with Senator Walczyk voting no. The Senate adopted previously approved resolutions recognizing June 2026 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month and mourning the death of Susan Irene Wright of Harlem. Senators Brisport and Bottcher spoke at length in support of Pride Month, emphasizing LGBTQ+ history, resilience, and ongoing threats to the trans community. On the Susan Wright resolution, Senators Cleare, Bailey, and Bottcher praised her community leadership, philanthropy, and family legacy, and Assembly Member Jordan Wright was recognized in the chamber. The body then considered and passed many bills on the calendar, including measures on insurance, environmental conservation, public health, education, business law, labor, social services, highway law, and local tax exemptions. Several bills drew brief explanations of vote, including a measure to end higher insurance premiums for widows, a bill to prohibit correctional facilities from denying visitation because of menstrual products or IUDs, and a Medicaid-related bill to expand access to blood pressure monitors for pregnant people. Most bills passed with broad support, though some had notable opposition from a small group of senators. Late in the session, the Senate took up a proposed constitutional amendment on redistricting. Senator Stewart-Cousins sponsored the measure, and Senator Walczyk questioned it extensively, arguing voters had previously approved an independent redistricting process and objecting to changes that would remove the Legislature’s two-thirds map-approval requirement and alter the commission’s role. The sponsor said the changes were needed in response to aggressive partisan redistricting in other states and would still require voter ratification in future sessions. The transcript ends during that debate, with no final vote on the amendment shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Some we have negotiated lower amounts.
• We've still made an effort to negotiate.
• Some we have negotiated lower amounts. Cases have still been resolved.
• We've still made an effort to negotiate.
• As to getting into to to negotiate.

Summary: The committee first adopted the September 5 minutes and then approved the remaining consent calendar items after removing several bills for separate consideration, including 25-252, 25-248, 25-251, and 25-253. The committee then took up 25-252 from the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, where members asked about the arts tax credit program, staffing, and volunteer coordination. Department representatives said the program had recently been authorized, forms had been finalized, three of six laid-off staff had been rehired through a federal grant, and the agency was now trying to recruit participants. Members also discussed whether tax-credit-raised funds could count as federal match; the department said they could not, because federal rules require state dollars. The item was adopted. The committee next considered 25-248 from the Department of Safety, which was described as a technical correction moving funds from equipment to hardware and software after consultation with the Department of Administrative Services. A member asked about “buy American” waivers, and the department said it would follow up with more information. The item was adopted. The committee then approved 25-251 from the Department of Administrative Services, which included discussion of ongoing problems with Anthem’s retiree health plan mail-order pharmacy. Department staff said many issues were tied to implementation changes and prescription renewal rules, that some complaints were being resolved through the vendor and the retiree health office, and that the contract would be rebid in the coming year, likely causing further changes. On 25-253 from the Department of Health and Human Services, members questioned the department’s September 5 health alert and whether it diverged from CDC guidance. DHHS said the alert was an annual evidence-based guideline for respiratory virus season and immunizations, largely aligned with CDC recommendations, and that some differences reflected timing and population-specific guidance. The item was adopted. The committee then heard 25-237 from the Department of Justice on the annual litigation fund request. Attorney General John Formela said the request was about $4.3 million, roughly 40% below last year and below the five-year average, with major costs tied to YDC civil and criminal litigation and some DHHS class actions. A member criticized the large increase over the budgeted $350,000 and said the budgeting approach should be corrected in the next cycle. Another member asked about YDC settlement reductions; the attorney general said confidentiality limited specifics, but explained that under the new statute the office had accepted well over half of administrator awards, rejected some, and negotiated lower amounts in others while still resolving most cases. The item remained under discussion at the end of the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• All we are doing today is keeping the bill alive so that the negotiations can continue.
• It can go to any number that we negotiate.
• It can go to any number that we negotiate.
• It can go to any number that we negotiate.
• It can go to any number that we negotiate.

Transcript Highlights:

• This rule docket was fully negotiated and we received no negative feedback or concerns from our stakeholders
• This was fully negotiated, and we received no negative feedback or concerns from stakeholders.

Committee: House Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• the PCA employers and PCAs face, which is that, you know, the union and the PCA workforce council negotiate
• the PCA employers and PCA's face, which is that, you know, the union and the PCA workforce council negotiate
• with the administration and come up with the The workforce council negotiates with the administration

Summary: The subcommittee met with MassHealth LTSS Chief Leslie Darcy to review the Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program and the legislative work group focused on its long-term sustainability and cost containment. Darcy and Charlie described the work group’s five meetings and three consensus recommendations: enforce the 66-hour overtime cap, address fraudulent activity in the PCA program, and eliminate MassHealth handling of PCA paperwork/administrative work for members without a live-in exemption because those members are subject to EVV. They explained EVV as an electronic visit verification system replacing paper timesheets, and noted the rollout is expected to be completed this fall. The group estimated about $7 million in savings from the consensus recommendations and agreed to continue meeting through June to consider additional ideas. Darcy presented data showing the PCA program served about 56,000 members in state fiscal year 2024 and has grown from $1.2 billion in FY20 to $1.6 billion in FY24, with projections near $2 billion by 2027. She said much of the growth is driven by wage increases and older adults using more services, and compared PCA costs with other LTSS programs. The discussion also covered overtime spending, the role of federal financial participation, and how Massachusetts’ PCA program differs from other states because it has no hard caps on hours or activities. Several members emphasized the program’s value for independent living and community participation, while also acknowledging the need to control growth without undermining services. Members asked about undocumented immigrants and MassHealth funding, and Darcy explained that some eligibility categories are state-funded only and do not receive federal matching funds. Another member asked about workforce recruitment and wage pressures; Darcy said recent collective bargaining agreements raised PCA wages, with some workers eventually reaching $25 per hour and the entry wage reaching $20. The group also discussed whether IADL hours are disproportionately high compared with ADL needs, and reviewed data suggesting potential savings if IADL hours were limited relative to ADL hours, though no consensus recommendation was made on that point. The meeting ended with approval of the prior minutes by roll call vote, an update that the next health equity informational hearing is scheduled for May 19, and a motion to adjourn carried unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• But when I worked on this bill two years ago, I did negotiate with the banks...
• But when I worked on this bill two years ago, I did negotiate with the banks...
• I did negotiate with the banks and had that language added to the bill.

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• We settled a number of cases in 2025, did not settle, could not settle the FPL rate case, negotiated
• We settled a number of cases in 2025, did not settle, could not settle the FPL rate case, negotiated
• There's a lot of reasons to negotiate.

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Counsel Oversight met with a quorum present and heard an update from Public Counsel Walt Trierweiler on the work of the Office of Public Counsel. Trierweiler described the office’s role in representing Florida utility customers in rate cases and related proceedings, including investor-owned electric, water, and wastewater matters. He emphasized the office’s use of depositions, expert witnesses, customer correspondence, and service hearings to challenge unsupported utility costs while seeking outcomes that are “fair, just, reasonable, and affordable.” A major focus of the presentation was the office’s work on large utility dockets, especially the Florida Power & Light rate case, as well as other recent cases involving Duke, TECO, Sunshine, and St. Joe. Trierweiler said the office had settled some cases but not others, had two appeals pending, and had filed motions for reconsideration where required. He also discussed storm cost recovery, affordability concerns, and the new challenge of data center tariffs and related energy and water demands. He said the office brought in new experts on affordability and data centers and was trying to get ahead of those issues through workshops and settlement efforts. Members asked questions about how customer input is gathered, how the office evaluates a fair profit for utilities, the role of settlements and counterproposals, and the impact of data centers on energy and water use. Trierweiler said customer voices come in through hearings and correspondence, that utilities are entitled to a fair return but not imprudent costs, and that the office is concerned about data center growth and its resource demands. No votes were taken, and the committee concluded its agenda and adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• -Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade negotiations officially came into effect on December 10, 2024
• , and negotiations regarding a second agreement for a bilateral trade agreement, the avoidance of double
• The negotiations regarding a second agreement for a bilateral trade agreement, the avoidance of double

Transcript Highlights:

• When you enter into negotiations with the Senate, we hope they choose your target. So, thank you.
• I really want to thank Chair Anderson, Chair Hanson, and everyone involved in those negotiations for
• We're negotiating.

Bills: HF2446

Committee: House Agriculture Finance and Policy