Transcript Highlights:

• So two weeks in the training is just not sufficient.
• Yeah, so would you advocate for ongoing training? I'm advocating for ongoing training.
• Just like the police on the street are trained, you need the correctional officers to be trained too.
• In addition, de-escalation training, as mentioned, and effective communication training, we have purchased
• When they receive training, what kind of training do they get?

Bills: HB1482 , HB2017 , HB2103 , HB2341 , HB2756

Committee: House Corrections

Keywords: community supervision, repeat offenders, intoxication, Texas Penal Code, criminal justice reform, intoxication manslaughter, criminal penalties, mandatory supervision, parole eligibility, Grayson's Law, mental health, trauma, jailers, law enforcement, occupational health, diligent participation, state jail felony, time credits, rehabilitation programs, de-escalation

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> equivalent in optometry training. equivalent in optometry training.
• </c> not a substitute for clinical training. not a substitute for clinical training.
• And I have are trained in this.
• Updating our laws helps training.
• </c> history of rigorous training. history of rigorous training.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our training as music therapists is quite rigorous.
• We're trained to save lives, and I'm proud to have trained in that world.
• My company offers a training program for that.
• I actually have spent over $30,000 in my Reiki training.
• Our training program has been designated as one of 39 approved training programs, three of which are

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure

Summary: The committee opened a hearing of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure and reviewed a broad agenda including credit card fees, event ticketing, music therapy licensure, senior psychologist licensure, CPA pathways, school mental health licensure, and a bill regulating alternative healing therapies. The chairs explained hearing logistics, including three-minute testimony limits and submission of written testimony, and noted that more than 70 people had signed up to testify. Legislators and advocates were heard out of order throughout the day. A major portion of the hearing focused on credit card surcharge and interchange legislation. Restaurant owners, the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, NFIB, and other small-business witnesses supported bills allowing merchants to add convenience fees and, in one proposal, preventing card companies from charging fees on tax and tip portions of transactions. They argued that swipe fees are a major and growing cost, especially for restaurants, and that Massachusetts is one of only two states that bars surcharges. Opponents from the Cooperative Credit Union Association, the Electronic Payment Coalition, and the Electronic Transactions Association warned that the proposals would create compliance burdens, fragment the payment system, raise legal preemption issues, and disrupt a system they described as efficient and secure. The committee also heard competing testimony on ticket transferability and ticket resale. Supporters, including the National Consumers League and Sports Fans Coalition, said bills on ticket transferability would protect consumers who cannot attend events and would increase competition and savings in the secondary market. Opponents, including United Musicians and Allied Workers and theater owners, argued that mandatory transferability would weaken artists’ and venues’ ability to prevent scalping and predatory resale, and that some ticket sellers should be exempt from the broader ticketing regulations. Separate testimony supported music therapy licensure, senior psychologist licensure, and new CPA education pathways, with witnesses saying these measures would expand access to care and strengthen the workforce while maintaining professional standards. The hearing also drew extensive opposition to S.261 on alternative healing therapies, with practitioners and clients arguing it would overregulate spiritual and holistic practices and was not an effective response to human trafficking concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• Do get some training, kind of cross-training in a way.
• We train them.
• gatekeeper training.
• They're well trained.
• Many are SLPs trained.

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• All the other 12 area agencies are also trained and equipped to do that training. ...trained and equipped
• to do that training.
• After they get the training, or they don't need the training to keep... or they don't need the training
• Thank you, and I sent your training to you. Did you get that? training to you. Did you get that?
• the training they do.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then what this does is it just requires a total of 10 hours of training.
• So this is just the training requirements.
• These training requirements.
• until you've received some training.
• Training isn't required, and though those trainings aren't required, it's really kind of recommended

Committee: Senate Health and Welfare

Transcript Highlights:

• completed their five-week core training.
• Yeah, I can speak to the training.” “I can speak to the training piece.
• Where we heard that the training,” “Where we heard that the training was insufficient was from the staff
• So staff have taken this six-week orientation training that has included training on these things that
• About the training and the assessments.

Summary: The committee met on July 15, 2026, but began without a quorum, so it could not adopt the previous minutes. Chair Jerry Pollett welcomed new member Senator Victoria Hunt and introduced new JLARC staff. The committee then heard a preliminary JLARC performance audit of DCYF’s Juvenile Rehabilitation programs. Auditors said overcrowding, staffing shortages, weak training, unreliable risk assessments, and uneven program access combine to create unsafe conditions and limit rehabilitation. They reported that about 74% of youth are in two large secure facilities, incidents rise as population rises, 47% of frontline staff leave within a year, current assessments are not valid for the population, and program offerings are tied more to facility location than individual need. JLARC made eight recommendations, including one to the legislature to address crowding and seven to DCYF on retention, training, incident procedures, validated assessments, program alignment, individualized programming, and better data. DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter agreed overcrowding is a major problem, said the agency would respond in detail later, and noted the department needs legislative help on staffing, pay, education, and program funding. Senators and representatives asked about JR-25, training adequacy, assessment validation, contraband, education access, and possible retaliation concerns, and JLARC staff and DCYF answered that the issues are interrelated and that a fuller agency response would come later. The committee next heard JLARC’s preliminary audit of Labor and Industries’ enforcement of farm worker labor laws. JLARC concluded that L&I generally meets timelines for health and safety inspections but not for wage-and-hour or retaliation complaints, largely because complaint volume exceeds staff capacity and delays occur before assignment to investigators. Auditors said recent agency changes and 2026 legislation may help, including added staff, screening processes, workload reorganization, the ability to prioritize complaints, a later start date for the 60-day wage complaint clock, and authority to expand some investigations to similarly affected workers. JLARC recommended that L&I report back in December 2026 and December 2027 on backlog reduction and implementation of the new law. L&I’s deputy policy director said the agency appreciates the report, is hiring additional investigators, and expects the new laws to substantially change how wage complaints are handled. Members asked for clarification on what counts as a wage complaint, the share of farm worker complaints, and how the new authority will work. JLARC then provided an update on the Department of Health’s strategic management plan for hospital data reporting, inspections, and complaints. Staff summarized prior recommendations and noted that House Bill 2577 clarified hospital inspection timing. DOH officials described a detailed plan with measurable milestones for improving inspection compliance, verifying accreditation standards, expanding complaint forms into more languages, addressing language-access barriers, and seeking long-term funding for adverse event reporting and financial data reporting. DOH said acute care inspection compliance had risen from 28% to 61% and projected further increases through 2028, while also working on staffing, a new licensing system, and public reporting tools. Committee members praised the specificity of the plan but raised concerns about the long timeline for language access and whether hospitals should do more outreach as part of their community health assessments. After lunch, the committee began the 2026 tax preference performance reviews preliminary report. JLARC staff introduced the first three reviews, starting with the Main Street tax credit and program. Auditors said the preference appears to have met the legislature’s broad goal of increasing Main Street communities and businesses overall, though results vary by community. They reported that Main Street communities grew from 9 in 2005 to 40 in 2025, business counts in those communities rose overall, and donations and tax credits have remained high, with many local businesses donating to support their own downtowns. The committee then moved into the rest of the tax preference review presentation, with additional reports to follow later in the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• With the training proposed in this bill, officer interactions with our autistic population can become
• In-person training with the opportunity to interact with those in their community who have autism can
• I can say this with confidence: the officer in-person training in this bill is crucial. Why?
• This is why the in-person training component is crucial.
• He knows they are there to help, and we foster that, and that's part of our training.

Summary: The Budget Committee met with a quorum present and heard several bills, with HB 1483 temporarily postponed. The most contentious measure was HB 945, which would create a state counterintelligence/counterterrorism team within FDLE. The sponsor said it was aimed at terrorists, nation-state actors, and other criminal threats, not political speech, and noted an amendment would address First Amendment concerns later. Opponents from the First Amendment Foundation, ACLU Florida, and other groups argued the bill was too vague, lacked guardrails, and could enable surveillance of protected speech or political activity. Members also raised questions about fiscal impact, oversight, warrants, and the bill’s July start date. Despite those concerns, the committee reported HB 945 favorably by roll call vote. The committee then unanimously passed HB 6507, a claims bill appropriating funds to compensate for damages caused by departmental negligence. HB 813, which clarifies Florida’s firefighter cancer law and death-benefit provisions, also passed after an amendment narrowed the bill and added language allowing a firefighter’s family to receive the death benefit if the firefighter separates from employment and dies within one year. Firefighter representatives supported the bill as a compassionate fix, while one local firefighter representative opposed the amendment, saying it would remove protections and create an arbitrary cutoff. Sponsors responded that DROP would not be affected and that the change was intended to help terminally ill firefighters spend their final days at home without losing survivor benefits. Finally, HB 365, dealing with law enforcement interactions with individuals with autism, passed favorably. Supporters, including family members and autism advocates, said in-person training and positive interactions are crucial to preventing escalations and tragedies during police encounters. They described real-life incidents where lack of training led to harmful outcomes and urged adoption of the bill’s training provisions. Members from both parties voiced support, calling the measure overdue and important for both public safety and the autism community. The chair closed the meeting by noting it was likely the committee’s last budget meeting and adjourned without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I'm no way, shape, or form saying that we should not be working to train and train the next generation
• We train them up. We give them, as Microsoft offers a lot of free training.
• And so the training has got to be a push-me-pull-me. We provide training.
• Training free of charge.
• We do provide a lot of training to our members.

Summary: The Assembly Select Committee on Cybersecurity and the Committee on Emergency Management held a joint informational hearing on maximizing the value of state cybersecurity investments, with a focus on whether California is fully using the security features already included in vendor contracts. The first panel included Microsoft, Zscaler, and Palo Alto Networks, whose representatives described the products and services they provide to the state, including endpoint protection, data loss prevention, zero-trust access, attack surface management, incident response, and AI-enabled security tools. They generally said utilization is strong in some areas but that underuse can occur because of limited staff, lack of awareness, overlapping tools, audit-driven purchases, and the difficulty of keeping up with rapidly changing threats and products. They also emphasized the need for training, leadership buy-in, and coordination among IT, procurement, budget, and mission staff. Members pressed the vendors on risks such as ransomware, data loss, IoT and operational technology vulnerabilities, major events like the World Cup and Olympics, and the role of AI in both attacks and defense. The vendors said AI is already changing both sides of cybersecurity, speeding attacks but also helping defenders triage alerts and improve response times. They also discussed workforce shortages and the challenge of retaining trained staff in state government. One public commenter argued that restrictive software licensing can worsen cybersecurity by locking customers into vendors and limiting flexibility, integration, and modernization. The second panel featured the Department of Technology, Cal OES/CalSIC, and the California Military Department. CDT said its audits, maturity metrics, independent security assessments, continuous monitoring, advisory services, and vulnerability disclosure program are helping improve statewide security, and that departments are making progress but still vary in maturity. Cal OES and CalSIC described training, advisories, cyber advisory services, and statewide exercises like Cyber Dawn, while the Military Department said its assessment teams have seen significant score improvements over time. Officials said underutilization is not always due to lack of awareness; sometimes features are intentionally disabled to reduce attack surface or because tools overlap. The hearing also covered federal funding concerns, including the reduction of MS-ISAC support and the final year of the state and local cybersecurity grant program, and the meeting adjourned after public comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Guard has is the training for our Army side of the National Guard.
• They were able to take the training within Wisconsin.
• But in that arena, in initial entry training, they get information and training on the SAPR program.
• They get additional training from their units.
• Because it's specifically one of the core content areas of the training.

Transcript Highlights:

• When we're talking about that employment-based training, really what we're getting at is training that
• When we're talking about that employment-based training, really what we're getting at is training that
• When we're talking about that employment-based training, really what we're getting at is training that
• </c> employees that are part of that training employees that are part of that training was<00:32:03.559
• </c> covered with grants as well as traine covered with grants as well as traine supports<00:34:40.280

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• It also provides training and educational programs.
• Finally, training is essential. We know that.
• , or the public on the status of officer training.
• don't have the ability to train officers because we can't release them to training because there's nobody
• We're not even done with I-940 training yet, let alone all the training that was added in 2021.

Summary: The House Committee on Community Safety held public hearings on House Bill 2220, which would change Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) certification hearings for peace and corrections officers. The bill would raise the standard of proof for suspension or revocation from a preponderance of the evidence to clear and convincing evidence, expand the hearing panel from five to six members by adding another law enforcement representative, and require biennial reporting by law enforcement agencies and the CJTC on officer certification, training completion, and decertifications. Sponsor Rep. Mari Leavitt and supporters argued the bill would improve fairness, transparency, training compliance, and recruitment/retention, while CJTC staff said they support objective hearings but opposed the burden-of-proof change and parts of the definitions, especially probation. Opponents, including police accountability advocates and several CJTC commissioners, argued the current system is working, there is no demonstrated problem, and the bill would weaken civilian oversight and make decertification harder. No vote was taken on the bill during the hearing. The committee then heard House Bill 2362, which would lower Washington’s per se blood alcohol concentration threshold for impaired driving from 0.08 to 0.05, require a public information campaign, and direct an evaluation of the policy’s impacts by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy. Rep. Brandy Donaghy said the bill is intended to reduce traffic deaths and improve public safety. Supporters, including several prosecutors and victims’ family members, said lower BAC limits can deter impaired driving and save lives, and argued the change would educate the public and reduce crashes. Opponents from the hospitality, brewing, and wine industries said the bill would not address the main causes of fatal crashes, would burden businesses and responsible consumers, and pointed to Utah’s experience as evidence the policy may not reduce fatalities. Prosecutors also raised concerns about the toxicology lab backlog, though some said the bill could eventually reduce cases and improve safety. The hearing on HB 2362 ended with public testimony; no committee action or vote was taken in the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• knows exactly where those jobs are and what jobs are needed, what jobs will be needed, and what training
• Well, the reason it's a win-win is because it is a win to help a Minnesotan get the training needed for
• </c><00:02:54.599><c> is</c> will be needed and what training is will be needed and what training is
• workers those trained workers and then<00:04:14.239><c> thirdly</c><00:04:14.640><c> it's</c><00:04:
• </c><00:04:41.600><c> uh</c><00:04:41.759><c> the</c> bridges to health care training uh the bridges

Transcript Highlights:

• THAT IS SOMETHING WE WERE THINKING WE WOULD BE DOING IS DEVELOPING AND DELIVERING TRAINING.
• WE WILL ALSO HAVE TO PARTNER WITH ANY OTHER GROUP INVOLVED IN CREATING, DELIVERING TRAININGS.
• A LOT OF THOSE GO TO SUPPORT THE MILITARY COMMANDS OF TRAINING.
• COAST GUARD OR FIRST IS -- ASSISTANT ENGINEER IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE TRAINING.
• MARINERS IS NOT ONLY REFLECTED IN THE QUALITY OF THE TRAINING PROGRAM AN INVESTMENT IN THE TRAINING FACILITY

Transcript Highlights:

• We cover the gamut in the training.
• We cover the gamut of that in the training.
• I'm trying to understand that training.
• I'm trying to understand that training.
• I've already had the training video; my kids could do the training video.

Committee: Joint Arizona Off-Highway Vehicle Study Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm one of the training and technical assistance specialists at the CATER Center.
• the enhanced care coordination work, training and technical assistance.
• The piece that we hold in CATER is the training technical assistance.
• It's still like, you know, we hold the training and technical assistance piece.
• It's still like, you know, we hold the training and technical assistance piece.

Summary: The Equity Committee meeting of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities began with roll call, approval of the prior minutes, and a presentation from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s CATER Center (Care Coordination, Assistance, Training, Education, and Resource Center). Staff described CATER’s role in providing training and technical assistance to MassHealth Cares for Kids providers serving children with medical complexity, including e-learning modules, coaching, case review support, and informal virtual drop-in sessions. They emphasized a family-centered, racially and culturally equitable approach, and noted that the program is funded through a MassHealth contract and has been operating for about two to three years. Committee members asked about which providers participate, how many families are served, how CATER coordinates with other regional or grassroots programs, and whether the model could be expanded beyond Boston-based hospitals. The presenters said they currently work with five providers, including Boston Children’s, BMC, Tufts, NeighborHealth, and Baystate, but do not track enrollment numbers because that is handled by providers and MassHealth. Members also raised concerns about workforce shortages, funding stability amid federal Medicaid cuts, and the need to share the curriculum and connect with other networks such as ACOs, DDS contacts, case management organizations, and the Health Equity Compact. The presenters said the work remains a priority and that they are open to growth and broader partnerships. After the presentation, the committee agreed to have the CATER slides and curriculum circulated to members. The only other agenda item was a lengthy NIH strategic plan for disability health research, which members had not yet reviewed; they agreed to defer discussion to a future meeting and add it to next month’s agenda. No votes beyond approving the minutes were taken, and the meeting adjourned after thanking the presenters and attendees.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> both treatment as well as get training both treatment as well as get training training<00:58:36.799
• </c> training staff. training staff.
• employees don't get trained.
• So they're already being trained, but to get better training—so when is the better training supposed
• </c> the ability to train your staff. the ability to train your staff.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is there training? Is there consistency Is there training? Is there consistency in reporting?
• The Director said training may be less effective for someone without an accounting degree or the training
• Um, we've done some trainings through WAMCAT through... ...trainings through WAMCAT through some previous
• Uh, if there was demand for us to put on a training, we could certainly put on a training.
• This is a highly intense training.

Committee: Joint Management Audit Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Um it's of the job training program.
• </c><00:16:08.639><c> They</c> with the job training program. They with the job training program.
• the training of New York.
• /c><00:20:32.559><c> the</c><00:20:32.720><c> National</c> training in 2024 from the National training
• </c> to a a conference to receive a training to a a conference to receive a training on<00:21:26.240>

Summary: The committee reviewed follow-up status on several prior audit observations. For the Department of Liquor Commission item tied to a DAS audit, staff explained that the commission had been listed as observation 8 because it participated in a recycling program, but the required response had been missed because DAS did not notify the commission. After the committee raised it, the commission contacted DAS and submitted the response, and members agreed the observation could be marked complete, making the audit 9 for 9 resolved. The committee then heard from the Department of Employment Security about the remaining open item from a 2016 audit of the former Department of Resources and Economic Development concerning the Work Ready New Hampshire program. The deputy commissioner said the issue had been addressed by 2019 statutory changes that moved the job training program to Employment Security, increased funding, and specifically recognized Work Ready New Hampshire in statute. Members indicated the item should be treated as resolved and moved to green. The Adult Parole Board also reported on its 2019 audit follow-up. Chair Roger Phillips said 18 of 26 recommendations had been completed, with eight still open, including structured decisionmaking, a tracking/performance measure system, records retention, and access to inmate mental health and substance abuse information. Committee members said the board needed to submit an updated report to DAS with timelines and explanations for the remaining items, and the board said it would provide a timeline within 30 days. The committee then agreed to expect a follow-up report after the first of the year, likely by the end of March, to review the status of the eight open items. At the end of the meeting, members discussed future audit topics. They noted that the wetlands council’s responses had been included with the department’s answers, so no separate appearance was needed. They also raised possible future audits involving special education oversight, the Board of Naturopaths, OPLC-related boards, dental examiners, and police standards training, with a request that some of those entities provide status reports at a later meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:03:24.800><c> facilities,</c> criminal justice training facilities, criminal justice training
• </c> that new recruits receive basic training that new recruits receive basic training instruction<00
• So in the train in<00:16:21.120><c> the</c><00:16:21.360><c> KSP</c><00:16:22.160><c> training</c><00
• :16:22.560><c> centers</c><00:16:22.959><c> in</c> in the KSP training centers in in the KSP training
• </c> amount of change management, training amount of change management, training and<00:23:36.400><c>

Summary: The committee heard capital plan presentations from the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, the Personnel Cabinet, and the School Facilities Construction Commission. The Justice Cabinet described its large portfolio of more than 900 facilities across the state and said decades of underfunded maintenance have created a backlog of repairs. Requested projects included a high-acuity mental health treatment facility for juvenile justice youth, two female detention centers to support the regional detention model, major corrections repairs and replacements, a new kitchen at Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex, a new dormitory at the Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women, completion of a new Eastern Kentucky prison, DOCJT training facility upgrades in Richmond and Madisonville, State Police radio system replacement and post construction, a combined Frankfort headquarters/Post 12 facility, and expanded crime lab and storage capacity. When asked about the high cost of the EKCC kitchen project, staff said construction inside an operating facility raises costs and that building a new adjacent kitchen would be more economical in the long run. The panel also asked about Fish and Wildlife officers training at DOCJT; staff said they do and that the training is funded through the CLEFT fund. The Justice Cabinet also said the recently enacted Senate Bill 4’s AI inventory and registry requirements would be part of its enterprise application and AI inventory system work. The Personnel Cabinet requested funding to replace CHRIS, the state’s human resources and payroll system, which supports payroll and benefits for about 48,000 employees and the Kentucky Employee Health Plan for roughly 192,000 members. Staff said the current SAP-based system went live in 2011, is approaching end of support in 2030, and has not received functionality enhancements since 2016. They said the replacement is estimated at $151 million, with most of the cost tied to professional services and software, and that the project would begin in July 2026, go live by July 2030, and require a stabilization period through 2032. In response to questions about outsourcing payroll or reusing existing systems, staff said the complexity of state HR, payroll, tax updates, and integrations with other agencies makes outsourcing or partial reuse impractical. The School Facilities Construction Commission introduced its role in helping all 171 school districts address unmet facility needs, focusing on core school facilities such as roofs and elementary buildings rather than athletic projects. No votes or formal actions were taken during the excerpted discussion; the meeting consisted of presentations, explanations of requested projects, and member questions.