Transcript Highlights:

• States do not have the authority to regulate the federal government in this way, according to something
• The courts have held that the government cannot regulate a health care provider's speech.
• It attempts to regulate a health care provider's ability to counsel their own patients.
• Several years ago, everyone went statewide to online assessment, with the exception of special needs
• Several years ago, everyone went statewide to online assessment, with the exception of special needs

Summary: The caucus reviewed a long minority calendar covering a wide range of bills, with sponsors giving brief descriptions and members frequently raising concerns about constitutionality, cost, federal preemption, and policy impacts. Topics included medical intervention and vaccination/mask prohibitions, state treasurer investment rules, vacant state positions reporting, shooting range closure limits, congressional term limits, audit penalties, cellphone use while driving, procurement restrictions tied to China, air ambulance regulation, hospital immigration-status reporting, SNAP purchase restrictions, school assessment changes, school contract transparency, religious excusals from school, student contact information, fitness reporting, and several property tax, water, and agriculture measures. Members also discussed bills on AI-generated sexual material consent verification, DEI liability, hate-crime sentencing, commercial driver forfeiture tied to immigration status, speed-limiting devices for repeat speeding offenses, PFAS firefighting foam, name changes for sex offenders, abortion-inducing drugs, prisoner transition services, sexual extortion penalties, solar radiation management bans, and cultivated-cell food labeling and sales bans. Several bills drew explicit opposition or requests to pull them from consent, especially those affecting abortion access, immigration-related hospital reporting, school testing, religious release programs, DEI policies, and cultivated-cell foods. Members noted that some measures appeared duplicative, overly broad, or likely unconstitutional, and in multiple cases referenced prior vetoes or prior-year versions of the same bills. Supportive comments were also made on selected bills, including the PFAS foam prohibition, the assistive technology study committee, the digital goods consumer protection bill, and the prisoner transition services extension. The caucus also considered water and infrastructure measures, including brackish groundwater funding and studies, water augmentation authority bonds, Pima County water rates, groundwater transport rules, and HOA drought watering limits. Toward the end, members reviewed election-related memorials and resolutions, including a proposal to limit voting centers, a memorial urging withdrawal from the United Nations, and another urging defunding the IMF; all three were noted as being on consent and were pulled for further discussion. The meeting closed with announcements, including a note about a local missing-person concern and a caucus recognition program called the Affordable Arizona Award.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is it mandated inside your rules and regulations between the two agencies?
• So we are sampling statewide and have had a history of it.
• Other states have disabandoned stuff and just don't have any rules and regulations.
• It's a statewide rule. Just because... ...during deer season, it's a statewide rule.
• So they need to have some regulation.

Summary: The committee continued discussing recommendations for chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance and response in Louisiana’s wild and captive deer herds. Members and staff reviewed current surveillance results, noting that LDWF had met goals in 32 of 64 parishes and that voluntary hunter-harvest sampling was falling short in other areas. Several ideas were raised to improve sample collection without making it broadly mandatory, including incentives for hunters, taxidermists, and possibly processors; use of DMAP properties and mobile sampling units; and targeted sampling of older bucks and other higher-risk animals. Members also discussed whether to use parish-level or other geographic control areas, and whether to mirror aspects of Arkansas’s approach, including testing to reduce or remove restrictions when prevalence remains low. The committee also heard from LDWF and LDAF about captive herd surveillance and reporting. LDAF described its licensed deer facilities, a 2024 positive in Jeff Davis Parish that led to depopulation and quarantines, and follow-up testing that has remained negative at quarantined farms. Witnesses said the agencies currently share information informally and through USDA/NVSL channels, but there is no specific law or regulation requiring 24-hour notification between agencies. The Wildlife Federation and several members recommended mandatory enrollment in the USDA herd certification program, mandatory reporting of positives, and clearer coordination between LDWF and LDAF. Members also discussed the cost of testing, with LDWF saying USDA grants covered diagnostic testing for the last two deer seasons, while department self-generated funds covered earlier costs. A major portion of the meeting focused on how to respond when a positive wild deer is found. Some members favored immediate restrictions, while others argued for keeping existing season rules in place through the season and using the positive as a trigger for intensified sampling, with the goal of avoiding unnecessary penalties and encouraging hunters to submit samples. There was also discussion of whether baiting should be prohibited, allowed during hunting season, or phased based on testing results, with Arkansas’s statewide baiting allowance and county-based disease management zones used as a comparison. The chair emphasized that no final recommendation would be adopted at this meeting; instead, staff was directed to compile the discussion and written recommendations for consideration at the April meeting, when the committee expects to vote and the commission may need to act quickly through its notice-of-intent or emergency rule process before the next hunting season.

Transcript Highlights:

• I first heard of this during my time in the 84 Movement's statewide leadership team.
• You guys were the first to adopt a flavor ban statewide.
• You guys were the first to adopt a flavor ban statewide.
• We feel that the current regulations are enough based on what's around us.
• It is a regulation on merchants, not citizens.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Health

Summary: The Joint Committee on Public Health heard testimony on a wide range of bills focused on children’s health, tobacco control, newborn screening, pediatric cancer, palliative care, and professional licensure. Early testimony highlighted Senate bills to expand newborn screening for pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency, lysosomal storage disorders, and congenital CMV, with families and clinicians describing severe diagnostic delays, missed treatment windows, and the benefits of early detection. Speakers also supported a bill to improve pediatric cancer research through a dedicated trust fund, and a bill to extend pediatric palliative care services to age 22, with parents and providers emphasizing continuity of care for seriously ill young people. Several witnesses gave personal accounts in support of the newborn screening measures. Families described children who endured years of misdiagnosis before receiving diagnoses such as Gaucher disease, Fabry disease, Pompe disease, Niemann-Pick disease, and CMV, often after irreversible damage had already occurred. Medical and advocacy witnesses said Massachusetts already collects some of the relevant screening data and argued that results should be reported to families, while others urged the committee to add conditions to the state panel because effective treatments already exist. The committee also heard support for a bill to establish a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder program and training for providers. On tobacco and youth health, testimony supported bills to ban internet tobacco sales, strengthen youth protections, and reduce lung cancer deaths through point-of-sale information and quit-line access. A student testified about easily purchasing flavored nicotine products online without meaningful age verification, and public health advocates backed measures to keep tobacco out of children’s environments. The committee also heard testimony on a bill to ensure parents have access to their children’s medical records through age 16, with exceptions for sensitive services already protected by law. The committee additionally took testimony on an optometry licensure bill, where ophthalmologists opposed language they said could broaden scope of practice and allow optometrists to use the title “optometric physician,” while optometry educators and students supported the bill as a modernization measure with no scope expansion. No votes were taken during the hearing; the chair repeatedly reminded speakers of time limits and noted that written testimony could be submitted for additional comments.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our statewide hazard mitigation plan tells us that.
• These were things that weren't built into the regulations because they didn't exist when the regulations
• The second is the private wells regulation bill to empower DEP to regulate private wells, as well as
• I am advocating that we have a statewide single-use plastic shopping bag ban.
• Funding trails benefits communities statewide.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources

Summary: The hearing focused on the Healey-Driscoll administration’s Mass Ready Act, a $3 billion environmental bond bill. Administration officials said the bill would fund climate resilience, clean water, land conservation, parks, PFAS remediation, food security infrastructure, and coastal and inland flood protection, while also streamlining permitting for housing, restoration, and other resilience projects. They emphasized that the bond authorizes spending but does not itself obligate it, and said the proposal includes deauthorizations as housekeeping. Committee members asked about the new Resilience Revolving Fund, flood and drought management, MVP funding, land acquisition, Chapter 61 right-of-first-refusal changes, salt marsh carbon sequestration, and how the bill would help smaller municipalities and offset expected federal funding losses. Officials said the revolving fund would be managed through EEA and the Clean Water Trust, with criteria aimed at directing aid to communities most in need, and noted that drought issues would continue to be handled through existing DEP and drought commission tools. Several committee members and witnesses discussed specific policy provisions, including flood disclosure requirements for homebuyers and renters, expanded authority for regional planning and small-town access to grants, and permitting reforms that would exempt or expedite certain environmental restoration and priority housing projects from more time-consuming review processes. Administration witnesses defended the reforms as a way to achieve the same environmental outcomes faster and with more certainty, while some advocates argued the bill should go further, especially on Chapter 91 and restoration permitting. The administration also described investments in DCR facilities, water and wastewater systems, open space, agricultural easements, and a new focus on blue carbon and salt marsh restoration. Public testimony largely supported the bill. Mass Audubon, the Trustees of Reservations, the Environmental League of Massachusetts, The Nature Conservancy, MAPC, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, municipal officials, and others praised the bill’s resilience, conservation, and water infrastructure investments. Some witnesses urged additional funding for land protection, coastal resilience, buyouts, and restoration, and several called for stronger or simpler permitting reforms. Municipal witnesses from Boston, Beckett, Beverly, Conway, and regional planning organizations stressed the need for flexible financing, especially for small and rural communities facing costly infrastructure and climate adaptation projects. No votes were taken during the portion of the hearing provided; the committee heard testimony and asked questions before moving on to additional panels.

Transcript Highlights:

• , development regulations, things like that.
• , development regulations, things like that.
• Substitute Senate Bill 6287 concerns the regulation of kratom.
• And I absolutely support regulating kratom and natural kratom products.
• I absolutely support regulating kratom and natural kratom products.

Bills: SB6346 , SB6347 , SB6147 , SB6246 , SB5940 , SB5882 , SB6223 , SJR8206 , SB5762 , SB5828

Committee: Senate Ways & Means

Keywords: millionaires tax, wealth tax, income tax, state revenue, tax reform, Washington estate tax, estate tax, inheritance tax, death tax, probate, decedent, gross estate, taxable estate, exclusion amount, tax rate, estate planning, heirs, beneficiaries, RCW 83.100, Department of Revenue

Transcript Highlights:

• Currently, there are over 200 collection sites statewide.
• Ecology adopted regulations to administer this program in 2026.
• as hazardous waste, which has its own designations and regulations.
• as a hazardous waste, which has its own designations and regulations.
• But statewide, and that's for King County, I don't know statewide if we have that information.

Summary: The committee held an interim work session focused first on carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS), then on hazardous waste and extended producer responsibility (EPR). On the CCUS topic, industry and nonprofit presenters described point-source capture, direct air capture, mineralization, and geologic sequestration, emphasizing Washington’s basalt formations and state trust lands as strong candidates for storage. They argued that CCUS can help hard-to-abate industrial sectors, support jobs and investment, and provide a pathway for compliance, while also noting the need for clearer permitting, subsurface rights, pipeline authority, and storage infrastructure. Ecology and Commerce staff explained current state policy touchpoints, including Cap-and-Invest offsets and exemptions for permanently stored CO2, the public comment process underway to define “thousand-year” permanence, and how CCUS might fit within the Clean Energy Transformation Act without counting emitting generation as non-emitting. Some presenters supported more state action and primacy over federal permitting, while others warned about costs, energy use, uncertain capture performance, and the need to ensure real net greenhouse gas reductions and long-term liability protections. Members asked about public meetings, whether mineralized carbon would qualify as exempt under the Climate Commitment Act, the timeline for Ecology guidance, aquifer and water-quality concerns, energy intensity of capture systems, and liability if storage later proves problematic. Responses said Ecology’s guidance process is already underway, public meetings will be virtual, mineralized carbon would likely qualify if it meets the permanence standard, and EPA rules require storage in deep saline formations below drinking water aquifers. Industry speakers said capture energy use varies by source and concentration, and one presenter noted that some states use trust funds funded by injectors to address long-term liability. The second half of the session shifted to hazardous waste and EPR. Ecology staff reviewed existing product stewardship programs for electronics, paint, batteries, and mercury lights, and described moderate risk waste and household hazardous waste management in Washington. They highlighted that E-Cycle and PaintCare are producer-funded, that the battery stewardship program will begin in 2027, and that the mercury lamp program is in transition after its prior stewardship organization exited, prompting enforcement notices and a pending replacement plan. Ecology recommended best practices for future EPR programs, including clear producer and product definitions, full producer funding, convenience standards, annual reporting, and strong agency enforcement and plan approval authority. Local government speakers from King County and Douglas County described rising collection costs, equity and access barriers, rural travel distances, and the need for stable funding and flexible local implementation. King County said it collected over 3 million pounds of hazardous products in 2025 and supports EPR as a way to shift costs from ratepayers to producers, while Douglas County emphasized that rural residents will participate when services are accessible and that future systems should account for geography and local infrastructure.

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh Alabama f a statewide workforce fund.
• Policy, regulation, and also labor economics.
• or state building code regulations?
• </c> regulations 25 $35,000. regulations 25 $35,000.
• And so uh chair lady and regulations.

Summary: The committee first heard a presentation from Northern Kentucky building industry representatives Brian Miller and Matt Mains on housing affordability and construction workforce issues. They argued that regulatory and code requirements add significant cost to new homes, citing an estimate of nearly $94,000 per home nationally and $15,000 to $20,000 per home in Boone County over the past decade. They recommended reforms to building code adoption, architectural design mandates, permit fees and delays, and setback/land dedication rules, saying these changes could reduce costs by $25,000 to $35,000 per home without affecting public safety. They also discussed workforce training efforts through the Enzwe Building Institute, dual-credit programs, apprenticeship incentives, and workforce grants, saying these efforts have helped hold wage growth below regional trends and improve housing affordability. Committee members asked about the breakdown of regulatory costs, the effect of energy codes, and ways to speed up permitting. The presenters said the costs were roughly split among federal, state, and local requirements, with local regulations adding about $25,000 to $35,000 and some energy-code changes adding about $19,000 per home. They said faster plan review, coordination with the Kentucky Division of Water, and addressing municipal staffing shortages could cut 30 to 45 days from approvals. Members also discussed the difficulty of building starter homes under about $350,000 and the need for more missing-middle housing, with the presenters saying such homes are hard to produce without sacrificing quality. The committee then took up Representative Kim Moer and Dr. Dale Bertram’s discussion of marriage and family therapist licensing and healthcare workforce data reporting. They explained that the bill would allow Kentucky to recognize out-of-state marriage and family therapists who meet licensure requirements, have no disciplinary history, and have passed the national exam, in order to reduce barriers and address provider shortages, especially in rural areas. They also described a separate workforce data reporting section that would require licensure boards to collect consistent information on where licensees practice and whether they are actively seeing patients, including through telehealth, so the state can better understand its healthcare workforce. Members supported the portability idea, noted that some qualified applicants are currently working in Indiana instead of Kentucky, and asked whether the data collection could be handled administratively; the sponsors said the bill would create consistency across boards. The committee also briefly discussed occupational board updates and the need for stronger communication between legislators and licensing boards, including architecture licensure issues and efforts to recruit more professionals.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:07:41.560><c> modernization</c> bit about our regulation modernization bit about our regulation
• </c><00:57:51.559><c> background</c> types for dhs's Statewide background types for dhs's Statewide background
• </c><01:00:46.599><c> uh</c> state agencies and regulated uh state agencies and regulated uh regulated
• the regulations, providing that kind of technical assistance to the licensors.
• and the regul ations providing programs and the regul ations providing that<01:24:25.880><c> kind</c

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• I do think it should be statewide, and we've talked about this.
• And I also think because of the nuances of going statewide versus...
• I understand these changes alter long-standing PUC regulations.
• You know, I mean, utilities are so heavily regulated anyways.
• , to help comply with rules and regulations.

Summary: The committee heard several energy and utilities bills, with testimony largely focused on wildfire mitigation, affordability, clean energy planning, and utility accountability. AB 706, by Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry, would create a fund to support projects that use forest biomass waste from wildfire mitigation and forest restoration; supporters said it would reduce open burning and emissions while providing reliable renewable power, and the bill later passed 13-0. AB 39, by Assembly Member Zbur, would require larger cities and counties to adopt electrification planning strategies for transportation and buildings; it drew broad support from clean energy, labor, environmental, and local government advocates and passed 9-0. AB 1167, by Assembly Member Berman, would restrict investor-owned utilities from charging ratepayers for lobbying, promotional advertising, and similar shareholder-benefit expenses; supporters framed it as an affordability and transparency measure, while utilities argued the bill was overly broad and already covered by existing rules. It passed 7-0, with some members not voting and the roll left open. The committee also considered AB 1417 on offshore wind community funding transparency, which was amended to remove new fees and instead require reporting on developer support for local and tribal community capacity-building; opposition was withdrawn and the bill passed 9-0. AB 367, by Assembly Member Bennett, would require water districts in high fire-risk areas of Ventura County to have backup power, full tanks during red flag warnings, and hardened facilities; water agencies opposed unless amended due to cost and liability concerns, but the bill passed 10-0. The consent calendar, including multiple additional measures, was approved 11-0. Other bills drew more divided testimony. AB 745 would allow securitization to finance utility undergrounding and prohibit a return on equity for undergrounding projects; supporters said it would lower ratepayer costs, while utilities warned it would effectively discourage undergrounding and could raise other rates. The bill passed 7-4 and was left on call. AB 1423 would apply reliability standards to publicly funded EV chargers installed before 2024; supporters said taxpayers should get functioning chargers, while charging-network representatives objected to retroactive requirements and possible conflicts with existing agreements. It passed 13-0. AB 388 would create a narrow exception to utility regulation to facilitate green hydrogen projects using private power lines; supporters said it would unlock low-cost renewable hydrogen and jobs, while utilities raised concerns about customer protections and grid planning. It passed 12-0. The committee also began hearing AB 825, which the author said would address the high cost of financing major transmission and generation buildout, but the transcript cuts off before the full presentation and action on that bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> installations um and then a Statewide installations um and then a Statewide recycling<00:04:20.880
• He said other testifiers mentioned the Utilities Commission, which regulates most of the projects his
• be some regulations at end of life.
• be some regulations at end of life.
• We certainly believe that there should be some regulations at end of life.

Committee: House Energy Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• :38.600><c> OIG</c> The governor's proposed statewide OIG The governor's proposed statewide OIG will<
• </c> identified by the statewide OIG. identified by the statewide OIG.
• </c><00:29:45.679><c> were</c> fees related to HMO regulation were fees related to HMO regulation were
• </c> federal regulations. federal regulations.
• Um, 45 states have statewide mandatory regulation of massage therapy.

Committee: Senate Health and Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• regulation.
• Because another way to do that is to have a statewide regulation, which you have asked twice now DEP
• So I think there should be a way to get rid of the patchwork by having some statewide regulations.
• It's not regulated by the state. It's regulated by the county, and it's phenomenal.
• If we're not tackling this on a statewide level, no amount of feel-good, no amount of local regulation

Committee: Senate Community Affairs

Summary: The committee heard and acted on a long agenda of local, housing, education, construction, and claims bills. It first took up SB 1730 on affordable housing/Live Local changes, adopting an amendment that narrowed and clarified several provisions, including density, height, parking, attorney fees, and exclusions for certain protected areas, then reported the bill favorably. It also approved SB 1674, which clarifies that local investment restrictions cannot block Israel bonds, after a clarifying amendment. SB 140 on charter schools was reported favorably after significant debate over school conversion, teacher contracts, local control, and the use of surplus school property for housing or other public purposes; several speakers opposed it as harmful to public schools, while the sponsor said it preserved district authority and added options for municipalities and job creation. The committee also passed SB 96 and SB 4, two local claims bills, and SB 1714, which allows SHIP funds to help mobile home owners with lot rent and requires local housing plans to address mobile home park closures.

Transcript Highlights:

• Please call the next regulation.
• Please call the next regulation.
• This regulation establishes statewide governance policies and procedures regarding association account
• &gt;&gt; This<00:09:29.560><c> regulation</c><00:09:30.080><c> establishes</c><00:09:30.720><c> statewide
• </c> &gt;&gt; This regulation establishes statewide &gt;&gt; This regulation establishes statewide governance

Summary: The subcommittee met with a quorum present, approved the minutes without objection, and then reviewed a series of administrative regulations from multiple agencies. Most of the regulations received staff-suggested amendments and were approved without objection, including fish and wildlife rules on fishing limits and deer hunting on local government property, veterinary board changes to responsible party and veterinary manager requirements, election procedures for safe-at-home voters, attorney general regulatory relief rules, emergency gasoline tax pricing, public pensions updates, controller fraud-prevention policies, physical therapy licensure and English proficiency standards, school nutrition and fee-waiver rules, public health conference procedures, and Medicaid waiver regulations. Several agencies briefly identified themselves and answered procedural questions, but most items drew no substantive opposition. The Board of Veterinary Examiners regulation included an agency amendment that removed a proposed limit on the number of facilities a veterinary manager could oversee. The Department of Education regulations updated fee waiver and meal program procedures, while the Department of Public Health regulation clarified notification and conference-request procedures. The Department of Revenue and Kentucky Public Pensions Authority items were largely technical or conforming changes, including a special-needs trust definition added for consistency with Senate Bill 85. The most extensive discussion involved the Department for Medicaid Services’ 1915C child waiver regulations. Kentucky Protection and Advocacy testified in opposition to the waiver’s lack of participant-directed services, arguing that consumer-driven services such as respite and community living support are required and especially important in rural areas and for higher-acuity children. Cabinet representatives responded that the waiver is intended to provide wraparound services to keep children in homes and communities, that it has CMS approval, and that the program is limited to 100 slots with about 21 participants already enrolled. Members did not move a deficiency motion, and the chair indicated the regulations would continue through the process. The meeting adjourned after setting the next meeting for Tuesday, August 11 at 1:00 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• A moratorium gives towns time to catch up, develop thoughtful regulations, protect public safety, and
• Our request for the moratorium is based on the fact that the blanket statewide mandate that solar be
• The statewide mandate to embrace solar does not take into account the fact that...
• I do coordinate a statewide effort called Responsible Solar Massachusetts.
• I mean, I've been following the DOER regulations and the EFSB regulations carefully.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Summary: The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government held a hybrid hearing on late-filed bills and formal petitions, with testimony focused mainly on Senate Bill 3026 and House Bill 5294. The committee heard from legislators and local officials about S. 3026, which would give equal voting access in a six-town regional school district process. Testifiers from the Sixth Town Regional Planning Board and local select boards said the current voting setup is unfair because one town can vote during normal polling hours while others have a narrower voting window, and they argued the bill would ensure equal voter opportunity for a major regional school decision amid declining enrollment and financial pressure on the districts. The committee also heard extensive testimony on H. 5294, a Worthington home rule petition seeking a one-year solar moratorium. Worthington officials, residents, and advocates said the town is facing multiple large-scale solar and battery storage proposals and lacks the staff, legal resources, emergency response capacity, and technical expertise to evaluate them. Witnesses raised concerns about fire risk, groundwater and drinking water impacts, forest and wildlife impacts, decommissioning, and the effect on rural character and farmland, while emphasizing that the moratorium was framed as a planning tool rather than opposition to clean energy. Several speakers said the state’s solar siting and approval process is too complex and top-down for small rural towns, and that volunteer boards are being asked to manage industrial-scale projects without adequate support. One witness from a statewide group said Worthington’s situation reflects broader problems across western Massachusetts and urged the committee to address solar siting more broadly in a future session. The hearing concluded after testimony and committee questions, with no votes or final actions taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• A moratorium gives towns time to catch up, develop thoughtful regulations, protect public safety, and
• The statewide mandate to embrace solar does not take into account the fact that...
• I do coordinate a statewide effort called Responsible Solar Massachusetts.
• I coordinate a statewide effort called Responsible Solar Massachusetts.
• I mean, I've been following the DOER regulations and the EFSB regulations carefully.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

Summary: The Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government held a hybrid hearing on late-filed bills and formal petitions, with testimony focused primarily on two local measures: Senate Bill 3026 concerning voting procedures for a proposed six-town regional school district, and House Bill 5294, a Worthington home rule petition seeking a one-year moratorium on large-scale solar development. Committee members reminded speakers of testimony limits and remote participation rules, then took testimony from local officials, residents, and advocates. On S. 3026, supporters from the Six Town Regionalization Planning Board and local boards said the bill would create a fairer, equal voting process across all six towns for a major regional school district decision. They argued the measure would expand voter access, address concerns about unequal polling opportunities, and help communities respond to declining enrollment and financial pressures affecting school sustainability. Testifiers thanked the bill’s sponsors and urged the committee to advance it. On H. 5294, Worthington officials and residents strongly supported the moratorium, saying it was not anti-solar but a needed planning pause for a small rural town facing industrial-scale solar and battery proposals. Witnesses cited limited municipal staff, volunteer fire and health services, water-supply and groundwater concerns, wildfire risk, decommissioning and oversight costs, land-use and ecological impacts, and the strain on rural communities from state energy mandates. Several speakers said the town needed time to develop zoning and safety regulations before projects moved forward, and they asked the committee to report the bill favorably. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the chair closed testimony after the final speaker.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is it mandated inside your rules and regulations between the two agencies?
• So we are sampling statewide and have had a history of it.
• Other states have disabandoned stuff and just don't have any rules and regulations.
• It's a statewide rule. Just because During deer season, it's a statewide rule.
• So they need to have some regulation. That ought to be part of your considerations.

Summary: The committee and invited witnesses discussed chronic wasting disease surveillance and response in Louisiana, focusing on both wild deer and captive deer facilities. LDWF staff said surveillance goals are being met in about 32 of 64 parishes, but there are gaps in low-sample areas, and they described current efforts using voluntary hunter-harvested deer sampling, targeted sampling in higher-risk animals, and coordination with D-MAP properties. Witnesses and members raised possible ways to improve detection, including incentives for testing, use of taxidermists and processors to collect samples from older bucks, possible mandatory testing tied to special doe days or special seasons, and better use of D-MAP or mobile sampling units. Several members also suggested environmental testing, better deer-density data, and clearer mapping of hotspots and source areas. A major portion of the discussion centered on how to respond when a positive CWD case is found. Members debated whether Louisiana should follow an Arkansas-style approach, including allowing baiting during hunting season while using other tools to manage disease, versus stricter no-bait or no-feeding rules. Some members argued that immediate restrictions after a positive discourage hunters from submitting samples and hurt landowners and feed businesses, and suggested delaying new restrictions until the end of the season while intensifying sampling. Others emphasized that any response should be science-based and should preserve hunter participation. There was also discussion of whether control areas should be parish-based or based on geographic distance, and whether the state should establish thresholds that would allow a control zone to be reduced or removed if enough negative samples are collected. For captive deer facilities, LDWF and LDAF staff reviewed the USDA herd certification program and current surveillance practices. They said Louisiana has about 350 licensed deer facilities, including breeder and hunting facilities, and that a 2024 positive in Jeff Davis Parish led to depopulation and 12 quarantine farms; follow-up testing in 2025 found no new positives in the traced facilities. Staff said the state has relied on USDA competitive grants for diagnostic testing in the last two years, covering roughly $100,000 to $150,000 annually, while department self-generated funds covered more than $800,000 over the last three years. Members and witnesses recommended mandatory enrollment in the USDA herd certification program, mandatory 24-hour reporting of positives to LDWF and USDA APHIS, and clearer, reciprocal communication between LDWF and LDAF when positives are found. No votes were taken; the chair said staff would compile the discussion and written recommendations for consideration at the April 9 commission meeting, with the understanding that the committee will later make formal recommendations to the Legislature.

Transcript Highlights:

• see as far as regulation of THC products.
• Our focus on wanting regulation is public safety. If the goal truly is...
• Our focus on wanting regulation is public safety.
• That's why USDA mirrored our regulations.
• Statewide, creating no new FTE.

Summary: The committee met with a quorum and heard a lengthy agenda of bills, with the chair limiting public testimony to about one minute per speaker. Early action included passage of HB 203, which allows certain counties to opt back into transportation concurrency, as amended to narrow the bill to small counties. The committee also favorably reported CS/HB 43, allowing renters to reuse tenant screening reports for 30 days, and HB 897, a timeshare-related strike-all that clarified timeshare governance provisions and annual board meeting requirements. The committee then approved HJR 1,215, proposing a constitutional amendment to eliminate tangible personal property tax for farmers and agricultural businesses, with support from agriculture and business groups. A major portion of the meeting focused on the committee’s hemp package. Members discussed the committee bill PCB for HAT-25-01, which would create a regulatory framework for hemp-derived intoxicating products, including licensing, packaging and labeling restrictions, testing, and sales limitations. Testimony was mixed: industry representatives and distributors generally supported regulation but urged changes on branding, packaging, milligram limits, and sales locations; convenience store and petroleum marketers opposed restrictions that would exclude gas stations; and consumer-safety and addiction advocates supported tighter controls, including bans on synthetics, online sales, and child-appealing packaging. The committee also heard and approved PCB for HAT-25-02, a companion tax bill imposing excise taxes on hemp consumables and beverages, despite concerns raised about possible triple taxation and higher compliance costs. The committee next passed HB 211, expanding the definition of farm products to include edible and non-edible plants and clarifying agricultural preemption on bona fide farm operations. It also favorably reported PCS for HB 561, creating a chief manufacturing officer role within the Department of Commerce, a workforce development grant program, a voluntary manufacturing promotion campaign, and required reporting, along with PCS for HB 563, which adds an annual fee of up to $100 for participants in the promotional campaign. Both manufacturing bills drew broad support from industry and economic development groups. Finally, the committee took up HJR 1257 and its conforming bill HB 1259, which would create property tax benefits for long-term rental properties owned by Floridians with a separate homestead. Supporters argued the measure would encourage long-term rentals and investment in Florida, while opponents from counties and cities warned it would shift tax burdens and reduce local revenue. After debate, the joint resolution passed 9-4 and the implementing bill also passed 9-4, and the meeting adjourned after all agenda items were completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're not energy regulators. We don't want to be energy regulators.
• We're not energy regulators. We don't want to be energy regulators.
• We regulate the quality.
• So there are some dual regulation there, but quality is us, use is theirs.
• So there are some dual regulation there. But quality is us, use is theirs.

Committee: House Appropriations

Summary: The committee first heard the FY27 executive budget review for Louisiana Economic Development (LED). House Fiscal outlined a $59.4 million LED budget, with major funding from state general fund, self-generated revenue, federal funds, and a marketing dedication, and explained reductions tied largely to the removal of one-time funding and carryforwards. The Secretary highlighted recent economic development results, including major capital investment announcements, job creation, the high-impact jobs program, Louisiana Fast Sites, and efforts to support existing businesses and small business growth. Members repeatedly asked for clearer public-facing materials on the tax and economic benefits of incentives, the use of the entertainment development fund, the structure of the high-impact jobs and Fast Sites programs, and how LED competes with other states. LED also discussed its Storyteller Initiative, regional project distribution, and the role of major events and film-related incentives. The committee then reviewed Louisiana Works’ FY27 budget of $352.7 million. Staff explained that the budget is driven mainly by federal funds and statutory dedications, with changes largely attributable to the One Door to Work Act and the transfer of workforce functions and positions into the department. The Secretary noted a planned $5 million move for the Louisiana STEM Council and a small request for elevator repairs, and members discussed the unemployment insurance trust fund’s improved balance, which lowered employer tax rates and increased benefits. Questions focused on workforce shortages, coordination with LCTCS and other training partners, the new Louisiana Talent Accelerator and workforce modernization efforts, the need for marketing to attract workers back to Louisiana, and remaining gaps in funding for rehabilitation services and disability employment programs. Finally, the committee took up the Department of Conservation and Energy’s FY27 budget of $201.3 million. Staff described decreases tied to the end of the Solar for All grant, lower orphan well spending as prior balances were drawn down, and reductions in some one-time funding and interagency transfers. The Secretary said the department’s reorganization is now largely complete and emphasized a focus on eliminating duplicative functions, strengthening enforcement and permitting, and using available funds more efficiently. Members questioned the reduction in orphan well funding, the impact of the Solar for All repeal, the use of settlement dollars, and the department’s plans for AI-assisted permitting and modernization of the Sunrise database. They also discussed ongoing work on seismic activity in Red River Parish, commercial fishermen’s claims for gear damaged by energy infrastructure, and efforts to improve financial security requirements for operators so future orphan well liabilities are better covered.

Transcript Highlights:

• , that's of statewide importance?
• Sometimes regulations and the impacts of those regulations aren't apparent until very later on in the
• And it's regulation, it's layer upon layer upon layer.
• This is a salient issue, both in your district and also statewide.
• We are layering regulation on top of regulation. We're driving up costs.

Summary: The committee heard SB 872, which would direct $150 million annually each for Central Valley subsidence repairs and Delta levee work. Senator McNerney and supporters from Restore the Delta, the State Water Contractors, and many water agencies, labor groups, environmental organizations, and local governments argued the bill is urgent to protect water delivery for 27 million Californians, safeguard levees and state assets, and address climate-related flood risks. There was no opposition testimony, and members asked about the bill’s focus on state-owned conveyance; the author said the distinction reflects the separate state and federal water projects. The bill was held while the committee lacked a quorum, with no vote taken at that point. The committee then heard SB 981, which would require CARB to include cost-of-living impacts in its existing regulatory analysis for major rules. Senator Niello and supporters from agriculture, manufacturing, business, propane, restaurants, and commercial property groups said the bill would improve transparency about how regulations affect gasoline, electricity, food, housing, and business costs. Opponents, including Coalition for Clean Air and the Union of Concerned Scientists, argued it would add delay, cost, and redundant analysis to CARB rulemaking and could not reliably measure the effects the bill seeks to capture. Committee members raised concerns that CARB already estimates costs, that the bill is burdensome and narrow, and that it does not fully account for benefits or the role of other agencies. No vote was recorded in the transcript. SB 887, by Senator Padilla, would require data center projects to undergo CEQA review while creating a streamlined path for projects meeting strong environmental, labor, and community-benefit criteria, including zero-carbon electricity, on-site storage, recycled water or water-efficient cooling, and full cost responsibility for grid upgrades. Supporters said data centers are rapidly expanding, can strain energy and water resources, and should be held to clear standards while still allowing beneficial development; labor and environmental groups backed the measure. Opponents from the Data Center Coalition, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, and business groups said the bill is overly prescriptive, discriminatory toward one industry, and could drive investment and jobs out of state. After discussion, the committee established a quorum and voted 3-1 to pass SB 887 as amended to the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee, with the bill kept on call. The committee also heard SB 1008, which would renew a CEQA exemption for the closure of at-grade rail crossings ordered by the California Public Utilities Commission. Senator Ochoa Bogh and Union Pacific testified that the measure would help the state act quickly on rail safety by removing redundant environmental review for crossing closures, while still requiring collaboration with local jurisdictions and the PUC. There was support from railroad and business representatives and no opposition. The committee voted 4-0 to pass SB 1008 to the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee, and the bill was kept on call.

Transcript Highlights:

• So the LCFS is not a new regulation.
• We, CARB, through regulation,... The program works in this way.
• program, will shift from a statewide light-duty vehicle rebate to a statewide medium- and heavy-duty
• utility-funded program will shift from a statewide light-duty vehicle rebate to a statewide medium and
• Statutes amend statutes, regulations amend regulations, and it's time, I think, as we're talking about

Summary: The hearing was a select committee discussion on the transportation costs and impacts of California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), with opening remarks from the co-chairs and members emphasizing affordability, climate goals, and the need to explain the program’s benefits to the public. The first panel from CARB and the California Energy Commission described how LCFS works as a market-based, declining carbon-intensity program that rewards lower-carbon fuels, supports zero-emission vehicle infrastructure, and is intended to reduce greenhouse gases and local air pollution. They argued the program has driven billions in private investment, increased alternative fuel use, and that LCFS credit prices are not the main driver of retail gasoline prices, which they said are dominated by crude oil, refining, and distribution costs. Members questioned the panel on the gap between the regulatory target and actual carbon-intensity performance, the role of credit banking, which fuels are generating the most credits, how the 2025 amendments affected the program, and whether LCFS credits are truly additional. CARB explained that banking helps cost-effectiveness and investment certainty, that ethanol, renewable diesel, and biodiesel currently provide the largest volumes while electricity is expected to grow, and that the updated targets were informed by the state’s 2045 carbon-neutrality goals and the 2030 scoping plan. The Energy Commission said its data show environmental programs add some cost to gasoline but do not drive price volatility, which is mainly tied to crude oil and refinery margins. The second panel, featuring academic and research experts, focused on program design, out-of-state credit generation, and broader economic effects. Speakers said LCFS is successful because it ties incentives to emissions benefit, uses life-cycle analysis, and allows flexible compliance that lowers costs compared with more direct regulation. They also said the program’s benefits generally outweigh costs, that it can reduce air pollution disparities and support equity, but that some issues—especially indirect land use change, additionality, and older program assumptions—need more research and may warrant future rulemaking. One researcher noted that while LCFS likely raises gasoline prices somewhat, the effect is uncertain by design and usually smaller than normal market fluctuations, and another warned that limiting credit generation too narrowly could create legal and efficiency problems.